By The college journey has different stages, and with these stages, there come different stress levels associated with each one. However, writing the college essay is among the most stressful parts for students throughout their college life. And when it comes to essay writing, students often make common mistakes that lead to poor quality work. Hence, it ruins all of their hard work and efforts. But the good thing is that these mistakes are avoidable if followed by the right tips and strategies. Thus, it is what we will discuss in this blog.
Here, we will walk through some common college essay mistakes that students make and how they can avoid them. So, what are you waiting for? Let`s start discussing them. Come On!
Most Common College Essay Mistakes That You Should Avoid:
Mistake 1: Not Choosing The Right Essay Topic
Well, when it comes to college essay writing, you have to choose a topic yourself that interests you the most. However, it is where most of the students make mistakes. As there are several options available, college students have no clue which one is perfect for them.
Hence, they choose a topic that is either too narrow or too broad, which leads them to many problems while conducting research.
So, how can you avoid this mistake?
How to Avoid:
- Before choosing a topic, know your interests, passions, and goals, but within your field.
- Create a list of different topics, brainstorm ideas for each topic, and then choose one.
- Conduct research for each topic to determine how much information is available on the topic.
- Stay updated about what`s currently trending in your field and choose a topic related to it. Also, make sure the topic has a future scope in the market.
- Seek help from your peers, friends, and Essay Writing Services if needed.
Mistake 2: Not Reading The College Essay Guidelines
When assigning the essay writing tasks to the students, college teachers often provide some specific instructions that must be fulfilled at any cost.
Yet, most of the students don`t even pay attention to it. Thus, they directly start writing their essays without knowing the clear instructions.
Hence, it is one of the biggest and most common mistakes you could ever make in college. By not reading the essay guidelines, you will only find yourself stuck in the middle of writing.
So, make sure that you don`t make this mistake.
How to Avoid:
Take your time and read the guidelines thoroughly. Also, do the following:
- Check the questions wisely
- Pay attention to the requirements like word count, writing style, formatting style, referencing and citing style, etc.
- Check if there are any additional requirements provided by your professors.
- Brainstorm the ideas and determine what you will write in your essay.
Yet, if you face any difficulty in understanding the requirements, then ask your teachers. They will help you understand them and solve your queries.
Mistake 3: Not Conducting Enough Research
As you know that research is the most important part of essay writing. Think of it as a cornerstone of your essay. But either due to time constraints or lack of resources, students do not conduct enough research for their college essay.
Thus, it is one of the biggest mistakes that you should avoid.
How to Avoid:
- Conduct in-depth research from reliable sources like academic books, journals, newspapers, case studies, etc.
- Furthermore, ensure that the information you gather is relevant to your topic.
- Use visuals, graphs, and data to make your essay more appealing.
- Jot down the main things in bullet form. Furthermore, ensure it is enough to cater to your word count.
Extra Tip: Conducting reliable and relevant research for your college essay can be challenging. Hence, if you face any difficulty, consider seeking help from Admission Essay Writing Services. The professional services have access to premium sources and can help you conduct in-depth research for your essays. This way, you can save your time and submit a top-notch essay in college.
Mistake 4: Poor Thesis Statement
While writing the introduction of an essay, one must clearly write a thesis statement. Hence, it helps readers to understand the aim of your topic and its importance. An unclear or poor thesis statement will only ruin the interest of the reader.
Example of an unclear thesis statement:
College students must enroll in various academic societies this year.
How to Avoid:
The correct way to write the same thesis statement:
College students must participate in various societies as they contribute to learning communication skills, teamwork, and other soft skills that are essential after graduation.
Thus:
- Use clear language.
- Try to engage your readers with a strong introduction.
Mistake 5: Lack Of Evidence
The next common mistake that students make is not including proper evidence. Hence, many times students pick a topic and mention their points on it. But their arguments are not supported by proper evidence. However, the rest of the time, students have their own points and opinions, so they skip mentioning evidence. This is one of the biggest mistakes.
How to Avoid:
- Include relevant real-life examples and evidence to back up your points.
- Also, mention references.
- Don`t choose a topic on which you can`t include evidence and relevant information.
- Avoid including irrelevant examples.
Mistake 6: Not Editing & Proofreading
While continuously writing our essay in a flow, we often overlook grammatical and punctuation errors that ruin all of our hard work. Hence, proofreading is essential for our essays.
Yet, students often skip this part due to a lack of time or any other reason. So, if you want to impress your teachers and readers, then you have to give time to proofreading and editing.
How to Avoid:
- Read aloud and see how it sounds to the readers.
- Look for grammatical, punctuation, and structure errors. If you find any, correct them asap.
- Check for awkward phrasing and correct it.
Final Thoughts:
Let`s conclude our discussion. When it comes to college essay writing, students often make some common mistakes. These mistakes include Not Choosing The Right Essay Topic, Not Reading the College Essay Guidelines, Not Conducting Enough Research, a Poor Thesis Statement, a Lack Of Evidence, and Not Editing and Proofreading. So, make sure you avoid these mistakes to submit a high-quality essay in college.