Let's imagine you need to write a personal essay. What is it, and why do you need to spend time on it? Well, such an essay is necessary for your college admission or when applying for a job. In addition, a paper like this can be a part of your scholarship program. A personal essay is best defined as a paper that helps you indicate your emotions, experiences, ambitions, and motivation. Think of it as something like your emotional repeater.
The Classic Personal Essay Format
Before you start looking for your topic and other aspects, you should understand that this paper is very similar to a classic essay. This means that you will have 5-6 paragraphs to represent all of your statements. Here's an example of the classic format.
- intro;
- body paragraphs (1-3);
- conclusion.
You should stick to this example to write your personal essay outline, draw up the theses and arguments for your judgments. But do not deviate from the general format since the main point of a personal essay is contained in providing a detailed description of your emotions. For example, associated with a certain act or event.
How to Write a Good Personal Essay?
Make Preparations
First of all, you don't need to rush. What do you want to write about, and what are your goals? Decide on your plans and start by preparing the data. You may need some time to choose an event, occasion, or news that has become an important emotional trigger for you.
Choose Your Topic
How to write a personal essay and get a high grade? It all depends on your skills and ability to reveal any topic. However, you should start by choosing a niche for your paper. Perhaps you have a friend or close person who influenced your worldview. Write about what profession is important to you or how you learn from past mistakes. You may want to express a personal point of view about recent events in the world or your life.
Make an Outline for Personal Statement
Your outline is a kind of skeleton that holds your every thesis or statement. Think about what aspects you are going to describe in each paragraph. Take multiple notes or create 2-3 sentences for each part of your essay. Then it will be easier for you to maneuver between your thoughts.
Consider Your Tone
This aspect is also important for your paper. What if you're going to write a personal perspective essay? Then you should focus on those aspects that will be relevant to you in the future. For example, if you are going to describe past events, then your tone will be different. Consider such small details to make your paper look great.
Write the Intro
Brevity is the soul of wit. This is why you only need one paragraph to make your introduction memorable. Instead, use a quote or important fact that will highlight the value of your paper. There are many options to help your paper look great. Here are some quotes as an example.
- Bill Gates once said, "Life without digital technology will never be the same again. The Internet space is the oxygen that billions of people breathe." I was amazed at this statement, as social media has become a kind of addiction for people.
- Julius Caesar once said, "A conqueror is the one who was able to deal with his fears and turn them into weapons against his enemies." I was amazed at this statement as I was convinced of the truthfulness of his words in practice.
Use examples like this, and you no longer have to ask questions like, "How to begin a personal essay?" But don't mindlessly copy quotes. Instead, remember that your goal is to use a kind of hook and springboard for your essay.
Write the Body
Now it's time for the main paragraphs. Here you need to reveal the essence of your topic while adhering to the original theses and chronological order. You can even use examples to better convey the emotion, knowledge, or experience you received at a particular point in time. Every sound, step, or visual image can complement every paragraph. Feel free to use examples.
- "When I emerged from the water and saw the wreckage of our boat, I realized how fleeting life is and how careless I was when I started traveling along the river without first analyzing the terrain and looking for pitfalls."
- "Having climbed Everest, I realized how short human life is and how important the moments of overcoming my fears and self-doubt are. Now every minute of my life I will appreciate those who are near and strive to see every aspect of the beauty of this world."
Don't be afraid to express your emotions, fears, goals, and ambitions. Writing a personal essay is like confessing in a church. Imagine that your brain is a waterfall of memories and emotions. Take some knowledge and share it, thanks to your essay. But you should understand that it is not the experience itself or a certain action that is important, but those emotions and thoughts that arose in your consciousness due to some event.
Write the Conclusion
On the one hand, this is a fairly simple part of your paper. All you need is a logical conclusion to your story. Summarize and describe how an event affected you and what lessons you learned. But even if you still don't understand how to write a personal essay conclusion, you don't need to panic. For example, let's say you are writing about some event that gave you courage.
Write something like, "That incident gave me confidence in my abilities and the understanding that only my motivation and self-control will help me stand out from the crowd." There are many other options so that you can experiment. Don't be afraid that your emotions will be too personal. Most likely, your professor will give you the ability to describe any event.
How to Start a Personal Essay: Five Crucial Tips for Any Freshmen
1. Make Your Intro Memorable
Many students often ask a question like, "How to start a personal essay introduction?" Fortunately, this is a very simple question, and you don't have to spend time trying to figure out the answer. Personal experience is the best thing you can write about in the first sentences. Of course, now you know you need a hook, a quote, or an interesting fact to compliment your thesis. But try to be honest.
2. Be Specific
Don't forget that you shouldn't write about your emotions, ambitions, or fears in general. Instead, you should concentrate on some special moment or event that radically changed your life or influenced your worldview. For example, let's say your father said some phrases that motivated you to go to college or connect your life with a certain profession. What if your mother instilled in you a feeling of compassion and love for others through a kind act or an expression of love? This is what works great for your essay. Describe a particular moment and its impact on you and your worldview.
3. Do Not Try to Impose Your Point of View on Anyone
How to write a personal experience essay? First, you must touch upon aspects that only concern you or certain people. Your job is to describe how this has affected your life. For example, let's say you started swimming in the lake in winter to train your immune system. Even if such an extreme act helped you strengthen your immunity, you should not impose your point of view on anyone. Keep this simple tip in mind. Otherwise, you will look biased.
4. Find Good Paper Samples
If you are a freshman, then you hardly have much experience. This is why you should use the Internet to search for personal essay samples. Most likely, you will find a few papers that are at least partially similar to your assignment. Read the examples several times, and you should be able to get started. But remember that you should not copy sentences or follow the sample structure. These papers are just an example, and you should write about your emotions and experiences.
5. Proofread Your Assignment
There is nothing worse than spending a few days on an essay and not taking 30 minutes to check and reread every sentence. Laziness is the main enemy of every student. Even if you can write perfectly and stick to the general structure, you should take a little time to improve your grammar and spelling. Any paper issues can disappear if you sit back and reread each paragraph.
Need to improve your chances of getting high grades? You can even ask someone to read your paper or address a reliable essay proofreading service to point out possible inaccuracies. What if you forgot about transition words and your paragraphs don't have a smooth transition between theses? Then you can easily fix it. All these tips will help you avoid common mistakes and follow the only safe path. Don't forget that self-confidence and haste are your main enemies. Take your time, and you will be able to write a great paper.