Skip to main content

Academic Insider: What You Don't Know About Writing a College Essay

Academic Insider: What You Don't Know About Writing a College Essay 

Getting an a is Easier Than You Thought!  Find out what you didn't know about writing a college essay. Learn these simple tips and earn an A!

I have taught at the university level for about a decade and have graded hundreds, if not thousands, of college essays. Earning a high grade on your academic essay does not usually involve writing a Shakespearean level paper or a professional dissertation worthy of Oxford Press. Instead, follow these simple writing tips to ace your next college essay.

Read Your Syllabus
This may seems simple, but I don't know how many papers that I've graded that have did not follow simple instructions. For example, if an assignment needs to be an essay, then write an essay not a question and answer format. If the topic is the battle of Waterloo, don't jump into your personal political opinions on the latest presidential election, no matter how relevant you think it may be to the topic. If the professor needs the paper to be in Turabian or Chicago styles, then be sure to format the paper accordingly. This not only will keep you from losing a few unnecessary points but will make your paper shine above students that simply slop together an assignment. 


Formatting issues are often the number one reason 
why one paper outshines another.

Know Your Sources
If over half of your paper consists of Wikipedia, random personal opinions, or social media quotes, you can bet that your professor can't keep his or her eyes from rolling as they read your paper. Your university has a library, and most have online libraries that you can access easily from your smartphone or tablet. Log in to the library, search for your sources with the option "peer-reviewed" checked. Immediately you will have incredible sources that will not only increase your overall knowledge of the topic with real researched information but will impress your professor with your incredible research skills. Besides you will become acquainted with trade journals necessary in your field. Added bonus: if you happen to be going to school and working at the same time, knowing how to conduct high quality research will put you on the fast track for upper management positions. 


Know your sources and 
you show that you know your stuff.


Use Writing Resources
Whether you decide to use a simple grammar check in Microsoft Office, attend a writing workshop, or get that cute classmate to coach you in writing skills, use the writing resources available to you. And be honest about your writing skills. Not everyone had the opportunity to attend a high quality high school that prepared students for college. Not everyone grew up speaking and writing English as a first language. Not everyone even likes to write in the first place. If you are lacking in any major area, take the time to find the resources available to you and seek them out. Learning how to write an academic paper in your freshman year will save you a few years of heartache, not to mention decades of being passed over for more literate coworkers in your field. Believe it or not, knowing how to write matters, it really does. Learn how to communicate in writing and in speaking. These are basic career skills you need regardless of the field.


Do Not Plagiarize
At this point you might be saying, "Duh!" or thinking about the last few stolen papers that

you managed to get by your prof. Plagiarism is not the core problem, however. When a student plagiarizes it demonstrates that the student has poor life skills in general like poor time management skills. For example, most of the students that plagiarize in my courses have a tendency to wait until the last minute to finish an assignment, complete only the bare minimum, and have at least a dozen excuses for poor work. When they submit a perfectly constructed paper at the last minute red flags go off immediately. Already the student has demonstrated that they are not ready to take a college course through their poor work, and a quick check in a plagiarism checker reveals that the student plagiarized. 

When I check an entire class's papers for plagiarism, it is almost always the poorest performing students who choose to plagiarize. 

Plagiarism is part of a destructive pattern that leads to unemployment and missed
job opportunities in the future. 

Combine poor class performance with plagiarized assignments, and you will quickly see your grade plummet, and in most cases, failed classes or expulsion may result. Instead, give yourself enough time to complete your assignments. You deserve to give yourself at least that much respect.

Conclusion
Now you have a few useful tips to help you next time you write a paper. Remember to follow the instructor's syllabus, ask questions if you do not understand the instructions, and use good research to support your assignment. Get additional help if you need help with grammar, formatting, sentence structure, or other key writing skills. Avoid plagiarizing with good time management. Follow these simple tips and you will find that your grades will soar along with your marketable career skills.




Comments

HOTTEST POSTS!

Music Secrets: How to Write an Opera, Part 1

Feel like writing an opera is only for big name composers with big budgets? Or are you willing to take the plunge and create a work in one of the most compelling and cutting edge musical forms...an opera? Almost two years ago I embarked on the largest musical production I have created to date -  Libertaria: The Virtual Opera. After writing the award-winning Creation Oratorio and dozens of multimedia works, I wanted to combine my love of the audio and the visual into a single large scale work.  Find a Great Dramatic Story You need a strong story to write a compelling opera. Fortunately you can easily borrow from thousands of public domain works and modernize them. Think of West Side Story (just a contemporary version of Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet) .   Many great operas use Shakespeare, the Brothers Grimm , and Biblical stories, all of which include interesting characters, strong themes, and action.   Libertaria borrows heavily from messianic stories, but is se

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Songwriter?

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Songwriter?  Becoming a successful songwriter is the dream of many musicians. But knowing how to write a song , learn an instrument, and make a successful musical career can seem impossible. Well, it does take a lot of work. Not everyone that wants to be a professional musician will succeed, and many just enjoy writing songs as a fun hobby for their enjoyment.  Do I need to Sing or Play a Musical Instrument? This might seem like a simple question, but it actually has a complicated answer. Why? Some songwriters never learned a single instrument yet can come up with great lyrics and catchy melodies. Others have played piano or guitar for years or are trained singers. So what is the answer?  As a songwriter, you need to understand different aspects of the songwriting process. That doesn't mean you have to have an incredible voice or be the best guitar player on the block. What it does  mean is that you need to know music. There is no better

The Phantom of the Opera - Prague Cello Quartet

The Phantom of the Opera - Prague Cello Quartet

Free Sheet Music Download: Classical Music Flute Solo Airborn Sand by Composer Sabrina Pena Young

Free Sheet Music Download: Classical Music Flute Solo Airborn Sand by Composer Sabrina Pena Young FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD:  http://imslp.org/wiki/Airborn_Sand_(Young,_Sabrina_Pena) Originally composed during a hurricane in South Florida . Inspired by a news reporter 's comments about "Airborne sand " whipping through her hair, the composer decided to write a work for flute that imitated the movements of sand whirling on a beach during a hurricane. It was subsequently performed at the University of South Florida in Tampa . Flute Solo Related articles Friday Freebie: Old Rugged Cross The Landing - Science fiction Robot music - Sabrina Pena Young Music Marketing Secrets: How to Use Twitter, Youtube, Social Media - S P... Quiz: Which Classical Music Era Are You? Latest iTunes 12.5 Beta Should Please Classical Music Fans After Dark - Romanian Rhapsody concert at the Limerick City Gallery of Art Russian inspiration for Clandeboye Festival The Tran

Free Classical Sheet Music and Free Opera Downloads @ Scribd

Sheet Music (Photo credit: jayneandd ) Awhile ago I decided that I would upload the bulk of my music scores and sheet music to sites like Scribd, the Petrucci Music Library , and Archive.org for free sheet music downloads. Some musicians told me that it was ridiculous to give away my music. The truth is that I don't depend on music publishing sales of my scores, and I would rather inspire a young piano student, percussion ensemble, opera singer, grandma, bored music student, or music teacher to play and study my music than hold on tight to my copyrights and let my music scores collect virtual dust on my hard drive.  The Petrucci Library, Scribd, and Archive.org all have dozens of free music scores available for choir, vocal solos, piano, percussion, orchestra, opera, multimedia works, and more. You can see a short list of available free sheet music by checking out the Scores page. You might want to check out scores to my modern opera Libertaria: The Virtual Opera , an ex

Music Secrets: How to Write an Opera, Part 2

Music Secrets: How to Write an Opera, Part 2 After the incredibly positive feedback that I had from Music Secrets: How to Write an Opera, Part 1 , I thought I would talk a little bit about the composition angle of writing, at least how I do it in regards to vocal music . Here's a quick primer for anyone learning some of the basics of writing vocal music for opera, musicals, classical music , etc.  1. The Sketch I have had several great teachers in my life - Dr. Clare Shore , Hilton Jones, Dr. Kristine Burns, Paul Reller , Dr. Frederick Kaufman, Dr. Orlando Garcia, Chuck Owen, etc. My composition prof (and USF SYCOM guru) Paul Reller helped me develop the composition technique that I have had for years.  Download the Libertaria: The Virtual Opera Soundtrack at iTunes When I have the time to go through the entire composition process (because sometimes I have to skip a step or two for deadlines), I will start out with pencil, paper, and a piano (or keyboard, in my case).

How to Write Film Music in 5 Easy Steps

How to Write Film Music in 5 Easy Steps How to write film music in five simple steps for any composer. Thanks for checking out this video! Subscribe for more great content! Like this? Then check out AMAZON BESTSELLER Composer Boot Camp 101, a comprehensive guide to songwriting, composition, and film music with 50 exercises for students, educators, and music professionals! DOWNLOAD TODAY

FREE MOVIE Spiritus : Science Fiction Animation | Sabrina Young Film

In this visually compelling animated sci-fi film by Buffalo filmmaker Sabrina Young, a neurotic janitor hitchhikers her way to the dying exoplanet Spiritus to escape the truth of her past in this visually stunning animated machinima film by award-winning Cuban American Director and Composer Sabrina Peña Young. Thrown into the Asylum by her parents after a violent incident, Eleora longs to join the SpaceX crew to journey to Spiritus. Captain Reginald Hunter, a loser playboy, will do anything to stop her from finding the mysterious Ancient alien seer who calls to her light-years away. Created using a combination of original watercolor paintings created by the director's 8-year-old daughter and video-game inspired machinima, and accompanied by Young's riveting electronica Stranger Things inspired soundtrack, Spiritus promises to take the audience to an unforgettable fantasy adventure. Nominated for Best Animation at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival 2019. Directed