Five Tips For College Writers: The No-Prompt Essay

It’s that time again. Your professor has passed out the next essay prompt. You give it the once over, and your heart sinks. You must choose your own topic and provide adequate support from the text. You’re probably asking, Why do professors do this? Why can’t they just give me a prompt? The truth is, however annoyed and lost you may feel, this is a tremendous opportunity. In fact, this is one of the best essay prompts you can get. Most essay prompts with a decisive list of A to Z kind of feel like a checklist, don’t they? Whether you’re breaking down the cell reproduction, summarizing the Punic Wars, or rehashing the plot of The Grapes of Wrath, you’re just regurgitating information. And that’s great; most of what we’ll have to do in our respective jobs someday will follow that protocol. Step one, two three. But that read, memorize, and tell back process is pretty much all we did in high school, right? This is college, and the gears are shifting. Professors want analysis and synthesis.

I’m betting you’ve seen those scary words before, right? I spent most of high school hating that duo, mostly because I didn’t know what they meant. I’m here to break it down for you, so you don’t have live in fear and annoyance. Plus, learning how to analyze and synthesize will put you ahead of the memorize-and-describe crowd. The most important rule in essay writing is write what you wanna write about. There is nothing worse than trying to motivate yourself to write when you’re bored about the subject. So you can’t pick the topic; you really don’t want to write about the bubonic plague, the effects of subliminal advertising, or the major themes in Beowulf. I get it, and I’ve been there. Did I really want to write about the pros and cons of recycling? I mean, are there really any cons to recycling? But instead of facing the prospective of an essay kicking and screaming, I figured out what I wanted to write about. Usually, this means figuring out what you DON’T want to write about, and then going from there.

When I tutor peer’s papers at the writing center at my college, I can spot a successful paper after 5 seconds of meeting my tutor-e. “Have you brought the prompt? Behind my smile hides a thousand tears. First, no one can help you with an essay if they don’t know the prompt. Second, successful students re-read the prompt so much they can memorize it. Even if you’re expected to choose your own topic, the professor has SOME kinds of requirements. I know even after the first draft I’ve forget about half of the prompt’s requirements. See, even if you wrote the most beautiful summary of Napoleon’s conquests, but didn’t include biographical information requested in the prompt, well, wave your white flag, because you just created your Waterloo. And I understand that may seem like a cheap move, and like your professors just looking to mark you down, but just think about it.

When you’re working the 9 to 5 someday and your employee brings to the board meeting a summary of the company’s stock stats but doesn’t include the monthly reportings of the gains and losses, LIKE YOU ASKED…. You get the picture. This is all prep for the real world. When you look at it that way, it can seem less annoying and more practical practice. So here we go. The big, bag duo. What does analyze mean when it comes to college essays? Let’s work backwards a bit. When you find a question on an exam that says, “Define allegory,” the teacher wants just that; a definition. You’re recalling knowledge. When the question says, “Explain how a bill becomes a law,” you’re recalling memorized knowledge and explaining it in your own words. Then it gets a little hairy. “Describe the differences between static and kinetic friction.” Now you’re being asked to analyze friction, but in two particular categories. All you have to do is know what static and kinetic friction are, and compare and contrast them.