How to Write Essays as an International Student

Are you an international student studying in the US? We point out common mistakes made by these global students and tips and tricks on how to write better.

Common Mistakes in Essays by International Students

Because international students are writing in a language that is not their mother tongue, they tend to have errors in logic in their essays. This is one of the most common problems in essays by international students. Writing in a language that is not their first can be difficult and cause their thoughts to be disorganized.

International students may also jump from one topic to another in an illogical way. If the normal flow of an essay is to go from topic A to B to C, international students may jump from A to K to Z. To prevent errors in logic and an illogical sequence for your essay, make an outline of your essay in your native language beforehand to make sure your arguments are logical and in a coherent sequence. If it does not make logical sense in your own language, it will not make sense in English. Some international students choose to write their whole essay in their native tongue and then translate it into English which is highly time-consuming. Simply making an outline with all your arguments is sufficient to prevent any errors in logic.

Another common problem is that international students tend to jam in as many fancy or difficult-sounding words as they possibly can into their essays. Most of the time, however, they use these words incorrectly because they have not read or heard the words used in context enough. A majority of the time, they use words that they memorized for a test or words that they saw or heard only once or twice. The danger of memorizing a list of vocabulary words and their meanings is that you will not know how to use the word properly in the right context. The goal of language is to communicate what you want to convey to your reader or listener, not to sound as eloquent as possible. Using simple words to convey an argument is more effective than using supposed “fancy” words incorrectly. If you focus on making the essay sound lavish, the quality of your content will suffer. A quick rule of thumb is to not use a word if you have not heard or read it in a hundred different contexts. There is no need to sound like Shakespeare. Only use a word for which you know what context it can be used.

Plagiarizing is another problem that plagues the essays of not only international students but local students in the US as well. In most cases, international students plagiarize because they do not know it is a violation, while American students plagiarize because they are too lazy to put the writing into their own words. In either case, plagiarism is wrong, and you should not copy another person’s work word-for-word. You can either quote or paraphrase the part of writing you would like to use as a source. Make sure you use the proper citation method for the writing style you are using. When paraphrasing, you can use synonyms, change sentence structures, or create new sentences from the information from your source.

Redundancy is another problem seen in the essays of international students. This occurs either when the student repeats a claim or statement without realizing it or when the student simply wants to fill up the minimum word or page count. For the former reason, writing an outline will prevent you from repeating any statements or points in your essay because it will organize your thoughts in a logical manner. If you are just trying to reach the minimum word or page count, try to see if there are any other arguments, examples, or counterarguments you can add to your essay instead of repeating what you have already written.

What Makes a Good Essay?

1. Clear central argument for the whole essay
Have a clear central argument for your whole essay that is stated in the introduction paragraph and reiterated in the conclusion paragraph.

2. Clear arguments for each body paragraph that supports the main central idea
The arguments of each body paragraph should support the main central argument. Have one argument per body paragraph; do not try to have two or more arguments in one body paragraph which can make the organization of your essay convoluted.

3. Grounded examples
In each body paragraph, have grounded examples that support the claim of that paragraph. Do not use examples from fictional work to support your claim unless you are making a point about fictional writing itself. If you are arguing that media causes a feeling of emptiness in people and you use Mildred from Fahrenheit 451 as an example, your argument loses validity because Mildred is a fictional character that the author Ray Bradbury created. Fictional characters do not always accurately reflect what happens in real life. The only time when you could use fictional examples is when you are making an argument about fictitious writing itself. For example, if you are arguing that classic literature books always include symbolism, you can use fictional works like The Great Gatsby to support your claim.

Personal examples may be acceptable if the incident is powerful enough and directly related to your argument. However, they may be too specific to your situation, causing them to be difficult to use to support broader claims and ideas. When in doubt, the safest options for examples are historical events, scientific experiments and case studies, and statistical data. Remember to check the credibility of your sources to ensure your examples are reliable. Sources like the BBC, Harvard University, and NASA are credible organizations, while user-generated answers on forum sites, conspiracist sites, and social media posts are not reliable sources of information. In the case of news or a historical event, you can cross-check the information through different sources.

If you are using scientific experiments, you should check if the number of subjects was large enough (at least 100 subjects), how these subjects were chosen and their demographics, if the subjects were randomized into control and experiment groups, and if the experiment was double-blinded. Finding a perfectly executed experiment is difficult, so as long as the experiment you are using as an example fulfills most of the criteria for a proper study and was executed by a reliable source, you should be good to go.

For statistical data, be cautious because correlation does not imply causation. Let us say that over time, both the price of chocolate and the number of car owners have gone up. This does not mean that owning a car causes the price of chocolate to go up. Although an extreme example, this proves that you should be cautious when using statistical data because association does not imply causation.

4. Counterargument
Adding counterarguments to your essay will fortify your main argument. By playing devil’s advocate and disputing opposing arguments, you are strengthening the validity of your claims.

5. Logical flow or sequence (logical transition)
The flow of your paragraphs should follow a logical sequence. Again, an outline is a perfect tool to help you organize your arguments before writing your essay.

6. Blended quotations over isolated quotations
When including quotations from credible sources or literary works, make sure to accompany the quotations with your own words to smoothly integrate them into your paper. Isolated quotations are abrupt and can seem out of place when suddenly inserted into your paper. Compare an isolated quotation to a blended quotation below.

Isolated quotation: Fitzgerald uses symbolism throughout the book. “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way… Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away” (Fitzgerald, 21-22).

The isolated quote is not given any explanation or context which makes it feel abrupt and disrupts the flow of the writing.

Blended quotation: Fitzgerald uses symbolism throughout the book. He repeatedly uses a green light to represent the hopes and dreams of Jay Gatsby which we can see when Gatsby “stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way” toward “a single green light” (Fitzgerald, 21-22).

This blended quotation explains the symbolism used in the quote and smoothly integrates the quote into the writing.

7. Proper grammar and formatting
Proper grammar and formatting are the final steps to making your essay sound professional and credible. Make sure you reread your paper for any grammatical mistakes and errors in logic. You can get your paper proofread at the university’s writing center or use online proofreading sites like Grammarly or Pcanpi.

Words and Phrases to Avoid in Essays

Many writing style guides and English instructors advise against using certain words or phrases in academic essays. Different writing styles and instructors have different lists, but our Pcanpi team created a simple list of words that are mentioned in most of these “do not use in essays” lists. Words and phrases to avoid:

Casual words: thing(s), stuff, really, good, bad, a lot, huge, enormous, tiny, totally, literally, definitely, basically, kind of, sort of, you know
Casual transitions (especially at the beginning of sentences): Well, You see, Like I was saying, As I previously stated, Well actually, Trust me, Oh, Alas, Um, Uh, And so, And so then, Anyways
Contractions: can’t, couldn’t, isn’t, aren’t, etc.
Slang or Internet jargon: gonna, prolly, ginormous, humongous, ain’t, ghetto (adj.), tho, brb, ttyl, ftw
Profanity
“I think” expressions: I think, I believe, I find, I figure, I want to say that, It is my belief that, It is to my understanding that, To the best of my knowledge, I’m under the impression, In my opinion, I would argue that, I reckon, Methinks that
Casual shorten words: doc (doctor), legit (legitimate), veggie (vegetable)
Cliches or overused idioms: “The grass is greener on the other side”, “The early bird catches the worm”

In the list of casual words to avoid, the words “good” and “bad” were included. Avoiding these words in academic writing can be difficult at first because there are many situations in which these two words are useful. We came up with some alternative words for these two words, but these words are not direct synonyms but words that can be used in certain context to replace “good” or “bad.”

Alternative words for good

positive effect, beneficial, helpful, favorable, effective, efficient, reputable, aesthetically-pleasing, up-to-par, acceptable, advantageous

The new law is good. → The new law has a positive effect on the economy.
The political party came up with a good plan for everyone. → The political party came up with a beneficial plan for everyone.
This is a good way to reduce pollution. → This is an efficient way to reduce pollution.
The display looked good, attracting more customers. → The display was aesthetically pleasing, which helped attract more customers.
The level of contamination was not good according to industry standards. → The level of contamination was not acceptable according to industry standards.

Alternative words for bad

negative effect, unacceptable, inferior, detrimental, ineffective, ineffective, inappropriate, disagreeable, disadvantageous, harmful

A lack of sleep is bad for your health. → A lack of sleep has a negative effect on your health.
The committee decided this type of embezzlement was bad and promptly hired an inspection team to further investigate. → The committee decided this type of embezzlement was unacceptable and promptly hired an inspection team to further investigate.
The lack of helium all over the world was bad for the amusement park industry. → The lack of helium all over the world was detrimental to the amusement park industry.
Bad behavior will be punished under the new education system. → Inappropriate behavior will be punished under the new education system.
The new incentive program is bad for new employees, as it favors long-time workers. → The new incentive program is disadvantageous to new employees, as it favors long-time workers.

The word thing(s) can also be tempting to use but fear not because we have a simple list of alternatives for the word. Be sure to check if the alternative word you have chosen fits the context of your sentence before replacing “thing(s).”

Alternative words for thing(s) or stuff

matter, issue, item, object, concept, idea, entity, situation, subject, topic, concern, action

The team will discuss the thing after the orientation. → The team will discuss the matter after the orientation.
The bird puts an assortment of things in its nest. → The bird puts an assortment of items in its nest.
The things that we do on a daily basis accumulate and affect our health. → The actions that we do on a daily basis accumulate and affect our health.
The two chemicals combined into one thing. → The two chemicals combined into one entity.
We have many things to discuss in tomorrow’s meeting. → We have many topics to discuss in tomorrow’s meeting.

Some more conservative English instructors even prohibit the use of words like “matter” and categorize the word with “things” and “stuff.” Our list above includes the words that are included in most “words to avoid” lists, so you do not have to worry about such exceptions.

Make sure to denote what an acronym stands for when you first introduce one in your paper and only use official abbreviations (Corp., Inc., etc.).

Recently, writers have been advised to be cautious with gendered language such as mankind, waiter, and actor. Using “he or she” over “he” had been preferred when the gender is unknown, but now some are suggesting “he, she, or they” or simply “they.” The use of “they” as a singular pronoun is now being accepted by writing styles such as the "APA (American Psychological Association) style". However, “he or she” is still widely accepted and commonly used over “he, she, or they” or simply “they” when the gender is unknown.

Other debatable “don’ts” in the writing world are passive voice and starting sentences with “it.” Although many English instructors prohibit its use altogether, passive voice is permitted in widely accepted writing styles such as the APA style and AP (Associated Press) Stylebook. The APA style, however, does advise (limiting the use of passive voice). Passive voice is useful in sentences where the perpetrator of the action is unclear. Take the following sentence.

The building was burned to the ground.

Here, we do not know who burned the building to the ground. In many other languages, such as Korean and Japanese, passive voice is perfectly acceptable and not discouraged as in English. This causes international students from certain countries may have a tendency to write many of their sentences in passive voice. Although passive voice is not incorrect, be cautious about using too much of it in your paper. Make sure to proofread your paper and change some sentences to active voice if you find a majority of your sentences are in passive voice.

Starting a sentence with “it” is seen as vague by many English instructors. Although acceptable in APA style, many professional writers would discourage it. This sentence structure can be used when you would like to take emphasis off the subject:

It was found that women are more susceptible to the disease than men.

In this sentence, we took the emphasis off the researchers who did the research to come to this conclusion. The sentence could be rephrased as follows:

Researchers found that women are more susceptible to the disease than men.

This arrangement, however, would put more emphasis on the subject of the sentence when what we want to focus on is the latter half. In short, starting a sentence with “it” is acceptable but be cautious of making it the norm in your essay.

On-Campus Help: University Writing Centers

Many American universities have writing centers where you can get your paper proofread for free. Make sure to finish your essay early, however, because it typically takes more than one session to edit your essay. Also, do not expect the workers or employees there to write your essay for you. They are there to help guide you in the right direction and proofread the grammar and flow of your writing.

You can also taking more writing classes and workshops throughout college to refine your writing skills. If your writing class has a TA (teaching assistant), you can also ask them for tips.

Not Yet in College? What You Can Do to Prepare

The primary types of essays written in college are persuasive essays where the writer is arguing and proving a point to the reader. This includes analysis of literature, scientific essays, historical and political essays, and papers for social sciences and humanities.

Only creative writing and scriptwriting classes assign fictional writing, so the majority of the writing most students will have to do is nonfictional persuasive essays.

For young students abroad who hope to attend universities in the US and want to practice writing for college, they can practice writing persuasive essays. Reading example essays by native speakers of English is extremely helpful. Also, you can read articles from established media and magazine companies to build up your vocabulary and learn different sentence structures. Choose a media outlet or magazine that is related to your future major or is of a topic that interested you. For the sciences, Scientific American, Smithsonian, and National Geographic are some credible magazines. If you are planning to be a business or economy major, the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review are solid choices. If you are unsure, you can go for general news outlets like CNN, BBC, and The New York Times. Note that the BBC is in British English, while CNN and The New York Times are in American English.

Your Efforts Will Shine Through

The purpose of any language is communication: write clearly to convey what you want to express to your readers. There is no need to be verbose or use fancy jargon. If you work hard to follow the advice listed above, your efforts will show and your writing will improve.