Real study strategies from real students -- tips for success with college writing assignments.
Always start with a general outline to gather your ideas... anything on a scratch of paper will work.
If there is time you can inquire with your teacher and other students. If you are writing at the last
minute in a panic, an outline helps to guide your thinking and keeps your paper from going off on
pointless tangents, especially if you are researching and writing as you go. Always take a break
and plan on getting up early in the morning to proof read your essay.
--Adrianne W.
These are my favorites!! I think brainstorming is the key to starting off a good written assignment.
I think you have to lay your ideas down before you can make sense of what you are going to write.
I also think that grammar is so important, and you have to make sure that you at least sound
intelligent through what you write.
--Emily B.
I hate papers, and will put them off as long as possible. A horrible idea. Start as early as possible,
even if it's just a few ideas you've thought of. Having something to work off of when you do sit
down to write the paper will make it that much easier, plus you've already got a start. Always
reread it, at least once. When in doubt, talk with the professor. If I'm really struggling with
something I'll talk with the professor to see if I'm on the right track. Usually the professors will
ask you questions to get you thinking and head you in the right direction.
--Stephanie G.
Start early and make sure that you have it proofread. Also, with written assignments,
having a timeline planned out can help like by setting a certain number of pages done
by a certain day before the paper is due
--Heather A.
Start as soon as possible on them, at least with the research and don't leave it for last
minute because it probably won't turn out great. Take the paper/written assignment
piece by piece and set realistic goals for when parts of the assignment should be done.
--Marissa P.
Don’t rely simply on spell check! It doesn’t always catch mistakes like if something is
still a word, but not the word you intended or in the order you meant it to be in. Also, if
you can have someone else that isn’t in your class read it. They can help on grammar
mistakes and if they understand it, then you made your point clear and it’s probably a
good paper.
--Renee P.
When writing a paper or project its important to double and triple read over your paper.
I have seen people write a paper and then print it and submit it... very dangerous.
Re-readers will catch most if not all of their mistakes, thus yielding a better and more sound paper.
--Matt G.
My best advice for handling written assignments is to plan. That may sound like simple
advice but that is the way I got through my written assignments successfully. A lot of
times students have a choice of the topic they are going to be writing on. Take time to
come up with a topic you really want to learn more about or think would be interesting.
Don't just pick a topic for the sake of meeting the due date. My other piece of advice
when it comes to writing papers is to write an outline first. It was usually harder for me
to sit down and start writing without knowing where my paper was going. My outline
was a roadmap and I could anticipate the end of the paper.
--Micaela H.
USE AN OUTLINE!!!! It helps you to stay on track and not leave anything out. Give yourself
time to do several drafts, so don’t procrastinate! Re-read your multiple times.
You can almost always find a way to improve the paper. Have at least 1 or 2 people
read your paper before you are done. It is good to hear other people’s opinion because
teacher’s will have a different opinion from your own.
--Amber J.
Always have someone else edit your paper, it's not enough to edit it yourself because
you won't be able to catch all the mistakes.
--Jessica H.
Everyone has their own writing styles. I generally come up with an idea and do
massive amounts of research before I ever think about writing. I then organize my
research then sometimes prepare an outline before actually writing. I always print
out the paper and come back to it the next day and reread it. That is the easiest way
for me to catch my own mistakes. I have to give my eyes a break from it, and if I just
wrote it I think it looks perfect. But if I look at it a day later I almost always find
grammatical errors or phrases and sentences I just want to reword.
--Sarah P.
Always, always try to do it ahead of time! I can’t tell you I do that every time, but I’ve
never been completely happy with finished products that are completed the night
before/the day the assignment is due. There’s no way to really fit everything you
want to say in unless you prepare. What helps for me is usually making lists of
things I want to include in each paragraph. I do research on each of those main
points, and eliminate or add to the lists based on my findings. Then, I take my
main paragraphs and write them out. By writing out the main paragraphs, I have
a good idea of what the main point of my paper’s going to be (for the introduction
paragraph) and what conclusions I want to make at the very end. I cannot stress
this enough though -- it’s never ever a good idea to start a paper from scratch
at the last minute! It’ll only stress yourself out more in the end, and stress is
not something you should equate with any type of assignment -- the more stress
you put on yourself, the more you’ll develop anxiety right before it’s due and the
more likely you’ll let your body be affected -- mentally and physically.
--Jessica W.
I try to outline before I write because otherwise I forget what I am supposed to
be talking about. I try not to leave them until the last minute because then I will just
BS the work. A lot of times I just write what I feel. Teachers like your opinion and
if you can find something from the reading or research that relates specifically to
your life, they like it even more because it allows you to take ownership of your work.
I write things that I want others to read; not things that I have to write because the
teacher said so.
--Laura B.
I try to avoid the words "writer's block." Its more of a mogul that might take a little
more effort to get over, but you'll manage. Remember, rough drafts are called "rough"
for a reason; you can always go back and edit them. If you have a thought write it down
because it may not come back.
--Ben M.
Just start writing whatever comes to mind about the topic and then go over it
and fix it as you go along. The hardest part is starting it and that’s how I deal
with it. I don’t think too much before I write. I start to think when I’m in the middle
of writing. I do a lot of rearranging, cut and paste, and deleting when I write.
--Sarina O.
