Read on to unleash the common errors and how to rectify them for better grades.

• Excess Information and Many Facts

Sometimes, when writing essays, you can have many ideas you want to include in the paper, thinking you will impress the professor. The reality is that too much of something becomes boring, and it can even lose meaning. Try and include only solid points and facts in the academic work. Be short and precise while maintaining the theme of the subject.

How to Avoid

1. Have a draft where you will filter the information to write on the final paper
2. Keep the necessary information in the essay
3. Do away with irrelevant facts and information, according to the essay topic.

• Neglecting a Thesis Statement

Starting an essay minus a thesis statement equals zero work. The statement is the foundation of the entire paper. All the points you explain in the main body revolve around the thesis statement. If you skip this stage, where will you refer your points? Besides, your reader wants to understand your essay’s basis, and it can only happen when you include a thesis statement.

How to Avoid

1. Include a clear and engaging thesis statement before you begin writing.
2. Have the thesis statement at the introduction and the end.

• Crafting a Hard-to-Read Essay

Remember, someone else is going to read your essay. If you make it hard to understand by including complicated terms, your tutor won’t have enough time to figure out what you imply. All they want is to enjoy an easy-to-follow essay with a clear flow of points. Otherwise, writing a complex essay will only attract bad grades.

How to Avoid

1. Maintain the original concept of the topic
2. Avoid adding extra words and phrases
3. Make the sentences simple and clear

• Wrong Formatting

Imagine having the best ideas in your essay, but you miss the formatting. You will automatically fail because of such a simple mistake. You miss the instructions from the professor regarding formatting; you are doomed. The tutor won’t even look at your good points. Your essays will look like a bad one.

How to Avoid

1. Always read the guidelines from the teacher carefully
2. Select the required style and format
3. Note minor details such as page numbers, spaces, font size, paper size, and margins

• Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious offense in any academic work. It is termed as copying other people’s work instead of doing your own. Technology has made it possible for tutors to check your paper thoroughly, and if they detect any plagiarism issues, then be sure to get a heavy punishment for it.

How to Avoid

1. Always cite all of your sources.
2. When doing research, write ideas in your own words
3. Avoid using quotes as your sentence. Learn to give credits to the source.

• Many Typos

When writing, you can’t be 100% accurate. Some minor typos happen, and they can pass the eye. However careful you think you are, always proofread your work before submitting it. Your professor is only after reading through your paper and understanding your concepts. They don’t have time to keep correcting typos. If your paper has several typos, be sure to get poor grades even when you have the best points.

How to Avoid

1. Avoid relying on spell checker software always.
2. Read through your work before printing
3. Check for spelling mistakes and improper use of grammar after writing.

• Using Wrong or Generic Titles

The essay’s title carries all the weight of the entire paper. It shows the reader what to expect in the academic work. You should ensure your title reflects the ideas you want to put down on paper. Again, do not use generic headlines in your essay.

How to Avoid

1. Avoid using complex words in your title
2. Revise your title severally before settling for one
3. Avoid using other author’s titles.
4. Make the title simple and short

Proven Tips for Short-Answer Essays

The fact that such essays are short doesn’t imply that they are easily doable. Remember you must fix all the relevant information within the required word count. If you aren’t creative enough, you can mess up big time. However, use the following tips when writing such essays.

• Avoid redundancies. Since there is no room to explain everything, focus on main ideas when writing application essays. If you think some information isn’t a must, cut it and save the space for valuable content.
• Use active voice always. In such limited essays, try as much as possible to do away with passive voice. The moment you include passive voice in the essay writing, you will be forced to add unnecessary phrases.
• Write then edit. When you edit the essay as required, you will reduce some irrelevant words. If you don’t have adequate experience editing academic work, you might need a professional to help you out.  The aim is to produce the best results and if you don’t trust your capabilities, seek more help.
• Avoid irrelevant examples and anecdotes. There is no point in including examples in this type of essay. Instead, save the space for the required content. If it is a must, you have an example; minimize the numbers to one or two.

Take the following example so that you can understand better.

Question 1: 500 words

Answer the following question to enable us to learn more about you:

1. Explain your short-term career goals and how they will help you professionally and as an individual after getting an MBA degree
2. The business world is changing at a faster rate due to technology. This implies that things might vary from what we anticipate. Now, if the goals you stated above don’t align with the sudden changes, what step will you take?

Analyzing Question one

The question is quite clear. It is up to the applicant doesn’t have to include confidential details about their background. Also, they don’t need to explain how they made the decision to apply to the institute. If the applicant engages in such details, they risk wasting space for other relevant content. When you analyze the question closely, you will realize that the applicant might need to talk about how the institution will help him or her if some professional and personal factors affect the main objectives.

To add to that, it will be vital for the applicant to explain why they decided on the selected institute. However, it can be hard to answer this section if the student has never visited several classes or consulted professionals in the related field. The idea is to write a satisfying essay that will convince the admission committee that you are an ideal applicant.

Again, as the applicant answers the question, they must include specific reasons to establish an ideal place to enroll in the MBA degree program. As the applicant, compare with other related institutes and give reasons why other schools can’t help you achieve your objectives.

Analyzing Question Two

The question is straightforward. It asks the applicant about the available options if the initial plans fail as planned. The committee wants to be sure that you are the right candidate. You don’t simply say how you will act upon plan B if plan A fails but assure them in writing that you can do whatever it takes to adjust to the changes to achieve your goals. Again, the plan B option should relate to the original plan. Do not select an idea that is totally different from what you are aiming at.

Essay format example

When you’re in college, the institution or the department will ask you to use a standard format to write your essay before you hand it in. One prominent example of that is the MLA. It stands for modern language association, and it got created to exchange articles and research papers among students universally. Some of the elements of the MLA include:

1. You must double-space all the paragraphs.
2. Utilize 1-inch margins
3. Include the author’s name, professor’s name, and the name of your course together with the paper’s submission date on the first page of your essay.
4. Ensure that you’re lying the page number on the margin on the right side, which would be 1/2 inch from every page top.
5. The references and bibliography that you utilize must get presented according to the requirements of MLA citations.
6. Ensure that you include apprentices in all the citations that you used in the body of your paper.
7. In case you’re writing a research paper, you will need to include a title page and write all the required information on it.

The APA is also another writing format that gets widely used among college-goers. The American Psychological Association was founded right after the MLA because most people saw it as a complicated Style. Both methods, however, alphabetize the idea that a student must maintain a standardized manner of presenting the work in line with its structure, content, and referencing style. It has the following elements:

1. You must have at least four critical sections: the title page, the abstract, the main body, and the references.
2. Ensure that you utilize one-inch margins on every side of the paper.
3. Use half an inch of indentation when beginning another paragraph.
4. Ensure that you use the format size 12 and the font type Times, New Roman.
5. Double-space all your photographs and ensure that you include a running header on each page of your work.

There is also the Chicago format which some people name Turabian, which is simply a revamped version of Chicago. There are differences between the other forms with this one regarding the paper’s styling, presentation of literature, etc. The elements include:

1. You must double-space all your paragraphs, but you can use the single space when you’re writing a bibliography.
2. Ensure that every paragraph’s first line should get indent, and you can achieve this by using the tab key.
3. Ensure that you utilize footnotes if you paraphrase your sources.
4. You do not have to list your bibliography alphabetically but ensure that it has all the material utilized in the text.
5. You don’t need to underline or bold your title because you need to double space it if it is more than a line.
6. Use per month day year format when writing your date.
7. Number all your pages except your title page, at the right corner at the top of every page. Your name should come after the number on every page that will mean that you will have to start it on a new fresh page for every assignment you do. Ensure that you follow all these instructions because they’ll be very vigilant in case you’re given a task by your teacher so that you can get higher marks.

Don’t hop on the bandwagon

Avoid guessing what you think the reader wants to read. You have an easy time and enjoy writing your essay if you are genuinely authentic and passionate about your writing topic. For instance, if all your friends write articles about the pandemic, that may be a good chance for you to avoid it. 

Remember that the essay is about you

The essay prompts get designed to give you somewhat latitude, but the admission committee text you to pull your focus on a particular subject that is personal to you. The counselors say that some of the best essays help them learn more about the applicant they wouldn’t know from reading the application. 

Use your sound and voice

Avoid using words that you usually don’t. Don’t over-fancy the language that you want to apply in real life. Ensure that you maintain a confident tone even though you might not feel that way. Look out for words like maybe, or sort of, that may cut the style you use and avoid them. 

Give yourself some time

Very few people can write under pressure and come up with something tangible. He should therefore try to come up with your draft a few weeks before turning it in. It’s not a must that you work on your essay daily, but ensure that you give yourself time to edit and revise it for you to polish it before submission. You often discover that you’ll want to change the topic, and the sooner you do that, the better. 

Be real, factual, and specific

Focus on real-life experiences. Try to explain why a given milestone or achievement may Mean a Lot to You. You should also ensure that you resist the urge and temptation to exaggerate on the point. Most of the squirrels go through thousands of essays annually. 

Check on the suggested length and stick to it

Ensure that you stick to the word count the beer suggested. In case you have been asked to submit a limit of 500 words, don’t go beyond that. In case they haven’t recommended anyone limit, you can use the common app 650 limit. In case you write your essay and surpass the suggested word limit, chances are that the committee will not even read through your work, and it will get sent straight to the dumpster.

Proofread your work 

After getting done with the final draft, run it on a spell checker, then leave it for a few days without touching it. When you read them with fresh eyes, you will easily spot typos or grammar mistakes. After doing that, ask either your teacher, the parent, or a fellow student to skim through your work before submitting it. And show that you check on your word count too. Proofreading your piece will ensure that you make no silly mistakes in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Such kinds of errors may deny you the chance of getting accepted into your dream College.