I've had quite a few students in my office over the years in tears about their papers! Writing a paper is stressful for a number of reasons. First, it tests your time management skills, because you're going to be so much better off if you don't write the paper at the last minute! Second, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what your professor wants, so read the assignment sheet carefully and don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't fully understand what's expected.

Here's some tips on how to write a great college term paper. A basic hint: make sure your paper is well-organized, with a clearly written thesis statement. And please, make sure your paper looks professional when you hand it in. Include page numbers and don't forget to use a stapler. Think of your paper as the equivalent of a report you may someday hand to your boss. You wouldn't give an important document to your boss that didn't look professional, would you?

I've seen a lot of bad papers over the years. Really bad. One was so bad that I read it out loud to my colleagues for comic relief when we were waiting for a late flight. Don't write a bad paper! Here are a list of common errors that students make when writing papers. If you want to write a decent paper, you're going to have to spend a fair amount of time with it. Never turn in the first draft of a paper. That's lazy, and professors can tell, believe me. And always be sure to proofread carefully. Handing in a paper with multiple spelling and grammar errors looks very unprofessional and conveys the message that you don't take pride in your work.

Yeah, I know, you hate taking exams. I actually hate giving exams to students. I sit in the front of the room and watch them frantically write down words, and I can feel tension in the air. (Some professors get a power trip out of that, but I'm a nice person. Mostly.)

You might think that essay questions are the hardest thing for students to write. They're not! In my experience, students do much worse on multiple choice questions than on essay questions. Here's some inside tips about multiple choice tests from someone who's written an awful lot of them!

Studying for exams can be a challenge. You almost always have multiple exams at once, so part of the trick is to prioritize your study time. Here's some tips about studying for midterms and finals that I hope will help you out! And don't forget to schedule in some study breaks! If you don't recharge, you won't do well and you won't stay sane. Here are some "healthy procrastination" ideas for effective study breaks, including my students' suggestions for great study break music.

Is it a good idea to form a study group? Yes, but only if you do it right. First of all, don't rely 100% on your study group. Do some studying before you meet with them. Second, be careful about groupthink. Groupthink is when a group reaches a consensus about something too quickly, without reviewing enough options. Here's an article about groupthink in study groups, and an article about how to avoid groupthink.

Here's a tip from a professor: get to know us. After all, we're the ones who write down your grade at the end of the semester. For starters, here are six things you ought to know about your professor. Second, here are a list of pet peeves that drive professors berserk. Unfortunately, a few of your professors are going to be very difficult to deal with, so here's a list of bad professors to avoid.

One other thing that professors hate: teacher evaluation forms. Well, we don't always hate them. Constructive feedback about students did and did not like about our classes is very much appreciated. Here are some tips for writing a useful teacher evaluation.

Oh, and would you like to know what it's really like to be a professor? Here's a little bit about the advantages and disadvantages of being a professor.

Don't plagiarize. Ever. You know better. As a professor, I tend to be lenient with my students about all kinds of things. Plagiarism is not one of them. In the highly unlikely case that plagiarism ever seems like a god idea, here are a list of good reasons to avoid plagiarism. If you're stuck with a last minute paper, here are some much better alternatives to plagiarism when writing a last minute paper.

Are you a little bit confused about what counts as plagiarism and what doesn't? Read this definition of plagiarism.

Oh, and do you know what professors really hate? Plagiarism college essay websites.