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Need help with starting a essay for uni

username6572409

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

Reply 1

University of Huddersfield

Official Rep

Original post by faith hart

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

@faith hart

Start early, so that you have time to do research to back up the points you want to make, to structure your work, and to check that you are within the acceptable word count limit.

Make sure your familiar with your university's referencing system and do seek help if it's confusing or if you are not sure how to reference sources that you want to use.

Keep on top of where you are getting sources from – write the reference with your notes.

Be clear on what the assignment is asking you to do/write about. Check what you are being assessed for.

Try and breakdown the work, e.g. looking for references and making notes before writing. Try and write one section at a time.

Try and use a wide range of sources (don't just keep referencing the same paper). Make sure they are relevant to your work and use journals (as much as possible).

Make sure you go over your work before handing it in. Have you included all the references? Are they written in the right format? Have you checked spelling and grammar?

It doesn't have to be perfect. Remember that this is a chance to begin to try and understand what is required at university level. That being said, it's good to try and do your best so that you can begin to feel comfortable with essay writing at university.

All the best,

Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield

Reply 2

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by username6572409

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

Hi there, I would really echo the advice above, and here are some tips that helped me through my essays in the past years:

Starting early is really important, as a well thought through piece of work is much better than rushed work that was completed last minute. starting early will also allow you time to proof read.

Reading the question clearly is really important- circle out the key words that they are looking for 'critically analyse', 'evaluate', and the topics that they are asking you to look at. It is important that you do not stray off topic- after you have completed your essay, read it through and reflect whether it actually answers the question being asked.
University coursework looks at structure and how each paragraphs is linked to the other- try to make your argument flow nicely.

Try to you evidence and materials to back up any points that you are making. For example: journal article sources, legislations, statistics, data (It depends on what course you are taking, and what resources your lecturers have suggested.) If it is an argument piece, make sure that you consider both arguments for an against (using resources) & explain why your argument is the better one. It is important that the essay should not be just 'opinion', it should be well researched and evidenced.

Hope this helps.
Chloe
University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 3

EdgeHillStudents

Official Rep

Original post by username6572409

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

Hey,

I definitely agree with all the points stated by the other two responses however one thing they didn't touch on was planning.

I find starting early as they have said also allows for you to plan. I find planning the key to making a good essay as you know what information you need to search for and can also make starting the essay so much easier as you have all notes and won't be an empty piece of paper.

Some guidance for the planning would be:

•

If you have loads of time or are on top of all of your other assignments I would recommend doing a rather extensive plan on the kind of things you wish to discuss, what definitions or statistics you may need. This makes it so much easier when then doing your research for this information and also prevents the time spent on reading useless journal articles. - A tip here would be if you find any really useful journal articles also look at the references for them because sometimes you can find great journal articles within their references.

•

You can't always plan extensively so if you can write a couple of notes on what needs to be in your essay and what structure you wish to do then it makes it so much easier when writing up.

I find planning can also be a great way to reduce time later on and can also prevent me from procrastinating the write up. As I already have tons of notes and guidance for myself.

One last overall tip is reference as you go on and NOT at the end! I learnt the hard way and it takes up so much more time if you don't do it as you go on. But make sure you are referencing in the way that is expected by your department/university.

Hope that helps! 🙂

Rebecca
3rd Year Geoenvironmental Hazards Student

Reply 4

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by username6572409

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

Hey there @username6572409 !

It depends what the question is asking you to do. If it's an evaluate question then you need to argue both sides of the statement. I'd always start by rewording the question as your first sentence. Then I'd explain what the purpose of the essay is and what you're going to be suggesting. Then I'd mention if you're including any case studies in and what those are called. The important thing is to not go into any detail in your introduction because that's what the essay is for. You also shouldn't do that in the conclusion either. It's important not to give them any more information that's in the bulk of the essay.

Hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU

Reply 5

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by username6572409

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

Hi,

There has been some great advice already, but I just wanted to reiterate how important starting early is.

Even just completing a rough plan is extremely helpful for you to come back to at a later date, and this then gives you plenty of time at the end to make sure you have everything done to the best of your ability.

For my rough plans, I do things such as inputting the correct formatting, writing out headings and ideas, and then find some possible references. It may seem like a small amount of work but starting is often the hardest part, and getting this out of the way helps me to easily pick it back up later.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet that I also think is extremely important is to ask for help if you need it! Your first year is a great chance to get used to how assignments are done at a university level, so don't be afraid to get in contact with a member of your department or academic skills services - they are there to help you!

Best of luck,
Isabella 🙂

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 6

LSBU

Official Rep

Original post by username6572409

Any advice would be appreciated first essay for uni

Hi,

I would recommend starting early on your assignment and ensuring you allow yourself plenty of time to do the assignment to the best of your ability. I would make a structured timetable that details when you will complete each section and hopefully, this will keep you on track.

I would make sure you are familiar with your university referencing system as each university has its own system. Most university libraries offer referencing workshops so that may be a good starter for getting familiar with it before your assignment.

I would make an assignment plan that details all the points you want to include in your assignment as this will keep you on track with including all the key points you want to include.

Ensure that you allow yourself study breaks and don't sit at the computer for hours on end without giving yourself the chance to have a break. Systems such as the Pomodoro technique allow a systematic and structured approach to studying and breaks, which has worked wonders for me in allowing me to have a break without forgetting to go back and finish my work!

Eat well while doing assignments as fuelling the brain is so important in processing new information. Slow-acting carbs are best at keeping you fuelled and energised so try to stick to them.

I hope this is of some assistance and best of luck with your assignment!

Mary
London South Bank University Student Rep (3rd-year Children's Nursing)

Reply 7

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Something that hasn't been mentioned but is key:
Look at the LEARNING OUTCOMES for the module the work is for. They should be in the module or course handbook and they're essentially the mark scheme for the module - they're what your work is going to be assessed against to see if it meets those outcomes.