The academic essay is a mirror of your thinking, subjective impressions, reasoning with elements of the publicistic genre. It is a bright way to demonstrate to the admissions committee the breadth of knowledge, skills of deep analysis, rhetoric, argumentation - this is its difference from the motivation letter, containing the reasons for choosing the faculty and science.
Essay topic: how to choose?
The student can be offered a ready-made topic or scientific field, a specific subject of reasoning, or he can choose the title himself. Give preference to a topic in which you are well versed.
Common mistakes:
- Axiom. Talking about hackneyed truths and hypotheses, such as the roundness of the earth or the origin of man from an ape, takes you outside the genre.
- Dangerous topics: religion, tastes, and political and personal preferences, where you risk disagreeing radically with the panelists. Even if the field is among the student's foremost interests, he or she will have the opportunity to debate later in class.
Structural features of an academic essay
The paper must have three components: an introduction, a reasoned thesis, and a conclusion. There are no strict requirements for the arrangement of the components: the thesis can also go to the conclusion, but the author's main task is to ensure the logicality and integrity of the text. When using references to other works, do not forget to indicate them by appropriate references, and do not overload paragraphs - each must indicate one complete idea or argument.
Introduction
This is your calling card, a chance to interest the reader: with a word or phrase, a bold quote to hook and arouse curiosity, without deviating from the main thesis. Use a rough draft, because it is easier to find an interesting "hook" for the introduction while working on the essay, and then put it in the introduction. Remember the popular saying that a worthwhile thought always comes later!
Thesis statement
When choosing a thesis statement, you need to be firmly aware that it is not a scientifically proven fact or the result of experiments and observations conducted, but the main idea of the essay, which can be expressed in a few words. To be sure you have a thesis statement, imagine: the examiner put your written work aside and, without reading it, asks you what the main idea is. The two or three sentences you will need to answer are the thesis statement, a summary of the entire essay.
The topic offered in educational institutions often has different interpretations and approaches. You are not faced with the task of finding an unambiguous solution to the question posed - remember that they want to know your personal point of view, test your ability to think logically and be intellectually savvy. It is acceptable to push back with a quote from any researcher or philosopher, explaining your understanding of their hypotheses and how they reflect the thesis of this paper.
Argumentation
There should be several reasons that define your position on the question posed: describe each of them in detail in a separate paragraph, trying to maintain semantic consistency. Do not deviate from the topic and do not forget that if the logic of the work requires it, the thesis can be placed in the last paragraph. Play on contrasts and contradictions, denote the discrepancy of the commonplace view of the subject to the scientific one, put an obstacle that is not easy to overcome. Give priority to students who not only know how to solve the problem, but also how to discern it.
Conclusion
The conclusion should not repeat what has already been written - briefly finish your thought, write the thesis statement if you decide to leave it for last. The conclusion should be polished and elegantly summarize the previous reasoning. A good way is to share the experience of writing this particular essay: tell what turned out to be the most difficult, what ideas in the course of reasoning had to be discarded, and which ones became a discovery for you.
Help with writing an essay
If your essay requires large amounts of factual information, you need to work with sources properly. In order to take into account all the subtleties, you can ask for essay proofreading services, motivation and recommendation letters.