Essay writing is hard. It’s even more challenging if English isn’t your first language. In the US, there are thousands of ESL students with big dreams of completing a degree abroad in America. Unfortunately, more than a few students feel they need to dropout because of the academic hardships.
If cultural shock isn’t enough, ESL students also have to deal with academic shock. Writing in the United States can be very different from other countries. And if you’ve just started your path in US academics being an international student, it’s important you know about these differences, plus some tools to help you with your essay writing for American colleges.
In order to avoid a disaster, we have all the tools you need for your “writing survival kit”.
- Writing Services: Using a writing service is very helpful and essential when it comes to essay writing. Writing services only allow professionals to help students like you, which means that you are getting top-notch service and writing abilities. Lauren Bradshaw is just the kind of a writer. She works at CustomWritings and has covered more than 500 orders already. That’s about 500 ESL students. ‘I’m proud to have helped so many students. It pleases my heart to know that my writing helps somebody else.’ Looks like, it’s a nice option to try out.
- Grammar Check: There are a few apps or built-in downloadable software that you can use to help you check your grammar. Checking grammar is a must even though as an ESL student, you probably know a lot more about grammar than native speakers! However, if you want to do better than just survive, then use a grammar check like grammarly.
- Spell Check: Hand in hand with grammar check is spell check. There are lots of tools for spell checking. In fact, your computer may have one already handy!
- Plagiarism Checker: This is a must in your survival kit! Actually US writing is very different than other regions when it comes to plagiarism. Unfortunately, this is where many students get into trouble. In the US, you cannot copy anything! If you do copy it, you have to say where it comes from right after, and only use it to support your own opinion. This is very different for students who are used to reporting what has already been written. Plagiarism is taken very seriously. You can get kicked out of school for it, so be careful!
- Thesaurus: Having a thesaurus handy, whether it’s online or paperback, will be extremely useful. Sometimes you may feel like you vocabulary is limited. With a thesaurus it doesn’t have to be. You can use it to avoid repetition, learn new ways of saying things, and sound more knowledgeable.
Life throws you challenges. Academic writing and coursework is no exception! There is no reason to fail. It is okay to struggle, but ask for help. With the tools listed above, you can get the help you need. Do some research to find the best ones for you that you find easy to use. With their help, you will be successful!
Another idea to put into your survival kit is to use the writing help center at your school. Most likely there will be one. It’s a good idea to become familiar with it and some of the tutors there. Help yourself and ask others for help, and you’ll be well on the road to graduation!