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Tips for crafting a compelling and authentic personal essay.

How to write an essay about yourself

Writing an essay about yourself can be a daunting task, but when done right, it can be a powerful tool to showcase who you are and what makes you unique. Whether you’re applying for college, a scholarship, or a job, a well-crafted essay can help you stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

When writing a personal essay, it’s important to strike a balance between being informative and engaging. You want to provide the reader with insight into your background, experiences, and goals, while also keeping them interested and invested in your story. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of writing a compelling essay about yourself, from brainstorming ideas to polishing your final draft.

Essential Tips for Crafting

When crafting a compelling essay about yourself, it is important to think about your audience and what message you want to convey. Here are some essential tips to help you create an engaging and authentic essay:

A Powerful Personal Essay

Writing a powerful personal essay is a way to express your unique voice and share your personal experiences with the world. By weaving together your thoughts, emotions, and reflections, you can create a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. To craft a powerful personal essay, start by reflecting on your own experiences and exploring the themes that matter to you. Pay attention to the details and emotions that make your story come alive. Be honest and vulnerable in your writing, as authenticity is key to connecting with your readers. Additionally, consider the structure of your essay and how you can effectively organize your thoughts to engage your audience from beginning to end. By following these tips and staying true to your voice, you can create a powerful personal essay that leaves a lasting impact on your readers.

Choose a Unique Aspect

When writing an essay about yourself, it’s important to focus on a unique aspect of your personality or experiences that sets you apart from others. This could be a specific skill, talent, or life experience that has had a significant impact on your life. By choosing a unique aspect to highlight, you can make your essay more compelling and memorable to the reader. It’s important to showcase what makes you different and showcase your individuality in a way that will capture the reader’s attention.

of Your Personality

When writing about your personality, it’s important to showcase your unique traits and qualities. Describe what sets you apart from others, whether it’s your creativity, resilience, sense of humor, or compassion. Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate these characteristics and provide insight into who you are as a person.

Highlight your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses – this shows self-awareness and honesty. Discuss how your personality has evolved over time and mention any experiences that have had a significant impact on shaping who you are today. Remember to be authentic and genuine in your portrayal of yourself as this will make your essay more compelling and engaging to the reader.

Reflect Deeply on

When writing an essay about yourself, it is crucial to take the time to reflect deeply on your life experiences, values, beliefs, and goals. Consider the events that have shaped you into the person you are today, both positive and negative. Think about your strengths and weaknesses, your passions and interests, and how they have influenced your decisions and actions. Reflecting on your personal journey will help you uncover meaningful insights that can make your essay more compelling and authentic.

Your Life Experiences

Your Life Experiences

When it comes to writing an essay about yourself, one of the most compelling aspects to focus on is your life experiences. These experiences shape who you are and provide unique insights into your character. Reflect on significant moments, challenges you’ve overcome, or memorable events that have had a lasting impact on your life.

  • Consider discussing pivotal moments that have influenced your beliefs and values.
  • Share personal anecdotes that highlight your strengths and resilience.
  • Explore how your life experiences have shaped your goals, aspirations, and ambitions.

By sharing your life experiences in your essay, you can showcase your individuality and demonstrate what sets you apart from others. Be genuine, reflective, and honest in recounting the events that have shaped your journey and contributed to the person you are today.

Create a Compelling

When crafting an essay about yourself, it is essential to create a compelling narrative that captures the attention of the reader from the very beginning. Start by brainstorming unique and engaging personal experiences or qualities that you want to highlight in your essay. Consider including vivid anecdotes, insightful reflections, and impactful moments that showcase your character and achievements. Remember to be authentic and sincere in your writing, as this will resonate with your audience and make your essay more relatable. By creating a compelling narrative, you can effectively communicate your story and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Narrative Structure

The narrative structure is crucial when writing an essay about yourself. It helps to create a compelling and engaging story that showcases your unique qualities and experiences. Start by introducing the main theme or message you want to convey in your essay. Then, build a coherent storyline that highlights significant events or moments in your life. Use descriptive language and vivid details to bring your story to life and make it more relatable to the readers. Include a clear beginning, middle, and end to ensure that your essay follows a logical progression and captivates the audience throughout.

Emphasize the lessons you’ve learned from your experiences and how they have shaped your character and outlook on life. Connect these insights to your personal growth and development, demonstrating your resilience, determination, and self-awareness. End your essay on a reflective note, highlighting the impact of your journey on who you are today and what you aspire to achieve in the future. By following a strong narrative structure, you can craft a captivating essay that showcases your authenticity and leaves a lasting impression on the readers.

Highlight Your

When writing an essay about yourself, it is essential to highlight your unique qualities and experiences that set you apart from others. Consider including personal anecdotes, achievements, strengths, and challenges that have shaped your identity. Focus on showcasing your authenticity and individuality to make your essay compelling and engaging.

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15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

What’s covered:.

  • What is the Purpose of the College Essay?
  • How to Stand Out Without Showing Off
  • 15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
  • Where to Get Free Feedback on Your Essay

Most students who apply to top-tier colleges have exceptional grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. How do admissions officers decide which applicants to choose among all these stellar students? One way is on the strength of their college essay .

This personal statement, along with other qualitative factors like teacher recommendations, helps the admissions committee see who you really are—the person behind the transcript. So, it’s obviously important to write a great one.

What Is the Purpose of the College Essay? 

Your college essay helps you stand out in a pool of qualified candidates. If effective, it will also show the admissions committee more of your personality and allow them to get a sense of how you’ll fit in with and contribute to the student body and institution. Additionally, it will show the school that you can express yourself persuasively and clearly in writing, which is an important part of most careers, no matter where you end up. 

Typically, students must submit a personal statement (usually the Common App essay ) along with school-specific supplements. Some students are surprised to learn that essays typically count for around 25% of your entire application at the top 250 schools. That’s an enormous chunk, especially considering that, unlike your transcript and extracurriculars, it isn’t an assessment of your entire high school career.  

The purpose of the college essay is to paint a complete picture of yourself, showing admissions committees the person behind the grades and test scores. A strong college essay shows your unique experiences, personality, perspective, interests, and values—ultimately, what makes you unique. After all, people attend college, not their grades or test scores. The college essay also provides students with a considerable amount of agency in their application, empowering them to share their own stories.

How to Stand Out Without Showing Off 

It’s important to strike a balance between exploring your achievements and demonstrating humility. Your aim should be to focus on the meaning behind the experience and how it changed your outlook, not the accomplishment itself. 

Confidence without cockiness is the key here. Don’t simply catalog your achievements, there are other areas on your application to share them. Rather, mention your achievements when they’re critical to the story you’re telling. It’s helpful to think of achievements as compliments, not highlights, of your college essay.  

Take this essay excerpt , for example:

My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go. 

Instead of saying “ I received this scholarship and participated in this prestigious program, ” the author tells a story, demonstrating their growth and initiative through specific actions (riding the train alone, applying academic programs on her own, etc.)—effectively showing rather than telling.

15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself 

1. start early .

Leave yourself plenty of time to write your college essay—it’s stressful enough to compose a compelling essay without putting yourself under a deadline. Starting early on your essay also leaves you time to edit and refine your work, have others read your work (for example, your parents or a teacher), and carefully proofread.

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you 

The foundation of a great essay is selecting a topic that has real meaning for you. If you’re passionate about the subject, the reader will feel it. Alternatively, choosing a topic you think the admissions committee is looking for, but isn’t all that important to you, won’t make for a compelling essay; it will be obvious that you’re not very invested in it.

3. Show your personality 

One of the main points of your college essay is to convey your personality. Admissions officers will see your transcript and read about the awards you’ve won, but the essay will help them get to know you as a person. Make sure your personality is evident in each part—if you are a jokester, incorporate some humor. Your friends should be able to pick your essay from an anonymous pile, read it, and recognize it as yours. In that same vein, someone who doesn’t know you at all should feel like they understand your personality after reading your essay. 

4. Write in your own voice 

In order to bring authenticity to your essay, you’ll need to write in your own voice. Don’t be overly formal (but don’t be too casual, either). Remember: you want the reader to get to know the real you, not a version of you that comes across as overly stiff or stilted. You should feel free to use contractions, incorporate dialogue, and employ vocabulary that comes naturally to you. 

5. Use specific examples 

Real, concrete stories and examples will help your essay come to life. They’ll add color to your narrative and make it more compelling for the reader. The goal, after all, is to engage your audience—the admissions committee. 

For example, instead of stating that you care about animals, you should tell us a story about how you took care of an injured stray cat. 

Consider this side-by-side comparison:

Example 1: I care deeply about animals and even once rescued a stray cat. The cat had an injured leg, and I helped nurse it back to health.

Example 2: I lost many nights of sleep trying to nurse the stray cat back to health. Its leg infection was extremely painful, and it meowed in distress up until the wee hours of the morning. I didn’t mind it though; what mattered was that the cat regained its strength. So, I stayed awake to administer its medicine and soothe it with loving ear rubs.

The second example helps us visualize this situation and is more illustrative of the writer’s personality. Because she stayed awake to care for the cat, we can infer that she is a compassionate person who cares about animals. We don’t get the same depth with the first example. 

6. Don’t be afraid to show off… 

You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn’t the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 

7. …While also maintaining humility 

But don’t brag. Demonstrate humility when discussing your achievements. In the example above, for instance, the author discusses her accomplishments while noting that her parents thought of her as immature. This is a great way to show humility while still highlighting that she was able to prove her parents wrong.

8. Be vulnerable 

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with humility and authenticity. Don’t shy away from exploring how your experience affected you and the feelings you experienced. This, too, will help your story come to life. 

Here’s an excerpt from a Common App essay that demonstrates vulnerability and allows us to connect with the writer:  

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain. 

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

In this essay, the writer isn’t afraid to share his insecurities and feelings with us. He states that he had been “ appallingly ignorant ” of his brother’s pain, that he “ often felt out of step ” compared to his brother, and that he had felt “ more and more alone ” over time. These are all emotions that you may not necessarily share with someone you just met, but it’s exactly this vulnerability that makes the essay more raw and relatable. 

9. Don’t lie or hyperbolize 

This essay is about the authentic you. Lying or hyperbolizing to make yourself sound better will not only make your essay—and entire application—less genuine, but it will also weaken it. More than likely, it will be obvious that you’re exaggerating. Plus, if colleges later find out that you haven’t been truthful in any part of your application, it’s grounds for revoking your acceptance or even expulsion if you’ve already matriculated. 

10. Avoid cliches 

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life. A sports victory as a metaphor for your journey. How a pet death altered your entire outlook. Admissions officers have seen more essays on these topics than they can possibly count. Unless you have a truly unique angle, then it’s in your best interest to avoid them. Learn which topics are cliche and how to fix them . 

11. Proofread 

This is a critical step. Even a small error can break your essay, however amazing it is otherwise. Make sure you read it over carefully, and get another set of eyes (or two or three other sets of eyes), just in case.

12. Abstain from using AI

There are a handful of good reasons to avoid using artificial intelligence (AI) to write your college essay. Most importantly, it’s dishonest and likely to be not very good; AI-generated essays are generally formulaic, generic, and boring—everything you’re trying to avoid being.   The purpose of the college essay is to share what makes you unique and highlight your personal experiences and perspectives, something that AI can’t capture.

13. Use parents as advisors, not editors

The voice of an adult is different from that of a high schooler and admissions committees are experts at spotting the writing of parents. Parents can play a valuable role in creating your college essay—advising, proofreading, and providing encouragement during those stressful moments. However, they should not write or edit your college essay with their words.

14. Have a hook

Admissions committees have a lot of essays to read and getting their attention is essential for standing out among a crowded field of applicants. A great hook captures your reader’s imagination and encourages them to keep reading your essay. Start strong, first impressions are everything!

15. Give them something to remember

The ending of your college essay is just as important as the beginning. Give your reader something to remember by composing an engaging and punchy paragraph or line—called a kicker in journalism—that ties everything you’ve written above together.

Where to Get Free Feedback on Your College Essay 

Before you send off your application, make sure you get feedback from a trusted source on your essay. CollegeVine’s free peer essay review will give you the support you need to ensure you’ve effectively presented your personality and accomplishments. Our expert essay review pairs you with an advisor to help you refine your writing, submit your best work, and boost your chances of getting into your dream school. Find the right advisor for you and get started on honing a winning essay.

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things to write about in an essay about yourself

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87 Self-Reflective Prompts To Help You Write About Yourself

Having trouble deciding what to write about yourself ? 

Whether you’re writing for your journal, your memoir, or a class assignment, you have plenty of topics about yourself to choose from. 

You’re more interesting than you might think.

So are the people you live with, work with, and meet — if only for a moment. 

Once you look through the prompts listed below, the real challenge will be choosing which one to write about first. 

What Is a Unique Way to Write about Yourself? 

The point of writing about yourself is to grow in self-knowledge and understanding of where you are and where you want to be. 

With that in mind, it makes sense to write about what you’ve learned so far and how you learned it.

It also helps to explore what you’re good at as well as what areas need work. 

Consider the following categories of self-knowledge: 

  • Mistakes you’ve learned from
  • Changes to your beliefs and the catalysts behind them
  • Painful experiences and what you’ve learned from them
  • Favorite things and why you love them
  • Things that make you angry or that motivate you to fight for change

Things to Write about Yourself: 87 Writing Prompts 

Enjoy these all about me writing prompts . Start with one that leads your mind to a specific, vivid memory. Then free-write to your heart’s content. 

1. Describe something you’re good at. 

2. What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

3. How do you want people to remember you?

4. What personal beliefs of yours have changed over the years?

5. What would you like to invent and why?

6. If you won $1 million, what would you do with it?

7. If you had all the money you needed to create a nonprofit organization, what would its mission be?

8. What would you change about school or your country’s education system if you could?

9. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go first and why?

10. Where do you want to live, and what kind of lifestyle would you like to afford easily?

11. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever learned from?

12. Would you rather get paid well for a job you can tolerate or paid little for work you love?

13. What is your favorite food and why? Do you make it yourself, or do you prefer paying others to do so?

14. What superstitions do you believe in or have you believed in, and why? 

15. Do you believe in luck (good or bad)? If so, do you think a higher power is pulling strings on your behalf — or working against you? How much control do you have over your life?

16. Describe your first job, what you learned from it, and whether (and why) you’d recommend it to anyone? 

17. What do you love about yourself? And who in your life sees that in you? Who doesn’t?

18. Describe your best friend and how you met. What keeps your friendship going?

19. Write about an animal with whom you’ve felt a close kinship and describe the relationship between you. 

 20. If you could design your own home, what would be its most important features?

21. What’s your favorite outfit (including footwear and accessories) and why? 

22. What’s your biggest dream for the future, and what are you doing to get closer to it?

23. What makes you angry? When was the last time something made you so mad you took action to change it? 

24. What’s your favorite holiday and why? What do you do to celebrate it? 

25. If you have a romantic partner, what do you love most about them and your relationship? What would you change if you could?

26. What do you most want to accomplish in your life and why? 

27. Have you ever gotten something you wanted, only to realize it wasn’t what you really wanted after all?

28. Do you want to be more like one of your parents or grandparents? Why or why not?

29. Describe one of your earliest childhood memories. 

30. Write about the benefits and challenges of having siblings — or of being an only child. 

31. How much of your body are you comfortable with people seeing? Has that changed?

32. What do you find gross that other people don’t — or vice-versa?

33. Are you interested in marriage, or would you prefer a romantic partnership without marriage? What are your reasons?

34. If you could design your own end, what manner of death would you choose and why?

35. How do you want your body dealt with after you die? Do you want your remains buried or scattered, and why?

36. Describe a favorite game from your young childhood (aged 0 to 10). 

37. Write about something you succeeded at because you did NOT GIVE UP. 

38. Write about a favorite elementary school classmate and what you liked about them. 

39. Write about an interesting high school classmate and what you liked about them. 

40. Write about the best coworker you’ve ever had and why you loved working with them. 

41. Write about the best job you’ve ever had and what you loved about it. 

42. How would you build the perfect sandwich (with or without bread)? 

43. Write about a death in your family and how it impacted you. 

44. Write about a birth in your family and how it affected you. 

45. Write about a marriage or divorce in your family and how it impacted you. 

46. Write about your intimate social circle, how it was formed, and how it influences you. 

47. Write about your chosen family — the people in your life who have become family to you — and how they have become so important. 

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48. Is your living space usually neat and tidy or messy and disorganized? Are you comfortable with it as it is, or what steps are you taking to change it?

49. Write about a personality trait you inherited or picked up from a parent. 

50. Explain whether you think it’s ever morally acceptable to lie, and — if yes — in what situations?

51. Write about a way in which you’re different from a parent or both parents. 

52. Do you believe in astrology? And, if so, what do you love about your sign?

53. Do you find any value in tarot cards or rune stones? If yes, which is your favorite, and what have you learned from it? 

54. Do you collect anything? If yes, describe your collection, how it began, and what it means to you. 

55. What is one thing you’re most likely to splurge on — clothes, food, skincare, entertainment, etc. — and why?

56. What do you think of your hometown? Is it a good place to live, and would you live there again? Why or why not?

57. What’s one quality you think everyone should look for in a romantic partner? 

58. Write about what you wish more people knew about your chosen job/career. 

59. Write about an external struggle that’s been wearing on you lately. 

60. Write about an internal struggle that’s been distracting you and wearing you down. 

61. Describe something you love — or don’t love — about the people in your country. 

62. Would you ever consider leaving your country and changing your citizenship? Why or why not?

63. How do you define patriotism? Would you redefine it if you could, or do you consider the word more or less toxic? 

64. What do you think of dress codes for school? What do you see as their purpose, and what would you do if a student’s attire was a clear violation of that code? 

65. What do you think of hair codes for school? Should someone be excluded for having a non-white hairstyle that honors their culture?

66. When it comes to voting for a presidential candidate, what qualities and beliefs do you look for in a candidate? What are the dealbreakers or non-negotiables?

67. Tell a story about when you had your heart broken. Who did it, what happened between you, and what kind of relationship do you have with them now?

68. Tell a story about when you lost a friend. What happened, and have either of you reached out to the other since then? 

69. Describe the benefits and challenges of being an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert (whichever you are). 

70. Write about a habit or addiction you’ve been struggling with for years. What has helped you fight or change it? Who has helped? 

71. Write about a kind of physical exercise you enjoy? What do you love about it? Is this something you do (or would love to do) regularly?

72. Describe a time you spoke up for something you believed in. Do you still hold that belief? How do you feel when someone else stands up for it or a contrary view?

73. Describe — in vivid detail — your dream home.  How is it perfect for you?

74. Write about a teacher, coach, or mentor who inspired you. How has their influence shaped you and the life you’re living? What do you wish you could tell them?

75. Describe something you did in the past year (or past five) that made you proud. 

76. Write about someone you admired — until you learned something morally offensive they said or did (racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, antisemitic, etc.).

77. Write about someone you thought little of until you learned of something brave, heroic, or generous they said or did.  

78. Do you consider your adopted animals as pets, companions, or family members? Explain why and offer some history on your past relationships with animals. 

79. If you were to travel around the world, would you rather go alone or with company? If you’d like a traveling companion, who would that be?

80. Are you more likely to listen to sad music or happy music when you’re feeling low?

81. When was the last time you took a risk to show someone how you feel about them? 

82. When was the last time someone made a grand gesture to get your attention or show their regard for you? How did you respond, and why?

83. Tell a story about a time you got into trouble at work or school. Do you regret what you did, or does the memory make you proud? Who else was involved?

84. Write about something you believe that isn’t a widely-held belief. 

85. What terrified you most as a child? Does it still scare you? 

86. Has anyone ever made a snap judgment of you based on your appearance? What did they say? And how did you respond?

87. Describe your personal style (clothing, hair, nails, etc.) and how it’s changed over the years. 

Now that you’ve looked through these about me ideas for writing , which one will you write about first? 

You can even make a shorter list of your favorites and tackle one each day for your journal . Or use your favorites as chapter topics for your memoir. 

The important thing is to grow in self-knowledge and to forgive yourself for not being perfect. No one is. Just keep learning. 

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17+ Great Ideas for an Essay About Yourself

An essay about yourself should present you in a positive light, but also leave your reader with a greater understanding of what it is that makes you tick. What’s your inspiration and motivation?

In this article, I’ll give you a range of ideas to include in your essay about yourself. These ideas will show you how to tell a compelling story about who you are.

Pick one or more of these ideas and use it in your essay to improve its quality.

how to write an essay about yourself

1. Come up with One Word about Yourself and Put it in your Title

Your essay heading sets the tone for the rest of the essay.

One way to get yourself started on the right track for your essay describing yourself is to ensure you have the one key word that describes you in the title.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Here’s a few ways I’d describe myself:

  • Introverted

Now, if you need to write your essay in a way that presents you in the best way possible, then of course you’d select the one that does that!

So for me, that’d be ‘optimistic’.

I could then set my title to something like: “An Essay About Chris, the Eternal Optimist.”

Here, your reader has been introduced to the central trait I want to reinforce in the essay right away. You’ve set the tone now.

Now that you’ve used that key term at the start, make sure you follow-up by using that same term a few more times throughout the piece so that you keep it as a clear motif throughout. I’d recommend at least using it in the introduction, body and conclusion.

2. Make it Personal using Anecdotes

The difference between a good and great essay about yourself is the use of personal anecdotes.

You want your essay to stand out because it’s thoughtful and unique.

Anyone can tell a story of who they are. Anyone can say: “Here’s who I am and here’s what’s good about me.”

Not everyone can tell a detailed, thoughtful and personal story that’ll show (and not tell) people who you are.

Personal anecdotes might include:

  • A discussion about your ancestry;
  • A story about how your ancestors came to your country;
  • A story about how your parents came up with your childhood nickname;
  • An important story from your childhood;
  • A personal challenge that you currently face;
  • A personal challenge from the past that you’ve overcome

Or anything else that shows your personality! So, let’s zoom in and take a look at how you could write about each of the points from above.

3. Describe your Ancestry

Dig deep – way back. Who are your ancestors?

Two of the best questions you can ask to tell a really good story about yourself are these:

Who are your ancestors?

How did your ancestors shape who you are.

What is your connection to them?

Let’s take them one at a time.

Your ancestors might be Greek, or Scottish, or Irish, or Italian. Maybe you have some Native American ancestors or maybe they were Pioneers heading to America?

You can start this essay by explaining your ancestry to really start shaping a quality story about yourself. One example is to tell a story about how your ancestors came to your country.

For me, I’d talk about how my Ancestors were a loose collection of quirky characters who came to Australia for a better life. Some were “10 Pound Poms” – British people seeking a better life. The paid 10 pounds to get on a boat and head to a new world. And others were convicts, sent out for stealing sheep.

Is there an interesting hook about your ancestry to start your essay?

Your ancestors should mean a lot to you. They should show you the path to a better life. What sacrifices did they make for you to be who you are today?

I could talk about how they had a tough life to come from working-class backgrounds. They worked the land and battled hardship to give me what I’ve got.

Now, I’m a happy, free, relatively wealthy person because of their hard world.

Who you are is because of your ancestors.

For me, they are the reason I value hard work. I also know my grandfather fought hard for a good wage for people on the railways. So, I have a sense of solidarity with hard-working working-class people because of him.

I also believe strongly in the importance of living a free and happy life because my ancestors are Australians. We’re Aussies! We work hard and have fun. That’s something my ancestors gave me, and I’ll carry all those values forward for my children one day, too.

Can you see that telling a story of your ancestors can really reveal a lot about what’s deep inside you? They show you your values and they’re your guiding star.

4. Tell the story of how you got your Childhood Nickname

Here’s another interesting story idea that can get your essay started on the right track.

How about telling the story of how you got your childhood nickname?

Here’s an example: My sister’s nickname was Boo Boo.

(She’d be made at me if she knew I told you that!)

She was called Boo Boo because she was always hurting herself! She was always having “boo boos”, which was our slang for “mistakes”.

Here, her nickname tells a story about herself. It tells a story about how she can sometimes be a little bit clumsy. This could be a good personal story to use to introduce herself to the reader.

Do you have a unique nickname story?

5. Tell an Important Story from your Childhood

Do you have any childhood stories that really reflect who you are?

This story might be:

  • Tell the story of a childhood family holiday: Your story of your family holiday might highlight how important family is to your sense of who you are. Did the family holiday show you how much family is important to you?
  • Tell the story of a time you realized something: I remember seeing a kid at school being bullied once and feeling really uncomfortable about it. I ended up sitting with him during the lunch period because he was upset. That was the day I really realized that something deep inside me is a sense that kindness is one of the most important things in the world.

Have a think. Are there any stories from your childhood that you can tell that reveal something about who you are and what your values are?

6. Start with “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on…”

Here’s a strategy that works really well.

When you start from the perspective of someone looking back, you often reflect on the things that are most important.

Have you ever seen an older person telling a story? It’s often a story told from the perspective of wisdom . We might call this 20/20 hindsight.

So, start your story by discussing what you’ll look back on about your life: what will you be proud of? What parts of your personality would you want to reflect on with pride?

It might be:

  • “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on the things I did to help other people. For example, one time I … [did this]”
  • “When I’m old I will look back and reflect on the quality time I spent with my family. My family is the most important thing in my life. One of these quality times is when …”
  • Any other ideas you have?

7. Or, Start with “In ten years I will be…”

We can flip Step 6 on its head, and talk about where you want to be in 10 years. This will force you to reflect upon what’s most important to your future.

When talking about your goals and how those goals are linked to your values.

Here’s some examples:

  • “In ten years time I will be just returning from an amazing trip around the world. I have a strong sense of adventure and I want to spend the next 10 years fulfilling my dream of adventure.”
  • “In ten years time I want to be busy working in a not-for-profit doing something for people less fortunate than me. This vision drives my decisions that I make today. It drives my desire to … [study a course?]”
  • What will you say if you start with “In ten years time…”?

8. Describe your Interests

No matter how you start your essay, you need to make sure that your story shows what you are interested in.

Your interests are what you do in your spare time

You might, for example, be interested in a particular topic. This will show how you’re set apart from others. We all have different interests.

Here’s a few examples of people’s interests:

  • Dinosaurs: Ross Gellar from the TV show Friends would write in his story that one of his biggest interests is dinosaurs!
  • Sports: Many people put sports at the center of their interests and motivations. Are you passionate about a sport that you watch or play? This could be included in your essay about yourself.
  • Reading: Many young people love to read. You can talk about this as something you love, and then discuss how reading helps you think more deeply about issues in this world.

What are your interests? Could you use these as the basis of your essay about yourself?

9. Describe what Motivates You

Right at the core of your essay about yourself should be a message about your motivations. What is it that you dream about? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning?

A motivation is different to an interest. Your interest is what you do in your part-time. Your motivations are your long-term goals that will give you fulfillmen t.

People want to see what makes you tick.

Your motivations don’t have to be for money or a career. A lot of people are deeply motivated by their passions like:

  • Getting fit, or pursuing fitness goals;
  • Being a part of a community;
  • Helping others out, especially the less fortunate;
  • Making their family proud;
  • Seeing amazing, remarkable things;
  • Inventing or discovering something that improves the world

For me, my biggest motivation is my blog. I take pride in it and how it helps people out. So maybe I’d tell the story of my blog, and how it reflects my intrinsic desire to help people learn new things.

So, what motivates you?

10. Identify your Current Personal Challenges

Teachers like to see that you are taking a proactive role to address or overcome personal challenges. So, you can base your essay about yourself on a current personal challenge.

The important thing for an essay on a current personal challenge is this:

  • Identify what your challenge is; and
  • Explain how you are working hard to address it.

Your challenge might be a personal disability, a setback you’ve recently had, or a goal that you’re working towards achieving.

  • Wanting to join the military: You could talk about your major challenge being a career goal like getting accepted into the military. Then, you’d need to show something about how you are addressing this by, for example, following a rigorous exercise regime.
  • Living with a disability: Maybe you have a disability or medical problem that you need to address. You could talk about how it hasn’t stopped you from believing in your ability to achieve. While it might make life harder, show how you’re a determined person who won’t let adversity get in your way.

By revealing how you are overcoming your challenges, you’re revealing something about yourself. You are showing your marker that you’re a hard, diligent worker. That you have resilience and drive. And that you’re someone who strives to achieve.

11. Identify the Biggest Challenge you’ve Overcome

If there’s challenges in your rear-view mirror that you have already overcome, you can also talk about that.

Pause for a moment and think about the biggest achievement of your life. Was it getting that score you wanted in a science test? Was it making it into the football team after a lot of training and practice?

By telling the story of a personal challenge that you have already overcome, you’re showing how you’re a competent, capable and resilient person.

Here’s some examples of overcoming challenges:

  • Winning a team sport: Talk about all the work you did as a team in the lead-up to the win. Did you take advice from the coach and use it to become better? Did you learn that you had to work as a group to succeed?
  • Getting an award: Were you awarded once for your skills? What did you need to do to win the award? Was it hard work that paid off?

12. Be Humble

It’s important to strike the appropriate tone for your essay about yourself.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they too hard to sell themselves. This usually makes you sound arrogant and self-absorbed.

One of the best ways to sound humble is to express gratitude. When discussing who you are, what you achieved and what your strengths are, remember to mention who it was who helped you get there.

People you might be grateful for include: parents, teachers, siblings, friends, your country and mentors. Talk about how they were instrumental in your success. Maybe they were patient with you, presented opportunities for you, or forgave your mistakes.

It’s also good to make sure you don’t compare yourself to others. It’s not a good idea to say “I achieved better than anyone else.” Focussing on how you worked hard for your achievements is enough: there’s no need to talk about how you’re better or the best. Focus on the effort you put in, not the fact that you’re better than anyone.

To learn more about tricks on being humble, I recommend this good summary of ways to be humble from Forbes.

13. Describe your Personality Type

Here’s another interesting way of approaching the essay.

If you’re struggling to explain yourself, you can take a quiz that tells you what your personality type is. Something really nice about these quizzes is they not only give you words to explain what your personality type is, but they also give you some ideas to talk about.

Here’s a few good personality type quizzes:

  • 16 Personalities : This quiz decides which personality you are from 16 types, such as debater, entrepreneur, adventurer and entertainer. I got the ‘Advocate’ meaning I am driven by “idealism and morality” and am mainly an introvert. What are you? Share in the comments below!
  • Learning Styles : This quiz finds out how you learn. Are you the sort of person who learns in solitude or with others? Are you an introvert or extrovert? Another alternative is the VARK quiz which sees which sort of category of learner you are: Visual, Auditory (sound), Read/Write, or Kinesthetic (using your body).
  • Career Quiz : This quiz asks you a range of personality questions to give you ideas about what you want to talk about. Then, it’ll suggest the ideal career for you based on your personality!

14. Include Details you’d put on a CV

You want your essay to tell a story about yourself.

But you also need to include hard, solid details.

So once you’ve told your story of yourself, go through your CV (or ‘resume’) and see what else you can include. Can you include details about your strengths that you have listed on your CV?

Maybe you can also include points about your previous jobs or education achievements that you have listed on your CV.

This will help back up your story with hard evidence.

You might also find out that there are a lot of details on your CV that will give you story ideas. You might not think you’ve achieved remarkable things until you look at your CV and reflect on the hard work you put into each of the jobs or achievements you have listed there.

15. Describe your Physical Attributes

Another thing you can weave into your story is an outline of what you look like!

It’s one of the first things you read about someone in any story.

Here’s how Mr. and Mrs. Dursley in Harry Potter is introduced:

“Mr Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.”

How would you describe your physical attributes? Remember not to be negative about yourself, but you could describe yourself as tall, short, stocky, or lanky. How about your hair? Is it frizzy or straight, long or short?

16. Explain who is your Biggest influence and Why

The person who is your biggest influence would reveal a lot about who you are. Are you influenced by someone because of their power and strength, or wisdom and insight? Are you influenced by people for their nobility and patriotism, or their sense of adventure?

This will show your reader what makes you tick.

One of my big influences is Alex Honnold. He is a famous rock climber. What does that reveal about me? Well, it shows that I admire adventurous people and people who follow unconventional careers.

Who is your biggest influence? What does this reveal about you? Can you weave this into your essay about yourself?

17. Conclude by Returning to your Opening Hook

In this article I’ve shared with you a ton of ideas that you can use for your essay about yourself.

No matter which idea you select, I recommend including this last tip.

You should start your essay with an interesting ‘hook’ or anecdote about yourself.

I recommend concluding your essay by returning to this opening hook. We call this the ‘closing the loop’ method. You can start it something like this:

“I began this essay by telling the story of how I’m inspired by my father. I want to return to this point, as it’s the most important point in this essay. All of the points in this essay about myself have highlighted how I’m driven and motivated to live up to his amazing example. I have discussed…”

…And then you’d sum up what you discussed!

I outline the exact process of how to conclude an essay using this ‘closing the loop’ method in this post on how to write great conclusions .

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 17 Behaviorism Examples
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How to Write an Essay About Yourself

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman is a content editor and writer at Scholarships360. He has managed communications and written content for a diverse array of organizations, including a farmer’s market, a concert venue, a student farm, an environmental NGO, and a PR agency. Gabriel graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in sociology.

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things to write about in an essay about yourself

Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

How to Write an Essay About Yourself

Writing an essay about yourself is no easy feat — although you may know yourself better than anyone, it can be tough to get the perspective needed to write about yourself in essay form. Despite its challenges, writing essays about yourself is one of the most crucial skills in the college application process, and we have some key tricks to make it easier. Keep on reading to learn about some of our best techniques to write about yourself naturally!

  • Outline your experiences

Ask friends and family for input

  • Don’t be too humble…
  • Let your personality shine!

Try journaling

Read more: How to start a scholarship essay (with examples)

Outline your impactful experiences

Before you dig into prompts, try writing out a bullet-point list of meaningful experiences you’ve had. Underneath each bullet point, reflect on what they might demonstrate. Here’s an example:

  • Working as part of a team
  • Learning to balance school and work responsibilities
  • Honing communication skills
  • Developing writing skills
  • Fostering a passion for my school community
  • Learning to meet deadlines and balance responsibilities
  • Learning to balance school and volunteer responsibilities
  • Gaining an attention to detail

This is a little different than a typical resume — rather than focusing on your specific duties, try to focus on how the experience shaped your character. If you notice a lot of overlap between the experiences, that’s perfect! You can point out these recurring themes to make for an effective essay with a strong overarching point. Making lists like this early on in your writing stage can be helpful, and you may find yourself coming back to consult the list for many future essays.

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When writing about yourself, it is important to reflect on your strengths, and who is better to do that than a supportive team of family and friends?

Consulting family and friends is a great way to learn about strengths that you might not even know you had. Your friends choose to hang out with you for a reason, and they often notice your good qualities that you take for granted. Having your friends point these out can be useful for an essay, as well as a general pick-me-up!

And if you’re looking for a perfect anecdote to answer a prompt like “How have you demonstrated a commitment to your community ,” who better to remember your past acts of kindness than your parents? 

Also recommended: Top essay & writing scholarships

Is it okay to ask friends and family to read my essay and offer feedback?

Some students may be wondering, is it okay to ask for additional help from friends and family? And the short answer is: absolutely. Additional essay reviewers can offer valuable feedback as you write your essay. With this said, students should make sure that they are maintaining their own voice in the essay. Outside reviewers should not be rewriting the essay or having a heavy hand in changing the written voice.

Don’t miss:  How to respond to the Common App essay prompts

Don’t be too humble

There is a time and a place for humility. But don’t worry if you feel like your essay is verging on the braggadocios. These essays are an opportunity to showcase your best qualities, and you should not be worried about putting your best foot forward and telling the reader all the reasons why they should be impressed by you.

What makes these essays effective is that they both include your relevant experiences and demonstrate why they are so significant. You may feel as though you are making mountains out of molehills, but it’s important to emphasize the importance of your experiences. This is the main objective of writing about yourself.

Also recommended: How to write a 500 word essay

Let your personality come through

Most essays written about yourself will be written in first-person. This provides a perfect opportunity to add some flair to your writing. While your first priority is to include impactful examples and communicate your points effectively, it is also important to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

If you see an opportunity to show off your sense of humor or use a more personal tone, don’t be afraid to do it. As long as your remarks are appropriate, on-topic, and not too frequent, they can help put you ahead of the pack.

Recommended:  How does an admissions officer read your application and essays?

A great trick for becoming comfortable writing essays about yourself is to try keeping a journal. Journaling helps eliminate the pressure of writing an essay while helping you become comfortable writing about yourself in an informal setting. Spending 10 or 15 minutes every night writing about your day, or answering some informal prompts can help you to get more in touch with yourself and jog your memory about past events that could be useful for an essay. 

Don’t miss:  Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool

Next steps for students

Now you’ve learned about the goals and techniques for writing an essay about yourself. Your next step should be to focus on making your writing effective and efficient. Make sure that your conclusion ties everything together impactfully . And once you’ve finished your draft, ask family members, friends, or college counselors to read over it and provide suggestions. Good luck, writers!

Related:  Overview of common scholarship essay prompts

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how do i write a good essay about myself.

I'm struggling with writing my college essay. How can I write a compelling and genuine essay about myself without it sounding boring or braggy? Any tips would really help!

First, I understand that writing a personal essay can be challenging, but with a little guidance and practice, you can create a compelling piece. Here are some steps to help you write a strong essay:

1. Choose a unique angle: Instead of providing a broad overview of your life, focus on a specific experience, interest, or aspect of your personality that has shaped who you are. This will make your essay more focused and memorable.

2. Show, don't tell: Instead of simply stating your qualities, provide concrete examples of how you've demonstrated those characteristics. Use vivid details, anecdotes, and sensory language to bring your story to life.

3. Be authentic: Be genuine in your writing and don't try to present yourself as someone you're not. Admissions officers want to get to know the real you, so let your personality shine through.

4. Reflect on your experiences: Point out the lessons you've learned and how those experiences have influenced your growth and decision-making. This will show maturity and self-awareness, which are traits that colleges value.

5. Avoid clichés: Steer clear of overused phrases, ideas, or experiences. Make sure your essay stands out by giving it a fresh and original perspective.

6. Edit and revise: Once you have a draft of your essay, review it for clarity, grammar, punctuation, and flow. Make sure that each paragraph supports the central theme of your essay and that your writing is concise and engaging.

7. Get feedback: Share your essay with teachers, family members, or friends to gain different perspectives. Incorporate their feedback to help refine your essay and ensure it's an accurate representation of yourself.

For example, if you have a passion for community service, you might write about a specific volunteer experience that had a significant impact on you. Talk about the challenges you faced, the people you helped, and the lessons you learned. Make sure to incorporate personal stories and reflections to give your essay depth and substance.

Remember, a good college essay showcases your personality, values, and growth. By following these steps, you can create a compelling and genuine essay that will leave a lasting impression on admissions officers. Good luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts  can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped.  So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
  • What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
  • Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.  

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

how to write an essay about yourself

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question. 

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

  • What is your background? Family, finances, school.
  • What was challenging about that background?
  • What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers.  Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

  • Intro to main essay prompt.
  • Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
  • Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

how to write an essay about yourself

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

 You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths.  Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

how to write an essay about yourself

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too.  You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

how to write an essay about yourself

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Top 10 Most Common Scholarship Essay Prompts Graphic

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this. 

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Or if you’re not ready to register, simply sign up to receive an email with 20 new scholarship opportunities each week. Just enter your email address below:

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CollegeBasics

5 Steps To Write An Essay About Yourself

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Writing essays and academic papers are two such responsibilities for which students often face challenges throughout their academic life.

In fact, self-introduction essays are among the most typical assignments students confront among the many other essays.

Writing an essay about yourself necessitates you to possess excellent writing and storytelling abilities.

To produce a great personal essay, students must devote time, patience, and work. This article will educate you on how to write an essay on yourself, your family, a personal experience, and so on.

However, if you are time-pressed and unable to compose an essay, there are services that write same-day essays for students too.

When Might You Need to Write About Yourself?

Self-introduction essays or writing an essay about yourself is required during various circumstances of your academic and professional life.

Aside from the obvious cases, such as a personal statement or self-evaluations/appraisals, here are other situations where you’ll be required to write an essay about yourself:

  • For graduation school applications
  • When writing biographies
  • For career advancement opportunities
  • In cover letters and resumes
  • Seeking internship opportunities
  • In grant proposals

Most people think that writing an essay about yourself is one of the easiest tasks to do. Nonetheless, that may not be the case for most students.

One must possess good college writing skills to put their best foot forward and impress the reader to stand out among their peers. And here’s how you can do it correctly and confidently.

What Must the Self-Introduction Essay Include?

Writing an essay about yourself is a perfect opportunity to write about your strengths, achievements, and unique characteristics that provide an insight into yourself.

You may be confused about what exactly to write or express in your self-introduction essay. So, in this post, we will explain what you can write about yourself that will help you score brownie points and stand out amidst the competition.

Also, check out these examples and samples on self-introductory essays .

For instance, when writing about yourself, consider your path and the things that have shaped you into the person you are. You can also write about various things such as:

  • Your hobbies
  • Your aspirations and dreams
  • The things you want to learn
  • The things you are best at

How to Write an Essay

Before composing an essay, understand the basic structure and prepare an outline to avoid any mistakes down the road.

So if you are wondering how to structure an essay, remember that all essays follow a basic structure – introduction, the body, and conclusion.

Introduction

This is the first part of the essay, and it must pique the reader’s interest. You must add a ‘hook’ here to keep the reader glued.

You must provide a thesis statement at the beginning of your writing that exhibits the main idea of your essay.

Overall, the introduction must provide a brief overview of the entire essay in an engaging way.

The section contains a minimum of three paragraphs that explain the major themes or story of the essay. Ensure that each paragraph connects smoothly with the next. It is best to write in chronological order to avoid confusion.

This is the last paragraph or last section of the essay, and it must logically conclude your story. Here you can highlight the lesson you’ve gained throughout your experience. It is better to keep this section short.

Essay Structure

This is the basic structure that one must follow when writing an essay. Once you understand the essay format, create an outline that includes:

  • An introduction about yourself
  • Your most significant professional experience
  • Noteworthy awards or personal accomplishments
  • Relevant information about your personal life

Note: Make sure you use an appropriate tone if it is not mentioned. While an informal tone is used when writing about personal experiences, remember not to use any ‘slang’ words that might look unprofessional.

Steps to Writing an Effective Essay

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Use particular anecdotes to highlight your accomplishments and traits without appearing pretentious.

You can also write about difficulties you’ve encountered or mistakes you’ve made to demonstrate vulnerability and personal progress.

1. Self-Reflection

The first step is to reflect on the topic before you begin writing to determine what you want to include in your essay.

Having a thorough brainstorming session can help a lot. However, here are a few starter questions that can help you:

  • What has influenced your hobbies or future ambitions?
  • What are you most pleased with?
  • Why do you look up to someone in particular?
  • Consider how your values and aspirations mirror your target university’s program and culture as you self-reflect. Develop tales that highlight the fit between the two.

2. Write Something Extraordinary

Using the questions above, pick an incident or some strong point about yourself to elucidate.

Remember that you must write about a single incident or quality that makes you stand out. Avoid talking about two qualities or two incidents.

3. Define the Goal

Read the essay guidelines and align your writing with that. The goal of your essay must reflect well in your words.

4. Know Your Audience

Think about your audience’s expectations and interests. It is critical to capture their attention and keep them reading your work until the finish.

5. Detailed Outline

The outline must be detailed and include all significant points.

Once the outline is ready, you can expand it into a full-fledged essay using the vital points. After completing the essay, proofread for typos and grammatical errors to ensure there are no mistakes.

These are the steps that college students can follow when writing self-introduction essays.

The first step to writing a successful essay is selecting an incident or quality that you want to write about.

It is recommended that you brainstorm the ideas and create an outline to avoid mishaps later.

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How to Write a Short Essay About Yourself: Step-By-Step

Updated 06/4/2022

Published 06/19/2020

Yvonne Bertovich

Yvonne Bertovich

Contributing writer

Learn how to write about yourself with confidence, including step-by-step instructions and examples of things to write about yourself.

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

Writing or even talking about yourself may not come easily to you. However, for professional or educational reasons, it’s often a necessity. There are other instances when writing about yourself may make more sense, as you can provide the rawest and most honest perspective.

Jump ahead to these sections:

Steps for writing about yourself, tips for writing about yourself creatively or confidently.

  • Examples of Things to Write About Yourself

You should feel empowered—not intimidated—in taking on a writing project about yourself. Use it as a way to challenge how you view your own experiences, talents, and more. We’ll discuss some steps for writing about yourself as well as provide a few examples.  

Writing isn’t for everyone, especially when it’s required. As much as you may dislike it, following the steps below can help the process go that much more smoothly.

If you find that following a different order than what we’ve recommended for you works better for your process, feel free to adjust accordingly. 

Step 1: Determine your purpose 

What’s causing you to write this “thing” about yourself? What exactly are you writing? It may surprise you that people write all kinds of pieces for themselves—even writing your own obituary isn’t out of the question anymore. 

The more specific you can get with yourself about your purpose will help the rest of the process. If it’s something stressful, like a college admission essay or a cover letter, try to frame the project in a different light. 

For example, “I’m writing this essay to show people my heart and how passionate I am about removing disparities and barriers in healthcare. I believe in my abilities, and I want to further my education, so I can help heal people.”

Step 2: Ask yourself some questions 

For any good piece of writing, there has to be fact behind it (if even these facts are abstract in narrative or fiction). The best way to gather facts about any subject is to ask a variety of questions, both soft- and hard-hitting. 

You may ask these questions internally, during research, or directly and literally. Treat this question step as a self-interview.

Here are some questions to ask yourself . You may also ask yourself:

  • What is my goal of writing this piece?
  • What themes or ideas do I want to focus on?
  • What are my strengths and weaknesses?
  • What are some important lessons I’ve learned?
  • What do I want others to know or understand about me?

Step 3: Organize your answers 

After asking yourself the example questions above as well as others, you should be sure to write down your answers and begin organizing them if you haven’t already. 

It may be tempting to just answer your own questions in your head as you go—but don’t. This will just make the writing step more difficult. You may think that you’ll remember every good point or profound thought you come up with, but memory is a tricky thing. 

If you’re working through your questions during a time when you’re not ready or able to sit down and type or scribble them out, at least make some notes in your phone or in a journal so you can have some descriptive hints for later. No matter how big of an epiphany you may have, it’s possible you’ll forget it. 

Step 4: Write a draft 

If your ideas are already fairly organized, writing your draft should come fairly easily to you. The draft process, however, is when you can start spicing things up with anecdotes, your own personal voice, themes, metaphors—all that fun stuff. The point in you writing something about yourself for yourself is for the very reason that you can make it unquestionably you .

Dull, watered-down words or even over-hyped language from a thesaurus plug-in isn’t going to impress anyone. Writing something about yourself (unless the assignment is creative or unorthodox) isn’t the time to act like something you’re not.

All of this being said, don’t stress yourself out too much. Letting your ideas flow freely and then editing or revising them later is how you should approach the process anyway. You don’t want to put too many restrictions on your ideas from the get-go. Warring with yourself about your ideas while writing is only going to tire you out sooner. 

Think about it—you may spend hours trying to write a piece while overthinking that’s no better than a draft you could have written in 30 minutes on the fly. Not being totally in love with your first draft is normal. It just allows you that much more room to improve. 

Step 5: Put your progress aside

Much like during the draft process, it’s very possible to overthink your work after it’s mostly done. If you constantly keep re-reading it or rehashing your ideas in your head, they may start to sound odd, or you may try to add where you need to trim. 

For example, the same concept applies to repeating the same word over and over aloud — it’ll likely start to sound strange or even wrong the more you hear it. This also applies to music — ever play a song you love over and over till you hate it? 

You need to give your words and your brain some time to rest away from each other until you try to make any drastic edits or changes. That being said, you may love what you’ve written already and decide you don’t need to change a thing—that’s great!

Step 6: Review and edit

After your break, you can pick up your writing once again. Read it with a critical eye. Go back and think deeply about your purpose and any provided prompts. Have you answered everything you intended to or are required to?

It’s not uncommon—though devastating—to write an entire piece only to realize you wrote from the wrong frame of reference or focused on the wrong issue. For example, if you were asked to write about a challenge you overcame in your life by following an important virtue, but you only wrote about winning a basketball championship and not the struggle behind it, this may miss the mark. 

If you find a good number of issues in your work, don’t feel tempted to scrap the entire thing. What may work instead is to copy and paste your writing line-by-line into a new document. This way, you can save as much as possible while being sure to resolve even small discrepancies.

Step 7: Finalize your work

After you’ve undergone the brutal process of self-editing (or enlisting help from someone else you trust) you can prepare yourself for the home stretch. Finalizing your work shouldn’t take very long.

Y our process may differ; however, it’ll likely come down to reading over your work a few more times just to make sure you haven’t missed words, punctuation, or proper grammar. 

It’s OK to use this step to feel proud of yourself, too. You may not take a lot of time to reflect on your life and everything you’ve been through—it’s important to practice self-love in this way and celebrate your accomplishments.

Talking or writing about yourself may not be everyone’s cup of tea. For example, did you need to provide a fun fact recently but draw a blank? You’re not alone. In fact, many people have a false assumption that they’re boring. 

On the flip side, perhaps you’re used to talking about yourself, or, at least you’ve got the “fake it till you make it” type of confidence down-pat. However, you too can only benefit from adding a bit more razzle-dazzle to your spiels and writing assignments. Here are a few tips for writing about yourself creatively or confidently.  

Allow yourself space

If you have an upcoming project or writing assignment that has you on edge, consider stepping away. Even if you don’t consider yourself an outdoorsy person, a walk around the block may help you breathe and get your creativity flowing. Naturally, the more sound your idea or angle, the more confident you’ll feel about your upcoming performance.  

Keep that ego in check

An underinflated ego is just as bad as an overinflated one. Pay close attention to your internal dialogue when approaching new projects or writing tasks (or, honestly anything that comes up during your day). How much of what swirls around in your mind is fact? How much of it is just fleeting thoughts or opinions? You are not your thoughts, and you always have choices. Make good ones and be kind to yourself. 

Try this: Instead of thinking to yourself, “Wow, this is a really complex writing assignment. I can’t do this.” Or, “How am I ever going to get into my dream school with this essay? I’m not a strong writer.” 

Change your internal dialogue to, “I have good ideas. I may not have my plan figured out right now, but I’ll get it done,” or, “I have so many great skills to bring to the table and I am very passionate about what’s brought me here. I will convey this the best I can.”

Crowdsource

Sometimes an outside opinion can give us much-needed perspective. Ask your friends, family, loved ones, or coworkers to describe you in a few words or even in abstract ways. Don’t view this as you’re fishing for compliments. Ask your loved ones for honesty, as this insight can only help you when writing about yourself. 

Build up a fuel bank

Pulling inspiration out of thin air may not always be possible. However, if you build up a few reliable sources of inspiration, the next time a project hits, you’ll be prepared. You can fuel your creativity and confidence in a variety of ways. 

For example, you can create certain playlists for different moods, save favorite art or graphics in a digital folder or keep printed versions in your home or office, write down affirmations or notes-to-self in a journal or app, and so on. 

Reflect on past accomplishments and setbacks

Even if you aren’t a fan of journaling, writing about yourself is far easier if you take the time to reflect, if only mentally. If you know you have a deadline to write about yourself in the near future, you may want to physically or mentally jot down a few real-life examples or experiences that come to mind. 

But how do you get in the right headspace to reflect? What if you only witness recurring thoughts about past events while trying to fall asleep? Be sure to practice the first tip in this section: Give yourself some space to think. For once, limit the distractions, keep all other screens put away or turn on your "do not disturb" feature.

Now, think about some past accomplishments or setbacks that may not even seem relevant to the topic of the assignment. You may have an epiphany about unrelated things or discover something about how you operate. For example, you might realize that you feel less nervous in social and professional settings if you call out your anxiety as being excited. 

Examples of Writing About Yourself

Even if you feel super confident about writing about yourself now, we wanted to provide a few short examples to help you get started. Your tone, word choice, and more may differ depending on which piece you’re working on.

Here are some tips for writing or publishing your life story you may also find helpful. 

In a memoir or essay

Those were probably the best and the worst days of my life. I had never felt more happy and never felt more sad. I felt as though I were so close to having everything I had ever wanted, yet it seemed with every step forward, I had to take two steps back. It was exhausting. How did I get through it? To be quite honest, I have no damn idea. 

Perspective helped. I knew I could have had it way worse; I knew that my struggle wasn’t unique. I knew, too, that even when the small wins would come they’d have yet another loss right on their tails. I paid dearly for having too much heart and optimism, so I regularly had to hose myself down with logic and pessimism. 

On your blog or website

If you’re reading this, it’s too late. Just kidding! That’s just a really good Drake album. I wanted to take some time to talk about what’s been going on in my life lately for those of you who are nosey enough to care. Again, kidding, I know some of you really care. I’m so grateful to have even this small following that I have. It’s wild, really. Who would have thought that people want to know what’s going on in my head at any given time? Joke’s on you guys, though, because I don’t fully know all the time. 

I guess I’ll start off by saying that work has been a whirlwind. As you all know, it isn’t an easy time for anyone, so please don’t take this declaration as a complaint. I’m thrilled to still have a job despite everything going on. However, leaving this reflection at just that would be doing both myself and you all a disservice. It’s weak. It doesn’t really describe what’s been going on. Allow me to continue.  

In a college essay

When I was young, my grandmother told me I couldn’t please everyone — that some people just wouldn’t like me for no reason at all. This was very hard for me to swallow at times. What does this have to do with who I am today and why I plan to attend your university? 

Well, this early lesson demonstrates that in order for this world to keep spinning, we all have to be unwavering in our own pursuits. We are ourselves. We can’t be anyone else. In that, we all have the responsibility to bring our unique talents, wisdom, and heart to the table — even when we’re seated across from people who may not like us. 

Sometimes Only You Can Do It

Writing about yourself may always be challenging for you, but who better to do so than who knows you best? If you work through the process in every situation and give yourself some patience, there’s no question that you can’t craft something amazing. You may also be interested in this article about how to write family stories .

Your written words mean more than you think. This becomes a part of your legacy when you're gone, and it's one of the ways you'll be remembered. While many families choose custom urns from Foreverence or even to craft memorial diamonds from Eterneva , your words are something that live after you're gone.

While it might not seem natural at first, learning to write about yourself, your perspective, and your experiences carries a lot of significance. Who knows who might read these words when you're gone?

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Things to Write About Yourself: 100 Writing Prompts for Self-Discovery

Things to Write About Yourself: Writing Prompts for Self-Discovery | image of a pen lying on an open journal

Writing is a great tool for personal growth, but it can be challenging to think of things to write about yourself. That’s why I put together this list of creative writing prompts for adults or teens. These may be used as memoir writing prompts if you’re interested in telling the story of your life, or the could be idea starters for blog posts or journal prompts for self discovery.

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You may not be able to relate to all of them, but I tried to make them pretty general! These creative writing exercises can also help you develop the characters in your short story, novel, or screenplay — just imagine your character answering them instead of you.

If you like these prompts for writing about yourself, you might want to pin or bookmark them for future reference. Take a look!

THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT YOURSELF | 100 writing prompts for self discovery | bryndonovan.com | open journal, cup of cafe au lait

  • Describe one of your earliest childhood memories.
  • Write about what you see as one of your best qualities.
  • Do you have the same religious beliefs that you had as a child? If so, why? If not, how and why did they change?
  • Write about the benefits of being an only child—or the advantages of having siblings.
  • Write about how a person can tell if they’re really in love. If you don’t know, write about how you don’t know.
  • Are you shy about your body, such as when you change clothes in a locker room? Or are you comfortable with it? Why?
  • Write about one of the most admirable classmates or coworkers you’ve ever had.
  • Write about one of the worst classmates or coworkers you’ve ever had.
  • Tell your story about the time you succeeded at something because you just. Didn’t. Give. Up.
  • Write about how you’re a typical resident of your city or town… or about how you’re different from most people there.
  • Write about how you fit the stereotype of people from your country… or about how you don’t fit it at all.
  • Describe your favorite toy or game when you were five years old.
  • Write about one of your most useful talents.
  • What superstitions do you believe in or follow? Do you do certain things to avoid bad luck, or make wishes in certain ways?
  • Write about a death in your family.
  • Write about a birth in your family.
  • Tell your story about your first best friend as a child. How did you meet them? How did you play together?
  • Describe a physical feature of yours that you really like.
  • Is your home usually neat, or usually messy? Why is that? Do you think it matters? Why or why not?
  • Describe a part of your job or everyday work that you love.
  • Describe a part of your job or everyday work that you loathe.
  • Tell your story about how you won something, like a contest, a game, or a raffle.
  • Do you think your hometown is a good place to live? Why or why not?
  • Do you fit your astrological sign? Why or why not?
  • Write about when you think it’s morally acceptable to lie. If your answer is “never,” write about why you think that.
  • Write about a trait you inherited or picked up from a parent.
  • Write about a way in which you are very different from a parent.
  • Discuss one of the most important qualities you think people should look for in a romantic partner.
  • Discuss a quality that you think is overrated when choosing a romantic partner.
  • Write about a kind of exercise or physical activity you enjoy.
  • Describe the contents of a desk drawer or junk drawer in your home, and write about the thoughts or memories that the objects in there inspire.
  • Write about what you wish people knew about your job, profession, or calling in life.
  • Write about a habit or addiction that you’ve been struggling with for years.
  • Discuss something you love about the people in your country.
  • Discuss something you wish you could change about the people in your country.
  • What was something you misunderstood as a child? It could be the definition of a word, or something about adult life.
  • Describe the benefits of being an introvert or an extrovert (whichever one you are.)
  • Describe the challenges of being an introvert or an extrovert (whichever one you are.)
  • Tell your story about the time you spoke up for something you believed in. How did it feel? Were there any consequences?
  • If you don’t have children – do you or did you want them? Why or why not?
  • If you have children – what is one thing that surprised you about being a parent?
  • Tell your story about when a friend (or a group of them) made your day.
  • Tell your story about when a friend (or a group of them) broke your heart.
  • Describe an experience at a doctor’s office, dentist’s office, or hospital.
  • Describe your dream home in detail.
  • Tell your story about how a teacher, coach, or boss supported or inspired you.
  • Tell your story about how a teacher, coach, or boss was so awful, they didn’t deserve to have their job.
  • Write about something you did in the past year that made you proud.
  • Do you live in the city you grew up in? Why or why not?
  • Tell your story about a trip or a visit you enjoyed when you were little.
  • Discuss whether you think people should share their religious beliefs openly, or whether they should keep it private.
  • Discuss why you do or don’t consider pets to be family members.
  • Describe what you think would be a perfect romantic date.
  • Write about a type or style of clothing that you feel uncomfortable wearing, or that you simply dislike.
  • Describe your personal style in clothing and whether it’s changed over the years.
  • Write about the worst house or apartment you’ve ever lived in.
  • Tell your story about a time when, rightly or wrongly, you got in trouble at school or at work.
  • Do you always vote in elections? Why or why not?
  • Do you think people make snap judgments about you based on your appearance? Are they accurate or not?
  • What’s something that people don’t learn about your personality unless they get to know you very well?
  • Write about something that terrified you as a child.
  • Write about a particular phobia or fear you have now. If you’re not scared of anything, write about that!
  • Write about something you believe that isn’t a particularly popular belief.
  • What’s something you wanted badly as a child? Did you get it? If so, was it everything you hoped? If not, did it matter?
  • When you’re feeling sad or down, what are ways that you make yourself feel better?
  • What is something that makes you almost irrationally angry?
  • Write about an object you own that has religious, spiritual, or symbolic significance to you.
  • Do you consider yourself hopeful or cynical about romance? Why?
  • Write a note apologizing to a part of your body for insulting it in the past.
  • Write a note thanking a part of your body for doing such a good job.
  • Tell your story about when you had a delightful guest in your home.
  • Tell your story about when you had an unwelcome visitor in your home.
  • Describe the time you were a guest in an unusual home.
  • What was the strangest course or class you ever took?
  • Write about a time when you tried your best – and it didn’t pan out. How did you get over it?
  • Write about a small thing you accomplished this week.
  • Write about the ways that your hometown has changed over the years.
  • Write about a way your country is changing for the better.
  • Describe someone who bullied you as a child. Why do you think they did it?
  • Do you believe that things happen for a reason, or do they just happen randomly? Why do you think this?
  • Do you believe that you have a lot of control over your destiny or future? Why or why not?
  • Write down a funny story that your family likes to tell again and again.
  • Tell your story about a time you got injured or you were in an accident.
  • Write about some of the things you do at home when you’re completely alone.
  • Tell your story about how you learned a new skill.
  • Describe the way you get to school or to work every day.
  • Propose a frivolous or ridiculous law that you would like to implement, and explain your reasoning.
  • Write about something you did (or didn’t do) that you’re proud of from a moral or religious standpoint.
  • Tell your story about having a great time at a party.
  • Tell your story about a party you wish you had never attended or hosted.
  • Tell a story that has to do with your hair, or the lack of it.
  • Write about a feud or rift in your family.

THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT YOURSELF | 100 writing prompts for self discovery | open journal, white flowers, cup of coffee

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If you want to do more self-discovery and you could use a fresh start right about now, check out my journal, The Book Of Dreams Come True ! It’s a journal about goals and manifestation, and I’m really excited to share it with you. I’m even making a sample available—here’s the free PDF download of that.[spacer height=”20px”]

THE BOOK OF DREAMS COME TRUE: A JOURNAL OF SELF-DISCOVERY, GOALS, AND MANIFESTATION | #best gratitude journal #manifestation journal #best gratitude journal #daily gratitude prompts #gratitude journal #barnes and noble Egratitude journal prompts #gratitude list #gratitude writing prompts #thanking the universe

[spacer height=”20px”]Do you have more ideas of things to write about yourself, or advice on how to do it? Let us know in the comments! Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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65 thoughts on “ things to write about yourself: 100 writing prompts for self-discovery ”.

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Yet another really helpful list. Thanks, Bryn 🙂

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Thanks Anne, and thanks for sharing! 🙂

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WOO HOO! As usual, there’s a Ton of Great Stuff here. You’re totally awesome! When I grow up (I’m only 55 now) I wanna be like you! LOL 🙂

My answer to #100 – Sleep All Day!! Or at least stay in bed as much as I could bear.

Robin, you are too kind! Thank you. 🙂 Sounds like #100 is a pretty short writing prompt for you, though, haha!

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Great post, Bryn. I shared on FB, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

“Write about when you think it’s morally acceptable to lie. If your answer is “never,” write about why you think that” (#27).

“Lie.” Facts, truth, and lies aren’t mutually exclusive. Knowledge, context, intent, source, speaker, and audience are factors.

For example, Disney’s Pinocchio is different than DreamWorks’ Pinocchio in the Shrek movies.

When it comes to “facts,” all of us cover more than any one point on the continuum: True, Mostly True, Half True, Mostly False, False, Pants On Fire (politifact.com’s scale).

“Let’s pretend” is okay for kids and adults, and it’s also okay to make-believe with Alzheimer’s patients who will physically attack you if they have all the information they demand. One could spend eternity debating “Little White Lies” (and their definition) and what to do in the face of death or danger.

Thanks so much for sharing, as always! I’m honored. 🙂 I like your thoughts about lies and facts!

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Whoaa! What a Great helpful list?. You’re Awesome nd Helpful Bryn! I love the ideas.

Hey Sani, so glad you like it! Thanks for the kind words!

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Thanks Bryn, this list is really comprehensive and a great starting point to bring more to a story. I’m writing my mother’s story and these questions will be good for prompting her thoughts. Thanks again, happy writing.

Suzanne, that is so cool that you’re writing your mother’s story! I’d love to think I could help even a little tiny bit 🙂 Thanks for reading, and for commenting!

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I want to put it on pinterest but alas no button lives at Bryn’s blog?

OH that’s so nice of you! If you hover over the graphic a Pinterest pin should show up, and there should also be one at the bottom of the post?

It was a wordpress glich! Today you have pins visable. Thhank you.

Ah, thanks for taking the time to tell me, Ellen. I was a little worried about that! Very kind of you. 🙂

Okay they are visible today, silly wordpress… ?

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A remarkable list. Did it take you long to write this? Thanks for the tips. Many would be useful for educators.

Hi Katharine! Haha, it did take me a while. I used to teach first-year composition at university, and I had that in mind for some of these. 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words!

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I found your blog via Mr. Ape (Chris Graham). Thank you for sharing these excellent writing prompts. 🙂

Hi, Tracy! Ahh, Chris is so kind to share 🙂 So glad you liked them!

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I needed some “personal-essay” type journal entries, and this is a great list. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome, so glad it was helpful, Sarah!

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I love this list!! Just reading through it was like watching a reel of “Coming Soon to a Pen and Paper Near You!” — little flashes of stories from my childhood and other memorable moments that I should really write down while my brain is still firing on all pistons (sort of :)). Thank you for posting this! XO

Thanks, Kerissa! Okay, and I have to say, this:

“Just reading through it was like watching a reel of “Coming Soon to a Pen and Paper Near You!” ”

is really clever writing! 🙂

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This is a really great list! I’m so happy to have found it. I’m working on writing a memoir and I’m certain that a number of these will be useful when trying to figure out what is missing from my pieces (as if I don’t have enough editing notes to work with….).

Thanks for sharing!

Hi Darya! How cool that you’re working on a memoir… I hope this does help. I bet editing a memoir is a challenge! Thanks so much for commenting!

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Really love this post.. I’m happy I stumbled on your blog. I’ve been facing some issues writing.. I’m not sure if it’s laziness or writer’s block. Maybe a combination of both. I’m sure making use of those prompts will bring about a change. Thanks for sharing this ??

Hi Maryam, so glad you found it, too! It can be hard to establish a writing habit. The good news is, once you get into the habit, it’s easy to sit down and write. 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, and have a great week!

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Love these prompts! I am planning to write these in a journal and try to do them daily! Thank you for sharing your creativity!!!

Hi, Alex! I’m so glad you like them. I hope they lead to lots of great writing for you 🙂

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Hi Bryn, You’ve put together a great list of writing prompts. Thanks so much. I’ve committed them to my writer’s journal and will turn to it for inspiration whenever I get stuck !

Hi, Dominic! I’m so glad you like them. Hope they lead to some great writing!

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hey bryn this list really helps me by giving me something to write about

this is makenzie oneal hey bryn this list really helps me by giving me something to write about

Hi, Makenzie! I’m so glad it was helpful. Have a great 2018!

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Brilliant ideas Bryn Donovan. Thank you for sharing as I will definitely use them to ‘push’ my writing forward.

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I enjoy reading your posts too. I’m trying to improve my writing and reading your articles is really helpful.

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I just stumbled upon your site. Thanks for these writing suggestions. I am a retired English professor and have saved a number of prompts that I enjoyed sharing with students. Now, some friends and I, all retired community college educators, meet with some Turkish friends who are improving their English through informal conversations. The young ladies asked for writing assignments, so I am always looking for new ones. Everyone in the group participates in writing according to the prompts I give the members. We have fun sharing what we have written.

Hi, there! Oh, I am so glad you like them. It must be hard to learn English if you’re Turkish! How wonderful that you’re helping your friends.

Oh! And I should let you know that my book 5,000 Writing Prompts is on sale today and tomorrow, 99 cents for Kindle (usually $6.99 Kindle, $15.99 paperback.) Here’s the link if you want to check it out! https://amzn.to/2XELEuO

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Nice post !

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Thank you so much for these brilliant asks. I am helping to teach an English class, and I am thoroughly inspired to incorporate some of these!

Hi there! Ah, that’s wonderful. So glad they were useful!

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They helped me a little bit, but not much.

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How to Write a Personal Essay

Too many students get frustrated anytime they have to write a personal essay. This is quite understandable — for an inexperienced person, writing about oneself can seem tricky at first. After all, you cannot just research the subject online or in your local library. Of course, on the one hand, a personal paper allows a considerable degree of flexibility. On the other one, though, it is still an academic paper, which means it should follow a specific set of guidelines. Here, we will try to analyze them one-by-one. Here are the main thins you need to remember when writing an essay about yourself.

Always start with a story

The first thing you will have to do is come up with a story. Obviously, it will have to be a story about yourself. The best news is, you are allowed to exaggerate — a bit. But remember that it has to be a real story nonetheless, and it should put you in the best light possible. After all, most personal essays are written for college admission committees, which is why it is up to you to highlight your strengths as an applicant — without too much boasting.

Once again, it may sound tricky at first, but in reality, it's not that difficult. Just think of an event in your life (big or small) that helped you see yourself in a different light, taught you something, or made you understand things you did not understand before. A personal essay can deal with overcoming the difficulties, accepting your success, or — in many cases — realizing what you want to do in the future. However, remember that the last topic is quite an obvious choice for a personal college admission essay ; so, it will be harder to impress the admission officers if you stick to this option.

Keep your goal in mind

Differently from the majority of academic assignments, a personal essay should focus on one subject — that is, conveying your strong personality traits in the most comprehensible manner. Still, this does not mean that you can simply jump from one topic to another (for example, you helping a sick animal and then — you visiting your granny in a nursing home). Remember the first tip — you are to tell a single story. Surely, you are free to use as many details as you need, but you have to make sure the main thought is conveyed clearly.

Depending on a particular topic you choose, it might be possible to start an introduction with a personal anecdote. This should help you hook the reader and make your message easy to understand.

Steer clear of cliches

Even though you are to portray your strong skills and traits, everyone understands that you are still a human being. Try to remember that, too. In other words, don’t try to be high-almighty — while focusing on your strengths, make sure to draw attention to the weaknesses, too. You can easily achieve that through contrast, thus killing two birds with one stone — showing that you are a human being with an adequate self-esteem and giving your essay some style and structure.

Common personal essay topics that highlight both strengths and weaknesses often have to do with failure that eventually leads to success (losing one football game, practicing a lot, and winning another one); unfortunate events (a dead pet and the following extracurricular activities in the local vet clinic); or trips that changed your world outlook (a short mission to a third-world country). Sounds familiar?

Don’t try to cover a vast timeline

Of course, this will mostly depend on the required length of your essay, but you still have to understand that you cannot cram all of your childhood experiences up till the present day into a short academic paper. Ideally, you should choose an event that lasted no longer than a day; or, at least, if the actual chronological timeline is longer than that, you should stay really close to the point you are trying to convey.

If for example, you are talking about your dog’s premature departure, don’t bury the lead — start your paper with the pet dying; don’t start talking about puppy years. This little trick will help to create tension and will get the reader emotionally involved in the story.

Paint, don’t tell

The devil is in the details, and you are to use as many as you can. When dealing with a short personal essay, you can choose quality over quantity. In other words, make sure the details you include are vivid and descriptive.

The best way to achieve this effect is to start brainstorming as soon as you choose the topic. What do you remember about the day in question? What was the weather like? How did you feel? What did your mom look like during breakfast?

Also, remember that an introduction is the most important part of your work, and it should include the most vivid details (to hook the reader). Rather than stating your age, hobbies, and interests, paint a vivid picture with your words. But of course, make sure that this picture is directly related to the story that follows.

Don’t make it chronological

This is not a classic piece of literature, so you do not have to build suspense. In fact, it could be a great idea to start your storyline from the middle or even the end. If for example, your topic is “How I ruined Last Christmas,” do not feel obliged to start with setting up the lights. Instead, you can jump straight to the mess you’ve made or your relatives’ reaction when they saw what you did.

Add every detail to a bigger picture

In the ruined Christmas example above, don’t forget that a fallen tree is not the main point of your story. But what is? Maybe, it’s how you learned to appreciate the people around you? Or maybe that’s when you decided to start volunteering at the homeless kitchen? Whatever it is, make sure every tiny detail you include in a personal essay adds up to a larger picture — that is, the message you need to convey.

Technical writing tips

Don’t postpone.

It might seem that a couple of pages will not take you long, but you still should not spend a lot of time procrastinating. At the very least, brainstorm the topic in advance.

Mind the format

Even though you are working on a personal essay, it does not mean that you can format it any way you like. This is still an academic work, and it should follow academic formatting requirements. When applying to college, make sure to check them out. Pay a special attention to:

  • Font (as a rule, Times New Roman is a universally recognized standard)
  • Font size (usually 12-point, but once again — it can differ)
  • Interval (typically, 2)
  • Margins (1-inch is a common academic standard)

Mind the timeframe

Once again — don’t postpone writing a paper . Even if you have chosen a topic well in advance, the writing and editing process is still quite time-consuming. Plus, every school has submission deadlines, right?

Get support from your family

No, it does not mean that mommy should write or proofread the paper for you. Still, when working on a personal essay, it can be very useful to ‘interview’ your relatives. If for example, you have already chosen an event to describe (like that ruined Christmas we talked about), do not be afraid to ask your family members some questions. What do they remember? How did they feel?

Don’t stop looking for inspiration

There is nothing wrong with being inspired by another person. Surely, you can’t steal other people’s ideas, but you can make some of them work in your personal essay. Even a simple Facebook post with a nice hook can sometimes show you great ways of impressing your audience.

Mind university requirements in mind

Even though you are writing an essay about yourself, it still does not mean that you should ignore university requirements completely. Here, it is important to pay attention not only to the format, but also to the qualities each college is looking for in their students. Obviously, it would be a great idea to try and focus on qualities that are relevant for this particular educational establishment. This leads us to the next point — if you are applying to several colleges at once, you will have to tailor your personal essay for each position rather than send out one and the same generic work.

Avoid complex words

It’s ok to be smart, but it does not mean that you should use a thesaurus for every adjective you write. Instead, try to be natural. And, of course, never — ever — use the words you do not really understand.

Pay special attention to introduction

This is the first part anyone will read, and it is crucial to get it right. Once again — remember that your goal here is to hook the reader, and avoid using cliches - they will achieve exactly the opposite. Try to think of something more creative instead — include a quote, some stats, or simply jump straight to the point.

Not sure where to start? We can help!

Sure, writing a personal essay can be intimidating. If you doubt your own writing skills, or if you simply postponed the deadline for too long, do not hesitate to get in touch with our professional essay writing team . We can craft a top-notch personal essay for you in no time. Just give any relevant details about your college and past experience, and we will gladly do the job for you!

How to Title an Essay

  • How to Write a Thesis Statement
  • The Major Paragraph Types
  • Definition Essay Topics
  • Writing Descriptive Essays about People
  • How To Write a Follow-up Letter

things to write about in an essay about yourself

things to write about in an essay about yourself

How to Write an Essay about Yourself

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Although you may know yourself better than anybody else, writing an autobiographical essay — an essay about yourself — can be hard. But don’t worry because you’ve come to the right place! 

I’m Constance, and I’ll show you how to write an essay about yourself in five simple steps. We’ll also write a sample essay together! 

Let’s get started!

Write an essay about yourself in five easy steps:

Step 1. Plan the word count for each paragraph.

Planning the word count for each paragraph will be much easier when you know the exact number of words you need for an essay. It will help you organize your ideas and present them clearly and concisely.

Any essay has three key elements:

  • The introductory paragraph (introduction).
  • Three body paragraphs.
  • The concluding paragraph (conclusion).

For example, you can follow the diagram below to easily distribute 300 words across the five paragraphs in a 300-word essay:

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Step 2. Choose your essay’s main point and its supporting ideas.

First, you need to come up with one main, overarching point. To do that, you can choose one quality that describes you best. It doesn’t really matter if it is something people can see (your appearance) or not (your kindness, intelligence, etc.) as long as you pick just one.

What do you want to say about yourself? What do people say about you? Whatever you think of, it will be your essay’s main point — your thesis.

For example, “ I am a kind person .” This thesis will be enough for now. In the next step, you’ll better understand how to expand it into an entire essay.

Now, divide your topic using the Power of Three to prove your main point using three supporting ideas.

things to write about in an essay about yourself

The Power of Three effectively divides an essay’s main idea into supporting points. It is a three-part structure that helps produce your body paragraphs .

Let’s try it for an example of an autobiographical essay with the thesis, “ I am a kind person.”

For example, here are three supporting ideas describing a kind person:

  • I am a good listener .
  • I always try to speak positively and avoid criticism .
  • I am always ready to lend a helping hand .

Excellent! Now we’re all set for the next step!

Step 3. Write your introductory paragraph.

Here are the key components of an introductory paragraph in writing any essay:

things to write about in an essay about yourself

The first sentence is the introduction, which should catch the readers’ attention and make them want to know the person in the essay (you).

The rest of the paragraph is the thesis statement and three supporting points.

Example of an introductory paragraph about yourself

“Although I am not perfect, others see my good qualities. Many people say I am a kind person because I am a good listener, I always try to speak positively, and I love helping others with their tasks. I like listening to my family and friends when they need support. I also like to use kind words and avoid negative and forceful language. And I am always ready to lend a helping hand whenever someone needs it.”

Note that our introductory paragraph goes from a general statement to three specific ideas that support our main idea.

A general statement (our introductory sentence) briefly sets the essay’s context. Next comes our thesis statement and three supporting ideas.

Step 4. Write your essay’s body paragraphs.

After the introductory paragraph, you will write body paragraphs containing the supporting ideas for your thesis. Here’s how to structure a body paragraph:

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Keep this diagram in mind when writing your body paragraphs. Start with a topic sentence, and then provide a brief explanation and example/s.

Paragraph 1

“Many people tell me that I am a good listener. I listen carefully whenever people talk to me, making sure they know I’m willing to hear them out and that they have my support. For example, whenever my friends want to talk to me about their problems, I listen carefully and avoid interrupting them. After they talk, I ask questions about their feelings and thoughts about their situation before giving them advice.”

As you can see, our first sentence in this body paragraph is a topic sentence . It gives context to our body paragraph and briefly summarizes it.

Our second sentence describes an empathetic person. And the remaining sentences illustrate our main point (topic sentence) by providing examples.

Paragraph 2

“Regardless of whom I am talking to, I always try to speak positively to make them feel good. I try to talk in a positive manner that inspires and encourages others and expresses my respect and gratitude for them. I also avoid mocking, insulting, or cursing at people. And even in uncomfortable situations, I try to offer constructive feedback instead of complaining or grumbling because I do not want any negative energy to rub off on the other person. The other day I spoke with my friend who had made a mistake. I never criticized her and offered some good advice to help her correct the situation.”

Just like paragraph 1, paragraph 2 follows the same structure outlined in the diagram. It proceeds from a general statement to more specific points .

Paragraph 3

“I am always willing to lend a helping hand. I love helping others and finding ways to make tasks easier for them, especially my family. I always wash the dishes and clean our kitchen without my mother telling me to do so. I also like helping my dad fix things in the garage and repair things in our house. And I also like helping my siblings with their school projects and homework.”

Once again, paragraph 3 follows the body paragraph structure. Now, we’re all set for the final step — the conclusion.

Step 5. Write the conclusion.

If you want an easy and quick way to write a concluding paragraph for your essay about yourself, just restate your main idea and its supporting points using different words.

Let’s try this method to write the conclusion for our essay.

“No one is perfect, but it is great if people know you best for your positive qualities. Many people tell me I am a kind person, and it tends to draw them to me. I listen carefully and attentively whenever people talk to me. I speak in a positive manner. And I love helping others and making things easier for them.”

Note how we paraphrased our introductory paragraph to restate the points we’ve already made. Keep this in mind when writing any essay.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful! Now go ahead and write an essay about yourself!

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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How to Write About Yourself

Last Updated: July 31, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lucy Yeh . Lucy Yeh is a Human Resources Director, Recruiter, and Certified Life Coach (CLC) with over 20 years of experience. With a training background with Coaching for Life and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at InsightLA, Lucy has worked with professionals of all levels to improve the quality of their careers, personal/professional relationships, self marketing, and life balance. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,700,373 times.

Whether you're writing an essay about yourself for a scholarship, a self-introduction, or a personal bio for a job application, coming up with the right words to capture what makes you unique can feel challenging. Fortunately, there are tips and tricks that can make writing about yourself a breeze. Want some help getting across just how impressive, interesting, and skilled you really are? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about putting yourself into words effectively, complete with examples.

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Writing of the Autobiographical Nature

Step 1 Introduce yourself...

  • Who are you?
  • What is your background?
  • What are your interests?
  • What are your talents?
  • What are your achievements?
  • What challenges have you faced?

Step 2 Start with a...

  • What is your most interesting or unique quality? What word(s) describes you the best? Choose that topic.

Step 4 Use a few good details.

  • Bad: I like sports.
  • Ok: I'm a fan of basketball, football, tennis, and soccer.
  • Good: My favorite sport is football, both to watch and to play.
  • Better: When I was growing up, I would watch Big Ten football with my dad and brothers every Saturday, before we'd go outside and toss the football around. I've loved it ever since.

Step 5 Be humble...

  • Braggy: I'm the best and most dynamic worker at my company right now, so you should want to hire me for my talents.
  • Humble: I was lucky enough to be awarded three employee of the month awards at my current job. Turns out it was a company record.

Writing Personal Essays for School

Step 1 Choose a memorable story to tell.

  • Common themes or prompts for autobiographical essays include overcoming obstacles, great successes or spectacular failures, and what you learned about yourself.

Step 2 Focus on a single theme or purpose.

  • Depending on the assignment, you may need to connect a personal anecdote to a reading or an idea from class. Start brainstorming topics that are connected to that idea, to give yourself a variety of options to choose from.

Step 3 Write about complex topics, not cliches.

  • Common autobiographical essay cliches include sports stories, mission trips, and dead grandmothers. While these can all make for excellent essays if done well, it is difficult to stand out when telling the story of how your lacrosse team lost a big game, then practiced hard, then won. It has been written before.

Step 4 Limit the timeline...

  • If you want to tell the story of your nasty break-up, start with the break-up, do not start with the star-crossed way you met. You have got to get immediately to the tension in the story.

Step 5 Use vivid details.

  • When you have an idea of your topic, start writing a "memory list" of specific things that you remember about the event. What was the weather like? What did it smell like? What did your mother say to you?
  • Your opening paragraph will set the tone for the rest of the essay. Rather than telling the dull biographical details (your name, your place of birth, your favorite food), find a way to express the essence of the story you are going to tell and the themes you are going to explore in your essay.

Step 6 Start in the...

Writing a Cover Letter for an Application

Step 1 Find the prompt.

  • Outline your qualifications and highlight your talents in a cover letter.
  • Write about who you are.
  • In a cover letter, describe how your education and experience qualifies you for this position.
  • Explain how this opportunity will benefit your career goals.

Step 2 Match the style to the purpose.

  • When in doubt, keep it brief and serious. If you are unsure whether or not telling an amusing anecdote about your friend's bachelor party is appropriate in a cover letter, it is probably best to leave it out.

Step 3 Describe why you are writing in the first paragraph.

  • "I'm writing to apply for the entry-level position with Company Inc. advertised on your website. I think my experience and training makes me an ideal candidate for this position."
  • Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to include your name in the body of the letter: "My name is John Smith and I am applying...." Your name will be included in the signature , as well as the header of a cover letter, so there is no need to put it in the text itself.

Step 4 Structure the cover letter as cause and effect.

  • Who you are and where you come from.
  • Where you want to go.
  • How this opportunity would potentially help you get there.

Step 5 Detail your talents and skills specifically.

  • Be as specific as possible. It is alright to note that you are "A passionate leader in all walks of life" but it would be much better to write about an example of a time you lead in a surprising way.
  • Stay focused on skills and talents that connect specifically to the thing you are applying for. Extracurricular involvement, leadership roles, and other types of outstanding achievement may be important to you personally, but it may be totally extraneous. If you include something, ensure to connect it specifically to the goal of the cover letter.

Step 6 Describe your goals and ambitions.

  • Be as specific as possible. If you are writing a university cover letter, it is obvious that you have to have a degree to get a job as a doctor, but how did you come to choose this field? Why did you choose this school? What, specifically, do you want to take away from the experience?

Step 7 Explain how both parties will benefit from your selection.

  • Be careful about using a cover letter to critique a business. It is not the time to describe the suffering of a particular brand over the previous fiscal quarter, then promising that you will be able to turn it around with your ideas. That might not go over well if you are hired, and then you are unable to live up to the promise.

Step 8 Do not mistake...

  • Even if it is impressive, a high GPA or class ranking does not belong in a cover letter. Highlight it on your resume, but do not include it in two different places of the application.

Step 9 Keep it brief.

  • Mailing address
  • Telephone and/or fax number

Lucy Yeh

Expert Trick : Save time and effort by creating one generic format that you can use for many different job applications by tweaking the specific content for each one. Start with a general introductory paragraph , then a section or two fleshing out your resume and expertise as it relates to the job, and finish it off with a closing paragraph and a note of thanks.

Writing a Short Biography Note

Step 1 Write about yourself...

  • Pretend you are writing about someone else. Write your name and start describing that person like a character or a friend: "John Smith is the Executive Vice President of Company Inc..."

Step 2 Explain your position or title.

  • If you are a jack of all trades, say so. Do not be afraid to list "actor, musician, mother, motivational speaker, and professional rock climber" if they all apply equally.

Step 3 Briefly list your responsibilities or accomplishments.

  • It is common to list degrees that you have received. Pay particular attention to anything that ties into the work you are writing about. If you have special training, include it here.

Step 4 Include a bit of your personal life.

  • "John Smith is the Executive Vice President of Company Inc., in charge of marketing and overseas acquisitions. He received an MBA with distinction from Harvard and lives in Montauk with his cat Cheeto."
  • Do not overshare. It can seem funny to immediately start with "John Smith loves rafting and hates eating Cheetos. He's a total boss" and such bio notes can be appropriate for some venues, however be careful to avoid awkward oversharing. Telling everyone about your killer hangover might be best left for after work talk.

Step 5 Keep it brief.

  • Stephen King, who is one of the most successful and popular authors in recent history, has a bio note that just lists the name of his family members, his hometown, and his pets. Consider leaving out the self-congratulation entirely.

Community Q&A

wikiHow Staff Editor

  • Remember that you’re supposed to talk about yourself, it’s the main topic. Don’t talk about your friends or family, even though you may feel tempted to. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
  • If you are having a difficult time writing about yourself, search online for examples of personal writing, in order to get some ideas and inspiration. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
  • Don't think about how others feel about you. Everyone thinks from a different perspective. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

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  • ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-about-yourself
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  • ↑ https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/chapter/narrowing-a-topic/
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  • ↑ https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/6-unconventional-ways-start-cover-letter/
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  • ↑ https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/first-vs-third-person
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About This Article

Lucy Yeh

If you have to write an autobiographical description of yourself, write down a list of your talents, interests, and accomplishments. Use this list to help you choose one specific topic for your description, such as your academic achievements or your leadership qualities. Use specific, unique details to support your topic, such as being awarded an academic scholarship or the fact that you were president of the newspaper in high school. You can list bits of your personal life, but be careful not to overshare. If you want to write about yourself a cover letter or personal essay, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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things to write about in an essay about yourself

  •    How to Write an About Myself Essay With Example

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How to write an about myself essay with example.

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  • Published On: July 09 ,2021

How to Write an About Myself Essay With Example

Getting Started

When you may have to write about yourself.

  • Career advancement opportunities
  • Internship inquiry letters
  • Biographies
  • Graduate school applications
  • Cover letters
  • Grant proposals

How to Write an Essay About Myself?

  • Introduce yourself.
  • Make sure to include your most important professional experience.
  • Talk about significant awards or personal achievements.
  • Introduce details about your personal life.
  • Use a friendly and casual tone unless stated otherwise. 

What Else Do You Need to Include in Your Self Introduction Essay? 

  • The things you want to learn.
  • Your aspirations and dreams.
  • The things you are good at.
  • Your hobbies.

A Sample About Myself Essay

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things to write about in an essay about yourself

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Examples

Writing a DBQ Essay

Dbq essay generator.

things to write about in an essay about yourself

If you’re a History major or enrolled in a History class, you may be appalled to know that your instructor has assigned your class to write a DBQ essay. You probably haven’t got the faintest idea what’s that supposed to mean. You don’t even know what DBQ stands for. If you’re stuck in a situation like this, you need to familiarize yourself with DBQ before your exams will take place. If your instructor has not taught you what DBQ is all about (and they probably have not since you are here!), here are some ways on how to prepare and write a DBQ essay. You may also see Descriptive Essay Examples .

  • Academic Essay Examples
  • Parts of an Essay

DBQ is known as document-based-question is an unusual type of a formatted timed essay on most AP History Exams; whatever your major is; AP US History, AP European History, and AP World History. This kind of essay is given during exams where students are required to analyze a certain and important event or issues that happened in history with the help of the provided sources or documents as evidence. You may also see Formal Essay Example .

things to write about in an essay about yourself

Preparing for the DBQ essay

1. Familiarize yourself what to do when writing a DBQ essay.

During the exam, students are given 15 minutes to read the given prompt, analyze the documents and make some draft to write your reference essay . When the time is up, you are to start writing your essay. The actual writing process only takes around 15 minutes. The 15-minute mark may depend whether it covers only one prompt or more.

2. Take note of the prompt.

You need to determine what kind of evidence you will need to find in the documents or data that you have, based on the prompt question. Always circle or underline the specific society, organizations, or any groups of people being asked about, the time period, and the key concepts (such as the social, economic, or cultural issues that were prevalent at that time period) that are mentioned in the prompt. Here are some prompt DBQ essays samples that are likely to be asked for you to do the following: You may also see  Evaluation Essay Examples .

The sample prompts are discussions related to the Progressive Era in the United States of America. You are asked to do the following:

  • Prompt 1: Analyze the extent to which a historical stereotype is true for a given period or concept. Example: Analyze the extent to which the Suffragettes were depicted as manly, uncivilized women during the 1890s to the 1920s.
  • Prompt 2: Analyze multiple reasons that cause a particular movement to develop.

Example: Analyze the reasons that the Progressive Movement gained momentum during the 1890s to the 1920s in the United States.

  • Prompt 3: Compare and contrast differing attitudes toward a concept or policy.

Example: Compare and contrast the differing attitudes towards women’s rights in America from 1890 to 1920.

  • Prompt 4: Analyze the degree of truth in particular statement examples . Take a stance on the statement.

Example: Analyze the degree of truth in the statement: Women’s rights were a major part of the Progressive Era in America from the 1890s to the 1920s.

  • Prompt 5: Analyze the impact of an event or concept on some part of American society.

Example: Analyze the impact of the Progressive era on American society in the 1890s to the 1920s.

  • Prompt 6: Analyze the relative importance of a specific factor or factors on an event or concept.

Example: Analyze the importance of women’s roles in WWI to the passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

(All sample prompts are from www.wikihow.com)

3. Think up for more information about the societies, time period, or theme related to the given prompt.

This kind of information is what you may have learned in class or read about in your textbook. The additional information that you have will support your answers in your essay writing . You may use the documents provided to support your additional information. Additional information may be events in history, themes you studied about the time period you are writing about, revolutions, prominent people, and more. Take note of this information as they will be relevant to your essay later.

Here is an example from www.wikihow.com:

Think about the major career goals of the Progressive era, such as increased health and safety codes in factories, limiting child labor, more innovations in technology, the rise of the number of immigrants, the WWI, the rise of unions, and the monopoly of major men such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, etc.

The best thing to remember this for you to study in advance or take notes of this information when your professor discusses them during class.

things to write about in an essay about yourself

4. Formulate your own opinion in the given subject. 

Determine what you can say about the given topic. What perspective do you have in mind during the issues in this era? What do you think is the importance of this issue? Is it worth studying it? What lessons did you obtain from these issues? These answers must be based from your own point of view, not others. You may also see  Comparative Essay Samples .

An example from www.wikihow.com:

What stands out about the Progressive era? What do you think about woman’s fight for suffrage?

5. Formulate your own assumption before you look at the documents. 

Of course, the prominent issues in a certain era happened because of a reason. While there is a given theory as an explanation why things happened, you could create your own theory based what are the other possible reasons why these events happened, what may be the hushed controversies during that time period, etc. When you’ve formulated these assumptions, you will be able to determine quickly how the given documents are effective in your essay. You may also see  Argumentative Essay Examples .

Here are some examples of assumptions from www.wikihow.com you could come up with based on the given prompt listed above.

  • Prompt 1: Suffragettes were seen as unpatriotic, unfeminine women by the people who opposed the idea of women having the right to vote during the 1890s-1920s in the United States.
  • Prompt 2: The Progressive movement gained power in the 1890s to 1920s since lots of American citizens were shocked by the poor living conditions and the economic climate in which trusts dominated the major sources of income in America.
  • Prompt 3: In the United States; during the 1890s to the 1920s, some women joined the suffragettes to fight for the right to vote. However other women, particularly the elite class, snubbed at the suffragettes because they believed that women were meant to be housewives.
  • Prompt 4: The Women’s Rights movement was a big part of the Progressive era from the years 1890 to 1920 in the United States.
  • Prompt 5: The Progressive era majorly impacted American society drastically in terms of economics, politics, and culture during the 1890s to the 1920s.
  • Prompt 6: Women were able to gain the right to vote, due to the fact that they made up most of the workforce during WWI.

6. Analyze the given documents

The documents that have been provided can include historical writings or publications like quotations, journal entries, letters, book excerpts, newspaper clippings, charts, maps, tables, photographs, illustrations, artifacts, cartoons, archived videos or as from the time period. Ask the question to yourself: You may also see  Persuasive Essay with Examples .

  • What is the main idea of each document?
  • How does a document relate to the prompt?
  • How does the document will help your assumptions?

Jot down the notes you need from the given documents. This will help you formulate your essay easier instead of repeatedly scanning the documents during the writing examples . Pay some attention to the chronology of the documents. Look for any changes over time. Pay attention also to the contrasting information that was provided in the documents.

Example (from www. wikihow.com):

A letter about the methods used to obtain the right to vote sent from one suffragette to another is in contrast with an article in a newspaper depicting suffragettes as unpatriotic women who hoped to sabotage WWI for the United States.

You may also add additional information such as laws being passed, treaties between nations, letter from past rulers of every country, etc. to support your assumptions and proving your point. You may also see Last Minute Essay Example .

  • The Bill of Rights. The Women’s Rights movement resulted in the establishment of the 19th Amendment.
  •  A list made by suffragettes at a meeting about their strategies for getting the right to vote.

DBQ Sample Essay

DBQ Sample Essay

Size: 13 MB

DBQ Essay Outline

DBQ Essay Outline

Writing the essay

Your introduction should start about writing a sentence or two of the historical context about the time period you are writing about. You may also see Outline Essay Example .

The Progressive Era, which took place roughly from 1890-1920, was a time of  political, economic, and cultural reform in the United States. The Women’s Rights Movement was one of the movements that gained momentum during this time.

6. Write your assumption statements.

Follow these statements with a brief sentence that focuses on the topic or themes that will be covered in each following paragraph. You may also see Informative Essay Example .

During the 1890s to the 1920s in the United States, some women joined the suffragettes in their fight for the right to vote, while other women, particularly those of the elite class, looked down at the suffragettes because they believed that women were meant to stay in the home. In the following paragraphs, these two different reactions to suffragettes will be compared and contrasted.

7. Write your content paragraphs.

Your content paragraphs should be placed in a logical order. When referring to documents, use the title of the documents that you used. Each paragraph must have a topic sentence. This explains what your paragraphs are going to be about. Put as many paragraphs as this will help make sense for your prompt. You may also see Essay Examples in DOC .

List and analyze the documents you presented in the DBQ essay. Quotations that directly came from your documents must be done in a meaningful way. Remember to use quotes sparingly.

8. Add citations

If you ever mention a document that was the sources from your given documents; add parentheses and the number of the document at the end of the sentence.

  • Women who were not suffragettes but still supported the movement wrote letters discussing their desire to help (doc 2).

9. Provide your conclusion 

Write your conclusions after you put the important points that support your analysis in your essay. Your conclusion will restate your assumptions and summarizes what you have proved in your essay. This is a crucial part of your essay as this will provide higher points in your analysis essay if your conclusion is adequate states what you have written in your essay.

10.Review your essay

Don’t forget to double check the dates and places you put in your essay by looking at the documents and make sure what you have written down match the information with the documents. The last thing you need is for your essay to be invalid since you put down wrong information just because you misspelled a name or forgot to put down the name of the place where the event took place. You may also see Free Essay Examples .

Now that you are familiar with writing a DBQ essay, it would not be too hard in your part to write a good and strong essay to land yourself a good grade. Not only you get to have a good grade, in the grueling process, you also learned some new knowledge. You may also see Reflective Essay Examples .

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Text prompt

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Write a DBQ Essay analyzing the causes of the American Revolution.

Discuss the impacts of industrialization on society in a DBQ Essay.

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COMMENTS

  1. Guide to Writing a Compelling Essay About Yourself

    Here are some essential tips to help you create an engaging and authentic essay: 1. Know Your Audience. Understand who will be reading your essay and tailor your content to resonate with them. Consider their interests, values, and expectations. 2. Be Authentic. Avoid embellishments or exaggerations.

  2. 15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

    We don't get the same depth with the first example. 6. Don't be afraid to show off…. You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn't the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 7. …. While also maintaining humility.

  3. How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay

    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.

  4. 87 Prompts To Write About Yourself

    58. Write about what you wish more people knew about your chosen job/career. 59. Write about an external struggle that's been wearing on you lately. 60. Write about an internal struggle that's been distracting you and wearing you down. 61. Describe something you love — or don't love — about the people in your country.

  5. How to Write an Essay about Yourself

    While "I" and "we" are both in the first person, "you" is used in the second person. Remember this rule, and you'll come up with an interesting essay or even a short story about yourself. You may even want to consider becoming a novel writer in the future after doing it. 3. Stick with "he," "she," "it," and "they".

  6. 17+ Great Ideas for an Essay About Yourself

    2. Make it Personal using Anecdotes. The difference between a good and great essay about yourself is the use of personal anecdotes. You want your essay to stand out because it's thoughtful and unique. Anyone can tell a story of who they are. Anyone can say: "Here's who I am and here's what's good about me.".

  7. How To Write an Essay About Yourself

    Learn how to write the perfect essay about yourself here. You either love to talk about yourself or hate it, but one thing is for sure: Writing about yourself in essay form is hard for anyone. Dictionary

  8. How to Write an Essay About Yourself

    You can point out these recurring themes to make for an effective essay with a strong overarching point. Making lists like this early on in your writing stage can be helpful, and you may find yourself coming back to consult the list for many future essays. Apply to these scholarships due soon. $10,000 "No Essay" Scholarship. 1 award worth ...

  9. How do I write a good essay about myself?

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  10. 9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

    5. Write in the First Person. You're telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using "I" and "me" throughout your essay. 6.

  11. 5 Steps To Write An Essay About Yourself

    Using the questions above, pick an incident or some strong point about yourself to elucidate. Remember that you must write about a single incident or quality that makes you stand out. Avoid talking about two qualities or two incidents. 3. Define the Goal. Read the essay guidelines and align your writing with that.

  12. How to Write a Short Essay About Yourself: Step-By-Step

    Tips for Writing About Yourself Creatively or Confidently; Examples of Things to Write About Yourself; You should feel empowered—not intimidated—in taking on a writing project about yourself. Use it as a way to challenge how you view your own experiences, talents, and more. We'll discuss some steps for writing about yourself as well as ...

  13. How To Write About Yourself: Great Tips For Personal Writing

    How to write about yourself: Become a better writer by journaling. It's good to write more, period. Different types of writing help you know your audience + hone your voice accordingly. Good personal writing is vulnerable. 1. Become a better writer by journaling. Journaling has been shown to help manage anxiety and reduce stress —both ...

  14. How do I write about myself in a college essay?

    First, set yourself deadlines: you should spend about 10% of your remaining time on brainstorming, 10% on outlining, 40% writing, 30% revising, and 10% taking breaks in between stages. Second, brainstorm stories and values based on your essay prompt. Third, outline your essay based on the montage or narrative essay structure.

  15. Things to Write About Yourself: 100 Writing Prompts for Self-Discovery

    Write a note apologizing to a part of your body for insulting it in the past. Write a note thanking a part of your body for doing such a good job. Tell your story about when you had a delightful guest in your home. Tell your story about when you had an unwelcome visitor in your home.

  16. How to Write an Essay About Yourself with Confidence

    The key is to create a good hook to draw readers into your narrative right away. Once you get into the body paragraphs, keep the momentum going. Describe the feelings you had, the sights, smells, and sounds of your experience. Like the introduction to an essay about yourself, the conclusion can take many forms.

  17. Writing A Great Essay About Yourself: 16 Tips And Tricks with Example

    The first thing you will have to do is come up with a story. Obviously, it will have to be a story about yourself. The best news is, you are allowed to exaggerate — a bit. But remember that it has to be a real story nonetheless, and it should put you in the best light possible. After all, most personal essays are written for college admission ...

  18. An Essay About Myself: Writing Tips and Tricks

    Writing about yourself can be one of the hardest things that you have to do, whether you're writing a personal essay for a school project or for admission to a college or university. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when writing a personal essay, from which details are the most intriguing to potential readers to developing ...

  19. How to Write an Essay about Yourself

    Let's get started! Write an essay about yourself in five easy steps: Step 1. Plan the word count for each paragraph. Planning the word count for each paragraph will be much easier when you know the exact number of words you need for an essay. It will help you organize your ideas and present them clearly and concisely.

  20. How to Write About Yourself: Basic Tips & Examples

    10 Tips on How to Write an Essay About Yourself. Below are a few recommendations worth considering when writing about yourself: be honest - even learning how to write a paragraph about yourself requires knowing how to open/ reveal your soul, your past, or your mind. For some people, is a real challenge, yet simply speaking about this is not ...

  21. 5 Ways to Write About Yourself

    Start brainstorming topics that are connected to that idea, to give yourself a variety of options to choose from. 3. Write about complex topics, not cliches. An essay does not need to make you look good, so much as how well you communicate the event.

  22. How to Write an About Myself Essay With Example.

    You can follow the given simple steps to write an essay about yourself: Introduce yourself. Make sure to include your most important professional experience. Talk about significant awards or personal achievements. Introduce details about your personal life. Use a friendly and casual tone unless stated otherwise.

  23. PDF Strategies for Essay Writing

    Harvard College Writing Center 5 Asking Analytical Questions When you write an essay for a course you are taking, you are being asked not only to create a product (the essay) but, more importantly, to go through a process of thinking more deeply about a question or problem related to the course. By writing about a

  24. Writing a DBQ

    Preparing for the DBQ essay. 1. Familiarize yourself what to do when writing a DBQ essay. During the exam, students are given 15 minutes to read the given prompt, analyze the documents and make some draft to write your reference essay. When the time is up, you are to start writing your essay. The actual writing process only takes around 15 minutes.