A Quick Guide to Writing an Effective Essay
Writing an essay seems to be perceived as a dreadful task among a vast number of college students. They find the task rather overwhelming, but they are left with no choice but to comply – especially when classes often ask for papers several times over the course of the semester.
As dreaded as this endeavor might be, there are tips for any student to follow that efficiently breaks down the task and makes it manageable to do. Writing an effective essay doesn’t necessarily have to be difficult, if you follow this simple guide, that is!
• Choose a topic
Every essay must have a topic or a subject that the entire paper is all about. It may be an assigned topic given by your professor, or you may be given the freedom to choose a topic of your own to write about. In starting out your essay, keep in mind what view of the subject you’re going for – should it be a general overview? A specific analysis? Narrowing down your focus is often necessary so as not to get overwhelmed in writing the paper.
• Prepare an outline
You might garner some ideas prior to writing down your essay. In order to keep track of your line of thought, jot down your ideas in paper to better organize your points. Doing so allows you to oversee connections and links between a set of ideas more clearly. Having an outline also gives you structure for your paper.
• Construct a thesis statement
Your thesis statement must highlight the main point of your essay effectively. This helps the reader to grasp what you are trying to say in your paper. A thesis statement generally is composed of two parts: one being the topic, and the other stating the point of the essay. Gather the main ideas of your essay and point out which among them spans the rest of the other ideas.
• Make your introduction effective
Writing an effective introduction is important in order to keep the reader’s interest and lure them to read the rest of the paper entirely. It must be successful in attracting the attention of any reader while at the same time showing the essay’s focus. This is because the introduction must be relevant to your general subject. You can use attention grabbing devices such as an anecdote, a wise quote, or a shocking information.
• Write a strong conclusion
Your conclusion must effectively sum up your general points. Not only does it serve as a closure of the topic, but here is also where you offer a final perspective of the subject. It must consist of at least three to five well-crafted sentences. Review your main ideas and provide reinforcement if necessary.