The Do’s and DON’Ts of Essay writing

            I went to university for six long years, working my way through an English degree and an education program. I know all the ‘cheats’ that students use to meet word count measurements or page quotas. I’ve learned how to write essays at eleven - pm that are due by midnight, all the while praying that my email doesn’t shut down. Therefore, I do think I am a reliable source for giving advice to university essay writers that want to appease their professors.

            First of all, I’ll start by listing a few ‘tricks’ that don’t work. If you’re trying to meet a certain page length requirement, don’t up your Word document to a font size of 26. Professors can see through this. They’ll also notice if you’re planning to skip two or three lines between every paragraph just to make the essay longer. If you’re really short on information and are trying to stretch your essay to a longer length, try using Arial font instead of Times New Roman and edit the top and bottom margins of your page. (But you didn’t hear that from me…. )

            No, seriously. Avoiding the assignment or tweaking with margins just aren’t going to work. If you don’t have enough information, the best thing to do is head back to the drawing board. See if you can come up with more ideas to develop your main topic. Do research and see if there are others out there that support your point of view. If you’re doing a literary analysis, skim through the pages of your novel or play to find even more support for your position. Survey people for their responses and incorporate that research into your writing. Describe scenarios in detail and don’t leave any information out.  

            At the same time, though, try not to repeat yourself throughout your essay. The reader can understand your point the first time; you don’t need to explain it seventeen different ways. Good writers are concise and have lots to say – not wordy and lacking in insight.

            So spend some time thinking your essay through before you write it. Toss ideas at friends and family members and let their responses trigger new ideas and points of view. Try and analyze something from multiple perspectives and do as much research as you can before you ever sit down to write.

            The only way to write a quality essay is to take your time and think it through.

When no one can Feign Sickness

             Since time immemorial I have tried understanding the mindset of my fellow campus students but I have often come up short. It is difficult to comprehend them. Who can for instance explain why they literally adore weekends and look forward to them as much as they do? In other words, why do they seem to always get excited towards the end of the week and dull at the start of the week? It is interesting, isn’t it? But that is exactly how it has been for a long time. Students don’t like being in class; if given an option I can bet with my life that they would choose something else other than going to class.

 During the week, it is not uncommon to see students feigning sicknesses in order to be out of class or see them texting their best friends to sign against their names in the attendance registers. It is a wrong thing to do but it does happen and there is not much we can do, unless we come up with a way of ensuring that only one person signs against one name. Nevertheless, weekends also break the monotony of class work and having a lecturer or tutor before you for a whooping five days (in the absence of a public holiday and assuming that all students attend all the classes of the week) and all the malarkey that is associated with it.

As though that is not all, weekends are exact reminders of holidays that students often look forward to. They give students an opportunity to visit each other, go to stadiums and watch their favorite games and sports, go to the movies and what not. Professional essay writers also use this time to write essays or plays. Lastly, and certainly not the least, weekends aid in the courting process, and these to students, is priceless. Campus students like all human beings like being loved, and the weekends provide the perfect environment for that.