June 26, 2024

College Essay Writing Tips

Imagine this:

You’ve had a year break after graduating from high school and now it’s time to write a college application to start a new phase that gets you to further your education. An admissions board has asked you to write a college essay, except you have no idea how to start.

Don’t worry because, in this guide, we’ll teach you how to start a college essay the right way. By writing a strong introduction, you will not only pique the interest of an admissions board to read the essay even further, but also stand the choice to get an admissions letter to enroll in a learning institution of your choice.

To be clear, writing a college admission essay is easier than you think. As long as you follow an admission’s board instructions, you’re already halfway to writing an essay that will secure you a post in a learning institution of your choice.

The introduction is almost always the most challenging part for many applicants. Just how do you write the introduction so that it’s interesting enough to grab the attention of an admissions essay?

Keep reading to learn more.

Why is the Introduction of a College Essay Important?

In a college essay, an introduction is the opening sentence that introduces you to an admissions board.  Education websites and student bloggers suggest starting college essays with a strong hook, which is what you should do. A strong hook gives the admissions committee the context of your personality as it drives the purpose of your essay.

Many college essays end up as epic failures because their introductions weren’t up to the expected standards. Given that the introduction is the first part that an evaluator reads when they receive your college essay, even one small mistake can very likely cost you the opportunity to get an admission to a learning institution of your choice.

By reading the introduction alone, the admissions committee should get a glimpse of who you’re, how you think, and your ability to express yourself in writing. Also, they’re able to determine whether you can articulate your thoughts with ease.

If you make the introduction of your essay interesting to read, there’s no reason why an admissions board shouldn’t read the rest of the essay to learn more about you.

How to Start a College Essay (3 Effective Tips That Guarantee Results)

Now that you know why an introduction to a college essay is the most important part of a college essay, here are some tips that you can use to start the essay in a way that makes it irresistible to read:

1. Use the Scriptwriting Technique

The scriptwriting technique is an effective strategy for starting a college essay because it instantly transforms a target reader into the story. At the same time, it introduces your personal voice into the story and therefore demonstrates a higher level of creativity that sets your essay apart.

The story you tell should be an event you relate to, not a fable you head someone tell or a friction story you read in a novel. That way, you are able to construct a personal narrative in a way that displays your true personality.

2. Tell Something Unusual

Here’s the deal:

Admissions committee read hundreds of college essays every month, many of which never get an approval either because they are general or because they’re plain boring.

If you start your essay the same way many samples you’ve read online do, there’s a high chance that yours will be an epic failure too. To ensure that doesn’t happen, start the essay by saying something unusual.

Starting the essay with something unusual will most definitely capture the admissions committee’s attention so much so that they want to keep learning more about you. This kind of approach tells about you in a way general introductions simply can’t, and therefore it gives the reader an opportunity to know about your life, an aspect they’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the essay.

3. Immerse the Reader into a State of Imagination

Start your college essay with the kind of a hook that immerses a reader into a deep state of imagination is a great way to grab their attention. For what it’s worth, putting the reader in the context of a vivid imaginer not only allows them to understand your thoughts and emotions but also makes it easy for them to understand how you look at the world around you.

By the time they finish reading the introduction, the reader will have already developed a personal touch that pushes them to read the rest of the college essay.

Common College Essay Introduction Mistakes to Avoid

Below are the most common mistakes you should avoid when starting your college essay:

1. Don’t Write an Ambiguous Introduction

Ambiguous introductions are those that have sentences that either don’t say anything at all or doesn’t say anything valuable.

For example, while it’s true that science plays an important role in our society, such a phrase doesn’t add value to a college essay.

First, the statement is extremely common. Second, it doesn’t say anything about you, which means there’s a lack of a personal connection that admissions officers look for when reviewing applications.

2. Don’t Start a College Essay with a Quote

A quote by a famous author, a public figure, or someone you sincerely admire may be great for inspiration, but it doesn’t have a place in the introduction of a college essay.

There are at least two problems with the use of quotes as far as a college essay is concerned. First, quotes tend to be incredibly overused. Second, they also don’t say anything about you and can easily cause you to make your college essay about the famous figure who came up with the quote rather than about you. 

Keep in mind that the admissions panel isn’t interested in inspiring quotes. They want to know more about you. So tell them what you value and what you believe without holding back.

About the author 

Antony W

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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