5 Tips to Writing a Perfect Essay as a College Student
You’ve heard this over and over again, but it’s worth repeating—writing is an essential skill in almost every industry you can think of. If you can write well, you’ll have an easier time at work and school, as well as in your personal life. Unfortunately, many college students don’t find themselves confident in their writing skills, whether it’s because they struggle to express their ideas or because they aren’t sure how to write properly within their field of study. Don’t fall into this trap!
1) Find your unique angle
One of my biggest struggles when writing an essay was finding my unique angle. I wanted to impress my teacher, but what should I write about? After every project, I was left stumped at how dull and repetitive my writing sounded. It wasn’t until one of my tutors suggested that I go above and beyond any other student that I really began standing out. By researching interesting topics (preferably those that no one else in class would be writing about), you can set yourself apart from other essay writer — all while still making an impactful statement! Everyone wants their voice heard, so make sure yours is loudest in your reader’s mind by being different!
2) Outline
The first step in writing any essay is outlining. When you’re just starting out, writing an outline is a great way to organize your thoughts and make sure you’re not missing anything. The other benefit of outlining is that it forces you to consider every element of your argument and how they relate to each other. So how long should an outline be? As long as it needs to be! One helpful rule-of-thumb: if your outline covers half or more of one page, that’s probably good enough. Of course, if you have several pages worth of points and counterpoints, by all means go for it. But don’t get too caught up in trying to create an elaborate outline; remember, outlines are supposed to help you think through your ideas, not stifle them.
3) Outline and Write at the Same Time
If you’re just starting out with essay writing, it’s perfectly fine to write and outline at different times—it can actually be a good idea. Try outlining your essay while watching TV or listening to music. The act of outlining helps solidify key points in your mind and may even help you discover arguments or topics that otherwise wouldn’t have come up. Then, take what you wrote down and make an outline on paper. This process can give you an idea of how long each paragraph will be, and whether there are any tangents worth exploring. The goal is to get thoughts out first, then put them into some semblance of order once they’re on paper! To get an indepth of how long it will take to finish your essay even with an outline, you can read here: https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2022/02/17/how-long-does-it-take-to-write-a-5000-word-essay/
4) Have someone else proofread it
Reading your essay aloud will help you identify hard-to-spot errors. You can ask friends or family members for feedback, too. You may have an intimate knowledge of your writing, but outside eyes will likely pick up on things you’ve missed. The ideal person to proofread your work is someone who’s familiar with academic essays and has a strong grasp of grammar and punctuation rules. Make sure they’re more than just proofreading—their feedback should be integrated into your final draft! Have two sets of eyes read it: Reading your essay aloud will help you identify hard-to-spot errors. You can ask friends or family members for feedback, too.
5) Understand that professors don’t care if you make grammatical mistakes
At best, professors care if you commit errors that change your meaning. If you write I never did homework for my class, for example, most professors will know you mean I did not do any homework. Errors like confusing lie and lay, however, are more annoying than anything. Overall, it's better to have few mistakes but be too informal than have too many of them and sound like a robot! If you are working with an essay writer from grade miners, remember that professional writers don’t live by grammar rules; they craft essays for clarity. Sometimes it makes sense to make an error in order to be understood or reflect your voice rather than being stifled by arbitrary grammatical rules.
BIO:
Jared Houdi is one of the Grademiner’s team finest! If there’s anyone who won’t sleep and eat until a customer’s essay is done, that will be Jared hands down. Some say that there’s no such assignment Jared can’t pull off. A simple 5-paragraph essay or a complex 50-page course work, our man Jared Houdi will meet the deadline no matter what.