3000 Word Essay In 3 Days

[Princesex Voskamp]

Ifyou're reading this guide, we suspect you haven't entirely embraced that mantra. But, there are a few things you can do the morning before deadline day that will make your day of frantic essay-writing run smoothly. 3,000 word essay, here we come!

Not into porridge? It's far from the only brain food that will help you write an essay. Check out our list of the best foods for brain fuel to see what else will get you off to the best start (and keep that flying start going).

Although you might be tempted to mainline coffee into your veins, try to avoid too much caffeine early on. Caffeine is basically the opposite of slow-release energy, and you'll find yourself crashing after a few hours.

Choose a quiet area where you won't be disturbed. You'll know whether you work better in the library or at home, but don't choose somewhere you've never been before. Make sure you'll be comfortable and able to focus for as long as possible.

Be organised and bring two pens, a bottle of water, your notes and some snacks to use as mini-rewards. These will keep you going without having to take your eyes off the screen (apparently dark chocolate is a great option for concentration).

Next, decide on your approach. How are you going to tackle the question? It's your essay and, as long as you keep relating your arguments to the question, you can take it in any direction you choose.

Write out three to five key points that you want to make in your overall argument. Underneath each one, use bullet points to list all the information, supporting arguments (and, better still, any rebuttals you have to popular counter-arguments) or quotes you already have for each point.

Don't worry too much about making it sound amazing at this point. Just get stuck into introducing your argument and telling the reader how you'll support it. You can go back and improve it later on when you're at the editing stage.

Don't use the introduction as a space to throw in random references to things that are vaguely relevant, especially if you're just doing it to hit the minimum number of references required. When in doubt, leave it out.

It's important to limit the time you spend on this to avoid getting distracted by irrelevant info. However, the essay will be easier to write if you're well-informed on the topic, so don't scrimp on the research either.

If you're using reference books rather than online resources, give yourself an extra 10 minutes to get anything that looks useful from the library. And, although it sounds obvious, remember to use the index.

Of course, your best bet will be any references that you've picked up in your lecture notes. Even if you haven't noted down the names, look through the lecture slides (if your lecturer is kind enough to put them online) and see if they contain any gems.

This helps you avoid any risk of accidental plagiarism, but compiling your list of citations as you work saves having to do them all at the end (the last thing you want after writing 3,000 words).

Say you're reading a text by Author A, which includes references to quotes by Authors B, C and D. Rather than referencing the text by Author A, use the quotes from Authors B, C and D and use the bibliography from Author A to find the references to use for B, C and D.

Simply enter the details of sources as you go along, and it will automatically create a perfect bibliography or works cited page at the end. This tool is amazing and could save you a lot of extra work typing out your references and bibliography.

Use the research you gathered earlier to support the key ideas you set out in your outline, but don't ramble for the sake of it. Try to be concise and have faith that the strength of your arguments will take you to around 2,500(ish) words.

Imagine your essay is a bit like a kebab stick: the meat is your essential argument and you surround each chunk with vegetables (quotes and remarks) to make the full kebab... We can't wait for dinner at 6pm.

Pick out a single point in your argument that hasn't been fully built upon yet, and head back to your research. There will almost certainly be an additional quote or two that you could throw in to make your point even clearer.

Of course, if you're using a lot of quotes from other sources, make sure you paraphrase your main arguments to give the essay your own voice and make it clear which words are yours and which are someone else's. Plagiarism is serious and all your hard work could be completely discounted if you don't cite properly!

Your conclusion shouldn't take too long at all. You're basically summarising the arguments you've spent the last few hours detailing, and explaining how they all tie together to support your overall response to the essay question.

Although, as we touched on earlier, not everyone can get their ideas written down and do it eloquently all in one go. If this is you, then take the time to refine what you've produced and make sure it gets full marks for written communication.

Are your paragraphs linked? Does it all make sense? Do a quick spell check and make sure you have time for potential printer issues (if your uni still requires you to provide a paper copy). We've all been there.

Finally, ensure that all the points you wanted to explore are on paper (or screen) and explained fully. Are all of your facts correct? Make things wordier (or more concise, depending on your circumstance) to hit your word limit.

While starting essays a day before the deadline is far from recommended and unlikely to get you the best grades, this guide should at least prevent tears in the library (been there) and the need for any extensions.

Laura Brown, Head of Editorial at Save the Student, is an award-winning writer with expertise in student money. She project manages influential national student surveys and has presented findings to MPs in Westminster. As an expert on student issues, Laura has been quoted by the BBC, the Guardian, Metro and more.

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Anyone else trying frantically to meet a deadline that's fast approaching? Mine is for a degree but I imagine the feeling of pressure is pretty much the same whether you're writing an essay for uni or for a report or brief etc for work. I cannot afford to fail this degree.

I'm struggling but need to crack on tonight and expect there won't be much sleep for a few days. Thought it might be good to hear tales of success to stay cheered up and positive!

I did all my master's essays in 4 days - 1.5 reading, 1.5 writing, a few hours break then re-read and ammend. They were 2.5-4k words. I do better under pressure. If given a deadline a few weeks away, I'll always check I understand the assignment then leave it until 4 days before!

I'm now in a role where I write court reports, often 6-7k words. Again I leave them until the last minute!

I appreciate not everyone can work like that though!

Thank you for the positive stories! I know it can be done. I just have to stay optimistic and be realistic, so make sure to keep getting what rest I can.

I have a load of fruit, chocolate, crisps and coffee and an easy dinner to chuck in the oven soon. So well stocked up on fuel!

I wrote my dissertation proposal of several thousand words, can't remember how many, maybe 3-5000, in 3 days, including most of the research etc. I didn't go to sleep in those 3 days though. I don't recommend that approach.

2,000 words in two hours due to thinking my essay was due in at midday next Friday, when it was due at midday that Friday. I discovered this at 10am on the Friday it was due.

And I got the best mark I ever got at uni.

I wrote my dissertation of 12k words in around 5 days, but I had spent months gathering all the sources and doing the research beforehand though. I also wrote my lit review and proposal of 3k words over a weekend. It was very stressful and I may have had a few tears trying to figure out where I was going with it.

It's possible, but I can't recommend it!

I need to do four weeks worth of coursework by Sunday evening. I am at hospital all day Thursday and Friday and working on Saturday.

This was meant to happen last weekend and I did nothing at all - got a seven day extension.

@sharpandshineyteeth

I think we were at uni together-that is ME you described! I still have to have a deadline to get anything done.

I will spend my whole day off procrastinating then manically run around the house and get a whole days worth of housework done in an hour before the school run!

I remember telling the obstetrician I had 12000 words to write in a week. It got done. When you have a mental plan and can access all references easily it's perfectly doable, if not altogether advisable (that dissertation was submitted with 15 mins to spare).

I've long been inspired by an idea I first learned about in The Artist's Way called morning pages. Morning pages are three pages of writing done every day, typically encouraged to be in "long hand", typically done in the morning, that can be about anything and everything that comes into your head. It's about getting it all out of your head, and is not supposed to be edited or censored in any way. The idea is that if you can get in the habit of writing three pages a day, that it will help clear your mind and get the ideas flowing for the rest of the day. Unlike many of the other exercises in that book, I found that this one actually worked and was really really useful.

I've used the exercise as a great way to think out loud without having to worry about half-formed ideas, random tangents, private stuff, and all the other things in our heads that we often filter out before ever voicing them or writing about them. It's a daily brain dump. Over time, I've found that it's also very helpful as a tool to get thoughts going that have become stuck, or to help get to the bottom of a rotten mood.

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