Tips to write the best essay

For many students, writing an essay can be a task full of stress and frustration. Whether the purpose is writing one as part of a college application process, on a specific topic for an academic class, or any other reason, it can be difficult to navigate through the several steps. Here are some tips for you to make the whole process more effective:

Select a topic

Begin by selecting the main subject of the essay. This will be the foundation of the entire piece and will aid in forming your following thoughts around a common, central idea. Make sure you research, read some similar articles and prepare your notes.

Create an outline

This is an important step that many students skip. An outline allows you to get a feel for your piece before you even begin and act as a sort of roadmap that can be referenced if you get stuck along the way of writing.

Construct a thesis

Your thesis statement is the main idea of your essay and should be the basis for the points that are developed within the body paragraphs. It is crucial that this is broad enough to allow for all your points while still staying relevant to your topic.

Develop the content

The basic outline of every essay should be an introduction, which introduces your main idea and clearly states your thesis in a concise manner so the reader knows immediately what the piece is about; body paragraphs, which support your main thesis and provide an in-depth explanation of your ideas; and a conclusion, which quickly sums up the entirety of your piece while usually ending off with a call to action.

Edit, edit, edit

Editing is a vital aspect of constructing a strong piece. It allows you to catch any mistakes that have been made in the initial writing and gives you the opportunity to go back and alter the weak-spots. It is best to allow someone else to read your work as part of this process to get a second opinion.