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How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples
Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.
An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn’t just be a resume of your experiences; colleges are looking for a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.
To write about your achievements and qualities without sounding arrogant, use specific stories to illustrate them. You can also write about challenges you’ve faced or mistakes you’ve made to show vulnerability and personal growth.
Table of contents
Start with self-reflection, how to write about challenges and mistakes, how to write about your achievements and qualities, how to write about a cliché experience, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.
Before you start writing, spend some time reflecting to identify your values and qualities. You should do a comprehensive brainstorming session, but here are a few questions to get you started:
- 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 the top five things you are thankful for?
- What has inspired your hobbies or future goals?
- What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?
As you self-reflect, consider how your values and goals reflect your prospective university’s program and culture, and brainstorm stories that demonstrate the fit between the two.
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Writing about difficult experiences can be an effective way to show authenticity and create an emotional connection to the reader, but choose carefully which details to share, and aim to demonstrate how the experience helped you learn and grow.
Be vulnerable
It’s not necessary to have a tragic story or a huge confession. But you should openly share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Even a cliché or mundane topic can be made interesting with honest reflection. This honesty is a preface to self-reflection and insight in the essay’s conclusion.
Don’t overshare
With difficult topics, you shouldn’t focus too much on negative aspects. Instead, use your challenging circumstances as a brief introduction to how you responded positively.
Share what you have learned
It’s okay to include your failure or mistakes in your essay if you include a lesson learned. After telling a descriptive, honest story, you should explain what you learned and how you applied it to your life.
While it’s good to sell your strengths, you also don’t want to come across as arrogant. Instead of just stating your extracurricular activities, achievements, or personal qualities, aim to discreetly incorporate them into your story.
Brag indirectly
Mention your extracurricular activities or awards in passing, not outright, to avoid sounding like you’re bragging from a resume.
Use stories to prove your qualities
Even if you don’t have any impressive academic achievements or extracurriculars, you can still demonstrate your academic or personal character. But you should use personal examples to provide proof. In other words, show evidence of your character instead of just telling.
Many high school students write about common topics such as sports, volunteer work, or their family. Your essay topic doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but do try to include unexpected personal details and your authentic voice to make your essay stand out .
To find an original angle, try these techniques:
- Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses.
- Mention objects that have special significance to you.
- Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight.
Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality. When read out loud, the essay should sound like you are talking.
If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Academic writing
- Writing process
- Transition words
- Passive voice
- Paraphrasing
Communication
- How to end an email
- Ms, mrs, miss
- How to start an email
- I hope this email finds you well
- Hope you are doing well
Parts of speech
- Personal pronouns
- Conjunctions
First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:
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.
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.
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.
Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.
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Courault, K. (2023, May 31). How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/write-about-yourself/
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Home — Essay Samples — Education — College — Similarities Between High School and College
Similarities Between High School and College
- Categories: College High School
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Words: 757 |
Published: Sep 12, 2023
Words: 757 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read
Table of contents
Education as a common goal, grading systems and academic evaluation, teaching methods and educational techniques, social aspects of high school and college, the transition to adulthood.
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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what are some similarities between high school and college life.
Hey everyone, I'm a junior and starting to think more about the transition from high school to college. Can anyone share their experiences or insights on how college might be similar to high school? Curious about class structures, social life, independence, etc. Thanks!
Hey there! Happy to share what my kid has told me about their college experience so far. One big similarity between high school and college is the class structure, in the sense that you still have a schedule with classes spread throughout the week. Also, social life can be quite similar, with clubs and organizations to join, just like in high school - but with even more variety and opportunities to meet folks from diverse backgrounds. As for independence, that's where things change a bit—it's a lot more in college. You have a lot more unstructured time, and are responsible for your time management, meals, and balancing work and play without as much oversight from others. It’s a transition for sure, but also an exciting step towards greater self-reliance. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions as you get closer to making the jump to college!
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Similarities in all stage of my self (elementary ,highschool to college) - 10782124. ... Middle school and high school were not all excellent, as I got some failures when I was in grade 8 due to socializing and having girlfriends. And it took me until grade 10 to 11, to bring up my studies and grades in the single subjects overall, by following ...
Similarities in all stages of my "self" Differences in my "self" across the three stages of my life. Possible reasons for the differences in me. Application and Assessment. Using the concept of moi, personne and gender, describe yourself (not less than 100 words). I can described myself as a simple girl living the way she is.
1. Curiosity and eagerness to learn: Throughout all stages of your life, you have always been curious and eager to learn new things. This has been a constant trait from elementary school to high school and now in college. Step 2/10. 2. Social interactions: In all stages of your life, you have interacted with peers, teachers, and other individuals.
Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses. Mention objects that have special significance to you. Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight. Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality.
Paste a picture of you when you were in elementary, in high school, and now that you are in college. Below the Picture, list down your salient characteristics that you remember. My Elementary Self My High School Self My College Self Analysis After having examined "self in its different stages, fill out the table below: Similarities in All ...
MY ELEMENTARY SELF MY HIGHSCHOOL SELF MY COLLEGE SELF II: Similarities in All Stages of My "Self" Difference in My "Self" across the Three Stages of My "Life" Possible Reason for the Differences in Me. The similarities in the stages of myself is I continue on being a happy person even though deep inside of myself I know that I am ...
Get original essay. One of the key similarities between high school and college is the academic environment. In both settings, students are exposed to a structured learning environment where they attend classes, complete assignments, and take exams. The curriculum in high school and college may differ in terms of complexity and depth, but the ...
High school and college are two pivotal stages in a student's educational journey, each contributing significantly to their growth and knowledge enrichment.While they may seem distinct in many ways, there are remarkable similarities between high school and college in terms of class structures, grading systems, teaching methods, and social aspects.
Age and Development: Dependency in elementary school is common due to a child's age and stage of development. As children grow older, they naturally become more independent. High School: Similarities: Curiosity: Like in elementary school, my curiosity remained a constant. I continued to seek knowledge and explore new interests. Differences:
Step 1/2. First Stage: Childhood During childhood, you were likely more dependent on others for your basic needs and had limited control over your life. You were also likely more curious and imaginative, with a greater sense of wonder and innocence. Your priorities were likely focused on play, learning, and exploration.
1 in all stages of my "self" I am still alive getting stronger getting older still a boy holding a pen, making sure to pass all activities and exams. Differences in my "self" across the three stages of my life Im getting bigger realizing everything More responsible and problematic Getting stronger. Possible reasons for the differences in me...
8 months ago. Hey there! Happy to share what my kid has told me about their college experience so far. One big similarity between high school and college is the class structure, in the sense that you still have a schedule with classes spread throughout the week. Also, social life can be quite similar, with clubs and organizations to join, just ...
Self-esteem develops across different stages of childhood and shows similarities in the development of self-esteem and self-concept from early childhood through adolescence. Early Childhood. In Erikson's toddlerhood stage, children establish autonomy and become confident in their abilities, which forms the basis for self-esteem.
Similarities in all stages of myself in high school - 31262740
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A good hook for an essay on elementary and middle school similarities and differences sets the stage by suggesting continuity with change. Brainstorm to identify contrasts like independence levels and parallels like structured environments, shared subjects, and social opportunities, presenting them in a cohesive narrative.