March 28, 2023
How to Write a Great University Essay
How to Write a Great University Essay
Writing a college or university essay can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re new to the art of essay writing.
However, the process of writing an effective essay can be broken down into eight key steps:
- Get clear on what you’re trying to say, and identify your thesis statement.
- Figure out how to support your thesis statement by drafting an outline and clustering your evidence/content together.
- Write a clear, thorough introduction.
- Write your supporting paragraphs using the outline you crafted.
- Make sure that you’ve considered your stance and your sources critically, paying attention to potentially contradictory evidence.
- Write a concluding paragraph and a clear, concise conclusion.
- Create your reference list, and ensure that it’s formatted properly.
- Edit and proofread your paper to perfection.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to put together an easy-to-follow, compelling essay that will better communicate your ideas to your instructor.
Below, we break down each of these steps in detail.
1. Get clear on what you’re trying to say, and identify your thesis statement.
To get started, ask yourself the following questions: What is your essay about? What is its purpose? What are you arguing for?
If you had to sum up what your essay is about in a sentence or two, what would you say?
It’s often helpful to write down your answers to these questions. From there, you can identify your thesis statement is.
Put simply, a thesis statement is a single sentence that communicates to the reader what the topic of your essay is and/or what your essay will conclude.
Here are some thesis statement examples:
“Although humanity has been fascinated by Robin Hood-esque characters for centuries, clinging to the idea that crime is permissible when it only impacts those who have an excess of wealth or who are criminals themselves, this paper argues that such crime is never morally acceptable.”
“Ultimately, because pizza can be modified to include healthier options and comes with a host of nutritional benefits, this type of fast food should be considered a preferable alternative to takeout meals such as burgers and fries.”
2. Figure out how to support your thesis statement by drafting an outline and clustering your evidence/content together.
Now that you know what your paper is all about and what you’re ultimately going to conclude, it’s time to figure out how you will demonstrate the truth of your thesis statement.
To do this, it’s best to draft an outline that summarizes the key premises or points that support your thesis statement.
Here’s an example of such an outline:
SUPPORTING POINT 1: Pizzas are nutritionally balanced, as they contain protein, vegetables, fats, and carbohydrates.
SUPPORTING POINT 2: Pizza crust can be modified to be healthier, while it is harder to modify burger buns.
SUPPORTING POINT 3: Pizza can be more easily modified to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, pizzas are healthier than burgers.
Next, you can cluster smaller pieces of information under each point, identifying which of your sources can be used as evidence for each key claim.
For example:
SUPPORTING POINT 1: Pizzas are nutritionally balanced, as they contain protein, vegetables, fats, and carbohydrates.
- Smith et al. (2023) found that, on average, a large slice of pizza with cheese contains 6 to 12 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat.
- On average, pizza parlors offer 15–20 different types of plant-based toppings (Grewal, 2023).
- Pizza sauce is made from tomatoes, which are nutritious fruits with many health benefits (Healthline, 2019).
SUPPORTING POINT 2: Pizza crust can be modified to be healthier, while it is harder to modify burger buns.
- Chang and Kwon (2022) found that 95% of major pizza chains in North America offer thin-crust pizza, while 75% offer cauliflower or other gluten-free crust alternatives.
- In Canada, 80% of major pizza chains offer a whole-wheat crust option.
- Meanwhile, Marley (2020) found that only 45% of burger-based fast-food restaurants offer lower-carb or gluten-free modifications, with only 20% offering a whole-wheat bun option.
SUPPORTING POINT 3: Pizza can be more easily modified to accommodate common dietary restrictions and allergies.
- A recent study (Patel et al., 2022) found that 74% of pizza restaurants in Canada offer a vegan option, 100% offer a vegetarian option, and 63% offer a gluten-free option.
- In contrast, Barnes and Cooper (2023) found that only 61% of burger restaurants offer a vegan option, and only 30% offer a gluten-free option.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, pizzas are healthier than burgers.
*Please note that the sources and statistics cited in this example are fictional.
Now that you’ve organized all your key points and supporting information, you’re ready to start writing the body of your essay!
3. Write a clear, thorough introduction.
The introductory paragraph of your essay is one of the most important, as it serves as the roadmap that will help guide the reader through your paper.
Ideally, your introduction should begin with a hook, provide a brief overview of the topic at hand, state your thesis statement, and sometimes outline your main points and/or the key sections of your paper.
Another important point is ensuring that your introduction directly addresses the assignment instructions or essay topics that were given to you.
For example, let’s say that your assignment instructions asked you to provide a critical evaluation regarding whether pizza is healthier than other types of fast food. In this case, you would want to ensure that your introduction responds to this point.
For example, you might say something like, “After presenting a detailed evaluation of the pros and cons of several popular varieties of fast food, this essay concludes that pizza is indeed the healthiest fast food option.”
Here’s an example of what a completed introduction might look like:
“While historians are still divided over whether the fast food industry was born out of the Automat in New York or White Castle’s appearance in Wichita, Kansas, there is no doubt that fast food has become a staple of modern American life. With approximately 83% of American households eating fast food at least once per week (The Barbecue Lab, 2023), the prominence of fast food is more evident than ever, but so are its negative health effects. However, are all fast foods equally unhealthy? After presenting a detailed evaluation of the pros and cons of several popular varieties of fast food, this essay concludes that pizza is indeed the healthiest fast food option.”
Now that you have your introduction, you’re ready to start writing the body of your paper.
4. Write your supporting paragraphs using the outline you crafted.
Using the outline you created earlier, you’ll want to begin weaving your supporting evidence into more detailed, cohesive paragraphs.
Usually, it is best to dedicate one paragraph to each of your key supporting points. So, using our pizza example from earlier, the body of your essay would be broken up into three key paragraphs:
- One showing that pizza is nutritionally balanced
- One demonstrating that pizza crust options are usually healthier than burger bun options
- One illustrating that pizza can more easily accommodate dietary restrictions
However, longer papers containing more extensive evidence and/or detailed argumentation may need to dedicate multiple paragraphs to each supporting point. In this case, you may wish to break your paper up into multiple sections and use headings to differentiate between these parts of your essay.
Whether your paper is long or short, you’ll want to ensure that the body of your essay is grouped into clear, well-structured, cohesive paragraphs. Furthermore, each paragraph should state a clear sub-conclusion.
Here’s an example of a cohesive paragraph:
“While many types of fast foods (e.g., milkshakes, French fries, and donuts) have been criticized for being nutritionally homogeneous and/or lacking in nutritional value, pizza is unique in that it is nutritionally balanced. Pizza is typically made up of plant-based ingredients, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Smith et al. (2023) found that, on average, a large slice of pizza with cheese contains 6 to 12 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat, while the average pizza parlor offers 15 to 20 different types of plant-based toppings (Grewal, 2023). Furthermore, even when additional plant-based toppings are not added, the tomato sauce found in pizza provides important nutrients on its own. Pizza sauce is made from tomatoes, which are nutritious fruits with many health benefits (Healthline, 2019). Thus, pizzas are nutritionally balanced, as they contain protein, vegetables, fats, and carbohydrates.”
*Please note that the sources and statistics cited in this example are fictional.
5. Make sure that you’ve considered your stance and your sources critically, paying attention to potentially contradictory evidence.
One of the main reasons why we’re asked to write so many essays in college and university is because our instructors wish to hone our critical thinking skills.
These critical thinking skills allow us to resolve problems in innovative ways, recognize dis- and misinformation, and avoid common fallacies, such as confirmation bias—the tendency to only seek out and pay attention to information that confirms what we already believe or want to believe.
Thus, it is usually important to demonstrate that you’ve considered your essay topic from multiple angles, taking into account information that may contradict the point(s) you are hoping to make.
Sticking with our pizza example, we can notice that the author’s first supporting point demonstrates that pizza is nutritionally well balanced, but it doesn’t consider that other forms of fast food—even burgers—might also be nutritionally well balanced.
For example, many types of burgers also contain carbohydrates, plant-based elements, fats, and protein. In fact, burgers typically contain more protein than a slice of pizza, and they may even be more nutritious than pizza in some ways.
To make their essay even more compelling and critical, the author should consider such evidence and explicitly address it in their essay.
6. Write a concluding paragraph and a clear, concise conclusion.
Now that you’ve presented all the evidence in support of your thesis statement, it’s time to bring your essay to a close. To do this, you’ll need to write a concluding paragraph or “conclusion.”
Your concluding paragraph should briefly reiterate the importance of your topic and its relevance, restate your thesis statement, and address any limitations or other important considerations that you feel could have a bearing on the strength or applicability of your argument.
For example, your conclusion might look like the following:
“Because the consumption of fast food is expected to remain constant and even increase among certain demographics in the coming years (Barnaby et al., 2023), it is important for researchers to consider which fast foods are the healthiest. Although neither pizza nor burgers are suitable for daily consumption due to their high saturated fat content (Takama, 2022), because pizza is nutritionally well-balanced, easy to modify, and suitable for consumers with dietary restrictions, this paper has argued that pizza is a healthier alternative to burger-based fast food products.”
*Please note that the sources and statistics cited in this example are fictional.
And if you had additional limitations or considerations to add, you might say something like the following:
“However, University X is conducting an ongoing longitudinal study investigating the long-term impacts of consistent pizza consumption, and the results of this investigation are expected to be released in 2024 (Ming & Jones, 2023). It is possible that the results of this study could disconfirm current scientific stances regarding the nutritional value and health effects of pizza consumption, so the results of this paper should be considered with caution.”
*Please note that the sources and statistics cited in this example are fictional.
Once you’ve finished writing your conclusion, you’ll officially have a well-rounded essay—congratulations!
However, you’re not done just yet…
7. List your references, and ensure that they’re formatted properly.
If you’re writing a university or college essay, chances are that you’ve been asked to use compelling, reputable sources and cite them using a common style guide.
Now that your essay has been written, it’s important to go back and review your in-text citations and/or footnotes to ensure that all sources have been credited (so you don’t get accused of plagiarism) and cited accurately.
You’ll also typically need to craft a detailed reference list or bibliography that outlines all the sources you’ve referenced in your paper. Each style guide has its own rules regarding how sources should be formatted in your reference list, so you’ll need to ensure that all instructions have been followed precisely.
If your school or instructor haven’t provided detailed guidelines, you can easily find instructions online. For example, you can learn all about how to format references and citations according to American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines here, and you can learn about the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) guidelines here.
8. Edit and proofread your paper to perfection.
Congratulations! You officially have a completed essay in your hands.
However, the work isn’t done yet. Very rarely is a paper made perfect on the first try. Rather, a college or university essay usually requires one or two rounds of editing before it’s refined into a diamond worthy of an A+ grade.
First, if possible, sleep on it. Take at least one day away from your paper, and then come back to it with fresh eyes. Read through your paper as carefully and critically as possible, and make any adjustments as needed.
From there, it’s best to submit your paper to a professional editor for a final editing or proofreading; doing this will help ensure that your document is as refined and polished as possible.
Additionally, professional editors usually provide detailed feedback about the structure, formatting, logic, coherence, and strength of your work, thus maximizing your likelihood of getting a high score.
If you’re in need of a professional editor with extensive experience working with undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional academics, you can reach out to us here for a free, no-obligation quote.
Happy writing!
Jess Blackwell
Jess is the founder of Lumida Ltd., a passionate environmentalist living a low-waste life, and a lifelong writer. When she isn't helping our clients make their writing shine, Jess can be found working on her writing projects, experimenting in the kitchen, or taking nature walks.
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