Vergil’s Coffee

1. Important: Consider and write for your audience (yes, most of the time it’s your prof and this is the reason you listen in class and figure out what amuses the instructor: what type of examples does s/he give…academic or cultural or personal. Does the prof like “original” thought or are they more interested with getting the right or correct answer(s).) Answers to these questions will probably indicate what type of essay the prof is looking for.
You’re not writing to please the prof, but you are fashioning your essay in such a way that the prof doesn’t get distracted by something wacky you do in your essays.

2. Always, always understand the prompt before you start writing and always make sure you answer what the prompt is asking for. Seems basic, but you’d be surprised. Sure you might have some really cool idea and/or example, but remember to bring it back to how that idea/example ties into the task at hand (usually by the end of that paragraph).

3. The general paragraph structure of the essay is probably claim (one of your ideas about the prompt), example, how that example ties into the claim, example, how that example…etc. It may not be a prescriptive as that, but the overall movement should be you making some claims and showing/giving evidence on how that idea is plausible. Remember, a timed essay should show the prof that yes indeed you get the material of the class and that you can think about that material outside in the general world/context (beyond mere academics). The clearer you can do that, the quicker the prof (or TA) can realize (and relax) knowing that you are learning (or have learned) the material.

4. In order for you to be comfortable with the material of a class, you really should read over all of it more than once. Yes, sounds scary, but the more “passes” through material, the more you have time to think about it. In general, you should skim through all the material for a class during the first week of classes (textbooks, syllabus, notes, etc)…skim. Then, become quite familiar with the syllabus. Skip (IMHO) any notion of sending a tape recorder of any kind to class in your stead (it’s a waste of time when you have to sit down and try and listen and make notes…don’t do stuff that takes away from actually learning material). The whole thing about taking notes is good and solid and you might try and make some general notes before you get to class (recopying notes seems to be a time waster, but some people really like it and swear by it). This point is important because it means that you have the basis for writing (instead of making up stuff on the spot). Study sessions are fine as long as you think in terms of taking through more about how all of the facts and stuff of the chapter connect with one another and then to the overall context of the class. Bring food and drink and take potty breaks.

5. Use a wide range of examples to help explain your thinking. I generally refer to three types: from your life, from your observation, from your reading. The last two are stronger and the first one you might use sparingly (but see #1 on this as perhaps the prof likes this). Other ways to explain an idea is by a simile or metaphor making sure that you include the tag line (e.g. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never…) <=showing life is described in “box of chocolates” terms.

6. Try and write a perfect first two sentences of your essay (grammatically and logically clear). It helps the reader relax and see that you can write and communicate and it’ll start your essay on the right path. Conclusions, then, probably aren’t as important and sometimes a sentence or two are sufficient for the task at hand. (Also, avoid fluffing your intro with a really long story…get on the meat of your essay…the actual content).