01 June 2014

Tips to Fix College Essay Writing Problems


There are some common problems that most students face while writing college essays. Students make errors in writing college admission essays all of the time. They should make sure that the hard work they put in for writing essays does not go waste, instead earning the highest score possible. At the outset let us look at some common errors which students commit while writing college essays and also the ways to correct them.

1. Repetition: This is a common stylistic error found in most college essays and also in college admission essays. Repetition is seen as redundancy which makes the essay dull and readers lose interest immediately. A college essay should not have the same structures being repeated. One sentence should convey one clear meaning. Ambiguous sentences and abstract constructions are to be avoided.

2. Use of Vague Words: An essay should not have vague words like things or stuff. Students must use precise words while writing essays. Do avoid words with more general meaning such as society, aspects, groups etc. Instead use words with specific meaning in college essays. Do talk about what you are referring to directly and do not use round about techniques.

Essay writing challenges. Flickr: prusakolep

3. Excessive Use of “I”: In an admission essay the use of “I” is necessary, but it should not be used in excess. It becomes repetitive to read frequent occurrences of “I”. In college essays also the use of first person pronoun beyond an extent makes the essay monotonous and boring for the readers. The use of “I” should, therefore, be limited to a moderate level.

4. Use of too many Adjectives and Adverbs: Adjectives and adverbs are the embellishments in an essay. But too many of them in a single essay would make the essay difficult and hard to digest. Hence an appropriate use of adjectives and adverbs is desirable in college essays.

5. Use of Weak Verbs: Verbs are bifurcated into strong and weak verbs. Essays look wonderful when strong verbs are employed at the right places. Strong verbs convey the action or state of being. Weak verbs appear vague in essays. Therefore, to the maximum extent possible employ strong verbs only in college essays. Strong verbs are often descriptive and indeed state the action or state of being.

6. Use of Clichés: Clichés are phrases that are used again and again. They should not be used in an essay. If employed, they most often lose the point for which they are used. Use of clichés shows that the writer is not creative enough to employ novel constructions. Therefore, it does not serve any purpose in an essay.
An essay should be interesting, informative and at the same time entertaining for the readers. A paragraph should focus on one main point and each sentence should convey one single meaning. Do not employ complex constructions unnecessarily in an essay. Ambiguity and abstract usages do not enrich an essay. Instead, the concept should be clearly mentioned to the readers. It is, in fact, the responsibility of the writer to say what he has to say in an intelligible manner.

Author Bio: James Smith is a dissertation mentor at Bestdissertationwriting.net, an online source to seek help from experts to write about popular dissertation topics

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