University (College) Level Essay Writing

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Cobbs

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Aug 16, 2008
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So I am ufortunately on the receiving end of an Essay for my university course (I live in Aus by the way) and I was wondering if any fo my fellow escapists had any useful hints/tips.
 

FlyingSquirrel

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Dec 19, 2010
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It really depends on the general subject I think. Can help you with Business type work, don't have any experience with the rest of the subject mass.

This the first University level essay you are writing?
 

Hashime

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Jan 13, 2010
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Don't fluff your essay out. Be concise, get the facts / arguments out, and make it as short as possible. Your TAs will appreciate it.
 

Erana

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Feb 28, 2008
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Erana's process for an A paper:

1. Collect a lot of information. More than you will need. If you need citations, I suggest putting each individual bit of information on a note card, along with the necessary information about the kernel of knowledge so you can handle it very easily.
2. Collect them into groups of like information/ organize ideas for your comparison with said information.
(2.5 Make a thesis statement if applicable.)
3. Make bullets for the content of each sentence in the body of your paper. Make notes linking each bit of information to your sources now if you have to use citations.
4. Review the flow and subject from your outline made in step 3 and outline an introductory paragraph, with the thesis statement as the last sentence of the introductory paragraph.
5. Outline the concluding paragraph in bullets by revisiting the content of the introductory paragraph and how it relates to the information in the body of the paragraph. Remember that the conclusion paragraph is also the only place in a paper where you should actually draw conclusions; the rest of the paper is about providing evidence for that purpose.
5. Write a first rough draft, but on paper. In pen. Strike through unwanted content, but don't black it out or otherwise permenantly erase it; you might be able to use apparently useless information. If you have all the information you want to cover collected, this part should be pretty easy.
6. Now type what you've written by hand into your word processor. At this point, you can follow your outline and hit the footnote function to mark where they are needed. Typically, I'd place the symbols for footnotes here, but not fill them out, so that I may have a better flow in typing the paper into the computer.
7. Read over your paper, and if applicable, insert the content of your footnotes.
8. Read it out loud.
9. Have someone read it out loud to you. (Painful, yes, but it can help your tone a LOT.)
10. Assemble the other sheets, like the title page, bibliography, referenced images, etc. Make sure they are in the format requested by your professor. And don't forget page numbers! If the professor doesn't specify where they want page numbers (or if they want them at all) you can earn brownie points by asking them this half way into when its due. ;)

But yeah, long and laborious, but thorough. Even if your writing style is terrible, having all the content and all the ideas you need present in your paper guarantees a decent grade.

If you feel iffy on analysis, you could use us as a sound board for your logic. We can't come up with ideas for you, but we can sure ask questions! Explaining something is a great way to comprehend things.
 

SilentCom

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Mar 14, 2011
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The devil's in the details, I've had instructors ding me for not going indepth enough. Now I elaborate on my main topics with details and I generally do pretty well on my papers. Just make sure to stay on topic as well.
 

drakythe

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Feb 10, 2011
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Also, though you were (probably) taught it in grade school, the 5 paragraph method works well. Got me through my 70+ essays at college.

1. Tell them what you're gonna tell them.
2. Tell them.
3. Tell them what you told them.

Points 1 and 3 are you intro/summary sections while point 2 are you informative paragraphs. Make sure to have a clear and concise thesis in the first paragraph, and summarize your points in each paragraph before moving on. Do not assume that your point was made until you have explicitly stated it.