by Nancy Adossi

Created on: January 05, 2009

College professors are like moms; they can spot a fake right away. In the field of academic writing, one must write like a genius in order not to appear as fake or as a person without adequate information on the topic. The techniques used in high school are not effective in college, because college professors are tough people who have been trained to judge a person's knowledge based on the information presented in an essay. Strategies such as introducing the topic by giving an outline without a thesis, writing skinny body paragraphs that do not adequately support the thesis, and restating the introduction in the conclusion do not impress professors in college. The professors are looking for an introduction that hooks them, a body that keeps them interested while giving them relevant information, and a conclusion that leaves an incredible impression. Besides all of these, professors are also looking for essays that correctly make use of the English grammar. In other words, they are looking for essays that show a deep understanding of the topic.

The star of the essay should be the thesis. The thesis is the singular idea which you want to communicate to your professor. It must be simple and clear enough, but it needs to be balanced. This balance is achieved with a "hook" or the supporting actor to the star of the essay. A hook is simply a sentence that is so interesting it hooks the professor to the essay. For example, the hook in this essay is the comparison between college professors and moms. It is an efficient hook not only because it connects two well known figures to portray my thesis, but it also kept you interested enough to keep on reading. This hook must portray the common side (a side the audience can relate to) of the singular idea or thesis of the essay. For example, professors are known to be intimidating and moms are known to be comforting, but the ability to connect these two contrasting figures to one singular idea (the fact that they can spot a fake) works well as a hook. Besides providing a balance to the thesis, the hook demonstrates that the student understands the topic well. Why? Because it takes a lot of knowledge about the topic in order to find an effective hook. This strategy provides a strong introduction which lets the professor know that the student is well informed and not a fake.
The body paragraphs are the scenes in the essay. They support the thesis by showing more of what is essential to an effective presentation of the essay.

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