Write for college
With all the things you have going on as a student, writing a paper can seem like a daunting task. Many students opt to put off that daunting task, which ultimately leads to bad grades on papers that would otherwise have been easy A's. On top of that, papers often make up a large portion of a student's overall grade in any class, which makes them even higher risk ventures. Here, we'll walk you through the most important aspects of making a paper, from beginning to end so you won't have to whip up a paper in an afternoon, plagiarize, or neglect to do the assignment.
How to Write a Research Paper . . . and Get an A+
Whether responding to a short prompt or crafting a long-form essay, writing is an indispensable skill for students who want to excel in their postsecondary education. When graduation rolls around, these same skills will be needed once more, whether in writing a cover letter for a potential job or composing essays for graduate-level admissions and scholarship requirements.
David Brauer earned his Ph. Cameron D. Clark is currently in his second year at Harvard Law School. He is a prolific writer on topics surrounding sociology and the law, and was published on an undergraduate law review during his senior year at Rasmussen College.
Provided by the American Psychological Association, this resource is available as an online resource, e-book, or printed book and operates as a complete guide for writing and publishing materials that adhere to APA style. Published annually with updates, this digital and printed resource is the AP style bible and provides information on any topic covered under AP style rules.
Now in its 16th edition, this online and printed guide provides information on stylistic rules alongside information on correct citations. The Modern Language Association provides this comprehensive online resource with answers to common questions and tips for properly using MLA style. Users can also purchase the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook.
Provided by Purdue University, this expansive website houses a host of writing resources alongside a wide range of research, writing, and citation tools for each of the main style guides. Best of all, everything on this website is free. Trying to remember all the rules of each style can be next to impossible for most students. The tips below help students identify a few of the most important rules while also giving them a list of common errors to avoid.
No matter which style is being used, establishing authorship is an important component of any proper citation. Whether citing a single author or a collaborative paper completed by numerous researchers, each of their names needs to be mentioned. APA style is particularly concerned with ensuring the publication date is included, even in in-text citations. Student writers should pay close attention to the different uses for italics, quotation marks, underlining and parentheses when writing out citations and bibliographies, as most styles have different requirements for these punctuation tools.
Online resources are treated differently among writing styles, and students should pay close attention to when a URL or DIO digital object identifier is required and when it is not. When writing the bibliography for the end of a paper, students should pay close attention to the order in which information appears.
Some citation styles, including APA, also require additional information, such as the publishing house and where it is located. Although it may seem like a grey area at first, strict rules govern how and when an original source must be cited, no matter the style guide being used. Also known as a direct quote, this type of sourcing involves using the word-for-word text of an author within another piece, with no edits or alterations.
This type of source usage is typically limited to a few sentences, all of which must be placed between quotation marks and attributed to the original author.
Whether a writer is expounding upon or condensing the initial idea, they must still attribute those ideas to the original author. A step further than paraphrasing, summarizing typically involves writers taking a large block of text or numerous ideas and condensing them into a broad overview of the original source.
Summarizing often reinforces a point, or provides clarity on a specific claim. Even within summarizing, the ideas must still be attributed to the original author. According to studies by Education Week and the Psychological Record, 54 percent of students have admitted to plagiarizing sources from the Internet, while 36 percent admit to plagiarizing written material.
Plagiarism is a serious issue not only because it undermines the educational system, but also because it ultimately cheats students out of a rigorous learning experience. Although some students purposefully provide inaccurate citations and bibliographies, the majority are not even aware of their indiscretions. Still, it becomes their responsibility when a paper is submitted with their name listed as the author. Put simply, a student is plagiarizing when they:. Commit copyright infringement by reproducing or creating a derivative version of a work protected under a legal construct.
Given the seriousness of this topic, Affordable Colleges Online provides an entire guide on Plagiarism Prevention and Awareness to help educate students on how to avoid this pitfall. Offered as a comprehensive resource on plagiarism and proper citations, this is a handy guide that any student would do well to save as a bookmark. This all-in-one site provides information on both plagiarism and how to avoid it. Whether students are looking to improve their journalistic, creative or academic writing styles, taking time to visit the campus writing center is one of the best decisions they can make.
Not only that, writing coaches are on hand to offer guidance, give tips on sentence structure, or provide resources to help learners improve their writing abilities.
Best of all, almost every college writing center provides support free of charge. Some of the services a student may expect to find include:. Online writing centers typically fall into two categories: those hosted by universities and those provided by companies offering services for a fee. Because many colleges and universities now offer distance learning classes and degree paths, online writing centers have grown in popularity and necessity.
In addition to serving current students, many of these are also available to alumni who may have attended on campus but now in a different city. Webster University in Saint Louis, Missouri is a great example of how schools can help writers improve their abilities from afar. Students without access to a writing center via their institution often turn to the Internet to find other options.
Pearson Education offers online writing assistance for a small fee, and students can rest assured knowing that 90 percent of all tutors at this company hold a PhD in a writing-intensive subject. Unfortunately, less reputable companies have taken the online writing center model into unethical waters by providing essay writing services.
As discussed in the section on plagiarism, any time a student places their name on a paper and turns it in to their professor, they are affirming that they produced the words and ideas held within. Using an essay writer is in direct violation of university codes of ethics and should be avoided by any student who values an honest academic career.
Founded in affiliation with the National Council of Teachers of English, the IWCA is an excellent resource for students trying to find reputable options and for teachers looking to set up a writing center on their campus. The excellent resources and guides provided by Purdue are accessible to any student, regardless of the school they attend. The University of North Carolina offers dozens of online handouts for students seeking information about incorporating evidence, revising drafts, writing thesis statements, using succinct language and conducting a comprehensive edit.
Resources cover topics ranging from the basics of academic writing to proper punctuation and grammar. No matter how great an idea may seem at the outset, students who fail to properly plan for and follow the time-honored steps for crafting a long-form document often find themselves in an amorphous space where their ideas are muddled by lack of structure.
Before any writing takes place, students need to create a plan for success. Steps on this path may include:. But you just did that, right? Not exactly. Rather than trying to tackle massive topics like the ones given above, students need to hone in on particular moments.
Looking at how Roosevelt responded to news of the attack on Pearl Harbor or a single breakthrough in epidemiology will make the task at hand much more manageable. After selecting a topic, students need an argument to guide the paper. Maybe that means stating that the president would have been better equipped had modern-day technologies been available or that a particular finding in epidemiology was more important than others.
Finding the hook and creating focus keeps students from finding themselves without direction later in the process. Unless a student has a photographic memory, the time is right to start jotting down ideas and particularly relevant passages. Having chosen a thesis and reviewed a few sources, the time is right to start outlining. As advocated by successful writer Anne Lamott and others like her, the value of moving ideas from our brains to the paper without worrying about grammar, punctuation or syntax cannot be underestimated.
Let the ideas flow for now and worry about the way they sound during the editing process. After putting so much thought and effort into a paper, the worst thing a student could do at this stage is fail to edit. If possible, try to take some time away and come back with a fresh pair of eyes. In addition to monitoring grammar and punctuation, think about the overall content as well.
Does each paragraph contribute to the thesis statement? Have appropriate sources been used to back up those claims? Are there proper transitions between each idea presented? Most writers read through their work numerous times, completing different types of edits during each review. Having started with a bibliography and added to it as more sources were found, students can use this rough list to form their final bibliography according to the style rules in place.
College Board offers a range of helpful ideas for ensuring the next paper a student turns in meets all the criteria to be deemed excellent. The OWL at Purdue offers a step-by-step handout to help students move from a great idea to a great grade. Penned by a writer who knows a thing or two about the value of rough drafts, this essay hosted by the English department at George Mason University underscores how important these first attempts can be in producing a polished final product.
Perhaps the most important piece of writing a student will complete before setting foot in a university classroom is the one that gets them there in the first place. Keeping in mind that college admissions staff read hundreds — if not thousands — of entrance essays every year, students looking to stand out from their competition need to keep a few basic rules in mind to achieve success:.
If a student fails to understand the question at hand, the rest of their efforts are all for naught. Try to get inside the minds of these professionals and understand what they are really looking for when asking the question. Think about how the question allows them to understand if a student will be able to excel at the institution, and tailor answers with that question in mind. As with any other essay, the one written as part of a college admissions packet needs to be thought-out and organized.
Think about the points that must be made, develop a logical sequence, and gather any information needed to clearly express each point. Students often fall into the trap of telling rather than showing. Rather than stating that you enjoy mathematics, think about ways of demonstrating your passion for the subject. Include information about accomplishments or involvement throughout high school, such as test scores, tutoring younger students, participating in a math competition or starting a math club.
In the face of pressure to stand out, it can be tempting to embellish accomplishments or experiences. Aside from the fact that essay readers are well-versed in detecting falsehoods at first glance, students also must remember that any claims made will need to be verified later. Write in clear, succinct sentences that address the topic at hand while showing your unique writing style. Each year, Johns Hopkins University provides a selection of winning essays that impressed the admissions reading panel during the previous academic year.
As of the academic year, nearly colleges and universities accept the Common Application — including all eight Ivy Leagues and many other highly regarded institutions. Each year, the Common Application releases its list of essay prompts so students can begin thinking about how to craft thoughtful responses. The New York Times provides this interview via The Choice, a portion of their website devoted to helping students get into college and pay for it.
For some students, writing the bibliography can feel as stressful as composing an essay. With so many rules about what should be in parentheses, when italics should be employed, and where that pesky period belongs, it can be enough to give even a seasoned writer a quickened pulse.
The college application essay is your chance to show schools who you are. Learn how to write a college essay that sets you apart. How to Write a College Essay. College admissions experts offer tips on selecting a topic as well as writing and editing the essay. By Kelly Mae.
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Whether responding to a short prompt or crafting a long-form essay, writing is an indispensable skill for students who want to excel in their postsecondary education. When graduation rolls around, these same skills will be needed once more, whether in writing a cover letter for a potential job or composing essays for graduate-level admissions and scholarship requirements. David Brauer earned his Ph. Cameron D. Clark is currently in his second year at Harvard Law School. He is a prolific writer on topics surrounding sociology and the law, and was published on an undergraduate law review during his senior year at Rasmussen College.
Crafting an Unforgettable College Essay
It might not occur to students that one of the biggest transitions between high school and college happens when they sit down to write a paper. Entering college as a strong writer, then, is a clear prerequisite for success; however, it can be less clear how high school classrooms can successfully prepare students for the challenges of college level writing. Unprepared students arriving to college is not an individual problem but an epidemic. To be more specific, the assessment results show that the average scores of students in the bottom 10th percentile of the U. While those numbers are shocking, it can be difficult to know what they mean in practical terms. The influx of students with low verbal skills leads to confused and frustrated college writing instructors. An opinion piece by Dr. This phenomenon is not only frustrating for students and professors but also deeply inefficient for our education system more broadly. Predictably, remedial classes, the more formalized approach to this issue, have become more and more common.
COVID Update: To help students through this crisis, The Princeton Review has amended our refund and cancellation policies to ensure maximum course flexibility for those who enroll between April 21 st and May 31 st. For full details, please click here.
If you are currently pursuing your degree in the US or you have recently earned your degree from a US college, then we have a great opportunity for you. We are providing a wonderful platform for students and fresh graduates to share their college experience with the world. If you have a story to tell about your college life, please read the guidelines and send in your pitches using the form below. If you have any other idea in mind, we would love to hear them out.
Write for College
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Write for College by Patrick Sebranek. Verne Meyer. Dave Kemper.
SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips
First, what is the personal statement? This is your main essay. Your application centerpiece. The essay is a chance for the student to share who they are now and what they will bring to our campus communities. Basically, college admissions officers are looking for three things in your essay:.
