How To Write Well In American Universities (For ESL Students!)

Writing at the university level is stressful and demanding on all students, most especially students for whom English is not their first language. While each professor has different demands and expectations, it is probably best for such students to talk to their professors in order to fully understand the writing expectations.

As for finding valuable resources, this article articulates well the level of grammar and thoughtfulness required in university writing:

Writing in North American Higher Education: A Primer for International Students

In it Purdue University author and educator Tony Cimasko recommends and gives advice in the following areas:

Rhetorical strategies (also known as logic or persuasion)

Writing from research

Bibliographies and in-text citations

Plagiarism

Directness

Using “I,” “we,” and “you”

Tips for using Microsoft Word and other word processing programs

Along with completing the professor's assigned requirements, students must paid attention to a slew of other competency areas. I think this mentioned article really lays out the foundation well. Happy learning, university student!