How to write a College-Level Essay?

Guide for writing influential College-Level Essays with easy to understand instructions and compelling tips. This article includes 8 powerful steps and 4 incredible tips for helping you to write better College-Level essays.

By the time a student leaves high school, they will have learnt the basics to writing a variety of essays. A college level essay however is somewhat more complicated. This article will help students who have moved on to the next level of education to create well written college level essays that reflect their new status.

What Is A College Level Essay?

Right from the introductory courses, a college level essay will become a part of life for every student now at the tertiary level of education. In college essays, the student is meant to explain or disc cuss some subject matter using knowledge from course work already covered and supporting it with additional research from scholarly materials including online articles, published journals, articles and books.

In selecting the resources, the student should try to focus on recommended texts from the course lecturer, although there is no restriction in adding information from other sources.

Instructions

1. Assume the reader’s ignorance

When writing a college level essay, the student should assume that the intended reader, the lecturer or professor, does not know much about the subject at hand. He should ensure that the essay covers the background f the subject adequately. This presentation not only shows that the student understands the tenets to college level essay writing but he or she has also done research to come up with clear descriptions and definitions.

2. Research

In many cases, the student is given some space to choose the topic they want to cover or the angle they wish to delve in. A student should try to familiarize themselves with as much details as they can about the subject under discussion so as to know how they will approach the subject. Once they know which topic they will cover, the students can then focus more on that aspect. They will need to look up books covering the subject matter, articles and journals. Online resources are also acceptable if the authors of the information are reputable.

He student should study as many relevant books as they can to provide a well researched college level essay. Remember that even at the college level, books are mainly arranged according to subject so finding good resources should be easy.

3. Write your thesis statement

The thesis statement gives the reader the impression or opinion of the writer on the subject matter being discussed. Usually the thesis statement is made after just the initial research to learn the background of the subject. After initial research, the student should make a thesis statement to know what specific area they will delve into. This is giving the essay a point of focus. It is from this point that the rest of the paper is built.

4. Make an outline

Using an outline is a basic part of any essay writing exercise. It is especially helpful when doing the research. Having the outline helps to plot out the eventual essay to be written and enables the student to note down the relevant and key points. They also need to note the bibliography of the resources. This makes it easier to complete the essay and if need be, go back to make further clarifications.

5. Introduction

In this section, the writer will introduce general information on the subject under consideration. For instance if the essay is about the effects of world war II on baby boomers, the student will need to go into the background of WWII. They will need to list the participants and why and when it happened. It is also in the introductory section that the writer will have to give their thesis statement.

6. Main Body

In this section, the student will give the points to their argument that they have noted in the outline. In the outline, such points tend to be disjointed and make little sense to anyone but their author. In the actual essay however, the student will have to make their points coherent. They will make use of full sentences. The general rule of thumb is to have each paragraph explain a single point. When explaining or supporting the main point, the student should make use of the research done to quote factual information and make references. Most of the basic college level essays require at least three paragraphs to the main body. This is not usually a strict guideline.

7. Conclusion

This is where everything should come together. The student can make a short summary of the body and how it points to supporting the initial thesis statement.

8. Review Before and After Grading

Before handing in an essay given out as a class assignment, give it to a colleague, preferably someone familiar with the course being taught and have them review the work. They can also proofread to ensure there are no grammatical errors. If you do not score an ‘A’ then take time to discuss with the professor what areas you may have failed and how to make improvements on future submissions.

Tips

1. Study deeply and widely

Study deeply and widely. Essays can be both an assignment that gives the student time to do some research, or in the form of an examination question that forces them to think quickly. By studying course materials as the chapters are covered, a student gives themselves the information they will need to make good arguments in their essay questions. Always be prepared, surprise tests are not uncommon in many colleges.

2. Do not ignore your reading list

Do not ignore your reading list. Every lecturer or professor provides an outline of the coursework and a list of recommended texts they would like the student to explore. Many students focus on just the first 2 or 3 texts to their detriment. When writing a college level essay, the student should try to use as many of the texts as is relevant. These texts are normally available for free in the library so students should not have to bother buying all the books and journals listed.

3. Familiarize yourself with your lecturers

Familiarize yourself with your lecturer or professor’s preferred style of writing. From font to number of paragraphs in the body of the text, it does matter to know the aspects of your work that will help guarantee you a good grade. Talk to other students who have already passed the class or just make an appointment to talk to the professor. Many professors actually provide recommended hours during which they are available for discussions with students. Others actually state this fact in their first class or mention it at the end of a class. Do not ignore such an invitation and if hesitant, get a classmate to go with you so you can both ask some relevant questions. In some cases, the lecturer will actually guide the student in which specific areas they should focus on in their essay and resources that will be helpful in their research outside of the reading list.

4. Do not fail to reference appropriately

Do not fail to reference appropriately. The more relevant resources you have sued, the more research you will show you have utilized. Be sure that it is relevant to the subject otherwise the reader may assume you are just showboating.

I am feeling excited to read and reply your valuable comments.