Otherwise, you're just stating your intent, not your thesis or claim. Example: My essay will discuss handgun legislation. Better: Banning handguns is the first step toward controlling crime in America ...

Offer Personal Conviction as the Basis for the Argument Example: Clearly, Kincaid is being one-sided. Possible Solution: Maintain some distance from your subject. Do not merely assume your idea is an ...

Your thesis is the most concise way of indicating to your audience the intention of your paper. For most undergraduate writing, it is sufficient to have a one sentence thesis statement ... created ...

For the essays you write for college classes, you might support your thesis with textual evidence. In a personal statement, your evidence should come from your own life. For example, you might center ...

Eliminate linking verbs (is, was, has been, should be) whenever possible and substitute strong action verbs ... each of the authors about how they could go about revising the thesis statements.