How to write a simple college essay

Whether you are a new college student fresh out of high school or an older student returning to college after some time away, sometimes it’s nice to be reassured that things really are as simple as you think they are. As a composition instructor, students ask me for reassurance about how to write papers for other classes all the time. This is why I wanted to create this short guide for writing a simple college essay.

While most professors will provide specific instructions for how they would like essays to be written for their courses, many assume that their students know what to do and tell students to respond to a prompt (such as “Discuss the implications of global warming on seacoast towns”), but they don’t advise them on the “how to” part. Below, I outline the standard structure for organizing essays as well as two of the most common ways for documenting sources and for formatting the paper itself.

Tip: It’s always a good idea to use the writing process rather than just writing your paper in one sitting and turning that in as your final copy. The writing process goes like this: first, brainstorm ideas; second, create a rough outline of what you will write and in what order; third, write a rough draft; forth, ideally you should take a bit of time away from the paper, then revisit it and read with a critical eye for content then revise as needed; fifth, edit the paper for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors; and last, make sure the paper is formatted properly (cover page? APA or MLA style? number pages? etc.) before submitting the final draft to your instructor.

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StructureEssays typically are composed of three sections: an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.

The introduction should acquaint the reader with your topic: a little background information, perhaps some interesting or shocking facts about the topic, and an indication of your stance on the topic (i.e., your approach to discussing it, such as arguing for or against, or simply informing the reader with facts, etc.). The last sentence of the introductory paragraph is called the thesis statement. The thesis statement is the main idea of your paper. It tells the reader what, exactly, you will be writing about (e.g., in the topic example given above, one thesis might be, “Glaciers and ice shelves around the world are melting due to global warming, and the resulting sea level rise poses mild to dramatic flooding problems for low-lying coastal towns.”) 5-7 sentences for the introduction The body of your essay should consist of several paragraphs that support your thesis. How many body paragraphs you write depends on how much you have to say about your topic (or by how in-depth the professor wants the paper to be). Body paragraphs should detail specific evidence to illustrate your informative or analytic points. Be sure to ask your professor if you are allowed to use outside sources (such as the Internet, books, journals, etc.) in your paper. If you use outside sources, see Documenting Sources in the next section of this guide.

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. Much like the thesis statement tells what your whole paper will be about, a topic sentence tells what one body paragraph will be about. Each body paragraph will have a different topic sentence, and all topic sentences should directly relate to the thesis. 5-10 sentences for each body paragraph

Last, your paper should have a conclusion paragraph that emphasizes your central idea without being repetitive. The conclusion should sum up the support you detailed in the body paragraphs as well as restate the thesis (but using different wording). 3-7 sentences for the conclusion

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Documenting SourcesThere are several documentation systems, such as Chicago Style, American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and Harvard Style, to name a few. Which system you use depends upon the discipline for which you are writing (e.g., in the Humanities field, MLA is used; in the social sciences, APA is most often used). Be sure to ask your professor which documentation guidelines you are to use if this information is not stated in your assignment instructions or in the course syllabus.

Below I offer very basic examples for using MLA and APA. An exceptional and free resource with more information is the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. While it may seem like a pain to document sources, it actually helps to keep you from being charged with plagiarism. (Tip: Many colleges and universities use plagiarism-detecting software. Don’t assume your professor will not know you have “borrowed” someone else’s ideas, sentences, paragraphs, or whole essays).

APA StyleUse scientific language (read: no poetic or flowery prose) and typically avoid use of first person pronouns (e.g., instead of “I conducted research” you would write, “Research was conducted”).

Known as the “author-date” system, there are many variations of citations depending on how your sentence is structured and the type of source you are citing, but here is an example:

According to scholar Simon During (1992), this view also “changed perceptions of literature’s functions and status” (p. 2).

Please refer to an APA style guide or the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University for complete information and examples.

MLA StyleI find MLA style a bit more forgiving than APA because whether or not you

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use flowery prose is entirely acceptable, and use of first person pronouns is typically up to the instructor’s preference or your audience.

There are many variations of citations depending on how your sentence is structured and the type of source you are citing, but here is an example:

According to scholars critiquing the data, this view also “changed perceptions of literature’s functions and status” (During 2).

Please refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University for complete information and examples.

FormatAPA: Your essay should always be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper with 1" margins on all sides. You should use an easy to read font such as 12 pt., Times New Roman. Paragraphs are not indented (i.e., all text other than subheadings and long quotes are flush against the left margin).

Note: True APA format includes a cover page with page header (also known as the "running head") at the top of every page as well as a specific organizational structure that is different from what I have outlined in this guide. Please check with your professor to see if he/she prefers the formal APA structure (abstract, methods, discussion, etc.). If you cited sources in your paper, you must have a References page at the end of your essay.

Please refer to the APA Handbook or the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University for complete information and examples.

MLAYour essay should always be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper with 1" margins on all sides. You should use an easy to read font such as 12 pt., Times New Roman.

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Cover sheets are optional (ask your professor).

The basic essay structure outlined in this guide is an acceptable structure for MLA format.

The first line of each paragraph should be indented by one half inch from the left margin (usually this means just hitting the tab key once).

You should have a header and page number at the top right of each page.

If you cited sources in your paper, you must have a Works Cited page at the end of your essay.

Please refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University for complete information and examples.

Final tipsLook here for tips about using smooth transitions that connect the ideas of body paragraphs in specific, interesting ways.

Look here for help with the writing process.

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