• By Daniel Millions
• Published 09/24/2008
• Writing

Writing an exceptional essay is a critical part of college success. Most colleges ask for an essay in the admissions process, and the writing continues from then on. The essay is one of the most popularly-assigned pieces of work, and not just in English classes. The busy, often poorly-planned college lifestyle can sometimes making writing an essay difficult. Some students get desperate, copying and pasting another students online. Other students pay a friend to write an essay for them. A variety of websites offer to sell custom-written essays to students. However, few people consider the above methods to be even remotely ethical. While college essays definitely require a lot of hard work, writing papers is a valuable skill that assists in learning the material. Students should think twice before delegating their work to another resource. Not only is it against school policies, but is a bad habit to get into, giving the student an easy out from claiming accountability for their school success. One of the best ways to get on the right path for a great college essay is to get an early start. Instead of waiting for the night before to get started, students ought to try to make some initial progress on the day that the essay is assigned. Starting early ensures that the essay will at least be in the back of your mind if any relevant information or opportunities arise. Even if you don’t crank out several pages of your essay right now, identifying critical ideas and seeking relevant resources are two important steps that should be done early in the process.

Starting early provides another great advantage: ad

ditional time to share and review your essay with others. Once you’ve reached your level of satisfaction, ask a friend or professor to read over your college essay and provide suggestions. It’s likely they can find something that you overlooked. Keep an open mind when it comes to critical comments about your paper; additional perspectives may provide new ideas and commentary to enhance and improve your writing. How can you make your essay stand out in comparison to other students’? Be bold. Take a stand on the essay topic. Don’t sit on the fence. While it’s important to acknowledge opposing points of view, professors want to hear your personal opinion and unique ideas. If your essay sounds like all of the other students’, you’ll find your grade stuck in the middle of the bell curve. The most effective essays write themselves, and that typically requires a strong argument that supports itself. After you’ve completed writing your essay, read it over. Then share it with a friend or colleague, and ask them to read it. After that, give it a final look. Typos and redundancies are commonly overlooked, especially in lengthy papers. One of the most effective ways to ensure that no typos sneak through is to read your paper out loud. It’s easy to overlook mistakes when you skim over your paper, but vocalizing forces you to pay attention and listen for errors.

Exceptional college essays require a lot of critical thinking and focused effort, but it doesn’t have to overshadow the other aspects of college. By applying the three suggestions listed above: starting early, writing boldly, and proofreading an extra time around, college essays can be a pain-free assignment that doesn’t need to conflict with the other opportunities provided during a student’s college years.