Skidmore College Department of Classics

One purpose of an essay is to test and assess the writing skills of students within a relatively brief format. Yet essays serve other intellectual purposes:

• to organize one's thinking
  
• to respond critically and personally to a problem or issue
  
• to select and use information to support an argument
  
• to present this argument in a structured and sophisticated way.

None of this will happen at once. The composition of essays is a continual process of learning and improvement. Pay attention to the feedback you receive from your instructors - and your peers, when possible. You will strengthen your writing most by pinpointing your weaknesses.