On Writing Academic Essays

Writing essays for academia is challenging to say the least.

I will never claim to know everything there is to know about anything. But I think confidence is key when it comes to academic work.

I often find myself faced with the problem of not knowing what my professor wants. At times, it’s tough to reconcile what they want with what I want.

The academic essay is a genre in and of itself. I’ve written my fair share of them. I have my own unique ways of tackling them. But let’s get back to basics.

To be completely honest, I write before I research. At minimum, I brainstorm before I go hunting for sources.

I feel like researching without a plan can be a wild goose chase. That and I don’t want to get sucked down a random rabbit hole.

I think my biggest issue is not being specific enough. Vague is my middle name after all.

Instead of making broad claims, I should give an example or provide evidence.

Word choice is instrumental as well. Certain words don’t convey as much meaning as others.

Sometimes my topic sentences suck. I ought to revisit them after I finish writing the paragraph. It’s important to revise.

Introductions are tricky. I try to review them once I finish writing the paper to make the beginning better.

A lot of people recommend writing the intro last, which makes sense. How are you going to introduce what your essay is about if you don’t even know what you’re thinking until you type everything out?

I tend to write a quasi-introduction to help me get started though.

Another tip that might work is to delete the first few sentences or even the whole introductory paragraph when necessary. In doing so, the hope is you get to the point right away rather than beating around the bush.

I enjoy writing conclusions the most. Of course, I avoid introducing new ideas, but I attempt to say something my introduction doesn’t say. If the paper calls for it, I may ask a question or offer a solution.

I get too carried away with the mechanical aspects of writing that I often overlook my ideas. That’s my Achilles heel.

I’m Submitting My Writing Again

It’s about time.

As a 21-year-old, I’m not a teenager anymore. So I’ve become ineligible for a lot of contests I’ve submitted to before. But I don’t feel like an adult either. I’m not a professional writer.

I have a ton of poems I’d like to get published somewhere. Hopefully, something works out.

In addition to my creative writing, I’ll try to write an essay every now and then for scholarships. I’m still a student. I graduate next year though, which kind of freaks me out.

I love but also hate not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what’s in store.

These days, I feel more motivated. I want to do more and do better.

If I want to have something to show the world, first I need to show up.

Essays, Exams, Etc.

I’m at that point in the semester where I have ten billion things to do, but I just want to watch TV.

My motivation walked out on me. I’m also sleeping more than I did earlier in the semester. Read into that what you will.

I had more energy in January. But now I’m exhausted. To be fair, I’m sleeping later than I should.

In a way, I have more free time because baseball ended and hasn’t begun. But essays exist. Exams exist. Both are the bane of my existence.

At least everything is coming together, albeit a bit slowly.

Still, I love that feeling of all the pieces starting to come together.

I’m excited for this semester to be over. Summer feels so close, yet so far away. It’s just around the corner.

First, I need to get through all these evaluations.

What do you prefer: essays or exams?

There are pros and cons to both. All things considered, I think I prefer essays more. I hate studying, but I love writing.

This semester I have more essays than exams, and I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever. Says the girl who’s struggling to write them right now.

I don’t mind essay based exams either.

I can write. I don’t need to study in the sense of memorizing facts or dates, which is the sort of studying I despise the most.

Then again, writing a good essay takes time. I don’t care who you are. No one writes a great paper in twenty minutes.

With exams, even essay based ones, there’s less or no editing involved. I enjoy not having to edit.

All you need to know about me is I love writing, and I hate pretty much everything else. Studying. Driving.

For now, I turn my focus towards not failing. But more importantly, I’ll take care of myself during this busy time. No matter what, I will listen to my body.

Using Feedback From Professors And Teachers

So I finally brought myself to check some of the feedback I’ve gotten on my papers. I’m trying to incorporate my professors’ comments for the final essays.

It’s great when I’m on the same page as your professor. Makes my life that much easier. And a little validation doesn’t hurt either.

At least, I’m somewhat on the right track.

I don’t love my grades. Shocking, I know.

Now if only I can ace everything else.

Even though I don’t always agree with my professors, I try to see where they’re coming from. Besides, I have no patience, so I’d make a horrible teacher.

But I certainly have my personal preferences when it comes to writing. Subjectivity will be the death of me.

I ought to keep a record of the feedback professors give me. I’m sure I get similar comments all the time.

Because I’m stubborn, I tend to do what I want, regardless of whether a teacher loves my idea or not. I’d rather work on something I’m passionate about than please the person grading my work.

I try to find my own angle, put my own spin on things. When I stumble upon a diamond in the rough, I work hard on refining the idea until it shines.

I’m a little worried at how many words I have to write and edit in the next month. But I’m a writer. What’s several thousand words in 2 weeks when I’ve written 50,000 in a month?

My problem isn’t so much the mechanical or technical aspects of writing but rather the ideas and arguments. Why? I don’t always follow instructions. So I’m a rebel.

If I elect not to pursue further education after undergrad, I may never receive feedback from a teacher or professor again once I’m done. I think that’s one thing I won’t miss.

What I Do When I Feel Overwhelmed

What do I do when I feel overwhelmed? I write about feeling overwhelmed in hopes I’ll feel better afterwards. But sometimes it makes me more stressed or anxious.

Some days, I’m not sure how I manage to balance my passions with my obligations. Even though I can’t optimize everything all the time, that doesn’t stop me from trying.

One time, I was telling my friend I didn’t know if I’d be able to get everything done. Bless her for saying I always do.

I have a lot of work and too little time. My confidence is a bit shaky right now. I blame my mastery over procrastination.

If only I had more time. But I don’t have 25 hours in a day, I can’t write my essays next year. So I just have to make the most of it.

Because I’m a stubborn human being, there are things I refuse to give up even with deadlines looming.

I like to think I can write relatively well. That said, I doubt I’ll ever let myself forget how hard writing is.

Working with words takes time, regardless of skill and talent.

It’s been a while since I’ve had this much school related stuff to handle. I’m kind of freaking out.

But that small voice in my head tells me I’ll get everything done to a decent extent. I’ve accepted the fact I can’t make everything perfect. So I’m covering my bases as much as possible.

In a perfect world, I’d ace everything. But my real world won’t end if I don’t. My ego might suffer, but it deserves a reality check once in a while.

Somehow I’ll survive. I need to make good decisions in the following weeks. I should be fine. If I make terrible choices, that’s on me. I can’t blame anybody. Besides, I reap what I sow. I also don’t reap what I don’t sow.

How To Write Under Time Pressure

Writing is hard enough as it is without the added pressure of having a limited amount of time.

Budgeting time takes on a greater significance when you only have a few hours to write too many essays.

I’ve extracted tips from my tired brain about writing under pressure:

• Write fast but not too fast. This goes for both handwriting and typing.
• Production not perfection. Don’t strive to be perfect. Do strive to be done.
• Be concise, clear. Try to know what you’re writing about to avoid beating around the bush.
• Prepare accordingly. There’s nothing like a simulation of the real thing. Studying and reviewing is good. Replicating the test conditions as closely as possible is great.
• Don’t forget to breathe. Like the protagonist in many YA novels, let out that breath you didn’t know you were holding.
• Try not to overthink. Most teachers aren’t trying to trick you.
• Just write something. Part marks are better than no marks at all. Get an idea down. It may lead to other ideas.
• Make connections. Concepts often interconnect. Draw out similarities and differences. Compare or contrast. Brainstorm with a mind map. Outline in a way that work for you.
• Write until you have nothing else to say. Stick with what you know when possible. Talking about what you don’t know makes your life harder.
• Use the time given. There’s no reason to stop writing thirty minutes into a three hour exam.
• Take care of any business beforehand. That way, you’re in a good place physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.
• Eat and drink beforehand. A hydrated body beats a hungry one.
• Move on. Especially when you’re stumped. Tackle the next question. You can always come back to a problem later.
• Play to your strengths. Downplay your weaknesses.
• Answer what’s asked. Ideally, you do this right off the bat.

If nothing else, remember writing under time pressure is a skill you can cultivate.

Writing An Essay In One Day

Instead of having one week to write an essay, I had one day. I don’t know how I managed, but I did. Somehow.

Thankfully, the paper wasn’t too long. I wrote during the day. I took short breaks in between writing the first draft. At night, I edited the essay a few times before submitting it.

At least, this wasn’t an essay for school. It was for a scholarship.

I saved the wrong date. I put in the day winners would be selected rather than the deadline for submission. So I thought I had seven days. But then I checked and realized I only had one. Safe to say, I never want this to happen again.

Of course, it wasn’t the best essay I’ve ever written, but I’m happy with how the paper turned out.

Lesson learned. I should be more careful when noting down dates. Also, next time I’ll check well in advance to see if the deadline is still the same or has changed.

Present me wasn’t pleased with past me. So much for being meticulous.

Write First, Research Later

I like to write before I research. At the minimum, I brainstorm ideas I have first and look for sources later. This is how I’ve written most of my essays in university.

Even though finding research that supports my argument takes time, knowing my stance in advance stops me from researching for too long.

I’m someone who doesn’t know what I think until I write my thoughts down on paper. Only after do I have more clarity.

I’ve found the better I know what I want to say, the less time I need to conduct research. When I’m lost, I’ll spend way too much time reading articles and not enough time writing essays.

I find the sources I want to use, find the quotes I want to include, and find I’m halfway there. Besides, half the battle lies in researching.

Writing isn’t so bad once I’m in the flow state. That lovely, blissful place where words flow from your fingers onto the computer. I quite enjoy drafting a paper during the early stages.

For me at least, editing is the other half of the battle. First drafts are messy. They require a lot of time and attention to make them better.

So when the first draft reaches the final stage, I feel a sense of satisfaction. Creating something great from nothing is an achievement in and of itself.

I guess my advice to other students is to write first, research later. Come up with ideas and figure out what you’re interested in writing about. Then find evidence to support your argument.

Of course, this isn’t the only way to approach essay writing. I’m not suggesting that write first, research later is a hard and fast rule you should follow all the time.

Still, if you feel stuck at any point, have a brainstorm session without referring to any external resources.

To quote one of my old teachers, “use the gray matter between your ears.”