College Essays Editing: Must-Do Check-Out Before Turning Your Paper

College Essays Editing: Must-Do Check-Out Before Turning Your Paper
by Linda Correli


Essay writing is not over until your college essay is carefully edited and checked for mistakes. It is your last chance to go through a paper with a fine-tooth comb and eliminate the drawbacks, defects, and shortcomings you let slip in the writing process. Only when your college essay is carefully and accurately edited, you may be sure it is all shipshape, impeccable and ready to turn in.
However, editing is not an easy task to accomplish. To edit your essay successfully, you must be aware of several issues that are especially troublesome in essay writing. Below you will find a list of points you need to revise when editing your college essays. Following these steps will allow you to make an accurate review of your paper and ensure it meets the demands of your instructor.
So, to edit your college essays professionally, you must make sure that:
1. you have followed your instructor's guidelines concerning the essay length, format and referencing;
2. there is a lead-in sentence to the title of your essay, which is up-to-the-point and eye-catching at a time;
3. the introduction of your essay is attention-grabbing, amusing, and thrilling. What is more, it must set up an issue and lead in to the thesis of your essay;
4. your essay has a thesis statement, namely a clear assertion you will write your entire essay around. The thesis statement must be placed within the first paragraph of your essay and fit in a single sentence;
5. each paragraph of the essay covers only one idea that supports your thesis statement;
6. body paragraphs are written in the exact order of the thesis statement. Otherwise, your essay will appear to be tangled and odd;
7. paragraphs have topic sentences placed at the beginning, supporting evidence in the middle, and your interpretation of the evidence at the end of the paragraph;
8. at least one quotation is included in a body paragraph. Be sure that the concept of the quotation is explained before it is presented to the readers;
9. there are no one-sentence paragraphs in your essay. It is a taboo for college essays;
10. conclusion of your essay is as interesting and memorable as the introduction. You should gracefully exit your essay with a wrap-up sentence and impress the readers with a profound thought, or a quotation;
11. your essay is coherent. The essay ideas must be interconnected in the paragraphs by means of smooth word links and transitions;
12. sentence structures are clear, you do not appear to be too wordy and eloquent;
13. you have defined important terms and concepts that are unknown to the public at large and need to be explained. Remember to be consistent in their use;
14. you have demonstrated your own understanding of your college essay topic;
15. you did not refer to yourself in your essay, unless it is allowed by your instructor;
16. there is evidence of wide reading and research;
17. there is no irrelevant material, obvious padding, or redundant language;
18. your essay is formatted according to the correct guidelines for citation and your bibliography list is completed according to the corresponding guidelines;
19. there are no grammar and punctuation mistakes. Make sure the words are in their initial meaning and not misspelled.
In other words, you have to make sure your your college essay is exemplary in all respects: essay structure, grammar, approach to writing college essays, smooth language, etc. This might seem to be a pretty big piece of work to be done. But do not fall into temptation to skip it, for without editing your college essays are doomed to fail.
About the Author
Linda Correli is a staff writer of Go2Essay.com - Custom Essay Writing Help. She specializes in essay writing of argumentative essays, persuasive essays, narrative essays, and descriptive essays.