How to write a college essay

**alraad3** · 18-02-2008, 08:33 PM

Assalamu Alaikum everybody
I would like to offer help for our dear students and new students who face difficulty in writing college essays. As a beginning I am going to give some hints regarding the steps of a well-done essay with an example. Then a member who has any questions about writing is welcome to ask whatever he/she likes .

Also, I will present some examples of essays which I did during my career hoping that they will gain your appreciation

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Essay Writing كتابة المقال

Essay= a group of paragraphs that talk about one main idea.
** يتكون المقال من مجموعة من الفقرات لكل منها وظيفتها الخاصة.

1- introduction : فقرة المقدمة

It has two parts:
A- background information- معلومات عامة عن الموضوع

Example: writing book, page 65 " Advantages of Being the Oldest and Only Child in the Family"

When I was younger, I didn't feel that it is a good idea to be the oldest and the only child in my family. I always told my parents that I wished to be the youngest. However, I am very happy that I am the oldest and the only boy in the family.

B- Thesis statement-

و هي الجملة الرئيسية التي تشبه الى حد كبير ال (topic sentence) في كتابة الفقرة, ولكنها أوسع لأنها تحتوي على الأجزاء الرئيسية التي ستوضحها في بقية أجزاء الموضوع. وتكون متممة للفقرة الأولى من المقال.
Example:
Being the oldest and the only child in the family has several advantages the most important of which are getting special treatment, becoming amateur and being prepared for my own family in the future.
لاحظ أننا ركزنا على ثلاث نقاط رئيسية سوف نتناولها في الجزء الثاني من المقال.

2- Body:

ويتكون من عدد من الفقرات يعتمد على عدد الأجزاء التي حددتها في ال thesis statement. و في مثالنا هذا عندنا ثلاثة أجزاء أي اننا سنكتب ثلاث فقرات في العرض.

• يجب ان تبدأ كل فقرة ب topic sentence عن كل جزء. ثم توضح هذا الجزء عن طريق الشرح والأمثلة.
• يجب أن تكون الفقرات مرتبة حسب ترتيب الأجزاء في ال thesis statement .

Example on body paragraphs:

One advantage of being the oldest and the only boy in the family is getting special treatment. My sisters and parents treat me as a prince. For example, I have my own room, my own T.V. set and my own car. Also, I punish my sisters when they make mistakes at home. Really, I didn't feel that I was a prince when I was a child.

Another benefit is that I have developed myself as an amateur person. Through experience, I learned to be responsible. For example, when my parents get out for shopping or visits, they leave me to taking care of my sisters and be responsible for them. In addition, I have learned to be dependable. For instance, my parents always ask me to go shopping by myself, and my sisters always ask me to help them with their school work.

One other advantage of being the oldest and the only son in the family is that it trained me to be ready for my own family in the future. In many ways, I am the father figure. For example, when my father travels, I receive guests instead of him. Also, I look after my sisters and usually take them to school when my father is busy. Furthermore, when my sisters need help with something, I am always ready to help them.

3- Conclusion:
الخاتمة تحتوي على إعادة صياغة لل thesis statement ويمكن ان تحتوي أيضا على رأي شخصي يخص الموضوع. ويمكن أن تحتوي أيضا على حلول إذا كان الموضوع يتكلم عن مشكلة معينة.

Example on conclusion:

In conclusion, I didn't choose to be the oldest and the only son in my family. I was born to be in this position. I have succeeded in making this position useful to me. I feel that my life will be great because of this experience.