[dropcap]I[/dropcap]deally, writing an essay in a hurry is not a good plan. There is so much that goes into writing an essay that to do it quickly is to run the risk that you will make mistakes which otherwise would be easily avoided. Rushing an essay means that you will not have time to fully carry out everything that needs to be done, which will lead to an essay and argument which are both incomplete.
It is sometimes unavoidable that an essay has to be rushed, but in general it is something to avoid. Taking all the time you need for an essay means you have a much better chance for it to turn out the best it can be, as that means you will have all the time to go through every stage of writing an essay you need. Rushing an essay robs you of that time.
Think of everything that goes into writing an essay, and then think of whether or not you would be able to carry everything out to its fullest extent if you needed to rush. Cutting corners and leaving out the checks and balances that everybody likes to do throughout their work would be the least of your problems if you didn’t have enough time to do the fundamentals which come with writing an essay.
Rushing an essay can mean everything from not being able to do thorough research, to not being able to properly proofread the work for mistakes. Whatever you are forced to give up in service of rushing to meet a deadline will ultimately mean that your paper suffers for it. While it may not seem like it, every step that goes into writing an essay is what helps to make the end result what it is. Skipping any steps can mean that the essay loses something.
Rushing an essay, even if it means simply skipping the tiniest steps, can be fatal. Many people, to rush an essay, might not pay any attention to the question they are answering, and so simply get on with the essay. If you know what the question means, then this will turn out all right. If you don’t, then there is a fair chance that you will end up with an essay which does not answer the questions being asked, and which will suffer for that.
The same applies to working with a thesis statement. Most people come up with a thesis statement before they start working, in order to give their argument a solid foundation to work from. Many essay writing sites also recommend that you look at the thesis statement after you have finished the essay, to ensure that it still lines up with the arguments you have used. Rushing an essay might prompt you to skip that step, which will lead to an essay which does not have coherence in the overall arguments it makes.
Writing is of course the biggest part of any essay, and rushing things will therefore have their biggest impact there. According to writers at write my perfect essay, if you rush your writing, you will forget to include things like the thesis statement, topic sentences, and concluding sentences. You will make mistakes in spelling and grammar, and you will make a mess of your quotes. Writing is what makes an essay what it is.
Tips on how to deal with essay writing in short terms
- Make a list – if you are in a hurry to write an essay, it is best that you know exactly what you need to do. Write down the amount of time you think that each area will need as well, and also makes notes of books and sites you use, to more easily keep track of things while you work. The list is what will keep you straight whenever you might feel like you are running out of time. This list should hold everything you think you might need – rushing is when you are most liable to forget things, and forgetting things is the quickest road to a bad essay.
- Don’t skip your proofreading – it might seem tempting to save time by not looking over a completed essay, but this is the worst thing you can do. Rushing makes you more likely to make a mistake, whether that be a minor spelling error or a large structural omission. If you spend the time looking over your essay, you have the chance to spot and correct these things before you send your essay in. Checking the essay over also gives you the chance to check that you have in fact understood what is being asked of you. This can help you in your next essay, if it doesn’t help with the current one.
- Make sure that you understand the question before you start your work – this might seem like an obvious one, but make sure that you understand the question before you start your essay. Finding out that you have accidentally been answering a question which really is the complete opposite of what you were supposed to be answering is bad enough. Imagine if you find that out when you have just spent all of your precious time doing a rush job which is ultimately wrong, no matter how good the rest of your work is! Look at the question before you start, and make sure that you understand it through and through.
- Double check your structure – this is an important step, because the structure of an essay can define how people see it. Essays can differ in their structure, and the entire work is affected if you make the wrong choice. Rushing something is the perfect way to make mistakes, and this is something where you can’t afford it. People who make mistakes normally do have the chance to fix them, but if you are doing a rush job, then you don’t have that luxury. Start by finding out what essay structure you need to use, and then work from there. This will help you write an essay in any kind of rush.
- Make sure that you do your research thoroughly – in a way, having a limited time to work with can help you with your research. Time limits force you to stay focused, and not get distracted by anything which is off-topic. Use this to your advantage, and stick to the plan of research you have for yourself. On the other hand, don’t fall into the trap of trying to cut corners in your research to save time. Your argument won’t work very well if there are ways to easily refute your arguments, and while each body paragraph should focus on one particular argument each, that argument does have to be an entire argument.
