Surviving College: A Guide To Writing Papers (Freshman Edition)

Don't be afraid of writing, this is a safe place.

Welcome to College!

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From the beginning of time, college writing has been difficult to master. As a new college student, you will learn thinking outside the box is not always enough. Did you see what just happened? Forget about your typical clichés like "from the beginning of time" and "think outside the box." Leave those behind you and your five paragraph paper: introduction, three body paragraphs and conclusion—you are in college now.

College writing is meant to challenge you and make you a critical thinker. Before, all you wanted to do was reach the five-page limit. You would think and say to yourself, "what else can I write?" News flash, you will have much to say in college writing, but you only have a 400-600 words to say it. There is no more room for, pardon my French, bullshit. College writing requires much thought, critical thinking and analysis. It is no longer about how much you can write, but about how well you do it. College is a whole other world (cliché). I will share with you the stages of writing a college paper—from my personal experience with the writing process. Are you ready? Put down your phone and let's start writing.

STAGE 1: PANIC/READING THE PROMPT

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This stage gives me the most anxiety. Panic, panic, panic. Panic all you want here and do it all during this stage. I wouldn’t want you to panic during stage 5—writing. So, get it all out of your system now and think of a happy place. By now you have read your essay topic and have maybe have zero clue what the prompt is asking you. It is okay. This is your opportunity to dive into the prompt and think of a possible response to it. One of my strategies while reading an essay prompt is to break it down into three parts: background, question & format. Read the back ground information and make any notes on the margin that help you further understand the basis the prompt. Afterwards will be either the format or the question. Underline the question and make sure you understand exactly what the question is asking. Then think about what format you will be using in this paper and the amount of pages it requires: MLA, APA, 3-4 pages, etc. You don’t want to begin writing your essay without fully understanding the prompt. Do something like this:

Example Prompt:

Consider the narrative we read Enrique's Journey and how his migration narrative affected his life and of those around him. In this paper, analyze of the impact of migration. How does parental separation affect the lives of Central American children? You will answer this in a 3-4 page paper. The paper must be typed, 12'' font, 1'' margins. Use MLA or APA. You must provide page numbers if you use quotations from the book or other readings.

In this case, the background is "Consider the narrative we read Enrique's Journey and how his migration narrative affected his life and of those around him."

The question is " In this paper, analyze of the impact of migration. How does parental separation affect the lives of Central American children?" and the requested format is "You will answer this in a 3-4 page paper. The paper must be typed, 12'' font, 1'' margins. Use MLA or APA. You must provide page numbers if you use quotations from the book or other readings."

See, its simple!

STAGE 2: THINK/CHOOSING YOUR TOPIC

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Congratulations! If you are in this stage, you (hopefully) understand the prompt and can move on to constructing your thoughts. If you don’t understand the prompt, you can most definitely ask for help. Find your professor’s office hours on the syllabus.

Assuming you have digested the prompt, it is time to think and choose your topic. Choosing a topic can be difficult. As a writer, you want to choose something that is not so obvious. You want to write about something that will make the reader interested in your writing even more. Choose a topic that allows for “ooo” and “aaah” moments within your essay. Now once you have chosen a good topic try to narrow your spectrum to something small. Be specific. These professors have read the same topics for years; you want to provide them with something clear and concise. This way you get straight to the point. Now that you have an even better and concise topic, focus on that one topic, and that one topic only!

STAGE 3: CREATE AN OUTLINE...JUST DO IT

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Some writers skip this step even though it facilitates essay writing. Don't be that writer. Outline, just do it! Now that you have your topic it is time to build on your idea. It’s time to brainstorm and write the usual outline to structure your thoughts. When I write my own outlines, I like to determine the purpose of my essay. Am I writing an informative essay? A persuasive essay? Research paper? Thinking about your purpose will set the tone of your writing. It is important to physically write or type anything that is in your mind. Expressing your ideas on paper helps you refer to them as you’re constructing your thoughts. The outline consists of an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraph topics and your conclusion. Although an outline can influence a five-paragraph essay, do not feel as you must follow that format. This stage is just for yourself to write down your working ideas.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE A BREAK!

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After the outlining process, you have a good idea of what you will write. At this point, I personally am so tired of words. This is a good place to take a break. Don't feel guilty. You need to re-energize. There nothing wrong with letting your brain rest before you begin your writing. So, watch your favorite show, send a snapchat, eat a snack and relax. Don't forget to watch the time, you do not want to start watching Orange is the New Black and somehow end up on Season 4 Episode 10.

STAGE 4: TIME TO WRITE (FOR YOURSELF)

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Next up…writing. After you have a good foundation with your outline, it’s time to write. This draft is a draft for yourself. The reason why it’s for yourself is because it will be, without a doubt—shitty. You do not want to show anybody this draft. Don’t feel discouraged, all writers go through this stage whether they’d like to admit it or not. So, take advantage of how shitty it can be and just get all your thoughts on paper. Write, write, write!

STAGE 5: REVIEW, REWRITE, REVISE!

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It's time to review, rewrite and revise your draft. As read and edit your essay note the things you liked, things you want to change and correct any errors. After you've rewritten your shitty draft, consider having a second opinion. Peer review is beneficial in the writing process. Your peer could provide helpful feedback and constructive criticism that could strengthen your paper. After this editing process, you are now able to review, rewrite & revise again.

STAGE 6: SUMBIT THE FINAL DRAFT…FINALLY

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The glorious moment has arrived—the final draft. After understanding the prompt, finding a topic, creating an outline, making a shitty draft and another draft you're... done! Submit it and get rid of it. It's over, FINALLY! Time to celebrate. Now you can binge watch Netflix without feeling guilty.