6 Types of College Essays and How to Master Them

Students often think that essays are the dullest form of academic assignments. Papers come with various guidelines and requirements. Sticking to them may prove challenging. Another problem is that universities assign different types of essays. Students have to master them to achieve academic success.

In most cases, professors assign essays to test how students understand topics. One has to find the right type of essay to answer the topic. While there are many types of papers out there, higher education institutions focus on 6 of them. All come with their challenges and peculiarities.

1, Analytical Essay

This type of essay requires using a large amount of data from different sources. If students can’t find reliable data, they can look up a do my paper service for help. They then have to analyze the info from different angles.

It has to be based on facts and not personal opinions. Students should concentrate on the researcher’s methods, findings, and conclusions. Other tips include:

• Choosing a central point of view
• Anchoring the entire essay around a single thesis statement
• Supporting the main points of the essay with primary and secondary sources
• Use evidence through the essay by providing a mix of analysis and substance

Lastly, students have to leave some space for contrasting opinions. They have to acknowledge an opposing point of view. Students can refute it with more evidence, making their thesis more compelling.

2, Argumentative Essay

In argumentative essays, students show two sides of an issue. They must present an unbiased argument for each. Students list the cons and pros of both arguments. It’s important to stay factual and unemotional when working on the text. Like analytical essays, this type heavily relies on evidence, sources, and other studies.

Many believe that argumentative essays have to be combative and opinionated. Instead, they have to present as much research as possible to support their thesis. The main idea is to research the topic from several sides. Use as many studies and sources to support several views on a given topic.

For example, you can give two opinions on the issue of gun violence in the US. One can cite various sources about the pros and cons of stricter and lighter gun laws. They can next present outcomes in adopting each approach. The same can be used for other societal issues.

3, Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essays have a lot in common with narrative papers. But, the former students have to describe the topic in great detail. This type is used for writing about people, places, experiences, and emotions. There are several things to include in an essay:

• Use figurative speech, such as similes and metaphors, to make the text a feeling like a literary piece.
• Describe what you feel, including senses of touch, smell, sound, and taste.

It’s the job of students to turn their paper into a story for readers to enjoy. They also have to explain the deeper meaning of the essay. For example, they get an essay about their first car.

Students can talk about the car itself and how they drove it for the first time. Make sure to include strong word choices and sensory details to bolster the story.

4, Expository Essay

With this type of essay, students have to conduct a balanced analysis of the topic. Expository essays have to explain topics with facts, examples, and statistics. Students have to take an objective approach without opinionating the text. There are many versions of this kind of paper, including:

• Comparison and contrast papers. They write about similarities and differences between several ideas or subjects.
• Cause and effect. In this essay type, students analyze an event and what happened as its result.
• Problem and solution assignments task students with finding solutions for specific problems.

Students often find this type of essay most difficult. That’s because the scope of the assignment and its demands vary based on the topic. Students spend time carefully planning the structure of an expository essay before writing.

5, Narrative Essay

This type of paper is non-fictional and often autobiographical. Such essays have a more creative style compared to the language of academic writing. They are mostly used in college admission papers.

It gives applicants a way to improve professors during the admission process. Narrative essays can also be used in book reports.

Such papers detail the characters, the plot, and some of the scenes. Narrative essays are one of the most literary of all paper types. This way, professors check how well students can craft a narrative. It’s one of the hardest things to do as students have to interest readers in the story and get immersed in it.

6, Persuasive Essay

As the name suggests, this type of paper requires heavy use of samples and facts. They explain your point of view to the reader about a certain topic. Students have to construct a solid argument with facts and logic.

These should be based on expert opinions, examples, and reasoning. This kind of paper requires a lot of in-depth research to convince the readers.

There are several tips students can use to write persuasive essays better. First, they have to know who they’re writing to. It’s important to understand who they address and the opinions they currently hold.

Second, it’s important to what you’re arguing for. The professor doesn’t have to guess what you are trying to get across.

Third, students must make a roadmap of the argument. Explain what you’re going to write about and how. It’s important not to include anything that’s not on the roadmap.

Make sure that the text has a clear, logical structure that readers can track easily. Lastly, consider your argument’s objections and address them in the paper.

Final Thoughts

College is a great place to hone your narrative and argumentative skills. These types of essays provide students with plenty of opportunities to do this. Keep the tips in mind the next time you’re given a paper, and you’ll be delighted with the results.