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how to proofread essays by apricitystudies

(section one: before beginning) ideally, you should finish writing your essay a few days before the due date so you can step away from it for a while. this helps you to 'forget' what you wrote and allows you to proofread with fresh eyes. after staring at the same piece of writing for so long, your brain tends to fill in the gaps itself as you read, leading you to miss mistakes.

(section two: the key to effective proofreading is to edit in rounds) each round, focus on and attempt to fix a different issue. this requires you to have a little bit more time to edit, which is why you should finish writing early.

(round one: content) argument: does your argument make sense? is it strong? is it logical? evidence: is your research robust? are your points all backed up with sufficient evidence? is every piece of evidence necessary and relevant to your argument? elaboration: is your argument well developed? is every piece of evidence explained, analysed, or critiqued? is the research you provide linked back to and used to support your argument?

(round two: flow) map: have you provided a clear and concise roadmap of your essay? linking: are your paragraphs linked? do the last sentences of each paragraph flow into the next? have you shown how your points are connected? coherence: is your argument logical? is the order of your points easy to follow? is the reader able to see the progression of your argument? TIP: put all the topic sentences of your body paragraphs into one single paragraph. do they make sense together?

(round three: language) vocabulary: have you repeated words/phrases excessively? is your paraphrasing accurate? sentence length: are your sentences overly long? can they be split up? cohesion: does your writing flow? does it sound stilted or clunky? is everything you've written clear? punctuation: are your quotation marks correct? have you used em dashes, colons, and semicolons accurately? small errors: are your spelling and grammar correct?

(round four: format) referencing: are your in-text citations/footnotes correct? is every piece of evidence referenced? style: have you used the correct font size/style? is your line spacing correct? are your paragraphs justified/indented if they're supposed to be? page setup: are your margins set up properly? are your headers/footers/ page numbers correct, if required? bibliography: are your bibliography entries correct? are they in alphabetical order? is the line spacing and indentation correct?

(section three: other tips) 1: change your font to something like comic sans. this makes your brain work harder to read and stops it from skipping words/phrases. 2: print out your essay and go over it with a red pen. mark as if you were a teacher and pick out as many mistakes as you can. 3. read it aloud or use a text-to-speech function. listening to your writing helps you to identify awkward writing and repeated words.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - standalone novel - contemporary urban fantasy - magical found family, literally a warm hug and a cup of your fave hot beverage in book form

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone - standalone novella - sci-fi lgbtq+ romance - time travelling agents of the opposing sides of a war, exchanging letters with a healthy dose of taunting-turned-teasing, all weaved together with captivating prose

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater - series - ya urban fantasy - gorgeous prose and loveable characters on an all-encompassing quest where, maybe, the real triumph was the friends u made along the way (don't ask us to explain the plot, please)

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - standalone novel - ya romance with paranormal elements - an ownvoices story of self-discovery, growth, and young love, all doused with Latinx folklore

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer - standalone novel - ya lgbtq+ science fiction - a fight for survival, wrapped in mystery, a true sci-fi delight

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - a series to go insane with (in the best way) - ya distopian fantasy - queers with forbidden clairvoyant powers start a revolution that isn't fixed by one heroic act and needs a heist or two

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - 1st in a series - adult urban fantasy - a science-based magical system, a deadly competition, intrigue, and insane (in a good way!) characterization

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - 1st in a series - ya fantasy - lgbtq+ wizards, chosen one, enemies to lovers, and they were roomates

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - standalone novel - fantasy / magical realism - a magical atmosphere filled with mystery, follow the story through the wholesome main character's journal entries

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - standalone novel, please check trigger warnings! - lgbtq+ contemporary fiction - want to be destroyed by a book? a little life is the one for you! (seriously, this deals with very heavy topics, proceed with caution)

We hope you had a good reading year, take care and we'll see you in the next one with fresh book recs!

Honest College Application Advice

Research/Liberal Arts- I know we all love the dark academia aesthetic, but if you are applying to any university, especially a liberal arts one, ask in your interviews, campus connections, and online research about how research vs. practical focused they are. I attended a research-heavy liberal arts university, and working to gain practical experience was another burden on my schoolwork. For example, our psychology department rarely taught applications of psychology, but focused more on experimental methods, to the frustration of many of my peers. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but try and understand how committed a university is to practical vs theoretical work.

Get the Gossip- Join that university's meme page on Facebook (seriously you will learn so much about the school from just this) and browse their school newspaper. Notice what kinds of people are publishing and about what. Online communities will usually reveal the quirks, flaws, and serious pitfalls of a school.

Think Beyond Prestige- Okay this is hard. I still struggle with this one, and so do many people I know, even the ones who dunk on Ivy Leagues all day. Hold universities accountable to suiting your long-term financial, educational, and personal goals. Take a moment to deeply compare how each university can help you fulfill your goals.

Early Decision- Early Decision can be a hard deal for many due to financial reasons, as it is a binding agreement that you will pay tuition regardless of financial aid. However, if you want to go somewhere and have the means to agree to tuition with a dice roll on scholarships, it will greatly improve your chances of acceptance at any university.