How to Write an Essay about Yourself for College
Knowing how to write an essay about yourself for college is very important because this is most probably the first essay that you will write in relation to your college studies. An essay about yourself for college can be defined as an essay that you write to present personal feelings and thoughts in college. This is a common essay at college level and it can be a requirement for college application or admission. When writing an essay about yourself for college admission, you should tell the college admission board officers what makes you more than a set of test scores and grades.
You need to know how to write an essay about yourself for college to qualify for admission
Since a personal essay is a requirement for most college admissions, it is important that you know how to package and present yourself to the college admission board to merit admission. This essay allows you an opportunity to give the college admission board the best first impression possible. It gives you a chance to demonstrate to the admission board how fit you are for the college that you are applying for.
Colleges are striving to ensure a dynamic population of their students. Writing a great personal essay will enable you to turn the competition for admission in your favor when the admission decides not to concentrate on high school achievements.
How to write an essay about yourself for college step by step
- Read and understand the essay prompt
You can write a good essay about yourself only when you know what you are expected to include in the essay. In most cases, personal essay assignments for college have guidelines that students are required to follow while writing essays. For instance, apart from your academic achievements, an assignment for an essay about yourself may require you to expound on your interest in community service. If you do not understand what such an essay assignment requires you to do, you might concentrate on yourself only and fail to address the aspect of personal interest in community service. Thus, you will end up not addressing your essay prompt properly or fully.
- Start with a strong introduction
Since you are writing an essay about yourself, there are many things that you can tell your readers. However, it is important that you determine which approach is the best for starting your essay. For instance, you can start your essay with an anecdote. This is one of the best ways of starting a personal essay for college admission. Remember that admission officers will most probably spend a little time reviewing the stories that are presented by different applicants. A good anecdote can be pivotal in engaging the officers from the beginning of your essay. Instead of striving to develop a catchy, gimmicky first line, start with an anecdote that enables you to share your experience with the readers. This will enable you to grab the attention of the readers naturally and involve them. Strive to use the introduction to reveal your character and personality to the reader.
- Narrow the topic of your personal essay
Instead of telling readers about your life in general, select a topic and give readers details of yourself through that topic. Avoid general topics because these are common to almost everyone. Instead, choose a topic that you find unique, interesting and captivating to provide a description of your personality and life to your readers.
- Select the right details and include them in the essay
The details that you include in your personal essay should be determined by the instructions or guidelines provided by the instructor or the college that you are applying for. Choose specific details that suit the topic of your essay. Make sure that you present yourself as a unique applicant by providing vital and relevant details. However, make sure that what you include in your essay is what is important to you and not to the readers. At this step of a guide on how to write an essay about yourself for college, you need to ask yourself this question; if I am allowed a 10 minutes opportunity, what would I say? Remember that in most cases, college admission boards look for quality and authenticity of thoughts.
Theoretically, you can choose any topic but what determines the success of your personal essay is how you demonstrate your thinking, logic and the ability to hold the attention of your readers.
- Keep your essay focused
While writing an essay about yourself, have the prompt and the topic that you choose in mind. These should be the pillars that give your essay a focus. For instance, you can choose a topic on how you overcame an obstacle in your childhood and how that experience changed your life. You can also include different themes in your essay such as life lessons, failures, and successes. If you are writing an essay on a topic that requires you to include different themes, avoid jumping between themes and events. Maintain a clear focus by addressing each theme at a time. However, make sure that your ideas in the essay are connected logically.
- Be yourself
Since you are writing an essay about yourself, trying to be someone else will ruin your essay completely. Do not rough up your background just because disadvantaged students make college admission officers nod. A personal essay for college is more about framing and what you say. A good essay is interesting regardless of the chosen topic. Your essay will give the admission officers a glimpse into the way your mind operates and the way you perceive the world. If you never experienced something that made you feel like the earth wash shattering, do not pretend to have had such an experience. Doing so will give your essay disingenuous and forced insights.
- Format your essay properly
A personal essay should have the format of a basic essay. It should have an introduction, the body and the conclusion.
- The introduction
The introduction should be solid. It should capture readers’ attention with interesting facts about your personality. It should be brief but with information that compels readers to continue reading.
- The body
Once the introduction has laid a ground for the essay, focus on the themes or events that you want to present to your readers in the body of your essay. Make sure that the body addresses the issues that the essay prompt asks you to address. Ensure that the organization and flow of ideas, thoughts and information maintains a logical focus in the body.
- Conclusion
Conclude you personal essay with a strong conclusion. The conclusion should present the major themes of your personal essay. Avoid ending your essay abruptly since doing so will leave your readers hanging. Make sure that your essay is wrapped up consciously and at the appropriate time. To do this, summarize your major points briefly and recap the information that you shared with readers. Tie up everything that you addressed in your essay with your conclusion.
Hints and reminders on how to write an essay about yourself for college
- Avoid over-focusing on yourself
Although you are writing an essay about yourself, you should show your connection with the universe. Tell readers about the deeper meanings, larger themes and truths that are beyond the surface details that characterize your personality.
- Keep your essay organized
If you are writing an essay about yourself for college admission, bear in mind that the admission board will be very keen on the organization aspect of your essay. Depict clear organization in your essay. In every step especially when writing the body, avoid leaving your readers hanging or guessing what to expect next. Instead, make sure that readers are guided by the flow of ideas and thoughts throughout the essay. Use proper transitions throughout the essay.
- Have a unique style and voice
The style and voice of the essay that you write are determined by your choice of words. Even the sentence structure and tone will influence your style and voice. It is important that you come up with a style and voice that match the purpose of your essay. For instance, when writing an essay about yourself for college application, use an academic style. After reading such an essay, readers should feel that your essay is different from a personal essay that is written and published on a blog.
- Use good sample of a personal essay
Before you start writing your personal essay, preview a good sample of an essay about yourself. This will enable you to master the steps of a guide on how to write an essay about yourself for college as highlighted in this section. Click here for a sample of an essay about yourself.
Get professional help with an essay about yourself for college now
If you face challenges while trying to write an essay about yourself, talk to us for immediate assistance. You can also visit our homepage for additional information regarding our writing services. Alternatively, continue browsing our blog and reading for more guidelines and tips on how to write an essay about yourself for college.
Sources
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/personal.htm
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/write-essay-myself-applying-college-5726.html
http://college.usatoday.com/2014/10/23/9-essay-writing-tips-to-wow-college-admissions-officers/
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-About-Yourself
https://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays-that-worked/