One can debate success as a concept countless times. Some people associate success with financial prosperity. Others think success is doing what they love the most. It is half of a job to define what you are going to write about and how you would approach the topic.
The success of an essay, relies on standard rules applicable in academic writing. It is easier to develop an argument or narrative if you follow a formula. Ask any famous poets, and they would confirm that any assignment requires a structure. The rest would be the polishing of your writing.
What is “success”?
According to Merriam -Webster, success is a favorable or desired outcome, or the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. However, success depends on who you ask about it. Indeed, someone will always tell that material possessions are the best example of being successful. Others would argue that being in harmony with oneself and others is the best kind of success you can hope for.
Depending on what aspect you need to explore in your essay, you can take an unexpected perspective on this concept. You should always double-check if you can approach the topic creatively or stay more formal when writing the paper. Some professors encourage students to make discoveries. Some professors want you to polish your writing and remember the essay rules.
For instance, you can explore the following ideas:
- What makes someone’s career success, and how is it connected to happiness?
- Why do we have a predominant image of successful people, and who defines what is success? Did the idea of success change over time?
- What types of success can be encountered in the modern world?
- Why do some innovations become successful while others fail to achieve the same level of recognition?
The essay type is important
Many things depend on the essay type you need to write as the narrative and argumentative essays have different purposes. A narrative essay may ask you to describe what you consider to be a success. In contrast, a definition essay requires relevant sources and their analysis. The type itself should give you a boost for the analysis and search. If you feel that you need clarifications, don’t hesitate to contact your professor. It is useful to create a list of things you need to check before you start writing. You can always use life hacks for students that save your time and help you figure out the goals you need to achieve with your essay. Still, every essay type has a standard structure you must follow. You can always analyze a lot of resources that can help you! You can look at sites where you can find essays by famous poets like this https://www.isliptown.org/ and take some of the writing as an example.
Essay structure is a must
As we mentioned before, you cannot get a good grade if your ideas are all over the place. The essay structure helps to systematize your thoughts and write your paper cohesively. You may start with an outline and pinpoint ideas you want to describe and underline the main ones. Many people find creating an outline to be helpful to fight the fear of blank pages and avoid missing relevant points.
At the same time, universities or colleges may have unique policies on how the essay should look like. Here are the standard and accepted essay structure:
- In the introduction, you identify the point of writing the paper and introduce the reader to the topic. Every introduction should have a thesis statement (the idea you are going to defend throughout the essay), but it is not always required.
- Every essay has from one to as many as you need body paragraphs, where each paragraph should express one idea. Try to start each paragraph with a topic sentence and end it with a concluding sentence.
- You have to restate your thesis and summarize the arguments you presented earlier in the conclusions.
Start with your sources
If your essay requires you to use sources and your professor gave you the freedom to find them yourself, start with this essential step. It is harder to get into the topic and then trying to put the sources to support your claims. Many scholars and professional writers suggest looking into the research that was already done. Also, good writing begins with learning from the best minds and challenging yourself.
You might find Google Scholar to be your first choice to find the needed essays and works. Don’t forget to use your university databases and library resources to make your source options more versatile. Always experiment with keywords while searching for authors and be attentive to the quality of the source.
Proofread your essay
We all know it is hard to edit and proofread your own work. We are often biased or simply don’t see the problem with the writing. However, you still can achieve great results and get the best grade. Many professional writers have their routine in making sure their work is polished and meets standards.
In addition, you might use free software like Hemingway Editor, Grammarly, or Typely. Even though you might not receive the perfect result, AI tools evolved and became better at spotting mistakes and suggesting improvements. You may ask your friends to check your essay as well. They might point out the problems with your arguments or give you some fresh ideas on how to advance your writing.
Take care of your mental and physical health
If you find it hard to even begin writing your papers, then your mind and body signal you need to take care of them. The problem with one’s health is that many diagnoses share the same symptoms, and your tiredness or lack of focus can mean anything. Therefore, you need to contact a professional rather than try to self-medicate yourself. At the same time, it is important not to dismiss any symptoms as irrelevant and address them.
Always listen to yourself and take a comfortable pace. Don’t pressure yourself to finish everything in one night but try to approach your tasks gradually. Part of being a successful student is to take care of yourself. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when one is needed and share your concerns with professionals.