if you come to an american university from another country, you will find that your instructors’ writing expectations c if you come to an american university from another country, you will find that your instructors’ writing expectations can often be difficult to understand. many instructors are unaware of the differences in the approach to writing that other nationalities and cultures have, and even if they were aware, esl students would still be expected to write academic essays in an "american" fashion. this handout touches on some of the basic qualities of an academic essay written in the united states.

　　state your thesis

　　american academic essays are usually "thesis-driven." this means that you as the writer must explain the main point of your essay at the start. a thesis statement is a sentence or two that

　　(1) shows the purpose of the essay

　　(2) indicates the basic components of the essay

　　(3) offers the unique perspective of the writer

　　the thesis-driven essay may be different from non-american writing forms, in which the thesis is often implied, delayed, or delivered at the end of the essay. consider the thesis statement a concise version of the entire essay, which usually appears in the introductory section of an essay.