Essays are currently taking over my life, I haven't done anything but essays so forgive me being even worse than I normally am with this. (How cute it this filter? snapchat is my form of procrasination lool, also totally irrelevant to this post but oh well it's 9.50 pm)
So, as I was saying, I have been non stop doing essays for what feels like a billion years. In the first year I had NO clue what I was doing at all, now I still don't really know but I'm better than I was. I've decided to make this post because to be quite honest all of the ones I used to read to help me write my essays were a bit naff (here's me saying that and I'll probably do an equally bad, if not worse version myself). Here goes nothing...
MAKE A PLAN
I honestly cannot tell you enough how important it is that you have a plan for your essay. This is something that your lecturers probably bang on about all the time and you really take no notice (hi there first year Millie) but, seriously, they do help; they allow you to make sure you're getting relevant references and staying on track to what your writing.
Some ways of planning would be bullet point, lists, mind maps or writing out paragraph by paragraph what you're going to write.
Every uni has a different way of wanting you to write but I typically write an introduction, 3 main paragraphs consisting of 3 key points and then a conclusion.
REFERENCES
Two words. Neil's toolbox. This website will literally save your life when writing your reference list/bibliography. It is basically a Harvard reference generator that helps you reference different types of reading such as websites, books, journals etc. It's great.
When referencing in the text (harvard style) make sure to write it like this (LAST NAME, DATE, PAGE NUMBER) that is how I've been taught anyway but make sure to check with your tutor to make sure you do it the way they like. Every uni is different and so is every teacher.
I like to write all of my references in a notebook before I begin writing my essay as I then have everything I need all in one place.
COVER SHEETS
I know for my uni they like to have a cover sheet on the essay so that all of your personal information is all on one page, this helps the teacher to identify whose essay it is and what it is for.
A little tip is to open the cover sheet up first and then start writing your essay on that document. It can get a little messy if you copy and past your essay over, especially if you have images within the essay (Yes you are allowed to do that).
THE ESSAY
The actual essay itself is the worst part! The constant lack of motivation or a challenging question; these are always the first things to make me put off my essay.
Find an environment that works for you - I personally like writing in my bedroom, some prefer a library or some, a coffee shop.
I like to listen to music or have the tv on whilst I'm writing as it helps me think, others prefer to be in complete silence, it's up to you just feel motivated!
Make sure to have a break every half an hour to an hour otherwise your brain will just get bored and switch off.
No phone... think we all know why this is
Don't be afraid to ask for tutor or your classmates for help, there's no point sitting there not doing any work because you're stuck.
I hope this has helped for at least one person out there, these are the tips I try to remember when I'm writing an essay! Good luck!!!
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