If you're moving to Modesto, California to further your education at a university or college, or perhaps transferring to a new high school, you want to start off on the right foot by handing in excellent course work. Part of that might be acing your physics test on biosolids applications, but it's handing in really well thought out essays that will get you noticed. If essay writing isn't your forte, here are some tips on how to do it right.
Topic
Choosing the right topic is the most important facet of essay writing. You want something that interests you while at the same time being relevant to your course work. You should also make sure your essay asks and answers some sort of question. For instance, if you chose to write about the Trent Severn Waterway, you might ask "How did the Trent Severn Waterway Change the Economic Landscape of Ontario?" and then answer that question during the body of your essay.
Research
At the high school and college level, you simply cannot get away with using Wikipedia as the basis of your research, so while you can use it to find out what topics to look up, the real meat of your research should come from library books, academic websites, and scholarly journals. First hand sources, such as an interview you did with the owner of a graphic design firm in Toronto, are also acceptable.
Writing
Write your own essay, and do it in your own words. The easiest way to do this is to read all your research on Alpha ETFs and then write the first draft of the essay off the top of your head, always keeping your question in mind so you don't stray off topic. What comes out will be original work that will pass plagiarism checks. When you're through, go back and add in appropriate quotes and facts from your research, making sure they are properly cited in the footnotes.
Editing
Typing the last word in your essay does not mean you're finished. Put it aside for a few days and then read it over carefully, taking note of any changes you want to make and then doing them. Spell check. Then hand it over to a friend, parent, or advisor for additional spelling and grammar checking. You cannot do this yourself. Your brain will automatically see "instant water heater" even if you have actually typed "instead water heater" because that's what you intended to write.
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