2010-2011 student handbook - El Camino College Compton Center

Embrace The Art
of Writing Essays
The Anatomy of The 5-Paragraph Essay
Get used to it – term papers are a fact of life in college. Why?
Quite simply, because there is no better or more thorough way of
communicating the information you have learned than by
organizing and presenting it in the form of a written essay.
Why is writing so important in college?
• Writing forces you to piece together small chunks of
information into a clear, logical, sequential package
(much like assembling a puzzle from mixed up pieces),
allowing you to explain something to the reader in a way
that is detailed, clear, and organized.
• When you write, you are organizing your thoughts in a
way that tells the reader exactly what you are saying
and why they should listen to you.
• Writing requires you to gather your facts ahead of time
to say exactly what you want to say, and only what you
want to say.
• Unlike with rote memorization, where you learn a piece
of information through repetition, the writing process
requires that you understand as well as apply (use) the
information. Any psych major knows that using the
information you learn is the only sure-fire way to lock it
into your memory!
I’ve Been Assigned An Essay….Now What?!
Don’t panic! Chances are that you have already written several
papers in high school, which is good practice. Remember though:
this is college, and unless you are writing a creative essay, style
points don’t count! Most of your professors are going to be
reading your essays for clear, well-developed and well-supported
ideas. Logic is much more important than style! So, avoid the
flowery language, the colorful adjectives and the distracting
adverbs. Organization is key!
3 Time-Tested Tips for Writing an Effective Essay:
1. Prepare your argument ahead of time. Gather
information on note cards and add more ideas as they
come to you. A little extra time and care at the
beginning of the writing process will potentially save
you hours of frustration later on!
2. Create an outline. Before you start hammering away at
your keyboard, try to visualize the flow of your essay by
creating an outline. It doesn’t have to be detailed –
think of it as your road map that you pack in the glove
box before you embark on a long drive. When you are
looking for direction later on, you’ll be glad you have it
to refer back to!
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