Unfortunately, many college and university students find themselves at a loss when it comes to figuring out what to write for their assignments in classes like English, History or Communications. There are some common techniques that can help you figure out what to write no matter what subject you’re dealing with, and they can even be applied to other areas of life where you need to brainstorm ideas but don’t have any specific topic in mind! Here are five things you should always be doing when trying to figure out what to write your college assignment on.

Figure Out what to write in an assignment in 5 Steps

Talk to your professor

Taking the time to talk to your professor is probably the most important thing you can do. Make sure they know you are not just looking for a grade, but that you want to learn as well. Remember the professor who gave out the assignment will be grading it. You will have to show them that you have followed their instructions and shown an understanding of what was required for the assignment.

Talking to your professor will also allow you to get feedback on your paper before submitting it. If there are any mistakes or unclear parts of the paper, then these can be fixed before submission. Professors will also give you topic ideas if you don’t already have one and answer any questions about the work. However, this shouldn’t stop you from coming up with your own ideas.

Do some Research

Research will not only help you figure out how to start writing an assignment but you can also look into topics outside of the class to broaden your knowledge. Read books, magazines or online articles relevant to the subject area you are interested in. Keep reading until you come across a paragraph that has sparked an interest; this could lead to your essay’s focus sentence or thesis statement. The more you read, the more likely it is for something else to catch your eye which may provide inspiration for a future essay project.

There are plenty of sources you can use in your assignment: textbooks, articles, interviews and podcasts, among others. Reading material will give you a better idea of what your professor expects in terms of content.

For example, if the material is written by an academic or historian then it might use formal language or technical terminology while journalism might be simpler or include opinions.

Doing research will teach you about different types of sources so that you can identify them when searching for information later on.

Brainstorm Assignment topic Ideas

Brainstorming assignment topic ideas is the third step to making sure you know what to write for your college assignments. Even though you won’t have an exact idea of what you’re going to write beforehand, make sure you keep a notebook nearby with several blank pages ready in case anything sparks an interest. List every possible idea down so that it can be discussed and expanded upon with your teacher or classmates later on.

List every possible idea down so that it can be discussed and expanded upon with your teacher or classmates later on. Some examples of general topics you may want to include in your brainstorming list are favourite foods, technology today, quality of education etc. If you can’t think of anything to add to the list, ask someone for advice on topics you haven’t considered. This could be a classmate, family member or friend etc., as long as you trust them to give unbiased input.

Utilize the Five Senses

When you are working on your essay topic, make sure to include a sense of what you are talking about. Smells, sounds and tastes all play a role in helping the reader feel like they are in the moment and giving a full picture of what it would be like to experience it for themselves.

While sights are often used because that is the way we see, there are still plenty of opportunities to let your readers experience your story through their other senses. Figuring out a topic for your assignment is the first step to doing your best work and getting a good grade; and, utilizing your five senses will be key to telling your story.

Outline your thoughts

Outlining your thoughts is the fifth and final step to getting what to write for your college assignments. This will be the first stage of drafting, and it will help you figure out where the gaps in your essay are. In an outline, you should have a brief summary of each point that you plan to mention in your paper.

Remember you want topic ideas and you don’t necessarily need to know exactly what you’re going to write yet.

Outlining your thoughts will ensure you don’t forget any points, even if you don’t know where to place them yet. You should have a brief summary of each point that you plan to mention in your paper. Once you’ve created your outline, take a break from the project and do something unrelated. Come back to it with fresh eyes and you will be able to assess what is missing from your outline.

After you complete the outline, take a break and do something unrelated before coming back to it with fresh eyes.

This will allow you to assess what is missing from your outline, and it will help you figure out where the gaps in your essay are. Once you’ve done that, go ahead and write!

Final Remarks

Figuring out what to write for your college assignments is not always easy. However, when you follow the steps outlined above, it becomes much easier to come up with a topic and organize your thoughts.

Don’t forget that at this stage of writing, the goal isn’t perfection but rather just creating something; which means there are no rules or guidelines except those you set for yourself.

So get started now, find out what you want to say, figure out how to say it and then finally put pen to paper (or fingers on keys).

Author: Kate B