High school papers often focus on a student's impressions or a summary of a book or a concept. In college, however, the building blocks of an essay are arguments and evidence. First, you make a claim about a subject, commonly known as a thesis statement or an argument. Then, you provide evidence to back up the claim. Further, be prepared to address possible objections against your argument as well as its limitations. For instance, X may prove Y but it does not prove Z.
You may have a great many valuable thoughts about the subject of your paper. However, focus on a single point. If your other ideas do not relate directly to that point, save them for another paper. Professors have little patience for college papers that meander from one idea to another without a thesis that unifies them. Further, be sure that you have made an important point. For instance, if your argument reveals something original about the topic, focus on that point as long as you have the evidence to prove it. As you continue to research your subject, allow your point to evolve. After significant research, you may even find out that your evidence points to an opposite conclusion from what you originally set out to prove.
A college paper should consist of three key parts. It should contain an introduction that declares your argument and its relevance to the topic under analysis. Its body should consist of supporting paragraphs that detail the evidence that supports your argument. The conclusion should sum up the previous material but not simply mirror the introduction. Rather, it should leave the reader with an enriched understanding of the thesis that could not have been acquired without having read the body of the paper.
Academic writing in college must be precise, analytical and neutral in tone. The college paper is not an exercise in lofty or emotional rhetoric. In that regard, keep your personal feelings in check. Opinions do not matter. Further, keep the usage of personal pronouns to a minimum. While certain situations demand the use of "I," such as fieldwork in anthropological studies, the presence of the author should only be revealed when he or she directly bears upon the subject under consideration. Also, be sure to keep track of all the fundamentals of good writing such as punctuation, spelling and grammar.