Essay Guideline

Essays are brief works written in prose, elaborating on a selected topic. The word ‘essay’ is derived from the French term ‘essai,’ meaning ‘attempt.’ The French writer Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592), was the first person to describe his works as essays. He published the first edition of his book entitled Essais in two volumes in 1580. Francis Bacon is hailed as the first English writer who wrote essays. He pulished his essays in book form in the years 1597, 1612 and 1625. Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walter Bagehot, George Orwell, E.B. White and Aldous Huxley are among the prominent essayists in English.

Essays may be literary or non-literary. They are used as a tool of evaluation at the academic level. Academic essays usually follow specific citation styles like the MLA, APA and Chicago styles. A well written essay should have a proper introduction, appropriate division into paragraphs, a proper development of the ideas discussed and a suitable conclusion. Different types of essays include argumentative, narrative, critical, expository, personal and persuasive.

An essay should ideally contain a thesis statement that will familiarize the reader with the topic being written about. The thesis statement has to be strong and positive in order to sustain the attention of the reader. The introduction of the essay should lead to the thesis statement. The thesis statement has the advantage of keeping the essayist and reader focussed. The body of the essay has to be divided into paragraphs that are an elaboration of the points thought of in the outline of the essay. Just as the introduction, the conclusion of an essay is a vital part. The conclusion will sum up the points discussed and highlight one’s view of the topic.

Essays provides detailed information on Essays, College Essays, Essay Writing, Critical Essays and more. Essays is affiliated with Download Free eBooks.

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College essays are of great importance when seeking admission to a college. In this regard, choice of a topic is very significant. College essays reveal the individual characteristics of the student and help the College Board in forming a correct picture regarding the student’s preferences, value systems, sense of humor, discipline and other core aspects. The primary questions any college essay usually addresses are the student’s reasons for choosing a particular institution. The authorities will also try to evaluate the creative and critical skills of the prospective student.

Therefore the student should choose a topic with great care. Once the topic is finalized, it is advisable to prepare a rough draft. It is important that the points for the essay are thought out and put into a preliminary order, so that the rough draft can be prepared well in advance. The rough draft will help to bring focus to the rambling ideas and enable a creative reorganization of the same.

Just as in normal essay writing, the college essay has to be divided into paragraphs. Each paragraph can elaborate a point discussed. Economy of words is a desirable quality. The college essay is ideally one written in a focused style, since a rambling style can distract the reader. An uncalled for ornate style is best avoided — simple language very often serves the purpose. College essays should be proofread thoroughly so that typos, grammatical and spelling errors do not occur. Any references made have to be properly cited, so that nothing is left vague. Slang usage has to be necessarily avoided; repetition of the same idea is another pitfall that the student has to stay away from. The essay should encode the enthusiasm and eagerness of the student and must never be written in an indifferent style.

A well-written college essay will highlight the sincerity, commitment and creativity of the applicant. The college essay is in every way the best and practical tool to ensure enrollment in an institution of one’s choice.

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Essay writing is not over until your college essay is carefully edited and checked for mistakes. It is your last chance to go through a paper with a fine-tooth comb and eliminate the drawbacks, defects, and shortcomings you let slip in the writing process. Only when your college essay is carefully and accurately edited, you may be sure it is all shipshape, impeccable and ready to turn in.

However, editing is not an easy task to accomplish. To edit your essay successfully, you must be aware of several issues that are especially troublesome in essay writing. Below you will find a list of points you need to revise when editing your college essays. Following these steps will allow you to make an accurate review of your paper and ensure it meets the demands of your instructor.

So, to edit your college essays professionally, you must make sure that:

1. you have followed your instructor’s guidelines concerning the essay length, format and referencing;

2. there is a lead-in sentence to the title of your essay, which is up-to-the-point and eye-catching at a time;

3. the introduction of your essay is attention-grabbing, amusing, and thrilling. What is more, it must set up an issue and lead in to the thesis of your essay;

4. your essay has a thesis statement, namely a clear assertion you will write your entire essay around. The thesis statement must be placed within the first paragraph of your essay and fit in a single sentence;

5. each paragraph of the essay covers only one idea that supports your thesis statement;

6. body paragraphs are written in the exact order of the thesis statement. Otherwise, your essay will appear to be tangled and odd;

7. paragraphs have topic sentences placed at the beginning, supporting evidence in the middle, and your interpretation of the evidence at the end of the paragraph;

8. at least one quotation is included in a body paragraph. Be sure that the concept of the quotation is explained before it is presented to the readers;

9. there are no one-sentence paragraphs in your essay. It is a taboo for college essays;

10. conclusion of your essay is as interesting and memorable as the introduction. You should gracefully exit your essay with a wrap-up sentence and impress the readers with a profound thought, or a quotation;

11. your essay is coherent. The essay ideas must be interconnected in the paragraphs by means of smooth word links and transitions;

12. sentence structures are clear, you do not appear to be too wordy and eloquent;

13. you have defined important terms and concepts that are unknown to the public at large and need to be explained. Remember to be consistent in their use;

14. you have demonstrated your own understanding of your college essay topic;

15. you did not refer to yourself in your essay, unless it is allowed by your instructor;

16. there is evidence of wide reading and research;

17. there is no irrelevant material, obvious padding, or redundant language;

18. your essay is formatted according to the correct guidelines for citation and your bibliography list is completed according to the corresponding guidelines;

19. there are no grammar and punctuation mistakes. Make sure the words are in their initial meaning and not misspelled.

In other words, you have to make sure your your college essay is exemplary in all respects: essay structure, grammar, approach to writing college essays, smooth language, etc. This might seem to be a pretty big piece of work to be done. But do not fall into temptation to skip it, for without editing your college essays are doomed to fail.

About the Author:

Linda Correli is a staff writer of Go2Essay.com - custom Essay Writing Help. She specializes in essay writing of argumentative essays, persuasive essays, narrative essays, and descriptive essays.

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