For a lot of overseas students, succeeding in college in the US depends on their ability to write essays. There are many different kinds of essays, and there are numerous ways to express yourself clearly and effectively while writing an essay (you can even be asked to do so when applying to colleges).

Before you even go to your US university, use these essay writing ideas to develop your academic writing abilities.

Your queries are fully answered in The Foreign Student’s Guide to US Schools and Universities.

Writing websites for essays is crucial to achieving good marks regardless of your major, and strong writing abilities can help you succeed in any internship or job you apply for in the future. If you are a first-year student, you might also have never written an academic essay for a higher education setting.

Continue reading to find out how foreign students at American institutions can become more at ease when writing essays, particularly when it comes to comprehending a thesis statement, essay framework, and paragraph structure.

Have a plan for your essay.

You can plan out and organize the major topics of your essay for international students by working from an outline. As a result, maintaining organization after you begin writing is made simpler.

Maad El-Gali, an ESL instructor at the University of the Pacific, states, “I always mandate that my students work on an outline before they type their essays.” “Regardless of the essay type, using an outline often helps students write better essays because it enables them to visualize their finished product. Also, it enables me to provide students with comments before they begin the process of writing their essays for class.

You are prepared to start the academic writing process once you have drafted an essay outline with these four components.

Conduct research

Writing an essay for school involves research! Make a list of potential topics for your essay’s main body and research the available resources on the subject you’ve chosen. As an international student, organizing your thoughts and ideas through writing will help you develop the arguments for your college essay.

It’s time to start your research after you’ve done some brainstorming. To obtain extra notions and evidence to bolster your primary claims, search current literature on the subject. Always acknowledge sources when paraphrasing or quoting thoughts that are not your own. In the US educational system, plagiarism is a serious infraction, particularly in academic writing. Don’t forget to give the writers of the content you utilize their due credit!

Create a thesis

Once your research is complete, you should create a thesis. The major argument of your academic essay is introduced in the thesis statement, which also gives readers a guide to the supporting details. Effective thesis statements express the main point of your argument, demonstrate your perspective of the topic, and pique readers’ interest in reading further.

Three categories of thesis statements exist:

• An argumentative presentation argues a debatable claim.
• Expository writing describes what the reader should learn after stating a point.
• Comparing and contrasting themes is analytical.

It’s crucial to educate yourself about your subject, also known as your essay prompt, before choosing which sort of thesis statement will work best for your academic writing assignment.

Knowledge of the Essay Prompt

Making sure you comprehend the essay prompt is the first step in preparing your international student essay. The subject or topic on which you must base your essay is given in an essay prompt. The prompt you are given may be presented to you as a statement, a question, or a collection of information. One possible essay topic is as follows: “Reading more books enhances your writing ability. Examine this assertion.

The next step with the aforementioned example would be to analyze this question and comprehend the many contexts associated with the subject. Asking yourself questions concerning the assignment will help you narrow down the subject of your essay. For instance, how does reading books help one become a better writer? Do some books have a greater impact than others on writing ability? Does this apply to all writers and writing?

You can better grasp which elements your college essay needs to have by asking yourself questions of this nature. You typically have a set word restriction and/or page limit for your essay, as well as a deadline to submit it, so it’s critical to figure out how you want to organize your essay so that it’s simple to read while still presenting a strong argument that is backed up by in-depth research.

Opening Paragraph

The introduction, which is the first paragraph of your essay, provides the reader with a quick summary of the subject you are writing about. This is among the most crucial components of your essay because many readers use the introduction to form an initial opinion of your writing.

Your introduction should grab the reader’s interest right away and pique their curiosity in what you have to say. The essay start ought to provide the reader with some useful or intriguing information, such a statistic, an unexpected fact, an understandable scenario, or an inspiring quotation.

The opening should also include a concise synopsis of the topics to be covered in your essay, including the sections that will follow, any issues that need to be addressed, and even the target audience.

Last but not least, academic essays usually begin with a clear thesis statement that states the main contention to be supported by evidence in the following pages.

How to Craft a Powerful Thesis

The first step in developing a solid thesis for a normal college essay or academic assignment is to establish a concise thesis statement. This sentence introduces your position to the reader and provides a summary of the material you’ll be covering in the body of the essay. Provide a brief explanation of how your argument fits into the larger discussion of the subject it is related to in your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement needs to be clear and concise. Make sure your supporting proof is pertinent and clarifies your main points so that you don’t stray too far from your main thesis. Your essay should go into great detail and establish your argument, its significance and the reason you are giving it, as well as the method you have used to express it, in order to better support it.

A compelling thesis is distinctive, and your supporting evidence should highlight the strength of your claim and demonstrate its applicability to other contexts and conversations. Evaluate your position objectively by considering other perspectives. You can demonstrate the breadth of your study and strengthen your argument by incorporating counterarguments from various viewpoints.

Text in the Body

The body of your essay will be divided into several sections that will outline your main contention and provide evidence to back it up. Your mission is to clearly communicate your thesis and study while also including all relevant details.

An excellent example of a college essay’s body is shown here:

Start by defining your topic and outlining its most crucial features. Provide your readers the background information and context they need to understand the more complex content that will follow.

Go into detail—As you go more into your subject, discuss its simplest elements first and then, as necessary, move on to more complex aspects. Make sure that each part has its own heading and that the paragraphs are concise and simple to read.

Your content should be focused; stay away from generic information, and make sure all information is pertinent. Just one main idea should be the focus of each paragraph. Your essay’s paragraphs should flow naturally and logically from one to the next. This aids the reader in comprehending your essential arguments in an organized manner.

Clarify your point—You may begin expressing your thesis statement once you’ve given the reader clear context and more information about the subject. Your argument should incorporate all the data you have already provided and utilize it as a foundation to support its validity. To underline your points and lend credibility to your arguments, cite reliable sources’ references, data, examples, and other supporting documentation.

Consider counterarguments—If appropriate, offer the advantages and disadvantages of the subject you are debating. This increases the authority of your essay by demonstrating that you have done a thorough study and that you try to avoid prejudice. This section can also be used to illustrate how your argument’s advantages outweigh its disadvantages.

It’s time to finish your essay with a compelling conclusion once you are happy with the body’s organization and content.

Finally, a paragraph

The conclusion, the last section of your essay for an overseas student, should restate your primary claims. Instead of presenting any new material, this part should summarize what you have already covered while highlighting how important your point or argument is.

Your conclusion should go back to your opening statement and explain how the ideas you’ve covered support your main thesis. It can be difficult to summarize your key arguments in this part without appearing repetitious.

Instead of simply restating your thesis statement in the conclusion, try rephrasing it as follows: Because your introduction or thesis statement introduced the subject before the reader had context for it, your conclusion should now address the reader as one who is aware of your research and point of view.

Your conclusion should end on a strong note that supports your main points, gives your reader a sense of closure, and delivers broader implications that invite them to study more. Examples of such elements are a final recommendation, plan of action, solution, or query.

Top 3 Essay Writing Tips

Learn About the Many Citation Styles

The referencing style you choose is determined by your major, the course, and the institution. On your syllabus, your professor’s recommended citation format should be noted. Knowing several citation formats makes it easier to complete your assignment, properly credit your sources, and stay away from plagiarism-related problems.

In the US, some of the most popular referencing formats are

The APA is the American Psychological Association.

Style Guide for Chicago

CSE stands for Council of Science Editors (Common for biology, physics, chemistry, and geology)

IEEE stands for Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Common for engineering, computer science, and information technology majors)

MLA, or Modern Language Association

There are numerous resources available for academic writing, so you won’t be required to immediately become familiar with one in its entirety. For help with citations, consult your professor, the personnel at the university writing center, or your Shorelight adviser if you have any questions about using style guides.

Make use of online writing tools

The Purdue Online Writing Lab and the official APA and MLA websites are a couple of online resources for certain citation formats. Several provide subscriptions, where you pay a charge for limitless use for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., one year).

Your writing will be of higher quality if you use free web tools like Grammarly and Turnitin to check for plagiarism and find errors. As artificial intelligence (AI) powers the majority of online writing tools, employ caution: It’s vital to keep in mind that these algorithms might not catch every mistake and might misinterpret specific words, depending on your writing style and/or tone. Even while using these tools can be quite beneficial, try not to rely fully on them and instead use them more as suggestions or hints on how to strengthen certain parts of your essay.

Before submitting your work, you might wish a peer or advisor to read it once more.

Begin early!

It is less stressful to write an essay when you give yourself plenty of time before the due date. Take your time when researching, writing, and rewriting. Given more time, you’ll be more deliberate, which will result in a higher-quality essay overall as you won’t have to rush. Also, you will have more time to solicit and incorporate any writing-related advice from your friends and mentors.

Update Your First Draft

The first draft of your essay for overseas students is finished after the conclusion. Your essay’s first draft is its initial iteration and includes all of your unpolished thoughts and writing. The next step in producing a quality essay is editing your draft to make it more similar to the finished product.

Why should your initial draft be revised? Imagine it as a newly built house; once the basic framework has been put in place, it is time for you to perform a comprehensive inspection and identify any potential flaws or areas that could use repair. It might take two or even three more draft revisions, but the most crucial step is to make sure your essay becomes better with each rewrite so you can submit your best work.

You can discover that your initial draft is rather lengthy as you make modifications. It is quite simple to repeat information or veer off course into subjects unrelated to your main points as you put down your thoughts and research findings. While revising, carefully examine each section to identify any repetitions of content and unnecessarily long paragraphs or sentences. If necessary, cut these down.

A first draft is frequently written rapidly as thoughts come to mind, so keep an eye out for any areas where you might need to add more depth. Certain sections may benefit from additional material or supporting documentation that you had not previously thought of. Read paragraphs aloud to see if they seem right to you; if not, readers will notice this as well. At the same time, make sure your phrases flow logically.

Consider the following advice as you edit your essay’s first draft.

Dos and Don’ts for Composing Essays

1. Avoid writing more than is necessary. Make sure that what you say matters.

According to El-Gali at the University of the Pacific, “multilingual writers (also known as foreign students) tend to be more focused on the quantity rather than the quality of writing.” Some feel that writing more will result in a higher mark on writing tasks, but this is not always the case. In fact, adding too many more words might lead to a paragraph structure that is hard for the reader to understand.

2. Keep in mind your reader. Do think of concise, witty methods to communicate your message.

Try to make your writing fascinating, engaging, and relatable while keeping your reader in mind while you write. Keep in mind that writing conventions vary between languages. When writing, keep in mind the viewpoints of your audience and strive to be as clear as possible so that your message is received.

3. Run more than just a spell check. Thoroughly edit and proofread your essays.

This is necessary, according to El-Gali, “so that the English-speaking reader will get the writer’s aim.”

Contact a Shorelight advisor for more tips on writing enhancement or for general writing guidance! They are always willing to help international students with their academic work and offer essay-writing advice. (They also offer specialized services for international students, such as aiding you in developing your English abilities, assessing graduate programs, getting ready for visa interviews, and much more.)

Typical Errors in Initial Drafts

Your initial draft, which should be considered the first of numerous drafts, serves as the model for your final article. Your initial draft should serve as a guide for including important details and developing the overall framework of your final essay. Some pupils commit the error of forgoing revision and submitting their initial draft as the final (which is often not their best work and can lead to a lower grade).

These are some frequent errors to watch out for in a first draft:

concentrating on a writer’s usage of syntax, style, vocabulary, or specific word choices—ideas come first in the initial draft. Your major concern should be making sure all of your argument’s crucial arguments are covered (you may worry about style in a later draft!).

Too many details—In your first draft, including too many specifics for each of your ideas can make it challenging to organize the essay’s general flow. Only the most crucial details should be determined and laid out for your initial draft.

Getting started late—The earlier the better! You should have a lot of time to conduct research, write, and edit. When you start late and are unable to take your time, the quality of your essay may not be as great as when you start early and can.

Editing while you write—Since you’ll probably go through multiple drafts before publishing your essay, it is not necessary to check your spelling and sentence structure at this early stage. Editing early is unnecessary because you might even replace some areas as you revise.

You can move on to your following draft after writing a first draft that is well-structured. As you get to your final draft, polish your research and supporting information while also paying attention to grammar and style.

Complete Your Essay

The final draft is what you will hand in to your teachers for grading, therefore it must be thorough, precise, and polished. Your final manuscript is the result of numerous iterations of feedback, alterations, and edits. Throughout the process of researching, writing, and rewriting your essay, it should include all you have discovered about the essay subject.

The following advice can help you polish your essay:

The last checks

Out loud read your essay. With numerous revisions, it is simple to overlook things. You can find grammatical and content mistakes by reading aloud. You can read your essay aloud by using Text to Voice software.

Examine your arguments for logical flaws, information gaps, and anything you might have forgotten from your plan. Arguments that disrupt the flow of your essay should be eliminated or reorganized.

Make sure your essay addresses the prompt, adheres to the norms of the university, and follows the style manual. This include inspecting the margins, heading arrangement, citation design, and any other particular areas your lecturer has specified.

Request advice from a friend or mentor. After spending a lot of time on the essay, you could miss mistakes that a fresh reader would catch.

Help Writing an Essay

Writing essays at the collegiate level is a new talent for many overseas students. Ask for assistance if you are unsure whether your essay is ready to turn in after you have written, edited, and revised it.

A writing coach in the campus writing center can offer general writing advice and help with essays to ESL students. You can also speak with your Shorelight academic advisor to identify other resources and support services.

Keep in mind that the more college-level essays you write, the more at ease and familiar you will feel with the process of producing a student essay.