How To Approach Writing Your Essays

By bringing structure to your essay before you start writing it, outlines maximize your efficiency and enable you to perform a crucial early test of your essay ideas before you’ve invested too much in them.

Outline:

• Introduction: One paragraph introducing the essay’s themes and setting its tone.
• Body Paragraphs: Multiple sentences that provide evidence to support the themes asserted in the introduction. Each paragraph in the body should consist of:
  • Theme sentence: The first sentence of the paragraph often states the topic or theme that this paragraph will “prove.” “Though my formal roles are technical, all my growth opportunities have involved leadership roles.”
  • Evidence sentences: These consist of specific examples, anecdotes, or details that support the paragraph’s theme sentence. “In my very first project, for example, I became the de facto team focal point when my implementation proposal was accepted as our project solution.”
• Conclusion: This paragraph pulls together the underlying lessons or themes of the preceding paragraphs. It generally includes lessons learned or insights (from the third column of your data-mining spreadsheet).

Good outlines are the safety rope that keeps you focused on finding that next secure foothold toward your essay’s summit rather than staring dizzily into the abyss of the next empty paragraph.

Stay tuned for more essay advice from our founder and president, Paul Bodine. Contact us today to get help from an expert Admitify coach.