how to start an essay about yourself examples


However, such themes are popular for a reason. They represent the totality of most people’s lives coming out of high school. Therefore, it may be less important to stay away from these topics than to take a fresh approach.


In order to learn how to start an introduction for an essay, it is crucial to understand what background information needs to be included in your introduction.

Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts. A good time to start could be as early as the summer before your senior year when homework and extracurricular activities take up less time.

how to start an essay about a person

This post was co-written by me (Ethan) and Luci Jones (Brown University, CO ‘23). Luci took my last year. The essay that she produced was so good and her writing was so beautiful, I’ve asked her to help me co-write this blog post with me, create a few techniques for writing a great introduction, and analyze why they work so well.

And before we talk you through how to write your college essay, we want to acknowledge something fairly strange about this process: namely, that this is a kind of writing that you’ve maybe never been asked to do before.

In that sense, college essays are a bizarre bait-and-switch—in high school, you’re taught a few different ways to write (e.g., maybe some historical analysis, or how to analyze literature, or creative writing), and then to apply to college, you’re asked to write something fairly different (or maybe completely different) from any of the things you’ve been asked to write in high school.

Before we get into introduction, we need to know how it is structured. The structure of an essay is crucial for organizing your thoughts and presenting them clearly and logically. It is divided as follows:2


Let's look at some useful methods to start your essay strongly.

Unsure of how to start your essay introduction? Leverage Paperpal’s Generative AI templates to provide a base for your essay introduction. Here’s an example of an essay outline generated by Paperpal.

We’ll also share how to start an essay with examples.

This is one of the key steps in how to write an essay introduction. Crafting a compelling hook is vital because it sets the tone for your entire essay and determines whether your readers will stay interested. A good hook draws the reader in and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.

Example of How to Start an Essay with a Question:

Comment: The irony that a good thing leads to a bad thing for others will arouse your reader’s sympathy and moral indignation. This sentence structure is a powerful first sentence in an essay.

Here are some interesting sentences to start an essay:

Bowing down to the porcelain god, I emptied the contents of my stomach. Foaming at the mouth, I was ready to pass out. My body couldn’t stop shaking as I gasped for air, and the room started spinning. (Read the rest of the essay .)

Another way to start off an essay is by using a quote.

A thesis statement is a concise summary of the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, or other type of academic writing. It appears near the end of the introduction. Here’s how to write a thesis statement:

A short essay introduction is the opening paragraph that:

Whether you’re stuck on the introduction, need help organizing your thoughts, or want to polish your final draft, ChatGPT can guide you through the entire process.

If you're interested in learning how to use ChatGPT effectively for essay writing, this helpful guide.

Read this example to know how to start a paragraph.

“In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of regular exercise cannot be overstated. From improving physical health to boosting mental well-being, the benefits of exercise are numerous and far-reaching. This essay will examine the various advantages of regular exercise and provide tips on incorporating it into your daily routine.”