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Strategies for Essay Writing: PDFs Strategies for Essay Writing--Complete. description
- ACADEMIC WRITING - Harvard University
– The Writing Process: These features show all the steps...
- Strategies for Essay Writing - Harvard College Writing Center
Verbs like analyze, compare, discuss, explain, make an...
- ACADEMIC WRITING - Harvard University
Jul 16, 2020 · Whether it’s a supplemental essay, personal statement, Common App essay, or diversity essay, the essays below can help you better understand what can result from following a college essay format or applying tips for how to write a college essay to help you get into your dream school.
– The Writing Process: These features show all the steps taken to write a paper, allowing you to follow it from initial idea to published article. – Into the Essay: Excerpts from actual papers show the ideas from the chapters in action because you learn to write best by getting examples rather than instructions.
SAMPLE ESSAY NUMBER 1 My intent of combining nonfiction writing with mathematics has also forced me to push through people’s judgements and warnings of not being able to find employment. My determination has allowed me to curtail people’s questions of whether I am interested in STEM or the liberal arts,
- Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt
- • Look for action verbs.
- Asking Analytical Questions
- Properties of a strong analytical question
- How to come up with an analytical question
- Thesis
- A thesis will generally respond to an analytical question or pose a solution to a problem
- Descriptive thesis (not arguable)
- Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence)
- Arguable thesis with normative claim
- Questions to ask about your thesis
- Introductions
- • Orienting information
- What Do Introductions Across the Disciplines Have in Common?
- Introduction #2
- This is the introduction to a paper written by Eliza Hirsch ‘25 for the course “Why Shakespeare?”
- The Anatomy of a Body Paragraph
- Transitions
- Sentence pair #1: Ineffective Transition
- Sentence pair #2: Effective Transition
- So, what’s an individual household supposed to do?
- Tips for Organizing Your Essay
- Strategy #1: Decompose your thesis into paragraphs
- Strategy #2: Use subheadings, even if you remove then later
- Strategy #3: Create a reverse outline from your draft
- Counterargument
- Example
- How to address counterarguments
- Where to address counterarguments
- Conclusions
- Begin with the “what”
- So, for example, in a paper about the relationship between ADHD and rejection
- Highlight the “so what”
- Leave your readers with the “now what”
- What to avoid in your conclusion
When you receive a paper assignment, your first step should be to read the assignment prompt carefully to make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. Sometimes your assignment will be open-ended (“write a paper about anything in the course that interests you”). But more often, the instructor will be asking you to do something specific ...
Verbs like analyze, compare, discuss, explain, make an argument, propose a solution, trace, or research can help you understand what you’re being asked to do with an assignment. Unless the instructor has specified otherwise, most of your paper assignments at Harvard will ask you to make an argument. So even when the assignment instructions tell you...
When you write an essay for a course you are taking, you are being asked not only to create a product (the essay) but, more importantly, to go through a process of thinking more deeply about a question or problem related to the course. By writing about a source or collection of sources, you will have the chance to wrestle with some of the ideas tha...
strong analytical question speaks to a genuine dilemma presented by your sources. In other words, the question focuses on a real confusion, problem, ambiguity, or gray area, about which readers will conceivably have different reactions, opinions, or ideas. yields an answer that is not obvious. If you ask, "What did this author say about this topic?...
One useful starting point when you’re trying to identify an analytical question is to look for points of tension in your sources, either within one source or among sources. It can be helpful to think of those points of tension as the moments where you need to stop and think before you can move forward. Here are some examples of where you may find p...
Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore needs your careful...
that you have framed for your readers (and for yourself). When you frame that question or problem for your readers, you are telling them what is at stake in your argument— why your question matters and why they should care about the answer. If you can explain to your readers why a question or problem is worth addressing, then they will understand w...
While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important. This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argume...
Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues. This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which...
Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children. This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.
Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it? Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument? Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument? Is the thesis supportable with e...
The introduction to an academic essay will generally present an analytical question or problem and then offer an answer to that question (the thesis). Your introduction is also your opportunity to explain to your readers what your essay is about and why they should be interested in reading it. You don’t have to “hook” your readers with a dramati...
When you’re writing an essay, it’s helpful to think about what your reader needs to know in order to follow your argument. Your introduction should include enough information so that readers can understand the context for your thesis. For example, if you are analyzing someone else’s argument, you will need to identify that argument and possibly sum...
While different disciplines have different conventions and expectations, many aspects of strong writing are shared across the disciplines. Below, you’ll find three examples of introductions written for Harvard College courses in different disciplines. While the introductions focus on very different topics, each one contains the key elements of an i...
Thesis. The author explains that her study is going to align with one of the two theories she laid out above.
In the first scene of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Barnardo, a sentinel, begs Horatio to “once again let [them] assail [Horatio’s] ears” (1.1.37) with their story of seeing King Hamlet’s ghost for the past two nights. This image of ears being assailed characterizes Barnardo's story as an attack on Horatio’s physical person, with the idiom conflating the p...
When you write strong, clear paragraphs, you are guiding your readers through your argument by showing them how your points fit together to support your thesis. The number of paragraphs in your essay should be determined by the number of steps you need to take to build your argument. To write strong paragraphs, try to focus each paragraph on one ma...
Transitions help your readers move between ideas within a paragraph, between paragraphs, or between sections of your argument. When you are deciding how to transition from one idea to the next, your goal should be to help readers see how your ideas are connected—and how those ideas connect to the big picture. One useful way to do this is to start w...
Some experts argue that focusing on individual actions to combat climate change takes the focus away from the collective action required to keep carbon levels from rising. Change will not be effected, say some others, unless individual actions raise the necessary awareness. While a reader can see the connection between the sentences above, it’s not...
Some experts argue that focusing on individual actions to combat climate change takes the focus away from the collective action required to keep carbon levels from rising. Other experts argue that individual actions are key to raising the awareness necessary to effect change. You can use this same technique to create clear transitions between parag...
The repetition of the word “household” in the new paragraph helps readers see the connection between what has come before (a discussion of whether household actions matter) and what is about to come (a proposal for what types of actions households can take to combat climate change). Sometimes, transitional words can help readers see how ideas are c...
If you are used to writing essays that are similar to the five-paragraph essay (one claim and then three points that support that claim), it can be daunting to think about how to structure your ideas in a longer essay. Once you’ve established your thesis, you need to think about how you will move your reader through your argument. In some courses, ...
A clear, arguable thesis will tell your readers where you are going to end up, but it can also help you figure out how to get them there. Put your thesis at the top of a blank page and then make a list of the points you will need to make to argue that thesis effectively. For example, consider this example from the thesis handout: While Sandel argue...
Scientific papers generally include standard subheadings to delineate different sections of the paper, including “introduction,” “methods,” and “discussion.” Even when you are not required to use subheadings, it can be helpful to put them into an early draft to help you see what you’re written and to begin to think about how your ideas fit together...
While you may have learned to outline a paper before writing a draft, this step is often difficult because our ideas develop as we write. In some cases, it can be more helpful to write a draft in which you get all of your ideas out and then do a “reverse outline” of what you’ve already written. This doesn’t have to be formal; you can just make a li...
When you make an argument in an academic essay, you are writing for an audience that may not agree with you. In fact, your argument is worth making in the first place because your thesis will not be obvious—or obviously correct—to everyone who considers the question you are asking or the topic you’re addressing. Once you figure out what you want to...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper. a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion. an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not d...
The first draft. • Narrow your topic and try to be as specific as possible. • Brainstorm – scribble down everything you can think of about your chosen topic. Pick out the good stuff and work it into a brief outline.
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Nov 19, 2021 · We’ve provided seven essay examples, one for each of the Common App prompts. After each essay, we’ve provided a table with commentary on the essay’s narrative, writing style and tone, demonstrated traits, and self-reflection.
