How to Start an Essay About Yourself?

Lacking the knowledge on how to write a college essay about yourself is a much more serious flaw than most students naively think. This seemingly simple and trivial type of essay has far-going implications for our academic success and the success of our future career aspirations. 

A masterfully crafted essay about yourself has the power to open any college doors in front of you and win the grants and scholarships of your dream. Whereas, when you start making the first moves on your career path, sound self-presentation writing skills will immediately place you ahead of thousands of other young specialists.

Take a moment to follow our complete step-by-step guide on how to start a college essay about yourself. Get yourself updated on the strategies for writing this important essay piece.

Step 1: How to Write an Essay About Yourself – Preparing to Write

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable writing this type of essay at first, staring at an empty sheet of paper for too long, but we know a few tricks that will help you get started.

Foremost, you need a good plan. There are things about yourself that are worth telling and things that are better left untold. We recommend you start by outlining a rough sketch of what to include in your essay based on the target audience and your writing topic.     

Selecting a Topic to Write About Yourself

You cannot just reveal everything about yourself and your experiences; you need to follow a clear topic. The topic of your essay is a beacon that guides your writing, which has to be aligned with your purpose. 

Let’s say, if you’re applying for a scholarship, you may benefit from writing about your academic achievements and your definition of success, and linking them to the scholarship program you are applying to. For example, consider calling your essay “My Understanding of Success: How Does Success Look Like in 5 Years of Studying Under Your Program”. 

The Dos and Don’ts of the Preparatory Step

Step 2: How to Introduce Yourself in a College Essay About Yourself

The biggest mistake all newbies make is rushing into presenting themselves in the first introductory lines. “What can be easier than writing about myself?”, one may think. The fact that you know yourself better than anybody else, doesn’t mean you know how to present yourself effectively. For several reasons, this may turn out to be the most difficult writing exercise you’ve ever done!

Things to Say About Yourself in an Essay

The choice you make on what to say about yourself will define your ultimate success. This is not an exaggeration! It’s not likely that your readers will appreciate hearing about your weaknesses, fears, bragging, and constraints that you struggle to overcome. Instead, depending on your writing goals, you will benefit by showing:

• How motivated you are
• Your integrity
• Achievements in education
• The difficulties you’ve overcome
• Professional goals for the future
• Social connections that enrich and inspire you
• Relevant hobbies  

The Dos and Don’ts in Introducing Yourself

To sum up, here are the bad and the good things to write about yourself:

Step 3: The Main Body of Essay About Yourself for College

The main body is the central part of your essay where you need to include all the things you want to share about yourself, your goals, stories or episodes from your life, experiences, and motivation. Making this part always comes easier if you’ve prepared well according to step #1 of this guide, i.e., make yourself a plan. Otherwise, writing a paragraph about yourself will become an improvisation, and the content’s value and writing time management will suffer.

How to talk about yourself in an essay

Several writing tactics will allow you to make a perfect impression while writing the main body paragraphs of your essay.

• Above everything else, remember to be honest about yourself, as honesty is a powerful persuasion weapon;
• Use the first person, since this is the only proper (most effective) form of expression when learning how to describe yourself in an essay;
• Be optimistic, as nobody likes to see pessimism and hesitation;
• Choose a specific theme – an aspect from your life, a compelling story to tell;
• Maintain an academic language and professional tone;
• Demonstrate growth and development to show your problem-solving potential, and the ability to learn quickly.

 The Dos and Don’ts of the Main Body

Step 4: How to End an Essay About Yourself

The main rule is to emit optimism and hope to leave a positive impression. Whatever challenges and difficulties you’ve described in the main body, in conclusion, you need to emphasize that overcoming those hardships has made you stronger and better.

Of course, the space in the conclusion is extremely limited, and you cannot say everything you want. Prioritizing and selecting the single most important lesson learned is the key.

Strategies to help you end your essay effectively

1. Say about our plans for the future, and connect them to your academic institution or the place you are applying to;
2. Connect back to the introductory part – reemphasize what you stated in your thesis;
3. Include a call to action – calling your readers to favor your candidacy over others is a good conclusive strategy;
4. Leave a powerful and lasting impression – appeal to the emotions of your readers;
5. Sustain an optimistic tone of voice;
6. Offer an outlook into the future of an academic institution – say how you see its development and progress.  

These are some of the best strategies on how to conclude an essay about yourself. You are welcome to go beyond this list and add something personal, though, refrain from mentioning certain things (don’ts).

The Dos and Don’ts of the Conclusion

Final Thoughts

It may not be easy at first to keep all this information in your head while writing, and even harder to implement. However, with a little practice and experience, you’ll gain confidence and very soon starting an essay about yourself will become your favorite part. Also, don’t be afraid to spend more time on planning and preparation, as a good start to an essay is the strongest prerequisite to success.