It’s that time of semester: you versus the major essay. Essays are sneaky; they creep up on you and surprise you with their size, throwing their weight around the night before they’re due. I’ve had some mighty battles with essays over the years but I’m getting on top of them with two tricks of my own – preparation and structure.
I always left essays to the last minute in undergrad and they became the bane of my existence. I’d try to do the reading and write my essays the night before they were due, a schoolboy error that never really worked. Coming back, I’ve been a bit more diligent with preparing for an essay. Preparation comes via initial research and readings.
Scholarly essays require academic references to support your argument. To find scholarly works look at compulsory course readings, additional readings from the unit reader then databases and electronic resources on the USYD library website. Economics & Business generally require six or more sources for major essays, so you need to have a few under your belt to make sure you’ve enough material to support your essay.
Preparatory readings are good for two reasons. Firstly, they allow you to formulate your essay before you start. This is pretty obvious, but it allows you to think about the topic, play with it in your mind and then formulate your argument. Secondly, having a number of readings gives you material to support your argument, which results in marks. These two points are chicken and egg really, you can reverse them, but either way, rocking.
Secondly, structuring your essay is fundamental for essay superstardom. It’s Essay 101 sort of stuff - have an introduction, body and conclusion, with two or three key arguments. Your body paragraphs should have a logical progression and discuss one idea each - don’t write long paragraphs! Make sure you analyse the topic and have a defined argument and Bob’s your uncle, essay success.
I’ve two cheeky little essays due in the next few weeks, but I’ve been good this semester and have kicked off a little early. Whilst I can tell you now I will most likely be working on them the nights before they’re due, it will be an early night because I’ve already done the readings and written drafts. BAM! Age and a bit of wisdom (or at least I hope SOME wisdom) - Ill let you know how I get on.