Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Have you been set this assignment and are currently scratching your head in a confused cartoon fashion? It may seem like a daunting task and that you don’t know where to begin. Well, have no fear, for there are always solutions available.

Here are some great suggestions to help you come up with some ideas:

As you might expect, a compare/contrast paper is asking you to find the similarities and differences between (usually) two subjects. Let’s say you choose the topic of education. You could narrow that down specifically to something like private and state schooling; then compare and contrast the two systems, arriving at a title question such as: With the government’s stance of education for all, should there be a two tier system of education in the U.S?

So how do you come up with your own subject?

Well, you will need to sift through various ideas before you decide, but it certainly helps to go with something you’re passionate and knowledgeable about.

Having said that, that’s not the only criteria you need to think about. You certainly need to choose two subjects or issues that can be compared and contrasted in a well-balanced, well-reasoned fashion.

For example, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to compare the working practices of a part time teenage babysitter with the practices employed for business by a major global corporation.

Have a look online to see what other people’s ideas are. You’ll be able to find student papers and plenty of websites with helpful tips and lists to inspire you; though you should always look on the best and most reliable websites if you’re to receive good information. Custom writing is one of them.

You could also chat with people, or see what they have already posted as ideas, on student social network sites.

You’ll also find plenty of student papers in your campus library. It’s worth studying these for a number of reasons to aid you in your own writing and composition, but for now, just have a quick look through to see what subjects have been selected.

If you notice that a lot of papers are more or less about the same thing, then it’s probably best to not choose the same subject. Your professor could well be bored of reading regurgitated ideas! If you do want to pick the same ballpark subject, then make sure you come at things from a fresh angle and use references that haven’t been tiredly used in the past. You need to make your essay fresh and original if you want it to be top notch.

Discuss it with your class friends. Sometimes sharing ideas really helps to get the creative juices flowing.