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15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

What’s covered:.

• What is the Purpose of the College Essay?
• How to Stand Out Without Showing Off
• 15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
• Where to Get Free Feedback on Your Essay

Most students who apply to top-tier colleges have exceptional grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. How do admissions officers decide which applicants to choose among all these stellar students? One way is on the strength of their college essay .

This personal statement, along with other qualitative factors like teacher recommendations, helps the admissions committee see who you really are—the person behind the transcript. So, it’s obviously important to write a great one.

What Is the Purpose of the College Essay? 

Your college essay helps you stand out in a pool of qualified candidates. If effective, it will also show the admissions committee more of your personality and allow them to get a sense of how you’ll fit in with and contribute to the student body and institution. Additionally, it will show the school that you can express yourself persuasively and clearly in writing, which is an important part of most careers, no matter where you end up. 

Typically, students must submit a personal statement (usually the Common App essay ) along with school-specific supplements. Some students are surprised to learn that essays typically count for around 25% of your entire application at the top 250 schools. That’s an enormous chunk, especially considering that, unlike your transcript and extracurriculars, it isn’t an assessment of your entire high school career.  

The purpose of the college essay is to paint a complete picture of yourself, showing admissions committees the person behind the grades and test scores. A strong college essay shows your unique experiences, personality, perspective, interests, and values—ultimately, what makes you unique. After all, people attend college, not their grades or test scores. The college essay also provides students with a considerable amount of agency in their application, empowering them to share their own stories.

How to Stand Out Without Showing Off 

It’s important to strike a balance between exploring your achievements and demonstrating humility. Your aim should be to focus on the meaning behind the experience and how it changed your outlook, not the accomplishment itself. 

Confidence without cockiness is the key here. Don’t simply catalog your achievements, there are other areas on your application to share them. Rather, mention your achievements when they’re critical to the story you’re telling. It’s helpful to think of achievements as compliments, not highlights, of your college essay.  

Take this essay excerpt , for example:

My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go. 

Instead of saying “ I received this scholarship and participated in this prestigious program, ” the author tells a story, demonstrating their growth and initiative through specific actions (riding the train alone, applying academic programs on her own, etc.)—effectively showing rather than telling.

15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself 

1. start early .

Leave yourself plenty of time to write your college essay—it’s stressful enough to compose a compelling essay without putting yourself under a deadline. Starting early on your essay also leaves you time to edit and refine your work, have others read your work (for example, your parents or a teacher), and carefully proofread.

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you 

The foundation of a great essay is selecting a topic that has real meaning for you. If you’re passionate about the subject, the reader will feel it. Alternatively, choosing a topic you think the admissions committee is looking for, but isn’t all that important to you, won’t make for a compelling essay; it will be obvious that you’re not very invested in it.

3. Show your personality 

One of the main points of your college essay is to convey your personality. Admissions officers will see your transcript and read about the awards you’ve won, but the essay will help them get to know you as a person. Make sure your personality is evident in each part—if you are a jokester, incorporate some humor. Your friends should be able to pick your essay from an anonymous pile, read it, and recognize it as yours. In that same vein, someone who doesn’t know you at all should feel like they understand your personality after reading your essay. 

4. Write in your own voice 

In order to bring authenticity to your essay, you’ll need to write in your own voice. Don’t be overly formal (but don’t be too casual, either). Remember: you want the reader to get to know the real you, not a version of you that comes across as overly stiff or stilted. You should feel free to use contractions, incorporate dialogue, and employ vocabulary that comes naturally to you. 

5. Use specific examples 

Real, concrete stories and examples will help your essay come to life. They’ll add color to your narrative and make it more compelling for the reader. The goal, after all, is to engage your audience—the admissions committee. 

For example, instead of stating that you care about animals, you should tell us a story about how you took care of an injured stray cat. 

Consider this side-by-side comparison:

Example 1: I care deeply about animals and even once rescued a stray cat. The cat had an injured leg, and I helped nurse it back to health.

Example 2: I lost many nights of sleep trying to nurse the stray cat back to health. Its leg infection was extremely painful, and it meowed in distress up until the wee hours of the morning. I didn’t mind it though; what mattered was that the cat regained its strength. So, I stayed awake to administer its medicine and soothe it with loving ear rubs.

The second example helps us visualize this situation and is more illustrative of the writer’s personality. Because she stayed awake to care for the cat, we can infer that she is a compassionate person who cares about animals. We don’t get the same depth with the first example. 

6. Don’t be afraid to show off… 

You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn’t the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 

7. …While also maintaining humility 

But don’t brag. Demonstrate humility when discussing your achievements. In the example above, for instance, the author discusses her accomplishments while noting that her parents thought of her as immature. This is a great way to show humility while still highlighting that she was able to prove her parents wrong.

8. Be vulnerable 

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with humility and authenticity. Don’t shy away from exploring how your experience affected you and the feelings you experienced. This, too, will help your story come to life. 

Here’s an excerpt from a Common App essay that demonstrates vulnerability and allows us to connect with the writer:  

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain. 

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

In this essay, the writer isn’t afraid to share his insecurities and feelings with us. He states that he had been “ appallingly ignorant ” of his brother’s pain, that he “ often felt out of step ” compared to his brother, and that he had felt “ more and more alone ” over time. These are all emotions that you may not necessarily share with someone you just met, but it’s exactly this vulnerability that makes the essay more raw and relatable. 

9. Don’t lie or hyperbolize 

This essay is about the authentic you. Lying or hyperbolizing to make yourself sound better will not only make your essay—and entire application—less genuine, but it will also weaken it. More than likely, it will be obvious that you’re exaggerating. Plus, if colleges later find out that you haven’t been truthful in any part of your application, it’s grounds for revoking your acceptance or even expulsion if you’ve already matriculated. 

10. Avoid cliches 

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life. A sports victory as a metaphor for your journey. How a pet death altered your entire outlook. Admissions officers have seen more essays on these topics than they can possibly count. Unless you have a truly unique angle, then it’s in your best interest to avoid them. Learn which topics are cliche and how to fix them . 

11. Proofread 

This is a critical step. Even a small error can break your essay, however amazing it is otherwise. Make sure you read it over carefully, and get another set of eyes (or two or three other sets of eyes), just in case.

12. Abstain from using AI

There are a handful of good reasons to avoid using artificial intelligence (AI) to write your college essay. Most importantly, it’s dishonest and likely to be not very good; AI-generated essays are generally formulaic, generic, and boring—everything you’re trying to avoid being.   The purpose of the college essay is to share what makes you unique and highlight your personal experiences and perspectives, something that AI can’t capture.

13. Use parents as advisors, not editors

The voice of an adult is different from that of a high schooler and admissions committees are experts at spotting the writing of parents. Parents can play a valuable role in creating your college essay—advising, proofreading, and providing encouragement during those stressful moments. However, they should not write or edit your college essay with their words.

14. Have a hook

Admissions committees have a lot of essays to read and getting their attention is essential for standing out among a crowded field of applicants. A great hook captures your reader’s imagination and encourages them to keep reading your essay. Start strong, first impressions are everything!

15. Give them something to remember

The ending of your college essay is just as important as the beginning. Give your reader something to remember by composing an engaging and punchy paragraph or line—called a kicker in journalism—that ties everything you’ve written above together.

Where to Get Free Feedback on Your College Essay 

Before you send off your application, make sure you get feedback from a trusted source on your essay. CollegeVine’s free peer essay review will give you the support you need to ensure you’ve effectively presented your personality and accomplishments. Our expert essay review pairs you with an advisor to help you refine your writing, submit your best work, and boost your chances of getting into your dream school. Find the right advisor for you and get started on honing a winning essay.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts  can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped.  So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
• What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
• Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.  

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question. 

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

• What is your background? Family, finances, school.
• What was challenging about that background?
• What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers.  Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

• Intro to main essay prompt.
• Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
• Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

 You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths.  Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too.  You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this. 

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Or if you’re not ready to register, simply sign up to receive an email with 20 new scholarship opportunities each week. Just enter your email address below:

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how do i write a good essay about myself.

I'm struggling with writing my college essay. How can I write a compelling and genuine essay about myself without it sounding boring or braggy? Any tips would really help!

First, I understand that writing a personal essay can be challenging, but with a little guidance and practice, you can create a compelling piece. Here are some steps to help you write a strong essay:

1. Choose a unique angle: Instead of providing a broad overview of your life, focus on a specific experience, interest, or aspect of your personality that has shaped who you are. This will make your essay more focused and memorable.

2. Show, don't tell: Instead of simply stating your qualities, provide concrete examples of how you've demonstrated those characteristics. Use vivid details, anecdotes, and sensory language to bring your story to life.

3. Be authentic: Be genuine in your writing and don't try to present yourself as someone you're not. Admissions officers want to get to know the real you, so let your personality shine through.

4. Reflect on your experiences: Point out the lessons you've learned and how those experiences have influenced your growth and decision-making. This will show maturity and self-awareness, which are traits that colleges value.

5. Avoid clichés: Steer clear of overused phrases, ideas, or experiences. Make sure your essay stands out by giving it a fresh and original perspective.

6. Edit and revise: Once you have a draft of your essay, review it for clarity, grammar, punctuation, and flow. Make sure that each paragraph supports the central theme of your essay and that your writing is concise and engaging.

7. Get feedback: Share your essay with teachers, family members, or friends to gain different perspectives. Incorporate their feedback to help refine your essay and ensure it's an accurate representation of yourself.

For example, if you have a passion for community service, you might write about a specific volunteer experience that had a significant impact on you. Talk about the challenges you faced, the people you helped, and the lessons you learned. Make sure to incorporate personal stories and reflections to give your essay depth and substance.

Remember, a good college essay showcases your personality, values, and growth. By following these steps, you can create a compelling and genuine essay that will leave a lasting impression on admissions officers. Good luck!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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How to Write a Short Essay About Yourself: Step-By-Step

Updated 06/4/2022

Published 06/19/2020

Yvonne Bertovich

Contributing writer

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

Writing or even talking about yourself may not come easily to you. However, for professional or educational reasons, it’s often a necessity. There are other instances when writing about yourself may make more sense, as you can provide the rawest and most honest perspective.

Jump ahead to these sections:

Steps for writing about yourself, tips for writing about yourself creatively or confidently.

• Examples of Things to Write About Yourself

You should feel empowered—not intimidated—in taking on a writing project about yourself. Use it as a way to challenge how you view your own experiences, talents, and more. We’ll discuss some steps for writing about yourself as well as provide a few examples.  

Writing isn’t for everyone, especially when it’s required. As much as you may dislike it, following the steps below can help the process go that much more smoothly.

If you find that following a different order than what we’ve recommended for you works better for your process, feel free to adjust accordingly. 

Step 1: Determine your purpose 

What’s causing you to write this “thing” about yourself? What exactly are you writing? It may surprise you that people write all kinds of pieces for themselves—even writing your own obituary isn’t out of the question anymore. 

The more specific you can get with yourself about your purpose will help the rest of the process. If it’s something stressful, like a college admission essay or a cover letter, try to frame the project in a different light. 

For example, “I’m writing this essay to show people my heart and how passionate I am about removing disparities and barriers in healthcare. I believe in my abilities, and I want to further my education, so I can help heal people.”

Step 2: Ask yourself some questions 

For any good piece of writing, there has to be fact behind it (if even these facts are abstract in narrative or fiction). The best way to gather facts about any subject is to ask a variety of questions, both soft- and hard-hitting. 

You may ask these questions internally, during research, or directly and literally. Treat this question step as a self-interview.

Here are some questions to ask yourself . You may also ask yourself:

• What is my goal of writing this piece?
• What themes or ideas do I want to focus on?
• What are my strengths and weaknesses?
• What are some important lessons I’ve learned?
• What do I want others to know or understand about me?

Step 3: Organize your answers 

After asking yourself the example questions above as well as others, you should be sure to write down your answers and begin organizing them if you haven’t already. 

It may be tempting to just answer your own questions in your head as you go—but don’t. This will just make the writing step more difficult. You may think that you’ll remember every good point or profound thought you come up with, but memory is a tricky thing. 

If you’re working through your questions during a time when you’re not ready or able to sit down and type or scribble them out, at least make some notes in your phone or in a journal so you can have some descriptive hints for later. No matter how big of an epiphany you may have, it’s possible you’ll forget it. 

Step 4: Write a draft 

If your ideas are already fairly organized, writing your draft should come fairly easily to you. The draft process, however, is when you can start spicing things up with anecdotes, your own personal voice, themes, metaphors—all that fun stuff. The point in you writing something about yourself for yourself is for the very reason that you can make it unquestionably you .

Dull, watered-down words or even over-hyped language from a thesaurus plug-in isn’t going to impress anyone. Writing something about yourself (unless the assignment is creative or unorthodox) isn’t the time to act like something you’re not.

All of this being said, don’t stress yourself out too much. Letting your ideas flow freely and then editing or revising them later is how you should approach the process anyway. You don’t want to put too many restrictions on your ideas from the get-go. Warring with yourself about your ideas while writing is only going to tire you out sooner. 

Think about it—you may spend hours trying to write a piece while overthinking that’s no better than a draft you could have written in 30 minutes on the fly. Not being totally in love with your first draft is normal. It just allows you that much more room to improve. 

Step 5: Put your progress aside

Much like during the draft process, it’s very possible to overthink your work after it’s mostly done. If you constantly keep re-reading it or rehashing your ideas in your head, they may start to sound odd, or you may try to add where you need to trim. 

For example, the same concept applies to repeating the same word over and over aloud — it’ll likely start to sound strange or even wrong the more you hear it. This also applies to music — ever play a song you love over and over till you hate it? 

You need to give your words and your brain some time to rest away from each other until you try to make any drastic edits or changes. That being said, you may love what you’ve written already and decide you don’t need to change a thing—that’s great!

Step 6: Review and edit

After your break, you can pick up your writing once again. Read it with a critical eye. Go back and think deeply about your purpose and any provided prompts. Have you answered everything you intended to or are required to?

It’s not uncommon—though devastating—to write an entire piece only to realize you wrote from the wrong frame of reference or focused on the wrong issue. For example, if you were asked to write about a challenge you overcame in your life by following an important virtue, but you only wrote about winning a basketball championship and not the struggle behind it, this may miss the mark. 

If you find a good number of issues in your work, don’t feel tempted to scrap the entire thing. What may work instead is to copy and paste your writing line-by-line into a new document. This way, you can save as much as possible while being sure to resolve even small discrepancies.

Step 7: Finalize your work

After you’ve undergone the brutal process of self-editing (or enlisting help from someone else you trust) you can prepare yourself for the home stretch. Finalizing your work shouldn’t take very long.

Y our process may differ; however, it’ll likely come down to reading over your work a few more times just to make sure you haven’t missed words, punctuation, or proper grammar. 

It’s OK to use this step to feel proud of yourself, too. You may not take a lot of time to reflect on your life and everything you’ve been through—it’s important to practice self-love in this way and celebrate your accomplishments.

Talking or writing about yourself may not be everyone’s cup of tea. For example, did you need to provide a fun fact recently but draw a blank? You’re not alone. In fact, many people have a false assumption that they’re boring. 

On the flip side, perhaps you’re used to talking about yourself, or, at least you’ve got the “fake it till you make it” type of confidence down-pat. However, you too can only benefit from adding a bit more razzle-dazzle to your spiels and writing assignments. Here are a few tips for writing about yourself creatively or confidently.  

Allow yourself space

If you have an upcoming project or writing assignment that has you on edge, consider stepping away. Even if you don’t consider yourself an outdoorsy person, a walk around the block may help you breathe and get your creativity flowing. Naturally, the more sound your idea or angle, the more confident you’ll feel about your upcoming performance.  

Keep that ego in check

An underinflated ego is just as bad as an overinflated one. Pay close attention to your internal dialogue when approaching new projects or writing tasks (or, honestly anything that comes up during your day). How much of what swirls around in your mind is fact? How much of it is just fleeting thoughts or opinions? You are not your thoughts, and you always have choices. Make good ones and be kind to yourself. 

Try this: Instead of thinking to yourself, “Wow, this is a really complex writing assignment. I can’t do this.” Or, “How am I ever going to get into my dream school with this essay? I’m not a strong writer.” 

Change your internal dialogue to, “I have good ideas. I may not have my plan figured out right now, but I’ll get it done,” or, “I have so many great skills to bring to the table and I am very passionate about what’s brought me here. I will convey this the best I can.”

Crowdsource

Sometimes an outside opinion can give us much-needed perspective. Ask your friends, family, loved ones, or coworkers to describe you in a few words or even in abstract ways. Don’t view this as you’re fishing for compliments. Ask your loved ones for honesty, as this insight can only help you when writing about yourself. 

Build up a fuel bank

Pulling inspiration out of thin air may not always be possible. However, if you build up a few reliable sources of inspiration, the next time a project hits, you’ll be prepared. You can fuel your creativity and confidence in a variety of ways. 

For example, you can create certain playlists for different moods, save favorite art or graphics in a digital folder or keep printed versions in your home or office, write down affirmations or notes-to-self in a journal or app, and so on. 

Reflect on past accomplishments and setbacks

Even if you aren’t a fan of journaling, writing about yourself is far easier if you take the time to reflect, if only mentally. If you know you have a deadline to write about yourself in the near future, you may want to physically or mentally jot down a few real-life examples or experiences that come to mind. 

But how do you get in the right headspace to reflect? What if you only witness recurring thoughts about past events while trying to fall asleep? Be sure to practice the first tip in this section: Give yourself some space to think. For once, limit the distractions, keep all other screens put away or turn on your "do not disturb" feature.

Now, think about some past accomplishments or setbacks that may not even seem relevant to the topic of the assignment. You may have an epiphany about unrelated things or discover something about how you operate. For example, you might realize that you feel less nervous in social and professional settings if you call out your anxiety as being excited. 

Examples of Writing About Yourself

Even if you feel super confident about writing about yourself now, we wanted to provide a few short examples to help you get started. Your tone, word choice, and more may differ depending on which piece you’re working on.

Here are some tips for writing or publishing your life story you may also find helpful. 

In a memoir or essay

Those were probably the best and the worst days of my life. I had never felt more happy and never felt more sad. I felt as though I were so close to having everything I had ever wanted, yet it seemed with every step forward, I had to take two steps back. It was exhausting. How did I get through it? To be quite honest, I have no damn idea. 

Perspective helped. I knew I could have had it way worse; I knew that my struggle wasn’t unique. I knew, too, that even when the small wins would come they’d have yet another loss right on their tails. I paid dearly for having too much heart and optimism, so I regularly had to hose myself down with logic and pessimism. 

On your blog or website

If you’re reading this, it’s too late. Just kidding! That’s just a really good Drake album. I wanted to take some time to talk about what’s been going on in my life lately for those of you who are nosey enough to care. Again, kidding, I know some of you really care. I’m so grateful to have even this small following that I have. It’s wild, really. Who would have thought that people want to know what’s going on in my head at any given time? Joke’s on you guys, though, because I don’t fully know all the time. 

I guess I’ll start off by saying that work has been a whirlwind. As you all know, it isn’t an easy time for anyone, so please don’t take this declaration as a complaint. I’m thrilled to still have a job despite everything going on. However, leaving this reflection at just that would be doing both myself and you all a disservice. It’s weak. It doesn’t really describe what’s been going on. Allow me to continue.  

In a college essay

When I was young, my grandmother told me I couldn’t please everyone — that some people just wouldn’t like me for no reason at all. This was very hard for me to swallow at times. What does this have to do with who I am today and why I plan to attend your university? 

Well, this early lesson demonstrates that in order for this world to keep spinning, we all have to be unwavering in our own pursuits. We are ourselves. We can’t be anyone else. In that, we all have the responsibility to bring our unique talents, wisdom, and heart to the table — even when we’re seated across from people who may not like us. 

Sometimes Only You Can Do It

Writing about yourself may always be challenging for you, but who better to do so than who knows you best? If you work through the process in every situation and give yourself some patience, there’s no question that you can’t craft something amazing. You may also be interested in this article about how to write family stories .

Your written words mean more than you think. This becomes a part of your legacy when you're gone, and it's one of the ways you'll be remembered. While many families choose custom urns from Foreverence or even to craft memorial diamonds from Eterneva , your words are something that live after you're gone.

While it might not seem natural at first, learning to write about yourself, your perspective, and your experiences carries a lot of significance. Who knows who might read these words when you're gone?

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How to Write a Personal Essay for Your College Application

What does it take to land in the “accept” (instead of “reject”) pile?

How can you write an essay that helps advance you in the eyes of the admissions officers and makes a real impression? Here are some tips to get you started.

• Start early.  Do not leave it until the last minute. Give yourself time when you don’t have other homework or extracurriculars hanging over your head to work on the essay.
• Keep the focus narrow.  Your essay does not have to cover a massive, earth-shattering event. Some people in their teens haven’t experienced a major life event. Some people have. Either way, it’s okay.
• Be yourself.  Whether writing about a painful experience or a more simple experience, use the narrative to be vulnerable and honest about who you are. Use words you would normally use. Trust your voice and the fact that your story is interesting enough in that no one else has lived it.
• Be creative.  “Show, don’t tell,” and that applies here — to an extent. The best essays typically do both. You can help your reader see and feel what you are describing by using some figurative language throughout your piece.
• Make a point. As you finish your final body paragraphs ask yourself “So what?” This will help you hone in on how to end your essay in a way that elevates it into a story about an insight or discovery you made about yourself, rather than just being about an experience you had.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

We’ve all heard about the dreaded “college essay,” the bane of every high school senior’s existence. This daunting element of the college application is something that can create angst for even the most accomplished students.

• AA Amy Allen is a writer, educator, and lifelong learner. Her freelance writing business,  All of the Write Words , focuses on providing high school students with one-on-one feedback to guide them through the college application process and with crafting a thoughtful personal essay. A dedicated poet, Amy’s work has also been published in several journals including  Pine Row Press ,  Months to Years,  and  Atlanta Review .

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How to Write About Yourself

Last Updated: July 31, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lucy Yeh . Lucy Yeh is a Human Resources Director, Recruiter, and Certified Life Coach (CLC) with over 20 years of experience. With a training background with Coaching for Life and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at InsightLA, Lucy has worked with professionals of all levels to improve the quality of their careers, personal/professional relationships, self marketing, and life balance. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,713,135 times.

Whether you're writing an essay about yourself for a scholarship, a self-introduction, or a personal bio for a job application, coming up with the right words to capture what makes you unique can feel challenging. Fortunately, there are tips and tricks that can make writing about yourself a breeze. Want some help getting across just how impressive, interesting, and skilled you really are? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about putting yourself into words effectively, complete with examples.

Writing of the Autobiographical Nature

• Who are you?
• What is your background?
• What are your interests?
• What are your talents?
• What are your achievements?
• What challenges have you faced?

• What is your most interesting or unique quality? What word(s) describes you the best? Choose that topic.

• Bad: I like sports.
• Ok: I'm a fan of basketball, football, tennis, and soccer.
• Good: My favorite sport is football, both to watch and to play.
• Better: When I was growing up, I would watch Big Ten football with my dad and brothers every Saturday, before we'd go outside and toss the football around. I've loved it ever since.

• Braggy: I'm the best and most dynamic worker at my company right now, so you should want to hire me for my talents.
• Humble: I was lucky enough to be awarded three employee of the month awards at my current job. Turns out it was a company record.

Writing Personal Essays for School

• Common themes or prompts for autobiographical essays include overcoming obstacles, great successes or spectacular failures, and what you learned about yourself.

• Depending on the assignment, you may need to connect a personal anecdote to a reading or an idea from class. Start brainstorming topics that are connected to that idea, to give yourself a variety of options to choose from.

• Common autobiographical essay cliches include sports stories, mission trips, and dead grandmothers. While these can all make for excellent essays if done well, it is difficult to stand out when telling the story of how your lacrosse team lost a big game, then practiced hard, then won. It has been written before.

• If you want to tell the story of your nasty break-up, start with the break-up, do not start with the star-crossed way you met. You have got to get immediately to the tension in the story.

• When you have an idea of your topic, start writing a "memory list" of specific things that you remember about the event. What was the weather like? What did it smell like? What did your mother say to you?
• Your opening paragraph will set the tone for the rest of the essay. Rather than telling the dull biographical details (your name, your place of birth, your favorite food), find a way to express the essence of the story you are going to tell and the themes you are going to explore in your essay.

Writing a Cover Letter for an Application

• Outline your qualifications and highlight your talents in a cover letter.
• Write about who you are.
• In a cover letter, describe how your education and experience qualifies you for this position.
• Explain how this opportunity will benefit your career goals.

• When in doubt, keep it brief and serious. If you are unsure whether or not telling an amusing anecdote about your friend's bachelor party is appropriate in a cover letter, it is probably best to leave it out.

• "I'm writing to apply for the entry-level position with Company Inc. advertised on your website. I think my experience and training makes me an ideal candidate for this position."
• Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to include your name in the body of the letter: "My name is John Smith and I am applying...." Your name will be included in the signature , as well as the header of a cover letter, so there is no need to put it in the text itself.

• Who you are and where you come from.
• Where you want to go.
• How this opportunity would potentially help you get there.

• Be as specific as possible. It is alright to note that you are "A passionate leader in all walks of life" but it would be much better to write about an example of a time you lead in a surprising way.
• Stay focused on skills and talents that connect specifically to the thing you are applying for. Extracurricular involvement, leadership roles, and other types of outstanding achievement may be important to you personally, but it may be totally extraneous. If you include something, ensure to connect it specifically to the goal of the cover letter.

• Be as specific as possible. If you are writing a university cover letter, it is obvious that you have to have a degree to get a job as a doctor, but how did you come to choose this field? Why did you choose this school? What, specifically, do you want to take away from the experience?

• Be careful about using a cover letter to critique a business. It is not the time to describe the suffering of a particular brand over the previous fiscal quarter, then promising that you will be able to turn it around with your ideas. That might not go over well if you are hired, and then you are unable to live up to the promise.

• Even if it is impressive, a high GPA or class ranking does not belong in a cover letter. Highlight it on your resume, but do not include it in two different places of the application.

• Mailing address
• Telephone and/or fax number

Expert Trick : Save time and effort by creating one generic format that you can use for many different job applications by tweaking the specific content for each one. Start with a general introductory paragraph , then a section or two fleshing out your resume and expertise as it relates to the job, and finish it off with a closing paragraph and a note of thanks.

Writing a Short Biography Note

• Pretend you are writing about someone else. Write your name and start describing that person like a character or a friend: "John Smith is the Executive Vice President of Company Inc..."

• If you are a jack of all trades, say so. Do not be afraid to list "actor, musician, mother, motivational speaker, and professional rock climber" if they all apply equally.

• It is common to list degrees that you have received. Pay particular attention to anything that ties into the work you are writing about. If you have special training, include it here.

• "John Smith is the Executive Vice President of Company Inc., in charge of marketing and overseas acquisitions. He received an MBA with distinction from Harvard and lives in Montauk with his cat Cheeto."
• Do not overshare. It can seem funny to immediately start with "John Smith loves rafting and hates eating Cheetos. He's a total boss" and such bio notes can be appropriate for some venues, however be careful to avoid awkward oversharing. Telling everyone about your killer hangover might be best left for after work talk.

• Stephen King, who is one of the most successful and popular authors in recent history, has a bio note that just lists the name of his family members, his hometown, and his pets. Consider leaving out the self-congratulation entirely.

Community Q&A

• Remember that you’re supposed to talk about yourself, it’s the main topic. Don’t talk about your friends or family, even though you may feel tempted to. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you are having a difficult time writing about yourself, search online for examples of personal writing, in order to get some ideas and inspiration. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Don't think about how others feel about you. Everyone thinks from a different perspective. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-about-yourself
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/brainstorming/
• ↑ https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/chapter/narrowing-a-topic/
• ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/essay-about-self-writing
• ↑ https://writingcommons.org/article/using-first-person-in-an-academic-essay-when-is-it-okay/
• ↑ https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/6-unconventional-ways-start-cover-letter/
• ↑ https://english.washington.edu/writing-cover-letter
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/career-goal-statement-examples
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-vs-cover-letter
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/whats-the-ideal-cover-letter-length
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-format-a-cover-letter-example
• ↑ https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/first-vs-third-person
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/

About This Article

If you have to write an autobiographical description of yourself, write down a list of your talents, interests, and accomplishments. Use this list to help you choose one specific topic for your description, such as your academic achievements or your leadership qualities. Use specific, unique details to support your topic, such as being awarded an academic scholarship or the fact that you were president of the newspaper in high school. You can list bits of your personal life, but be careful not to overshare. If you want to write about yourself a cover letter or personal essay, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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5 Steps To Write An Essay About Yourself

Writing essays and academic papers are two such responsibilities for which students often face challenges throughout their academic life.

In fact, self-introduction essays are among the most typical assignments students confront among the many other essays.

Writing an essay about yourself necessitates you to possess excellent writing and storytelling abilities.

To produce a great personal essay, students must devote time, patience, and work. This article will educate you on how to write an essay on yourself, your family, a personal experience, and so on.

However, if you are time-pressed and unable to compose an essay, there are services that write same-day essays for students too.

When Might You Need to Write About Yourself?

Self-introduction essays or writing an essay about yourself is required during various circumstances of your academic and professional life.

Aside from the obvious cases, such as a personal statement or self-evaluations/appraisals, here are other situations where you’ll be required to write an essay about yourself:

• For graduation school applications
• When writing biographies
• For career advancement opportunities
• In cover letters and resumes
• Seeking internship opportunities
• In grant proposals

Most people think that writing an essay about yourself is one of the easiest tasks to do. Nonetheless, that may not be the case for most students.

One must possess good college writing skills to put their best foot forward and impress the reader to stand out among their peers. And here’s how you can do it correctly and confidently.

What Must the Self-Introduction Essay Include?

Writing an essay about yourself is a perfect opportunity to write about your strengths, achievements, and unique characteristics that provide an insight into yourself.

You may be confused about what exactly to write or express in your self-introduction essay. So, in this post, we will explain what you can write about yourself that will help you score brownie points and stand out amidst the competition.

Also, check out these examples and samples on self-introductory essays .

For instance, when writing about yourself, consider your path and the things that have shaped you into the person you are. You can also write about various things such as:

• Your hobbies
• Your aspirations and dreams
• The things you want to learn
• The things you are best at

How to Write an Essay

Before composing an essay, understand the basic structure and prepare an outline to avoid any mistakes down the road.

So if you are wondering how to structure an essay, remember that all essays follow a basic structure – introduction, the body, and conclusion.

Introduction

This is the first part of the essay, and it must pique the reader’s interest. You must add a ‘hook’ here to keep the reader glued.

You must provide a thesis statement at the beginning of your writing that exhibits the main idea of your essay.

Overall, the introduction must provide a brief overview of the entire essay in an engaging way.

The section contains a minimum of three paragraphs that explain the major themes or story of the essay. Ensure that each paragraph connects smoothly with the next. It is best to write in chronological order to avoid confusion.

This is the last paragraph or last section of the essay, and it must logically conclude your story. Here you can highlight the lesson you’ve gained throughout your experience. It is better to keep this section short.

Essay Structure

This is the basic structure that one must follow when writing an essay. Once you understand the essay format, create an outline that includes:

• An introduction about yourself
• Your most significant professional experience
• Noteworthy awards or personal accomplishments
• Relevant information about your personal life

Note: Make sure you use an appropriate tone if it is not mentioned. While an informal tone is used when writing about personal experiences, remember not to use any ‘slang’ words that might look unprofessional.

Steps to Writing an Effective Essay

Use particular anecdotes to highlight your accomplishments and traits without appearing pretentious.

You can also write about difficulties you’ve encountered or mistakes you’ve made to demonstrate vulnerability and personal progress.

1. Self-Reflection

The first step is to reflect on the topic before you begin writing to determine what you want to include in your essay.

Having a thorough brainstorming session can help a lot. However, here are a few starter questions that can help you:

• What has influenced your hobbies or future ambitions?
• What are you most pleased with?
• Why do you look up to someone in particular?
• Consider how your values and aspirations mirror your target university’s program and culture as you self-reflect. Develop tales that highlight the fit between the two.

2. Write Something Extraordinary

Using the questions above, pick an incident or some strong point about yourself to elucidate.

Remember that you must write about a single incident or quality that makes you stand out. Avoid talking about two qualities or two incidents.

3. Define the Goal

Read the essay guidelines and align your writing with that. The goal of your essay must reflect well in your words.

4. Know Your Audience

Think about your audience’s expectations and interests. It is critical to capture their attention and keep them reading your work until the finish.

5. Detailed Outline

The outline must be detailed and include all significant points.

Once the outline is ready, you can expand it into a full-fledged essay using the vital points. After completing the essay, proofread for typos and grammatical errors to ensure there are no mistakes.

These are the steps that college students can follow when writing self-introduction essays.

The first step to writing a successful essay is selecting an incident or quality that you want to write about.

It is recommended that you brainstorm the ideas and create an outline to avoid mishaps later.

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17+ Great Ideas for an Essay About Yourself

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

An essay about yourself should present you in a positive light, but also leave your reader with a greater understanding of what it is that makes you tick. What’s your inspiration and motivation?

In this article, I’ll give you a range of ideas to include in your essay about yourself. These ideas will show you how to tell a compelling story about who you are.

Pick one or more of these ideas and use it in your essay to improve its quality.

1. Come up with One Word about Yourself and Put it in your Title

Your essay heading sets the tone for the rest of the essay.

One way to get yourself started on the right track for your essay describing yourself is to ensure you have the one key word that describes you in the title.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Here’s a few ways I’d describe myself:

• Introverted

Now, if you need to write your essay in a way that presents you in the best way possible, then of course you’d select the one that does that!

So for me, that’d be ‘optimistic’.

I could then set my title to something like: “An Essay About Chris, the Eternal Optimist.”

Here, your reader has been introduced to the central trait I want to reinforce in the essay right away. You’ve set the tone now.

Now that you’ve used that key term at the start, make sure you follow-up by using that same term a few more times throughout the piece so that you keep it as a clear motif throughout. I’d recommend at least using it in the introduction, body and conclusion.

2. Make it Personal using Anecdotes

The difference between a good and great essay about yourself is the use of personal anecdotes.

You want your essay to stand out because it’s thoughtful and unique.

Anyone can tell a story of who they are. Anyone can say: “Here’s who I am and here’s what’s good about me.”

Not everyone can tell a detailed, thoughtful and personal story that’ll show (and not tell) people who you are.

Personal anecdotes might include:

• A discussion about your ancestry;
• A story about how your ancestors came to your country;
• A story about how your parents came up with your childhood nickname;
• An important story from your childhood;
• A personal challenge that you currently face;
• A personal challenge from the past that you’ve overcome

Or anything else that shows your personality! So, let’s zoom in and take a look at how you could write about each of the points from above.

3. Describe your Ancestry

Dig deep – way back. Who are your ancestors?

Two of the best questions you can ask to tell a really good story about yourself are these:

Who are your ancestors?

How did your ancestors shape who you are.

What is your connection to them?

Let’s take them one at a time.

Your ancestors might be Greek, or Scottish, or Irish, or Italian. Maybe you have some Native American ancestors or maybe they were Pioneers heading to America?

You can start this essay by explaining your ancestry to really start shaping a quality story about yourself. One example is to tell a story about how your ancestors came to your country.

For me, I’d talk about how my Ancestors were a loose collection of quirky characters who came to Australia for a better life. Some were “10 Pound Poms” – British people seeking a better life. The paid 10 pounds to get on a boat and head to a new world. And others were convicts, sent out for stealing sheep.

Is there an interesting hook about your ancestry to start your essay?

Your ancestors should mean a lot to you. They should show you the path to a better life. What sacrifices did they make for you to be who you are today?

I could talk about how they had a tough life to come from working-class backgrounds. They worked the land and battled hardship to give me what I’ve got.

Now, I’m a happy, free, relatively wealthy person because of their hard world.

Who you are is because of your ancestors.

For me, they are the reason I value hard work. I also know my grandfather fought hard for a good wage for people on the railways. So, I have a sense of solidarity with hard-working working-class people because of him.

I also believe strongly in the importance of living a free and happy life because my ancestors are Australians. We’re Aussies! We work hard and have fun. That’s something my ancestors gave me, and I’ll carry all those values forward for my children one day, too.

Can you see that telling a story of your ancestors can really reveal a lot about what’s deep inside you? They show you your values and they’re your guiding star.

4. Tell the story of how you got your Childhood Nickname

Here’s another interesting story idea that can get your essay started on the right track.

How about telling the story of how you got your childhood nickname?

Here’s an example: My sister’s nickname was Boo Boo.

(She’d be made at me if she knew I told you that!)

She was called Boo Boo because she was always hurting herself! She was always having “boo boos”, which was our slang for “mistakes”.

Here, her nickname tells a story about herself. It tells a story about how she can sometimes be a little bit clumsy. This could be a good personal story to use to introduce herself to the reader.

Do you have a unique nickname story?

5. Tell an Important Story from your Childhood

Do you have any childhood stories that really reflect who you are?

This story might be:

• Tell the story of a childhood family holiday: Your story of your family holiday might highlight how important family is to your sense of who you are. Did the family holiday show you how much family is important to you?
• Tell the story of a time you realized something: I remember seeing a kid at school being bullied once and feeling really uncomfortable about it. I ended up sitting with him during the lunch period because he was upset. That was the day I really realized that something deep inside me is a sense that kindness is one of the most important things in the world.

Have a think. Are there any stories from your childhood that you can tell that reveal something about who you are and what your values are?

6. Start with “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on…”

Here’s a strategy that works really well.

When you start from the perspective of someone looking back, you often reflect on the things that are most important.

Have you ever seen an older person telling a story? It’s often a story told from the perspective of wisdom . We might call this 20/20 hindsight.

So, start your story by discussing what you’ll look back on about your life: what will you be proud of? What parts of your personality would you want to reflect on with pride?

It might be:

• “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on the things I did to help other people. For example, one time I … [did this]”
• “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on the quality time I spent with my family. My family is the most important thing in my life. One of these quality times is when …”
• Any other ideas you have?

7. Or, Start with “In ten years I will be…”

We can flip Step 6 on its head, and talk about where you want to be in 10 years. This will force you to reflect upon what’s most important to your future.

When talking about your goals and how those goals are linked to your values.

Here’s some examples:

• “In ten years time I will be just returning from an amazing trip around the world. I have a strong sense of adventure and I want to spend the next 10 years fulfilling my dream of adventure.”
• “In ten years time I want to be busy working in a not-for-profit doing something for people less fortunate than me. This vision drives my decisions that I make today. It drives my desire to … [study a course?]”
• What will you say if you start with “In ten years time…”?

8. Describe your Interests

No matter how you start your essay, you need to make sure that your story shows what you are interested in.

Your interests are what you do in your spare time

You might, for example, be interested in a particular topic. This will show how you’re set apart from others. We all have different interests.

Here’s a few examples of people’s interests:

• Dinosaurs: Ross Gellar from the TV show Friends would write in his story that one of his biggest interests is dinosaurs!
• Sports: Many people put sports at the center of their interests and motivations. Are you passionate about a sport that you watch or play? This could be included in your essay about yourself.
• Reading: Many young people love to read. You can talk about this as something you love, and then discuss how reading helps you think more deeply about issues in this world.

What are your interests? Could you use these as the basis of your essay about yourself?

9. Describe what Motivates You

Right at the core of your essay about yourself should be a message about your motivations. What is it that you dream about? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning?

A motivation is different to an interest. Your interest is what you do in your part-time. Your motivations are your long-term goals that will give you fulfillmen t.

People want to see what makes you tick.

Your motivations don’t have to be for money or a career. A lot of people are deeply motivated by their passions like:

• Getting fit, or pursuing fitness goals;
• Being a part of a community;
• Helping others out, especially the less fortunate;
• Making their family proud;
• Seeing amazing, remarkable things;
• Inventing or discovering something that improves the world

For me, my biggest motivation is my blog. I take pride in it and how it helps people out. So maybe I’d tell the story of my blog, and how it reflects my intrinsic desire to help people learn new things.

So, what motivates you?

10. Identify your Current Personal Challenges

Teachers like to see that you are taking a proactive role to address or overcome personal challenges. So, you can base your essay about yourself on a current personal challenge.

The important thing for an essay on a current personal challenge is this:

• Identify what your challenge is; and
• Explain how you are working hard to address it.

Your challenge might be a personal disability, a setback you’ve recently had, or a goal that you’re working towards achieving.

• Wanting to join the military: You could talk about your major challenge being a career goal like getting accepted into the military. Then, you’d need to show something about how you are addressing this by, for example, following a rigorous exercise regime.
• Living with a disability: Maybe you have a disability or medical problem that you need to address. You could talk about how it hasn’t stopped you from believing in your ability to achieve. While it might make life harder, show how you’re a determined person who won’t let adversity get in your way.

By revealing how you are overcoming your challenges, you’re revealing something about yourself. You are showing your marker that you’re a hard, diligent worker. That you have resilience and drive. And that you’re someone who strives to achieve.

11. Identify the Biggest Challenge you’ve Overcome

If there’s challenges in your rear-view mirror that you have already overcome, you can also talk about that.

Pause for a moment and think about the biggest achievement of your life. Was it getting that score you wanted in a science test? Was it making it into the football team after a lot of training and practice?

By telling the story of a personal challenge that you have already overcome, you’re showing how you’re a competent, capable and resilient person.

Here’s some examples of overcoming challenges:

• Winning a team sport: Talk about all the work you did as a team in the lead-up to the win. Did you take advice from the coach and use it to become better? Did you learn that you had to work as a group to succeed?
• Getting an award: Were you awarded once for your skills? What did you need to do to win the award? Was it hard work that paid off?

12. Be Humble

It’s important to strike the appropriate tone for your essay about yourself.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they too hard to sell themselves. This usually makes you sound arrogant and self-absorbed.

One of the best ways to sound humble is to express gratitude. When discussing who you are, what you achieved and what your strengths are, remember to mention who it was who helped you get there.

People you might be grateful for include: parents, teachers, siblings, friends, your country and mentors. Talk about how they were instrumental in your success. Maybe they were patient with you, presented opportunities for you, or forgave your mistakes.

It’s also good to make sure you don’t compare yourself to others. It’s not a good idea to say “I achieved better than anyone else.” Focussing on how you worked hard for your achievements is enough: there’s no need to talk about how you’re better or the best. Focus on the effort you put in, not the fact that you’re better than anyone.

To learn more about tricks on being humble, I recommend this good summary of ways to be humble from Forbes.

13. Describe your Personality Type

Here’s another interesting way of approaching the essay.

If you’re struggling to explain yourself, you can take a quiz that tells you what your personality type is. Something really nice about these quizzes is they not only give you words to explain what your personality type is, but they also give you some ideas to talk about.

Here’s a few good personality type quizzes:

• 16 Personalities : This quiz decides which personality you are from 16 types, such as debater, entrepreneur, adventurer and entertainer. I got the ‘Advocate’ meaning I am driven by “idealism and morality” and am mainly an introvert. What are you? Share in the comments below!
• Learning Styles : This quiz finds out how you learn. Are you the sort of person who learns in solitude or with others? Are you an introvert or extrovert? Another alternative is the VARK quiz which sees which sort of category of learner you are: Visual, Auditory (sound), Read/Write, or Kinesthetic (using your body).
• Career Quiz : This quiz asks you a range of personality questions to give you ideas about what you want to talk about. Then, it’ll suggest the ideal career for you based on your personality!

14. Include Details you’d put on a CV

You want your essay to tell a story about yourself.

But you also need to include hard, solid details.

So once you’ve told your story of yourself, go through your CV (or ‘resume’) and see what else you can include. Can you include details about your strengths that you have listed on your CV?

Maybe you can also include points about your previous jobs or education achievements that you have listed on your CV.

This will help back up your story with hard evidence.

You might also find out that there are a lot of details on your CV that will give you story ideas. You might not think you’ve achieved remarkable things until you look at your CV and reflect on the hard work you put into each of the jobs or achievements you have listed there.

15. Describe your Physical Attributes

Another thing you can weave into your story is an outline of what you look like!

It’s one of the first things you read about someone in any story.

Here’s how Mr. and Mrs. Dursley in Harry Potter is introduced:

“Mr Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.”

How would you describe your physical attributes? Remember not to be negative about yourself, but you could describe yourself as tall, short, stocky, or lanky. How about your hair? Is it frizzy or straight, long or short?

16. Explain who is your Biggest influence and Why

The person who is your biggest influence would reveal a lot about who you are. Are you influenced by someone because of their power and strength, or wisdom and insight? Are you influenced by people for their nobility and patriotism, or their sense of adventure?

This will show your reader what makes you tick.

One of my big influences is Alex Honnold. He is a famous rock climber. What does that reveal about me? Well, it shows that I admire adventurous people and people who follow unconventional careers.

Who is your biggest influence? What does this reveal about you? Can you weave this into your essay about yourself?

17. Conclude by Returning to your Opening Hook

In this article I’ve shared with you a ton of ideas that you can use for your essay about yourself.

No matter which idea you select, I recommend including this last tip.

You should start your essay with an interesting ‘hook’ or anecdote about yourself.

I recommend concluding your essay by returning to this opening hook. We call this the ‘closing the loop’ method. You can start it something like this:

“I began this essay by telling the story of how I’m inspired by my father. I want to return to this point, as it’s the most important point in this essay. All of the points in this essay about myself have highlighted how I’m driven and motivated to live up to his amazing example. I have discussed…”

…And then you’d sum up what you discussed!

I outline the exact process of how to conclude an essay using this ‘closing the loop’ method in this post on how to write great conclusions .

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Classroom Wall Decoration Ideas
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How to Write About Yourself: Essay Structure, Writing Tips, Samples

Updated 04 Jun 2024

The US society values individuality greatly and sees it as a trait that, if harnessed properly, could yield important results like original ideas, creative approaches, attitudes that can enhance or innovate virtually any field of human activity. Both within and beyond the professional setting, assessing candidates on an individual basis is one of the key principles for any selection performed.

Most college students would encounter multiple situations during their lifetime when they would reveal certain aspects of their inner selves upon a request. Hence, learning how to write about yourself is an important skill that needs to be mastered in order to meet these challenges. Do need someone's help to write my thesis ? Don't know where to start? Let us help.

Why It Is Important Knowing How to Write About Yourself

Knowing how to write an essay about yourself is essential for many grounds. Some of the most common situations when people would need this is for professional reasons – to describe themselves to an employer or an academic institution for admission. While your biography or previous performance record normally have a huge weight in evaluating your candidacy, there are some aspects that may only be conveyed by you personally in a clearly-formulated, well-structured, efficient essay or block of text.

Among the personal information for which a self-description is indispensable are your purposes, life goals, long-term career vision, primary motivation, concerns, personal challenges envisioned, honest assessment of your personal strengths and weaknesses. Writing such papers openly is an important self-analysis tool – it is not a coincidence that many psychologists use this technique for gaining better understanding of themselves or for fighting stress.

Finally, you could write out of interest, to track personal evolution (intellectual, spiritual, moral) or allow reflection on your own life and personality.

How to Start an Essay About Yourself & How to Structure It

Like many other essay types, this one would also have an introduction, body, conclusion. Introductory part may vary a lot depending on the scope of the essay. To capture attention, it could start with describing a life event or story defining your life/ personality, a certain belief or state of mind characterizing you. It could start with some basic notes on your biography or could provide some important context describing where you are now in life. You could share a personal vision, dream, life credo and efforts of pursuing it.

Main body would contain a deeper exploration/ dissection of the traits mentioned with more factual details and real-life examples confirming them. One could mention and explain which challenges, experience, background exactly led to the evolution of these traits.

If this essay is part of professional or academic competition, the story should explore/ tell how your experience, interests, achievements, developed competencies, and personal traits qualify you for a given position and how obtaining this position is in line with your aspirations and goals.

In this kind of writing, it is particularly important making the conclusion strong and memorable. The conclusion should restate the idea, perhaps, less directly, that all your life and professional experience make you a good match for the targeted position but it should do much more than this, for instance, mention some relevant open questions regarding one’s biography, mention a long-sought dream that could be fulfilled, offer prophetic vision about one’s own future, short mention of one’s meaning of life and potentially, how it relates to current goals, very brief distilled overview of one’s entire past along with some interpreting remarks, especially, in case of an autobiography.

Additionally, it can be helpful to provide a self evaluation essay example to illustrate the points discussed throughout the essay. This example can showcase the process of self-reflection and highlight the author's personal growth and achievements.

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10 Tips on How to Write an Essay About Yourself

Below are a few recommendations worth considering when writing about yourself:

• be honest - even learning how to write a paragraph about yourself requires knowing how to open/ reveal your soul, your past, or your mind. For some people, is a real challenge, yet simply speaking about this is not enough – you should speak selectively, with a message and agenda in mind. Once this skill evolves, one could produce complex stories about oneself and even write voluminous autobiographical works.
• do not exaggerate – modesty and objectivity are valuable traits in every human, regardless of talent or achievements. Exhaustively list any merits/ achievements as part of the application but avoid by all means forming an impression of an arrogant, self-important person.  
• if you are applying for admission to an academic institution within the US or from abroad, focus on achievements , talents, along with interests. As nobody expects exceptional achievements at this stage in life, it is quite natural shifting your focus entirely on who you are as a person, where your interests or motivation reside.
• keep your topic narrow in order to cover it efficiently . If what you are writing is not an autobiography, then only cover a few select stories, moments, aspects that would help explain and promote your message. Obviously, careful selection of these moments is mandatory while writing about yourself.
• understand whether you should be concise or not . Knowing how much you should expand is essential since, in some circumstances, brevity is a strict requirement, while in others, detailed account, description of the mentioned traits/ aspects is expected.
• introduce yourself – the extent to which you do this obviously depends on the type of writing but a minimum of information in this regard is a must.
• avoid delicate subjects - like it or not, every historical period has its own taboos and as history proves it, people often wait for the right time to explore or discuss many of these. An example could be the evolution of attitudes towards LGBTQ in US society – unlike earlier, now such topics are discussed freely. Besides such subjects, there are many sensitive controversial subjects exploring which might be reasonable in certain circumstances in controversial argumentative essays, but not here as you don’t want to experiment too much when writing about yourself.
• avoid clichés – the best way of achieving this is by exploring complex, narrowly defined topics, by describing highly individual experiences, highly specific scenarios, highly original stories and thoughts.
• don’t be afraid to talk about your peculiar struggles and associated achievements even if you think these might seem minor to others. Knowledge, empathy, and wisdom help people recognize such cases and accept the effort even without experiencing or fully grasping it. The determination and skills required for overcoming such situations are not much different than those for overcoming other personal or professional challenges. If talking about yourself means talking a lot about your struggle as a leader, explore some concepts of leadership essay.
• if you have difficulties thinking objectively about yourself, always consider asking people that know you well about the key traits or talents they associate with you. Apart from helping with your essay, it should be really interesting to learn how other people see you.

If you still find it hard writing such a paper, remember that you may always delegate this task to our professional writers. They will write an essay for cheap but still respect all provided instructions and produce high-quality work. Obviously, good essays would require sharing some information with a personal statement writer ; it is necessary for tailoring the content to your biography.

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Writing a Letter About Yourself

When considering how to write a letter about yourself, you should take into account some additional aspects:

• start by mentioning who you address the letter to . Targeting individuals is preferred but if not possible, you could use collective, general resignations, like ”Dear customer service department”, “To whom it may concern.”
• introduce yourself properly (name, position) – this helps readers put all the information about you in a context. For instance, your professional opinion on employment processes in a company would normally have more weight if people know you are an HR management professional. Similarly, writing from a position of power/ accomplishment about some career challenges you experienced gives the reader more confidence you have managed to overcome or control these aspects and teach others something.
• know your audience – get a good understanding of who exactly might read your paper and in what settings. This might help filter relevant from non-relevant content. For instance, if you are dealing with an admission committee, you should avoid corresponding clichés that these people might encounter on a daily basis.
• writing such letters is essentially a self-advertisement of the author , as it makes sense to think very carefully about the correct way of portraying your strengths and weaknesses so that the overall image is positive and realistic. Covering weaknesses is not mandatory but it is normally a sign of good & honest self-analysis - description listing only your positive traits would likely look artificial and even suspicious. However, think twice when listing weaknesses that might compromise your application.
• state purpose of the letter, your motivation for sending it – in other words, make your expectations & goals clear. This is a prerequisite for efficient communication, especially in written form.
• thank everybody, bow out gallantly . Don’t forget about providing your contacts so that you make it convenient for people to reach you if needed.

Keep in mind that at Edubirdie, we help with many more paper types. Writers could write my thesis paper for me, various research papers, coursework, essays on social issues topics most relevant for the US, argumentative papers, term papers, case studies, speeches, etc. Do not wait any longer!

Essay Example Written By Our Expert

When writing personal essay about yourself examples can be of great help since they are viewed as both templates and demonstrations of how to apply many theoretical principles and suggestions in practice. 

Additionally, if you are looking for further inspiration and guidance, it can be beneficial to explore autobiography essay examples for students , which provide valuable insights into effective storytelling techniques and the incorporation of personal experiences. 

Find below such an example of a short composition:

It is always hard talking about yourself on a deeper level: you not only should be honest and objective but also provide carefully selected information that defines the essence of your personality. I think of my self-worth nowadays in rather realistic terms knowing that I have a collection of both positive and negative traits. Among the positive traits I have are my caring attitude and tendency to protect those who I deem close. I highly value my honest and straightforward manner of communicating with people, which, later in life, I learned to control better in order to avoid being offensive. I have witnessed on several occasions how this honesty helped people get a clearer perspective over their personal issues and make progress towards solving them. As we are defined by our values/ beliefs, it is worth mentioning that the character traits I view as most desirable in a person are: dependability, trustworthiness, responsibility, honesty, conscientiousness, respectfulness. The main thing providing meaning in my life is ensuring the wellbeing of people I hold dear but also making positive changes, however, small, that would improve the life of my community. I recognize the tendency for external control as being a defining trait of my personality. Sometimes this backfires, in particular when I am intrusive in the lives of other people. I discovered as a teenager that I can manipulate, lead, and impose my view among my siblings and peers. At first, the control that I exerted on my siblings came along my role as a protector that I was starting to realize. Later, it slowly took the form of parenting behavior and was driven by genuine care and responsibility for their lives. Nowadays, I’d like to think that my guidance and support are of some value to the people I know. As for my professional life, meaning is provided by the desire to be appreciated for my conscientious attitude, discipline, competence. My seriousness and deep involvement, as well as my capabilities for leading and decision making, could be of great value in organizing small groups of people. However, I am probably more successful at leading by example and providing direct assistance/ guidance rather than making deep connections with people in order to motivate them. All these mentioned beliefs, values, and traits (good or bad) define who I am. They represent all I have been through, witnessed, and experienced throughout the years and how I reacted to this as a growing/ developing individual. The best I could hope for is to make good use of all the positive aspects while controlling the negative ones.

Questions and answers:

What things to write about yourself?        

When writing about yourself, you could describe your achievements, values, virtues, beliefs, interests, talents as well as how you’ve developed any of these (what caused them, how exactly it happened, what were the outcomes). You could write about personal struggles and any successes achieved while battling them.                        

How do you write a bio about yourself?                

Writing an autobiography involves reflecting on your life and carefully selecting and listing a number of important moments that you think were essential in shaping your path in life and your current personality.

How do you write an introduction about yourself?          

To write an introduction about yourself, you could begin with mentioning your most exciting, original, captivating, or defining life stories, personality traits, or situations that revealed your character to yourself or others.

We Can Write About You!

Writing about yourself takes many forms, some of which may be more challenging than others. Nevertheless, one could master this skill by following proper guidelines and reviewing examples. One way to produce high-quality essays is to contract professional writing services.

With Edubirdie, you can transparently review and select your preferred writer based on their performance. Work together with this writer, provide instructions, information, request drafts, provide feedback, to complete a paper matching your requirements. If you find the result unsatisfactory, ask for free revisions or even request a refund. All these are intended to minimize risks faced by clients and allow them to foc on their tasks. Why not give it a try yourself?   

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Written by Mary O. Spears

Mary O. Spears is a dedicated writer specializing in crafting insightful guides on essay and paper writing. With a profound understanding of academic standards and a talent for demystifying complex topics, Mary offers invaluable guidance to students aiming for academic excellence. Outside of her professional work, Mary is passionate about cooking and eating healthy, bringing creativity and balance to both her culinary and writing endeavors.

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Frequently asked questions

How do i write about myself in a college essay.

Most importantly, your essay should be about you , not another person or thing. An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability.

Your essay shouldn’t be a résumé of your experiences but instead should tell a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

Frequently asked questions: College admissions essays

When writing your Common App essay , choose a prompt that sparks your interest and that you can connect to a unique personal story.

No matter which prompt you choose, admissions officers are more interested in your ability to demonstrate personal development , insight, or motivation for a certain area of study.

The Common App essay is your primary writing sample within the Common Application, a college application portal accepted by more than 900 schools. All your prospective schools that accept the Common App will read this essay to understand your character, background, and value as a potential student.

Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any college names or programs; instead, save tailored answers for the supplementary school-specific essays within the Common App.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding your message and content. Then, check for flow, tone, style , and clarity. Finally, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors .

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

If you’ve got to write your college essay fast , don’t panic. First, set yourself deadlines: you should spend about 10% of your remaining time on brainstorming, 10% on outlining, 40% writing, 30% revising, and 10% taking breaks in between stages.

Second, brainstorm stories and values based on your essay prompt.

Third, outline your essay based on the montage or narrative essay structure .

Fourth, write specific, personal, and unique stories that would be hard for other students to replicate.

Fifth, revise your essay and make sure it’s clearly written.

Last, if possible, get feedback from an essay coach . Scribbr essay editors can help you revise your essay in 12 hours or less.

Avoid swearing in a college essay , since admissions officers’ opinions of profanity will vary. In some cases, it might be okay to use a vulgar word, such as in dialogue or quotes that make an important point in your essay. However, it’s safest to try to make the same point without swearing.

If you have bad grades on your transcript, you may want to use your college admissions essay to explain the challenging circumstances that led to them. Make sure to avoid dwelling on the negative aspects and highlight how you overcame the situation or learned an important lesson.

However, some college applications offer an additional information section where you can explain your bad grades, allowing you to choose another meaningful topic for your college essay.

Here’s a brief list of college essay topics that may be considered cliché:

• Extracurriculars, especially sports
• Role models
• Dealing with a personal tragedy or death in the family
• Struggling with new life situations (immigrant stories, moving homes, parents’ divorce)
• Becoming a better person after community service, traveling, or summer camp
• Overcoming a difficult class
• Using a common object as an extended metaphor

It’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic. However, it’s possible to make a common topic compelling with interesting story arcs, uncommon connections, and an advanced writing style.

Yes. The college application essay is less formal than other academic writing —though of course it’s not mandatory to use contractions in your essay.

In a college essay , you can be creative with your language . When writing about the past, you can use the present tense to make the reader feel as if they were there in the moment with you. But make sure to maintain consistency and when in doubt, default to the correct verb tense according to the time you’re writing about.

The college admissions essay gives admissions officers a different perspective on you beyond your academic achievements, test scores, and extracurriculars. It’s your chance to stand out from other applicants with similar academic profiles by telling a unique, personal, and specific story.

Use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial to avoid distracting the reader from your college essay’s content.

A college application essay is less formal than most academic writing . Instead of citing sources formally with in-text citations and a reference list, you can cite them informally in your text.

For example, “In her research paper on genetics, Quinn Roberts explores …”

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

Most topics are acceptable for college essays if you can use them to demonstrate personal growth or a lesson learned. However, there are a few difficult topics for college essays that should be avoided. Avoid topics that are:

• Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships)
• Not personal enough (e.g. broad solutions to world problems, inspiring people or things)
• Too negative (e.g. an in-depth look at your flaws, put-downs of others, criticizing the need for a college essay)
• Too boring (e.g. a resume of your academic achievements and extracurriculars)
• Inappropriate for a college essay (e.g. illegal activities, offensive humor, false accounts of yourself, bragging about privilege)

To write an effective diversity essay , include vulnerable, authentic stories about your unique identity, background, or perspective. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. If relevant, you should also mention how your background has led you to apply for this university and why you’re a good fit.

Many universities believe a student body composed of different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community, which is why they assign a diversity essay .

In addition to your main college essay , some schools and scholarships may ask for a supplementary essay focused on an aspect of your identity or background. This is sometimes called a diversity essay .

You can use humor in a college essay , but carefully consider its purpose and use it wisely. An effective use of humor involves unexpected, keen observations of the everyday, or speaks to a deeper theme. Humor shouldn’t be the main focus of the essay, but rather a tool to improve your storytelling.

Get a second opinion from a teacher, counselor, or essay coach on whether your essay’s humor is appropriate.

Though admissions officers are interested in hearing your story, they’re also interested in how you tell it. An exceptionally written essay will differentiate you from other applicants, meaning that admissions officers will spend more time reading it.

You can use literary devices to catch your reader’s attention and enrich your storytelling; however, focus on using just a few devices well, rather than trying to use as many as possible.

To decide on a good college essay topic , spend time thoughtfully answering brainstorming questions. If you still have trouble identifying topics, try the following two strategies:

• Identify your qualities → Brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities
• Identify memorable stories → Connect your qualities to these stories

You can also ask family, friends, or mentors to help you brainstorm topics, give feedback on your potential essay topics, or recall key stories that showcase your qualities.

Yes—admissions officers don’t expect everyone to have a totally unique college essay topic . But you must differentiate your essay from others by having a surprising story arc, an interesting insight, and/or an advanced writing style .

There are no foolproof college essay topics —whatever your topic, the key is to write about it effectively. However, a good topic

• Is meaningful, specific, and personal to you
• Focuses on you and your experiences
• Reveals something beyond your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars
• Is creative and original

Unlike a five-paragraph essay, your admissions essay should not end by summarizing the points you’ve already made. It’s better to be creative and aim for a strong final impression.

You should also avoid stating the obvious (for example, saying that you hope to be accepted).

There are a few strategies you can use for a memorable ending to your college essay :

• Return to the beginning with a “full circle” structure
• Reveal the main point or insight in your story
• Look to the future
• End on an action

The best technique will depend on your topic choice, essay outline, and writing style. You can write several endings using different techniques to see which works best.

College deadlines vary depending on the schools you’re applying to and your application plan:

• For early action applications and the first round of early decision applications, the deadline is on November 1 or 15. Decisions are released by mid-December.
• For the second round of early decision applications, the deadline is January 1 or 15. Decisions are released in January or February.
• Regular decision deadlines usually fall between late November and mid-March, and decisions are released in March or April.
• Rolling admission deadlines run from July to April, and decisions are released around four to eight weeks after submission.

Depending on your prospective schools’ requirements, you may need to submit scores for the SAT or ACT as part of your college application .

Some schools now no longer require students to submit test scores; however, you should still take the SAT or ACT and aim to get a high score to strengthen your application package.

Aim to take the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year to give yourself enough time to retake it in the fall of your senior year if necessary.

Apply early for federal student aid and application fee waivers. You can also look for scholarships from schools, corporations, and charitable foundations.

To maximize your options, you should aim to apply to about eight schools:

• Two reach schools that might be difficult to get into
• Four match schools that you have a good chance of getting into
• Two safety schools that you feel confident you’ll get into

The college admissions essay accounts for roughly 25% of the weight of your application .

At highly selective schools, there are four qualified candidates for every spot. While your academic achievements are important, your college admissions essay can help you stand out from other applicants with similar profiles.

In general, for your college application you will need to submit all of the following:

• Your personal information
• List of extracurriculars and awards
• College application essays
• Transcripts
• Standardized test scores
• Recommendation letters.

Different colleges may have specific requirements, so make sure you check exactly what’s expected in the application guidance.

You should start thinking about your college applications the summer before your junior year to give you sufficient time for college visits, taking standardized tests, applying for financial aid , writing essays, and collecting application material.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

• A unique, personally meaningful topic
• A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
• Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
• Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
• Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
• A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay , and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Don’t forget to save enough time for breaks between each writing and editing stage.

You should already begin thinking about your essay the summer before your senior year so that you have plenty of time to try out different topics and get feedback on what works.

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you’re accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records.

In most cases, quoting other people isn’t a good way to start your college essay . Admissions officers want to hear your thoughts about yourself, and quotes often don’t achieve that. Unless a quote truly adds something important to your essay that it otherwise wouldn’t have, you probably shouldn’t include it.

Cliché openers in a college essay introduction are usually general and applicable to many students and situations. Most successful introductions are specific: they only work for the unique essay that follows.

The key to a strong college essay introduction is not to give too much away. Try to start with a surprising statement or image that raises questions and compels the reader to find out more.

The introduction of your college essay is the first thing admissions officers will read and therefore your most important opportunity to stand out. An excellent introduction will keep admissions officers reading, allowing you to tell them what you want them to know.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

In your application essay , admissions officers are looking for particular features : they want to see context on your background, positive traits that you could bring to campus, and examples of you demonstrating those qualities.

Colleges want to be able to differentiate students who seem similar on paper. In the college application essay , they’re looking for a way to understand each applicant’s unique personality and experiences.

You don’t need a title for your college admissions essay , but you can include one if you think it adds something important.

Your college essay’s format should be as simple as possible:

• Use a standard, readable font
• Use 1.5 or double spacing
• If attaching a file, save it as a PDF
• Stick to the word count
• Avoid unusual formatting and unnecessary decorative touches

There are no set rules for how to structure a college application essay , but these are two common structures that work:

• A montage structure, a series of vignettes with a common theme.
• A narrative structure, a single story that shows your personal growth or how you overcame a challenge.

Avoid the five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in high school.

Campus visits are always helpful, but if you can’t make it in person, the college website will have plenty of information for you to explore. You should look through the course catalog and even reach out to current faculty with any questions about the school.

Colleges set a “Why this college?” essay because they want to see that you’ve done your research. You must prove that you know what makes the school unique and can connect that to your own personal goals and academic interests.

Depending on your writing, you may go through several rounds of revision . Make sure to put aside your essay for a little while after each editing stage to return with a fresh perspective.

Teachers and guidance counselors can help you check your language, tone, and content . Ask for their help at least one to two months before the submission deadline, as many other students will also want their help.

Friends and family are a good resource to check for authenticity. It’s best to seek help from family members with a strong writing or English educational background, or from older siblings and cousins who have been through the college admissions process.

If possible, get help from an essay coach or editor ; they’ll have specialized knowledge of college admissions essays and be able to give objective expert feedback.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding message, flow, tone, style , and clarity. Then, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

• What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
• Whom do you admire most and why?
• What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

In a college application essay , you can occasionally bend grammatical rules if doing so adds value to the storytelling process and the essay maintains clarity.

However, use standard language rules if your stylistic choices would otherwise distract the reader from your overall narrative or could be easily interpreted as unintentional errors.

Write concisely and use the active voice to maintain a quick pace throughout your essay and make sure it’s the right length . Avoid adding definitions unless they provide necessary explanation.

Use first-person “I” statements to speak from your perspective . Use appropriate word choices that show off your vocabulary but don’t sound like you used a thesaurus. Avoid using idioms or cliché expressions by rewriting them in a creative, original way.

If you’re an international student applying to a US college and you’re comfortable using American idioms or cultural references , you can. But instead of potentially using them incorrectly, don’t be afraid to write in detail about yourself within your own culture.

Provide context for any words, customs, or places that an American admissions officer might be unfamiliar with.

College application essays are less formal than other kinds of academic writing . Use a conversational yet respectful tone , as if speaking with a teacher or mentor. Be vulnerable about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to connect with the reader.

Aim to write in your authentic voice , with a style that sounds natural and genuine. You can be creative with your word choice, but don’t use elaborate vocabulary to impress admissions officers.

Admissions officers use college admissions essays to evaluate your character, writing skills , and ability to self-reflect . The essay is your chance to show what you will add to the academic community.

The college essay may be the deciding factor in your application , especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

Some colleges also require supplemental essays about specific topics, such as why you chose that specific college . Scholarship essays are often required to obtain financial aid .

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•    How to Write an About Myself Essay With Example

Apply as a tutor to teach students online from anywhere in the world.

How to write an about myself essay with example.

• Chloe Daniel
• Published On: July 09 ,2021

Getting Started

When you may have to write about yourself.

• Career advancement opportunities
• Internship inquiry letters
• Biographies
• Graduate school applications
• Cover letters
• Grant proposals

How to Write an Essay About Myself?

• Introduce yourself.
• Make sure to include your most important professional experience.
• Talk about significant awards or personal achievements.
• Introduce details about your personal life.
• Use a friendly and casual tone unless stated otherwise. 

What Else Do You Need to Include in Your Self Introduction Essay? 

• The things you want to learn.
• Your aspirations and dreams.
• The things you are good at.
• Your hobbies.

A Sample About Myself Essay

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How to Write a “How Will This Scholarship Help You Achieve Your Goals” Essay

Zach Skillings is the Scholarships360 Newsletter Editor. He specializes in college admissions and strives to answer important questions about higher education. When he’s not contributing to Scholarships360, Zach writes about travel, music, film, and culture. His work has been published in Our State Magazine, Ladygunn Magazine, The Nocturnal Times, and The Lexington Dispatch. Zach graduated from Elon University with a degree in Cinema and Television Arts.

Learn about our editorial policies

Caitlyn Cole is a college access professional with a decade of experience in non-profit program and project management for college readiness and access organizations.

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

When applying for scholarships, you may be asked to write an essay describing why you’re the right candidate for the award. One of the most common prompts for this type of essay is “how will this scholarship help you achieve your goals?” In this guide, we’ll talk about how you can put together an outstanding essay and win the scholarship of your dreams. 

Also see: Top writing and essay scholarships

Tips for writing a scholarship essay

There’s more than one way to write an essay like this, but an effective response usually does the following things: 

• Clearly defines your goals and how you plan to achieve them
• Provides some background context on your goals 
• Explains why you are a quality candidate for the scholarship 
• Close your essay in an effective way 

As long as you touch on these three areas, feel free to structure your essay however you see fit. Let’s talk about how you can address each of these components and put together a stellar essay. 

1. Define your goals 

Scholarship providers want to hear about your vision for your future self and how you plan to get there. As such, you should write about what you want out of your college education and beyond. It’s totally okay if you’re undecided about your major or career path since most scholarship providers won’t expect your plan to be set in stone at this point. However, you should still point to the fields of study or professions you’re considering right now. When talking about your plan for the future, explain how the specific scholarship is a key part of your path forward. And don’t forget to let your passion shine through when writing about your goals!

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2. provide background context .

Your essay should not only outline your goals, but explain how you arrived at them as well. One of the best ways to do this is by sharing a personal story. You may even want to lead with a personal story to immediately grab the attention of your reader. For this type of essay, you should share an anecdote that’s relevant to the scholarship you’re applying for. 

If you’re applying for an engineering scholarship , for instance, you could describe how your love of engineering was sparked by your involvement in robotics club. Students pursuing art scholarships may talk about the most meaningful project they’ve ever created. Whatever the case may be, find a way to connect your background to your goals and the scholarship. You’re much more likely to stand out when you demonstrate who you are and what you care about. 

Don’t miss: What’s the best scholarship essay format?

3. Make a case for yourself

Now that you’ve outlined your goals and the inspiration behind them, it’s time to explain why you’re the perfect candidate for this scholarship. Tie everything together by describing how the scholarship is a crucial piece of the puzzle. The goal here is to sell yourself while avoiding coming across as boastful or arrogant. Try to strike a tone that’s self-assured but also appreciative. You want to convey your gratitude and respect for the scholarship, while also demonstrating why you’re the right candidate for the award. 

If the scholarship is specific to a certain college or university, it helps to weave in your excitement for the school. Talk about unique aspects of the school such as courses that interest you or faculty members you’d like to work with. Ultimately, you want to do everything you can to leave a lasting impression on your reader. 

4. Close your essay in a memorable way

It was important to grab your reader’s attention in the beginning of your essay response, now it’s time to close your essay in a memorable way! This can be done in different ways, including ending it the way you began it, asking a rhetorical question, or summarizing your previous points in one tidy paragraph. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide what format is the best to end your essay in order to leave a lasting mark on your reader. 

Closing your essay in a catchy and memorable way will allow your scholarship response to be well liked and remembered. This can help significantly increase your chances of being selected for a scholarship! Therefore, be sure to brainstorm before writing your essay in order to make sure it flows nicely and you finish your essay with a bang! Learn how to end your scholarship essay in five steps and leave a lasting impression on whoever reads it! 

Also see: How to write an essay about yourself

Remember, an effective scholarship essay answers three main questions:

Questions to consider.

• What are your goals for your college education and career? 
• What life experiences led you to arrive at these goals? 
• How will this scholarship help you unlock your goals, and why are you the right student for the award?

By answering those three questions, you can write a compelling “how will this scholarship help you achieve your goals” essay and put yourself in contention for the scholarship. Just make sure your essay is free of spelling and grammatical mistakes. It’s a good idea to have a teacher or mentor read over your essay before submitting. Good luck!

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Key Takeaways

• An effective essay response includes defining your goals, providing background context, making a case for yourself, and concluding your essay in a memorable way
• Leading with a personal story is a great way to immediately grab the attention of your reader
• It is important to highlight how the scholarship will help you personally reach your goals and succeed 
• Be sure to end your essay in a memorable way to help increase your chances of being selected for the scholarship

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You Don’t Need to Banish Parts of Yourself

Lessons from "inside out 2" on developing a flexible sense of self..

Updated July 9, 2024 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

• What Is Anxiety?
• Take our Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test
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• "Inside Out 2" provides lessons on developing a flexible sense of self
• We often get messages that we need to hold positive beliefs about ourselves.
• At the same time, we naturally develop anxious beliefs about ourselves.
• We can learn to make room for a range of beliefs, and choose to act on intention, again and again.

By Lizabeth Roemer, Ph.D., and Josh Bartok

***Spoilers for "Inside Out 2"! If you haven’t seen it and want to be surprised, put this aside until you do.***

Once again, the creators of Disney’s "Inside Out 2" and their psychologist consultants have created a nuanced view of emotions that can inform and inspire children and adults alike. The movie portrays Anxiety as an overzealous protector and hyper-caffeinated plan-maker whose energy can harm friendships and make Riley into a person she does not mean to be. Moreover, the movie offers an intervention for working with Anxiety: welcoming her, honoring her efforts, and compassionately inviting her to step back and take a seat in her special relaxing chair. In important ways, this fits with the science and wisdom about anxiety that Sue Orsillo and I have shared in The Mindful Way Through Anxiety and Worry Less, Live More . As compelling as Anxiety was, I was particularly struck by the complex presentation of beliefs about the self and the subtle message the film provided regarding the wisdom of holding a flexible, multifaceted view of ourselves.

Early in the film, Riley, like so many of us, grounds herself in the monolithic belief “I am a Good Person.” Joy works hard to help maintain this view by banishing any complex memories that counter this rigid belief so they won’t interfere with Riley’s self-definition. We can see the usefulness of this approach: Riley takes generous and kind actions partly because she believes she is a good person, and these actions further support her belief, feeding this cycle of “goodness.” However, there are costs of banishing dissonant memories: Riley has to reject, disown, and forget any parts of her life that don’t strengthen the narrative “I am a Good Person.” We all know the experience of having thoughts, feeling emotions, or taking actions that aren’t consistent with the person we aspire to be, and depending on how we respond to them, these can destabilize us and make it harder for us to act in ways that we value.

Anxiety enters the scene and begins rapidly generating conditional imagined outcomes that further destabilize Riley’s sense of self. Anxiety tells Riley to be guided by limiting beliefs like “If I’m good at hockey, I’ll have friends,” and “If I make the team, I won’t be lonely .” This gradually leads to Riley’s belief that she’s not good enough, and that her being OK conditionally depends on certain outcomes. It’s easy to see the problems with these beliefs: They suggest that Riley’s worth is dependent on circumstances that she doesn’t necessarily control. Adopting Anxiety’s worldview eventually leads Riley to have a panic attack.

However, even in these problematic beliefs, there are kernels of insight that can be helpful for Riley: For instance, she values the connections she makes when she plays hockey. This awareness could be an opening to examining what kinds of relationships she finds valuable and using that self-knowledge to guide her actions. But, from Anxiety’s protective, rigid worldviews, the only action Riley can take is to desperately and panickedly keep trying harder to make the hockey team—and to do that in ways that undermine her relationships, which are actually the thing Riley values most.

The film makes a valuable, nuanced point about this: It is not enough to replace one rigid, monolithic self-defining belief (Anxiety’s “If I make the team, I’ll have friends”) with another one (Joy’s “I am a Good Person”). Joy and the other emotions help Riley to release all of her limiting beliefs and to find a complex, dynamic, flexible sense of self that actually encompasses all of Riley’s experiences. She is a good person… and she is someone who experiences envy , or gets frustrated and sometimes hurts the people she loves and values. She is simultaneously multiple different and even conflictual things, many realities are true, and all of these parts of her can ebb and flow as she makes her way through life, embracing this flexible self (Giommi et al., 2023). Like Walt Whitman, Riley (and all of us) can affirm “I am large, I contain multitudes.”

So how can we embrace these lessons in our own lives?

Notice when self-defining beliefs arise

We all have internal dialogues that respond to thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and situations in our lives and discern what they may say about us as people. Noticing the self-definitions that arise can help us to more effectively choose how we will respond to them, rather than allowing them to buffet us around with judgments and fear of failure. One linguistic clue that a belief is limiting and self-defining is that it begins with the construction “I am….” If we can notice these thoughts and reframe them in a way that is not self-defining and limiting, we can lessen their power and move toward flexibility and freedom. For instance, rather than believing “I AM a terrible person” we can instead practice noticing “thoughts and feelings that I’m an angry, unkind person are arising right now.” This linguistic distinction may seem small, but it can be quite liberating. Try playing with it in your own life!

Recognize our own (and others’) spaciousness

When thoughts and beliefs arise, they often present in extremes: I am always unkind; I am completely selfish. When we notice these arising, we can remind ourselves that we may manifest many ways all at once, or at different times in different contexts: generous and selfish, angry and grateful , skillful and clumsy. Rather than rigidly believing the thoughts that arise embody entire defining truths about us, we can allow them to be a part of our experience, of our dynamic and multifaceted being, along with other (perhaps contradictory or complementary) thoughts and beliefs. Our “true self” includes a range of feelings and all the actions we have taken over our lives. Whatever painful experience we are in the throes of right now, it does not define us. And when other people do something that hurts us or that we disapprove of, it can be helpful to remind ourselves that this is true of them as well.

Identify what is meaningful to us

There is an important distinction between holding a rigid, defining belief about who or how we are, and identifying how we aspire to show up. We can recognize that we aspire to be kind and generous and do our best to embody those things when we can without requiring that only kind and generous thoughts arise or that we always and in all circumstances take maximally kind and generous actions. When we notice that we are rigidly holding ourselves to a certain way of being, we can instead ask ourselves if this is a way we aspire to be in our lives. This connection to what we value can help us to make choices and take actions in challenging situations that are consistent with how we would like to be and also to get back up and back on track when we have instead spoken or acted in a way that isn’t consistent with our values. Unlike maintaining a rigid self-image , aspirations (or intentions) give us an opportunity to reconnect to what matters to us again and again, no matter what else has happened.

Respond to any unwanted aspects of ourselves with kindness and care

Attempting to banish the painful memories, unwanted thoughts, or regretful actions we’ve taken is human and understandable—but it's ineffective and often counterproductive. Instead, we can recognize that all parts of us happen for good reason (i.e., we come by them “honestly”), and we can greet even our anger , desire, envy, or shame with kindness and understanding. Gently holding all parts of ourselves, we have more opportunity to choose to do what feels meaningful in any given situation, see how that goes, then adapt, respond, and continue choosing. As less-desired aspects emerge in our thoughts, words, or actions, rather than labeling them “not-me” and fighting against them, or simply turning away from them, we can observe their impact, cultivate compassion for ourselves, and make a new choice in line with our aspirations.

Instead of rigidly defining ourselves, we can flexibly observe our lives unfolding and make choices that bring us a sense of meaning and satisfaction, and acknowledge that who we “are” is always changing and expanding.

Josh Bartok is a contemplative photographer and life coach. He is the author of two children's books and several collections of inspiring quotes.

Giommi, F., Bauer, P.R., Berkovich-Ohana, A., Barendregt, H., Brown, K. W., Gallagher, S., Nyklíček, I., Ostafin, B., Raffone, A., Slagter, H.A., Trautwein, F-M, & Vago, D. R. (2023). The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience, International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 23 (4), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100381 .

Lizabeth Roemer, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she is actively involved in research and clinical training of doctoral students in clinical psychology.

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How to Write a Conclusion - Steps with Examples

I remember my college days when one of the most dreadful assignments was writing a research paper. It made me wonder if there was an easier way to help me through it. The worst part was writing the conclusion, which meant wrapping up the entire paper and finally drawing conclusions. It sounds pretty intimidating, doesn't it? How are you supposed to fit all that information into such a short space, and what else might you be missing? In this guide, I will show you how to write a conclusion so you can spare yourself from the distress of it all.

What to Include/ Not Include in a Conclusion?

Professors often stress a lot on writing a good conclusion that includes a wrap-up for your paper or essay. These are some factors you must consider to include in your conclusion:

Restate Your Thesis:

Begin by restating the main argument or thesis of your paper. This reinforces the central point you have been arguing throughout your work.

Summarize Key Points:

Provide a concise summary of the key points and findings from your paper. Highlight the most significant pieces of evidence that support your thesis.

Discuss the Implications:

Explain the broader implications of your findings. How do they contribute to the field of study? What practical applications or theoretical advancements arise from your research?

Address Limitations:

Acknowledge any limitations or weaknesses in your study. This demonstrates a critical and reflective approach to your research and provides a foundation for future work.

Suggest Future Research:

Propose areas for future research. What questions remain unanswered? What further investigations could build on your findings?

End with a Strong Closing Statement:

Conclude with a strong, impactful statement that leaves a lasting impression on your reader. This could be a call to action, a prediction, or a thought-provoking question related to your research topic.

There may also be certain things you would unknowingly add in your conclusion that would ultimately leave a bad impression on the reader. Keep these factors in mind so you may avoid when writing your conclusion for your paper:

New Information:

Avoid introducing new information or ideas that were not covered in the body of the paper. The conclusion is for synthesizing and reflecting on the information already presented.

Detailed Methodology:

Do not include detailed descriptions of your research methods. This information belongs in the methodology section of your paper.

Repetitive Summaries:

Refrain from simply reiterating points that were already made in the results or discussion sections. Instead, focus on synthesizing the information and highlighting its significance.

Speculative Statements:

Avoid idle speculation or guesswork about potential outcomes or implications that are not supported by your research findings.

Apologies or Undermining Your Work:

Do not undermine your work by apologizing for any perceived shortcomings. Present your conclusions confidently and assert the value of your research.

Excessive Length:

Keep the conclusion concise and to the point. Long, drawn-out conclusions can dilute the impact of your final statements.

To put things into perspective, here's what a good and bad conclusion example look like:

Good Example:

Bad Example:

Types of Conclusion

Summarizing conclusion:.

This type is the most common and involves summarizing the main points of the research, reiterating the research question, and restating the significance of the findings.

It is broadly used across different disciplines.

Example: If a study investigated the impact of social media on adolescents' mental health, a summarizing conclusion would reiterate key findings, such as the association between high social media use and increased anxiety and depression levels among adolescents, and emphasize the importance of these findings for developing effective interventions.

Editorial Conclusion:

This type is used less frequently and is suited for research papers that advocate for a particular viewpoint or policy. It presents a strong editorial opinion based on the research findings and offers recommendations or calls to action.

It is suitable for papers focusing on policy recommendations or advocating a specific viewpoint.

Example: For a study on the environmental impact of plastic waste, an editorial conclusion might call for a comprehensive ban on single-use plastics and increased recycling initiatives, urging governments, businesses, and individuals to take immediate action to protect the environment.

Externalizing Conclusion:

This type extends the research beyond the scope of the paper by suggesting future research directions or discussing broader implications of the findings. It is often used in theoretical or exploratory research papers.

It is Ideal for theoretical or exploratory studies.

Example: In a study exploring AI applications in healthcare, an externalizing conclusion might suggest future research into the ethical, legal, and social implications of AI in healthcare and emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to harness AI's potential while addressing its challenges.

How to Write a Conclusion in 4 Steps [With Examples]

Writing a conclusion may seem a bit tricky, but once you fully understand the essence of what goes into a conclusion, it will become much easier. To demonstrate how to write a conclusion, I will be using WPS Office , a tool designed to be convenient for students, thanks to its easy-to-use interface and free features. You can also utilize WPS AI, as I am in these simple 4 steps, to make the entire process smoother for yourself.

Step 1: Restate The Thesis Statement

Start your conclusion by restating the thesis statement of your research paper. This reminds the reader of the main focus and purpose of your study.

Example: If your thesis statement is "This study investigates the impact of social media on adolescents' mental health, revealing a significant association between high social media usage and increased levels of anxiety and depression.", you can use WPS AI to help improve and rewrite your thesis statement.

Here's how WPS AI can assist you with your thesis statement.

Write your thesis statement in WPS Writer and select the entire text using your mouse.

After selecting the text, a small hover menu will appear. Click on the "WPS AI" icon in this menu.

This will open a list of AI assistance options you can choose from. To ask WPS AI to improve your thesis statement, click on "Improve Writing".

WPS AI will process and return an improved thesis statement. If you don’t like the improved version, click on "Rewrite", or click on "Accept" to replace your text with the improved version.

Step 2: Review Main Supporting Points

Next, we need to summarize the key points of our research. When summarizing the key findings of your research, it’s important to highlight the most significant results and their implications.

Example: Let's say that from our research the most important findings were:

The study found that high social media usage negatively affects adolescents' self-esteem due to constant exposure to idealized images and lifestyles.

Excessive use of social media, particularly before bedtime, was linked to disrupted sleep patterns and insufficient rest, contributing to mental health issues.

Despite being a tool for connection, high social media usage can lead to feelings of loneliness and social isolation as face-to-face interactions decrease.

Here's how WPS AI can assist you summarize the key points of your research for your conclusion.

Let's switch to WPS Office again, and this time let's select the key points that we have written down from our research.

Click on the WPS AI icon from the hover menu to open the list of options you can choose from.

From the list, let's click on "Summarize" to shorten and summarize the key points from our research.

You can now choose to either accept or ask WPS AI to rewrite this summary of key points again.

Step 3: Show Why It Matters

Now that you have laid out all the findings from your paper and WPS AI has effectively summarized them, you can further prompt it to broaden the implications of your findings and follow up with real-world problems.

To get real-world insights using WPS AI, follow these steps:

Click on the WPS AI widget at the top right corner of the WPS Writer interface.

The WPS AI pane will open on the right. Here, simply type in your prompt. Here is an example of a prompt:

"Explain the significance of high social media usage leading to increased anxiety and depression in adolescents, and discuss potential real-world problems and solutions."

WPS AI will display the results, which can now be a part of your summary or can be further summarized or improved with the help of WPS AI.

Step 4: Offer Meaningful Insights

Lastly, provide some final thoughts or insights that will leave a lasting impression on your reader. This can include suggestions for future research, practical applications of your findings, or a call to action based on your conclusions.

Example: Here is an example of how Meaningful Insights can be presented:

Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of social media usage on adolescent mental health and to identify effective interventions.

Developing and promoting apps that encourage healthy social media use and provide mental health support could mitigate the negative effects identified in the study.

Stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, and parents, should collaborate to create environments that foster healthy digital habits and support adolescents' mental health.

Now, with the help of WPS AI, these points can simply be summarized to get more concise and structured Meaningful Insights for our conclusion.

Bonus Tips: How to Polish your Conclusion with WPS AI

Writing a strong conclusion for your research paper is crucial, and WPS Office is designed to be exceptionally student-friendly. It offers accessible options and advanced features for free, making it an excellent tool for students. One of the standout features is WPS AI, which integrates AI into its writing and proofreading abilities.

Draft Generation: WPS AI can assist you in writing a conclusion by generating an initial draft. This draft serves as a solid foundation, ensuring that all essential elements are included and properly structured.

Grammar and Style Check: WPS AI can identify grammar errors, awkward phrasing, and inconsistencies in your conclusion paragraph. This ensures that your writing is polished and professional.

Sentence Structure Enhancement: The AI can suggest improvements to sentence structures, helping you to vary sentence lengths and styles for better readability and flow. This makes your conclusion more engaging and easier to read.

Vocabulary Enhancement: WPS AI offers synonyms and alternative word choices to enhance the vocabulary in your conclusion, making your writing more sophisticated and engaging.

Clarity and Conciseness: WPS AI can help you refine your conclusion to ensure it effectively summarizes your main points without unnecessary repetition or tangents. This keeps your conclusion focused and impactful.

Refinement and Customization: Once WPS AI has generated the draft, you can refine and personalize it to align with your research and style. This step allows you to inject your voice and insights into the conclusion, making it uniquely yours.

Polishing and Proofreading: After refining the draft, you can use WPS AI to polish the conclusion further. WPS AI's advanced proofreading capabilities ensure that your conclusion is not only coherent and concise but also free of grammatical errors and stylistic inconsistencies.

ByIncorporating WPS AI into your writing routine you can significantly improve your efficiency and the overall quality of your academic work. You can streamline the process of writing your research paper conclusion, saving time and effort while ensuring a high-quality result. Whether you’re summarizing key findings, making policy recommendations, or suggesting future research directions, WPS AI helps you create a compelling and impactful conclusion.

So we have seen how WPS AI can help us write more effective and accurate conclusions, but is this all the help it offers? Absolutely not! With the help of WPS AI, you can further improve your conclusion by making it more fluent and easier to read.

Furthermore, WPS AI is not just a writing tool; it also offers AI spell check features, which can help students proofread their work according to their academic style such as APA, MLA, or Chicago style.

WPS Office has a lot to offer and is a perfect tool for students who need help writing not just effective conclusions but also effective research papers. So if you are stuck with a conclusion or a research paper, consider turning to WPS AI for help.

FAQs about writing a conclusion for paper/ essay

1. how long should a conclusion be.

A well-constructed conclusion typically constitutes approximately 10% of your document's total word count. For instance, in a 1,500-word paper, aim for a conclusion of about 150 words. This provides sufficient space to summarize key points and offer a final overview of the main ideas discussed.

2. How can I make my Conclusion impactful?

Here are some effective strategies for creating an impactful conclusion:

Utilize compelling language to engage the reader effectively.

Ensure the conclusion remains clear and concise, omitting insignificant specifics.

Conclude with a stimulating statement, a call to action, or a reflection on the broader implications of your research findings to make a lasting impact.

3. How do I avoid simply repeating what I've already said in the Conclusion?

To avoid repeating yourself in your conclusion, focus on cohesively summarizing your main ideas rather than reiterating them. Additionally, consider exploring the wider impact of your arguments or suggesting directions for future research on your topic. This approach ensures your conclusion provides fresh perspectives and maintains reader interest.

Perfect Your Conclusion With WPS Office

Your research paper is not complete without a strong conclusion. The person who reads your paper should feel like they have taken away significant key insights from your work. Writing an effective conclusion can sometimes be challenging, but WPS Office, with its AI capabilities, can assist you in helping you with how to write a conclusion to perfection. Incorporate WPS AI into your writing routine to significantly improve your efficiency and the overall quality of your academic work. Try WPS Office today and experience the benefits of AI-assisted writing firsthand.

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Essay Papers Writing Online

Mastering the art of crafting an impressive and engaging personal essay – a comprehensive guide to writing about yourself.

When it comes to captivating your readers and conveying your unique personal story, the art of self-presentation is crucial. Being able to write a persuasive essay about your own experiences can not only showcase your personality and individuality but also leave a lasting impression on your audience. In order to achieve such an impact, it’s important to employ certain strategies that will make your narrative stand apart from the rest.

1. Authenticity is the key. The first and foremost aspect of writing a persuasive essay about oneself is to be authentic. This means genuinely sharing your thoughts, emotions, and experiences, without trying to create a false image of yourself. By being honest and real, you create a connection with your readers and allow them to see the genuine depth of your character.

2. Craft a compelling story. A persuasive essay should be more than a simple recounting of events. It should have a narrative structure that engages the reader and keeps them hooked from the beginning till the end. To accomplish this, it’s important to pay attention to the flow of your essay, making sure to include all the necessary elements such as an engaging introduction, a well-developed plot, and a satisfying conclusion.

3. Utilize vivid language and imagery. Words have the power to paint a picture in the reader’s mind, to evoke emotions, and to bring your story to life. When writing a persuasive essay about yourself, make use of vivid language and imagery that will captivate the reader’s imagination. By creating a sensory experience through your words, you can effectively transport your audience into your world, and make your narrative more compelling.

Captivate the reader with a strong opening

Begin your persuasive essay about yourself with a captivating introduction that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. A strong opening sets the tone for the rest of the essay and generates interest in what you have to say. It should leave the reader wanting to continue reading and learn more about you.

One effective way to captivate the reader is by starting with a compelling anecdote or personal story. By sharing a relatable experience or a significant moment from your life, you can instantly connect with the reader on an emotional level. This will not only pique their curiosity but also make them more invested in your story.

Another approach is to begin with a thought-provoking question or a powerful statement. This immediately engages the reader’s mind and encourages them to reflect on the topic you are discussing. It can create a sense of intrigue and make them eager to explore your argument further.

In addition to using captivating language, consider incorporating rhetorical devices such as strong imagery, vivid descriptions, or a compelling quote. These elements add depth and complexity to your opening, making it more memorable and impactful.

Remember to keep your opening concise yet impactful. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy explanations that may detract from the main point. Instead, focus on creating a hook that grabs the reader’s attention and compels them to read on.

By captivating the reader with a strong opening, you set the stage for a persuasive essay about yourself that is engaging, compelling, and memorable. It establishes your unique voice and perspective, making your story stand out and leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Highlight your strengths and achievements

When it comes to writing a persuasive essay about yourself, it is essential to showcase your strengths and achievements in a compelling manner. This section will provide valuable insights into how you can effectively highlight the qualities that make you unique and the accomplishments that set you apart.

Overall, highlighting your strengths and achievements in a persuasive essay about yourself is crucial for making a lasting impression. By showcasing your unique qualities and notable accomplishments, you can effectively demonstrate your potential, credibility, and ability to succeed in any endeavor.

Use vivid language and storytelling techniques

Express yourself using compelling language and creative storytelling techniques in order to make your essay about yourself more engaging and memorable. When writing persuasively about yourself, it is crucial to captivate your readers and leave a lasting impression. By utilizing descriptive words, vibrant imagery, and well-crafted narratives, you can effectively convey your experiences, emotions, and personal qualities.

One way to enhance the impact of your writing is by using vivid language. Instead of simply stating facts or describing events in a straightforward manner, focus on incorporating specific details and colorful adjectives that paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. For example, instead of saying “I won a competition,” you could say “I triumphed in a fiercely contested competition, emerging victorious amidst a sea of talented contenders.”

In addition to using vivid language, incorporating storytelling techniques can help bring your essay to life. Share personal anecdotes, moments of triumph or adversity, and experiences that have shaped you as an individual. By crafting a compelling narrative, you can create an emotional connection with your readers and make your essay more persuasive. Engage the reader’s senses by describing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures to make them feel as if they are experiencing your story themselves.

Furthermore, consider using storytelling devices such as foreshadowing, flashback, or suspense to keep your readers engaged and eager to learn more. Build anticipation by foreshadowing future events or revelations in your story, creating a sense of intrigue. Utilize flashback to provide background information or to highlight significant moments from your past that have influenced your present. Employ suspense by crafting suspenseful cliffhangers, leaving your readers wanting more and eagerly turning the page.

Remember, the goal is not only to inform your readers about yourself but also to persuade them to see you in a certain light. By using vivid language and storytelling techniques, you can leave a lasting impression and make a convincing case for why you are unique, talented, or deserving of a certain opportunity. So, let your words come alive, and transport your readers into your world through the power of storytelling.

Support your claims with evidence and examples

One of the most effective ways to convince others is to support your claims with evidence and examples. When writing a persuasive essay about yourself, it is important to back up your statements with facts, statistics, and real-life examples that illustrate your points.

By providing evidence, you can establish credibility and make your argument more compelling. Whether you are discussing your achievements, skills, or personal qualities, it is crucial to demonstrate your claims with concrete proof.

Consider using data or research findings to support your arguments. For example, if you are claiming to be a strong leader, you can cite specific instances where you successfully led a team or organization. You could also include statistics or survey results that show the positive impact of your leadership abilities.

In addition to using evidence, it is important to provide examples that demonstrate your claims. Personal anecdotes or stories can help to illustrate your strengths and experiences. By sharing specific instances from your life, you can make your essay more relatable and memorable.

Furthermore, using examples allows you to showcase your skills and talents in a tangible way. If you are claiming to be a creative thinker, for instance, you can describe an innovative project you completed or a problem you successfully solved through your unique approach. By providing specific examples, you give your readers a clear picture of your abilities.

In conclusion, supporting your claims with evidence and examples is crucial when writing a persuasive essay about yourself. By providing factual information and real-life illustrations, you can strengthen your arguments and make a more convincing case. Remember to use credible sources, personal experiences, and specific examples to make your essay more compelling and persuasive.

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