Every single class you ever take will ask for an essay at some point in time. So use these essay hacks to make it easy, and A-worthy.
Essays are the bane of many students’ lives.
You’re faced with big topics to cover, thousands of words to write, and limited time in which to do it. With multiple papers on the go at once, it’s no surprise that 16% of students (or more) pay other people to write their essays for them.
But there’s good news:
Quality essay writing doesn’t have to be so difficult! With the right approach and a few essay hacks at your disposal, you can simplify the entire process. Work on your essay game and you’ll start getting A’s on those papers instead of E’s with, well…ease.
Does that sound like a plan? Let us help! Read on to discover 7 epic essay writing hacks for a quality paper every time!
1. Do Your Research
Essays are only as good as the research that’s gone into them.
After all, you have to understand the topic and all of its nuances in order to have something to say about it! That’s why you should always start the writing process by reading up on the subject.
Don’t just scratch the surface though.
Get to a point where you know enough to form a solid grasp of the argument you want to make. Armed with a newfound understanding of the subject area and your argument, you’ll be able to enter the writing phase with less hesitation.
2. But Don’t Procrastinate!
The research phase is all-important.
But it can also prove problematic. You can end up delaying the writing stage in favor of further reading. In other words, the research becomes its own form of procrastination!
You convince yourself you need to know more before you can begin. In reality, though, you just don’t want to start.
Sooner or later, though, you’re going to have to bite the bullet and set pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards!). Get to a point where you can summarize your argument in a sentence or two. That’s always a good sign that you’re ready to start writing.
3. Give Yourself Enough Time
We know, you’ve got a million other things you’d rather do than write your essay!
There are people to see, computer games to play, and even ironing, shopping, and cooking to do that takes precedence. You end up putting the essay off until the very last minute, at which point there’s a mad rush to get it done.
Stress, frustration, and a rising feeling of overwhelm all ensue.
We’ve all been there! But, needless to say, it isn’t conducive to a quality end product. Try to give yourself enough time to do the essay justice instead.
Starting early takes the pressure off. It means you have enough wiggle room to solve any problems that arise. You can do proper research, get counsel from professors, and have a proper chance to form your arguments — all without the stress of a looming deadline.
4. Get Rid of Distractions
Writing an essay on a computer is a mixed blessing.
On one hand, you’ve got easy access to the internet and the ability to write at speed on a keyboard. As such, you can find the sources/information you need and work away at the word count at pace.
But there’s also social media to check, games to play, desktop notifications that pop up, and more. Throw your mobile phone into the mix and getting any work done can be a serious challenge.
Getting rid of such distractions will help. Set yourself up in a quiet and comfortable environment. Leave your phone somewhere out of sight (and put it on silent!). You could even block yourself from certain websites for set periods of time.
You’re sure to become more productive in the process.
5. Prioritize the Structure
The best essays combine quality content with a solid structure.
Ignore the structural side of the battle and your argument’s going to get lost along the way. Think of the structure like a map that takes the reader on a journey to your point. It must be sensibly put together, easy to follow, and cohesive in nature.
Success relies on planning.
Stop and think about your structure before you start writing. Figure out ahead of time how you need to assemble the essay and you’ll get your argument across with greater proficiency.
6. Be Clear and Succinct
Some of the essays you’ll have to write will have daunting word counts.
The result? You feel at a loss for what to say and start wondering how to stretch out an essay. Many people end up using more words than required to deliver a point or repeating themselves throughout the paper.
But it’s important not to be wasteful with words.
Sentences full of unnecessary words are harder to understand and your point might get lost along the way. More than anything, though, they make the reading experience less enjoyable!
Try to proofread what you write and cull any words, phrases, or even entire sections that seem surplus to requirements. It’ll be harder to reach the word count, but you’ll end up with a clearer and more succinct end product.
7. Back-Up Your Work!
There’s literally nothing worse than losing the essay you’ve almost finished.
You know what it’s like. You’ve made great progress, go to hit save, and then- boom- the computer crashes! Before you know it, everything you’ve just written goes down the drain.
Prevent that eventuality by backing up your essay at every opportunity. Email it to yourself, save it to the cloud, and/or copy it to an external hard drive.
Need to convert files to different formats before you save/submit them? https://setapp.com/how-to/convert-pdf-to-jpg should help.
Enjoy These Epic Essay Hacks
Writing an essay doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think.
With hard work, the right approach, and specific writing hacks to hand, you should be nailing your papers in no time. Hopefully, the essay hacks in this post will help you do it.
Want to read more articles like this one? Browse the blog now for more essay writing tips than you can shake a stick at!