申请到美国留学的众多材料中，文书的写作对于我们的申请起了决定性的作用，美国留学essay要怎么写呢？出国留学网为大家分享了一篇范文和技巧，可以参考一下。

　　一、essay范文

　　Not all sons of doctors raise baby ducks and chickens in their kitchen. But I do. My dad taught me.

　　While my childhood was spent in a deteriorating industrial town， my dad was raised during the onset of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. After forgoing university so his sister could attend， my dad worked on a commune as a farmer. So while I grew up immersed in airy Beethoven melodies each morning， my dad grew up amid the earthy aromas of hay and livestock. Every time that I look between our grand piano and our baby chickens， I’m amazed by the stark differences between our childhoods， and how in raising livestock， my dad shares a piece of his own rural upbringing with me.

　　Embracing these differences， my dad has introduced me to diverse experiences， from molding statues out of toilet paper plaster to building greenhouses from the ground up. So you might be wondering： What does he do for a traditional 9-to-5 job？ He’s already captained a research vessel that’s navigated across the Pacific， designed three patentable wind turbines and held every position imaginable， from sous chef to Motorola technician.

　　The answer？ Nothing. He’s actually a stay-at-home dad right now.

　　My family is a matriarchy in a patriarchal community. Accordingly， I’m greeted with astonishment whenever I try to explain my dad’s financial status. “How lazy and unmotivated he must be！” Many try to hide their surprise， but their furtive glances say it all. In a society that places economic value at the forefront of worth， these assumptions might apply to other individuals， but not to my dad.

　　When I look at the media， whether it be the front cover of a newspaper or a featured story in a website article， I often see highlights of parents who work incredible hours and odd jobs to ensure their children receive a good upbringing. While those stories are certainly worthy of praise， they often overshadow the less visible， equally important actions of people like my dad.

　　I realize now that my dad has sacrificed his promising career and financial pride to ensure that his son would get all of the proper attention， care and moral upbringing he needed. Through his quiet， selfless actions， my dad has given me more than can be bought from a paycheck and redefined my understanding of how we， as people， can choose to live our lives.

　　I＇m proud to say that my dad is the richest man I know — rich not in capital， but in character. Infused with the ingenuity to tear down complex physics and calculus problems， electrified with the vigor of a young entrepreneur （despite beginning his fledgling windmill start-up at the age of 50） and imbued with the kindness to shuttle his son to practices and rehearsals. At the end of the day， it’s those traits in people that matter more to me than who they are on paper.

　　Stories like my dad’s remind me that worth can come in forms other than a six-figure salary. He’s an inspiration， reminding me that optimism， passion and creativity can make a difference in a life as young as mine. It’s those unspoken virtues that define me. Whether it’s when I fold napkin lotuses for my soup kitchen’s Christmas dinner， or bake challah bread French toast sticks for my chemistry class， I’m aware that achievement doesn’t have to be measured empirically. It’s that entrepreneurial， self-driven determination to bring ideas to life that drives me. My dad lives life off the beaten path. I， too， hope to bring that unorthodox attitude to other people and communities.

　　All too often I’m left with the seemingly unanswerable question： “What does my dad do？” But the answer， all too simply， is that he does what he does best： Inspire his son.

　　二、写作技巧

　　明确目的

　　开始写作前最基本的问题就是问清自己为何写作。写学术论文旨在传达信息、举例论证并得出结论。写投诉信则旨在寻求结果，比如要求退款。你要时刻记住写作目的以防跑题。更好的做法是：把目的用尽量简短的话写下来，或者打印出来，写作的时候放在身边。

　　选择合适的风格

　　在谈话时，我们会自觉的选择说话的内容和方式以适应不同的对象。我们和经理或者老师交流采用一种方式，和朋友用另一种方式，等等。一篇好的文章就如同谈话：选择让阅读者感到舒适并能给予良好回应的风格和措辞。

　　拟定提纲

　　人们写作常不拟提纲，结果导致写作各部分不连贯。不论你写的是万字报告还是投诉信函，拟写作提纲和写作结构都是至关重要的第一步，它能使你的思想快速有效地被他人理解。思维导图和采用可视图表组织信息都是不错的方法。

　　写给读者看而不是自己

　　写作的目的是要向他人传递思想与信息，写一词一句你都要牢记这一点。你了解自己写作的内容和原因，因此，很容易跑偏，写的信息只对自己有用而对他人毫无用处。这样不仅浪费自己的时间，也浪费他人的时间。

　　适度使用被动语态

　　在有关科技等的文章中被动语被使用较频繁，也适合使用被动态，但在普通文章中被动态常被误用与滥用。主要问题是使用被动态会使本应该具有主观性的文章变得客观，因为被动态强调动作而非动作的执行者。但是往往谁做了这件事本身就是一个很重要的信息。

　　三、写作误区

　　从Introduction开始写

　　很多同学在刚下笔开始就开始写Introduction，但是却毫无头绪。学生写了删、删了再写，反反复复，一个introduction就可以写上很久，其实这是一个错误的做法。

　　不管essay或者report，introduction都可以放到最后写。

　　英语很好，才能够完成高分Essay

　　虽然语言能力越强，可以让你的阅读速度更快，表达能力更好，写essay的效率更高。

　　但是如果你没有掌握essay的技巧比如说结构和论述方法，语言能力再好的同学也未必能够拿到理想分数。同样的，语言能力不好的同学未必不能拿到好分数。

　　一篇高分essay，应该让老师感受到你对于知识点的理解足够透彻。

　　为了满足字数要求而去凑字数

　　很多同学在去写essay的时候总是格外注意字数，生怕超出太多或者太少。要知道，essay之所以有字数要求，主要是为了让同学学会提炼重点内容，去总结论证等的能力。

　　因此，老师在看你的essay的时候，不会去数你的字数，而是要看你的essay里有多少词是为了凑字数而写的废话。有多少是你提炼的精华，如果写的好的话，是不会太关注写的多些或是少一些的。

　　语法不重要

　　很多学生认为语法在essay里占的比重很低，一般只有10%，而且Essay更多关注在内容上，所以便不加以重视。事实上，语法对essay的作用真的很大。首先，通篇语法问题非常影响读者的观感。可以有极少数的语法错误，但是不能太多。