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6 April 2021

My tips for writing a high standard essay

Student Life

This may not be the most interesting blog you will ever read but there isn’t much going on in the world until the 12th and deadlines are fast approaching for most of us university students, even if we don’t care to admit it, so make the most of my tips to get the last few weeks of uni finished with, then a long (hopefully normal) SUMMER (21st June huns).

1. Plans

Planning is something I NEVER did throughout the first year of university, nor at the start of the second year but now it is essential for me when it comes to writing an essay and the difference in my grades is shocking (in a good way!). If you are like me and are very forgetful but still try to write essays without a plan, then this tip will honestly save you so much time, confusion, a messy essay, and potentially bad grades. 

I always begin by breaking down the question and creating sub-headings that will form the main body of my essay and how many words I plan on writing for each section (e.g., introduction 150-200 words) I tend to leave my introduction till last as I feel I can write a more concise and inviting one based on everything else I have written. 

Create bullet points based on your interpretation of the essay, even asking family members/friends on a different course etc what their interpretation of the essay question is could be beneficial, even though they may not know much about the subject, they may say something that surprisingly helps you interpret your essay better. 

2. Use the university’s resources

We are all paying good money for our degrees so should be making the most out of all the resources there to help us. Edgehill uni skills page is jam-packed full of information to support you in your studies 

https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/ls/uni-skills/ including academic reading and writing, this is all free to use on their website. They also offer workshops (beginning 12th April) to help dive deeper into specific skills you may feel you lack or need help developing. I found the procrastination one particularly interesting and helpful. 

3. Reference as you go

This is one of my own tips I am still trying to master I cannot lie, I HATE referencing and every student I speak to seems to feel the same way, ha-ha. I always get to the end of an assignment, have about 500 tabs open, books everywhere and a copious number of references that came from god knows where, then have to spend hours digging them back out, not wise, would not recommend. However recently I have been making more of a conscious effort to edit my bibliography each time I use a reference, this has been saving me so much time. Using the Edgehill Harvard referencing guide has also been a lifesaver for me as before using this I did not have a clue what referencing even was. The guide can be found on their website or just by typing it into google. Try to avoid sites such as ‘cite this for me’ as I made that mistake in the first year and there were errors throughout my referencing. 

4. Get your essay proofread before submission

Now I’m not saying swap essays with someone on your course to see if you have both gone along the same lines, there would be a major risk of plagiarism and you could get into serious trouble. However, there is no harm in asking a different friend (not on your course) or a family member to have a read through your final essay, they may not have a clue about the topic so may not help in that aspect, but they could spot typos, spelling mistakes, grammar issues etc which could jeopardise your grade if missed yourself. You could also book a UniSkills appointment to speak to an advisor 1-1 if you need help writing your essay, finding references, and then referencing, however, they do not offer a proofreading service as they are not a subject specialist and cannot help you actually write your essay. 

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By Skye Scanlon

Blogger

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