Understand that college level writing focuses on analysis instead of summary. This is very different from a high school essay that might ask you to summarize a book you read. While you are writing a college essay, focus on making original points with your own ideas instead of summarizing your sources.
Come up with an analytical question every time you write an essay. Your analytical question will be the question you intend to answer by the end of your essay. An example of an analytical question might be, "Should gay marriage be legal on a national level?"
Develop an arguable thesis every time you write an essay. Your thesis is essentially the answer to your analytical question. This is one of the most important parts of college-level writing. The best way to know whether your thesis is arguable is to think about what a counter thesis might be. For example, one thesis might be "Yes, gay marriage should be legal on a national level," and another might be "No, gay marriage should not be legal on a national level." If you can think of at least one additional counter thesis, your thesis is arguable.
Find evidence from multiple sources to back up your thesis. Most college professors provide source articles when they ask you to write an essay. You should add this evidence to your essay as a direct quote. Only quote information that you believe will help prove your thesis.