Write An Engaging Essay About Yourself In Seven Easy Steps

It is likely that you will be asked to write an essay about yourself at several different points during your academic and professional life, so we have produced this post to help you create an essay that is truly interesting the first time. All you need to do is plan carefully and follow these seven steps, and you will be impressing your readers in no time!

1. 1. Think about what message your essay needs to convey

One issue that tends to trip people up is knowing which aspects of their life they should be talking about. Avoid telling your life story from start to end and think about what the message of the paper should be. For example, if you are trying to gain access to an academic course, think about which of your positive traits and life experiences make you look like a suitable candidate.

2. 2. Stick to a theme throughout your paper

Your essay will be much more interesting to read if it follows a specific theme throughout. Not only will you hold your audience’s attention, but also stay focused on what you are writing about. Choose a story or personality trait that is characteristic of the objective you are trying to reach, then base your piece of writing around that theme.

3. 3. Write about specific examples

You will want to show your reader what type of person you are to make sure they get a true idea of your character. In order to do this, include lots of true anecdotes and events that have actually happened, as this will help to highlight your personality. Try to avoid clichés and filling out your essay with generalized ideas or theories that don’t add any real substance to your paper; your reader will want to gain information about you as quickly as possible, so leave out anything that isn’t performing this function.

4. 4. Don’t follow a chronological order

As opposed to guiding your audience through your life stage by stage, focus on the main events and base your essay around these in whichever order seems most appropriate. You are not writing an autobiography, so the reader will not need to know how your whole life has panned out. You can even move backwards and forwards between the main events if they help to explain your point.

5. 5. Don’t include unnecessary statistics

The inclusion of statistics that don’t strengthen the point of your essay will only serve to bore your reader. Obviously, if the data is useful to the point you are making, such as test scores or other qualifications, they should be added in as a type of evidence that backs up what you are writing about.

6. 6. Avoid going off on a tangent as much as possible

In comparison to some types of essays, assignments about yourself can actually be quite easy to write in terms of motivation and resources. The only problem might be that you end up getting carried away and get so involved as a story-teller that you forget to stick to your plan! Make sure you have decided exactly which information to include and set limitations in terms of how many additional details will be added.

7. 7. Refer back to your theme in your conclusion

At the end of your essay, make sure that you round off your ideas linking them back to your original theme. The theme should be present throughout the essay and then brought back to your introductory paragraph in a circular fashion.

You should keep referring back to these seven tips as you plan and write your essay, as they will keep you on track and make sure your paper fulfills its aims. All you will need to do after that is read through it and check for any errors you may have missed. Good luck!