about yourself essay in english

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

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.

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 5,681,790 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.

Writing of the Autobiographical Nature

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Writing a Cover Letter for an Application

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.

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.

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.

Mailing address
Telephone and/or fax number

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

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..."

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.

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

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 2 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-about-yourself
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/brainstorming/
↑ https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/chapter/narrowing-a-topic/
↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/essay-about-self-writing
↑ https://writingcommons.org/article/using-first-person-in-an-academic-essay-when-is-it-okay/
↑ https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/6-unconventional-ways-start-cover-letter/
↑ https://english.washington.edu/writing-cover-letter
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/career-goal-statement-examples
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-vs-cover-letter
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/whats-the-ideal-cover-letter-length
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-format-a-cover-letter-example
↑ https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/first-vs-third-person
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/

About This Article

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

Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Zohra Asefi

Sep 13, 2017

Is this article up to date?

May 1, 2017

Feb 7, 2017

Mohammed Zufishan

Dec 30, 2016

Shubham Sanklecha

Jun 3, 2018

Featured Articles

How to Block Cookies in Chrome, Safari, & More

Watch Articles

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell or Share My Info
Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Myself — About Myself

Essay Examples About Myself

Engaging prompts for your essay about myself.

Prompt 1: Describe a moment in your life that significantly influenced your personal development. How did it shape the person you are today?

Prompt 2: What are your major achievements, and why do you consider them as such? Discuss what these achievements reveal about your character and values.

Prompt 3: Reflect on a challenge you've faced. How did you overcome it, and what did you learn about yourself in the process?

Brainstorming and Choosing a Unique Essay About Myself Topic

Brainstorming is crucial for uncovering unique aspects of your story. Reflect on memorable experiences, achievements, and lessons learned to find a central theme or unique angle for your essay.

Unique Essay Topics Beyond the Common Narratives

The Intersection of Personal Adversity and Academic Pursuit
From Hobby to Purpose
Cultural Heritage and Identity
Innovation in Solitude
Navigating the World as a Neurodiverse Individual

Inspirational Writing Samples for Your Essay About Myself

"Facing the mountain, I felt an unprecedented mix of fear and exhilaration. Climbing had always been a metaphor for my life's challenges. Each step upward mirrored my journey of overcoming [specific challenge], teaching me resilience, focus, and the importance of trust. Through this experience, I discovered that perseverance, even in the face of uncertainty, is the key to surmounting obstacles."

Phrases for Inspiration:

"Transforming setbacks into comebacks, I learned..."
"In the crucible of [experience], I forged..."
"Navigating the intricate tapestry of [situation] revealed to me..."
"The confluence of [event] and my response to it underscored the importance of..."
"Drawing from the well of my experiences, I find strength in..."

My Identity Description

My racial autobiography: understanding identity and fighting for justice, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences

+ experts online

About Myself: Revealing The Colors of Me

Who am i: creative writing, a few words about myself, let us write you an essay from scratch.

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

My Plans for a Successful Future

Letter about myself from the 3rd person, how it feels to be an introvert, who am i: discussion of my personality and life, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

Expert-written essays crafted with your exact needs in mind

What is Your True Self: The Importance of Self-awareness

How my future self is my hero, me, myself and i: ordinary person, real-life experience, the void in my life, admission to the university of adelaide: describe your background, answer on the large-scale question 'who am i', the way my curiosity defines myself and my desires, understanding myself: exploring the layers of my personality, that's how my personality defines myself, who am i: a glimpse of my personality development, one day i'll be someone's first choice, analysis of my top-5 personal strengths, self-awareness: my experience on path to better me, analysis of a teenager's personality profile, a look at the benefit of personal encouragement, who am i: answering the question through the body theory, memory theory, and illusion theory, a reflection on myself as a writer, the analysis of my personality tests, personal writing: why i love winter, personal narrative: myself as a writer, relevant topics.

Personal Goals
Personal Strengths
Self Assessment
Self Reflection
Personal Beliefs
Winter Break
Professionalism

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

How to Start an Essay About Yourself: Proven Tips and Tricks

How to start an essay about yourself? When it comes to writing an essay about yourself, it can be challenging to know where to begin. You may feel overwhelmed with the task of describing your life experiences, personality traits, and accomplishments in a concise and engaging way. However, with the right approach, you can craft an essay that showcases your unique qualities and leaves a lasting impression on your readers.

How to Start an Essay About Yourself

Understanding the Purpose of the Essay

When writing an essay about yourself, it is important to understand the purpose of the essay. This will help you to focus your writing and ensure that you are conveying the message that you want to convey.

The purpose of an essay about yourself can vary depending on the context. For example, if you are writing a college application essay, the purpose may be to showcase your personality and explain why you are a good fit for the college. On the other hand, if you are writing a personal essay, the purpose may be to reflect on a particular experience or to share a message with the reader.

Regardless of the purpose of your essay, it is important to keep in mind that the essay is about you. You should aim to provide the reader with an accurate and honest portrayal of who you are, what you have experienced, and what you hope to achieve.

When writing your essay, it can be helpful to brainstorm a list of your strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and goals. This will help you to identify the key themes and messages that you want to convey in your essay.

Choose a Unique Aspect

When writing an essay about yourself, it is essential to choose a unique aspect of your life or personality to focus on. This will help you stand out from other applicants or writers and make your essay more memorable. Here are some tips to help you choose a unique aspect:

Brainstorm: Take some time to reflect on your life experiences, interests, and personality traits. Write down a list of potential topics that you could write about. Think about what makes you different from others and what sets you apart.
Be Specific: Avoid writing about broad topics such as “my life story” or “my personality.” Instead, focus on a specific event, experience, or quality that defines who you are. This will help you create a more engaging and memorable essay.
Consider Your Audience: Think about who will be reading your essay. If you are writing for a college application, consider what qualities the admissions committee is looking for in a candidate. If you are writing for a personal blog, think about what your readers would find interesting and engaging.
Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of simply stating your qualities or experiences, show them through specific examples and anecdotes. This will help your essay come to life and make it more engaging for the reader.
Be Honest: Finally, be honest and authentic in your writing. Don’t try to portray yourself as someone you’re not or exaggerate your experiences. Admissions committees and readers can usually tell when an essay is insincere or exaggerated.

Brainstorming About Yourself

When it comes to writing an essay about yourself, one of the most important steps is brainstorming. This is where you gather ideas and information about yourself that you can use to create an engaging and informative essay. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Start with Reflection

Before you begin brainstorming, take some time to reflect on your experiences, values, and qualities. Ask yourself questions such as:

What are my strengths and weaknesses?
What are some significant experiences that have shaped who I am today?
What are my goals and aspirations?
What are some unique qualities or traits that make me stand out?

Make a List

Once you have reflected on your experiences and qualities, start making a list of potential topics and ideas for your essay. This can include:

Significant life events or challenges you have faced
Achievements and accomplishments
Personal interests and hobbies
Goals and aspirations for the future
Unique qualities or traits that make you stand out

Don’t worry about organizing your list at this point – just focus on gathering as many ideas as possible.

Narrow Down Your Ideas

Once you have a list of potential topics and ideas, it’s time to narrow them down and choose the ones that are most relevant and interesting. Consider factors such as:

Which topics are most meaningful to you?
Which topics will allow you to showcase your strengths and qualities?
Which topics will be most interesting and engaging for your reader?

Use Tools and Techniques

There are a variety of tools and techniques you can use to help with brainstorming and organizing your ideas. Some examples include:

Mind mapping: This involves creating a visual representation of your ideas and how they relate to each other.
Freewriting: This involves writing down your thoughts and ideas without worrying about grammar, structure, or organization.
Outlining: This involves creating a structured outline of your essay, including main points and supporting details.

Creating an Essay Outline

When writing an essay about yourself, it is important to create an outline to guide your writing process. An outline helps you to organize your thoughts and ideas in a logical and coherent manner. Here are the steps to follow when creating an essay outline:

Step 1: Brainstorming

Before you start writing your essay, take some time to brainstorm and jot down ideas about yourself. Think about your personal experiences, achievements, strengths, weaknesses, and goals. This will help you to identify the key points that you want to include in your essay.

Step 2: Organizing

Once you have identified the key points, organize them into a logical order. This will help you to create a coherent and well-structured essay. You can use bullet points or a table to organize your ideas.

Step 3: Introduction

Your introduction should provide a brief overview of your essay. It should grab the reader’s attention and provide a thesis statement that summarizes the main points of your essay.

Step 4: Body Paragraphs

The body of your essay should consist of several paragraphs that support your thesis statement. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or point and provide evidence or examples to support it.

Step 5: Conclusion

Your conclusion should summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis statement. It should leave a lasting impression on the reader and provide a sense of closure.

By following these steps, you can create a well-structured essay that effectively communicates your thoughts and ideas about yourself.

Start Writing

Your introduction should be engaging and captivating to grab the reader’s attention. Start with a hook, such as a question, quote, or interesting fact. Then, provide some background information on yourself and what you’ll be discussing in your essay. Finally, end your introduction with a thesis statement that clearly states the main point of your essay.

Proofreading and Editing

Once you have finished writing your first draft, it is important to take some time to proofread and edit it. This will help to ensure that your draft is error-free, coherent, and flows well. Here are some steps to follow when proofreading and editing your essay:

Correcting Grammatical Errors

The first step in proofreading and editing your essay is to correct any grammatical errors. This includes checking for subject-verb agreement, proper use of pronouns, and correct verb tense. Here are some tips to help you identify and correct grammatical errors:

Use a grammar checker tool: There are many online grammar checker tools that can help you identify grammatical errors in your essay.
Read your essay out loud: This can help you identify any awkward or unclear sentences that may need to be revised.
Have someone else read your essay: A fresh pair of eyes can often catch errors that you may have missed.

Ensuring Coherence and Flow

The next step in proofreading and editing your essay is to ensure that it is coherent and flows well. This means checking that your ideas are presented in a logical order and that transitions between paragraphs are smooth. Here are some tips to help you ensure coherence and flow in your essay:

Use transition words and phrases: These can help to signal to the reader that you are moving from one idea to the next. Examples include “however,” “in addition,” and “therefore.”
Check the order of your paragraphs: Make sure that your ideas are presented in a logical order. If necessary, rearrange your paragraphs to improve the flow of your essay.
Use headings and subheadings: These can help to break up your essay into sections and make it easier for the reader to follow your ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some effective ways to start an essay about oneself?

Starting an essay about yourself can be challenging. One effective way to begin is by brainstorming and jotting down a list of your personal experiences, achievements, and goals. You can also start with a catchy hook, such as a quote or a question that relates to your essay’s theme. Another way to start is by describing a defining moment in your life or a personal challenge that you overcame.

How can I make my essay about myself sound professional?

To make your essay about yourself sound professional, you should use a formal tone and avoid using slang or colloquial language. Use proper grammar and punctuation, and proofread your essay carefully for errors. Additionally, you should avoid making exaggerated or false claims about yourself. Instead, focus on providing specific details and examples that support your main points.

What are some tips for writing a 500-word essay about myself?

Writing a 500-word essay about yourself can be a daunting task. To make it easier, you should start by outlining your main ideas and organizing your thoughts. Use a clear and concise writing style, and avoid using filler words or phrases. Be specific and provide examples to support your claims. Finally, proofread your essay carefully and make sure it meets the word count requirement.

How can I write a brief paragraph about myself?

To write a brief paragraph about yourself, you should start by introducing yourself and providing some basic information, such as your name, age, and occupation. You can then mention your interests, hobbies, or achievements. Keep it concise and to the point, and avoid making it too personal or detailed.

What are some strategies for writing an essay about myself for a scholarship?

When writing an essay about yourself for a scholarship, it’s important to focus on your achievements and goals. Explain why you are a good candidate for the scholarship and how it will help you achieve your academic or career objectives. Use specific examples to illustrate your points and make sure to follow the scholarship’s guidelines and requirements.

How can I write creatively about myself in an essay?

To write creatively about yourself in an essay, you can use descriptive language and vivid imagery to bring your experiences to life. Use metaphors or analogies to make your writing more engaging and interesting. You can also experiment with different writing styles, such as stream-of-consciousness or free-form writing. However, make sure to stay focused on your main topic and avoid getting too carried away with your creativity.

Last Updated on August 31, 2023

Academic Writing Examples to Learn From: From Good to Great

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, tell us about yourself essay examples.

I'm applying to some scholarships, and some of them have a 'tell us about yourself' essay prompt. I'm a little unsure of where to start and how to structure this essay. Can anyone share some examples or tips on how I can write an engaging, effective essay without sounding cliché or braggy?

Sure, I can provide some guidance on structuring a "tell us about yourself" essay and provide tips on making it engaging and effective without sounding cliché or braggy.

1. Start with an attention-grabbing hook: Open your essay with a brief anecdote, piece of dialogue, or thought-provoking statement that reveals something interesting about you.

Example: "As I stood on the roof of my family's house in [hometown], peering through my homemade telescope, I was struck by the vastness of the night sky."

2. Focus on a specific aspect of yourself: Rather than trying to cover every aspect of your life, pick a theme or personal characteristic that plays a major role in your interests, experiences, and goals.

Example: "My curiosity about the universe and the natural world led me to volunteer at a local science center, where I conducted hands-on experiments with visitors of all ages."

3. Provide a brief background: Give some context to the topic you're discussing, such as your upbringing, community, or family background, if it's relevant to the theme.

Example: "Growing up in a small, rural town, I didn't have the same access to resources and educational opportunities as kids in larger cities, but my determination to learn about the world around me never waned."

4. Showcase your growth and accomplishments: Talk about specific experiences, achievements, or events that shaped your development, values, or interests. Be humble but honest about your achievements, and focus on how they've impacted your growth rather than dwelling on the awards themselves.

Example: "Despite the challenges, I pursued my passion for astronomy and managed to secure a coveted summer internship at a renowned observatory, where I worked alongside professionals and contributed to a research project."

5. Connect your past experiences to your future goals: Explain how the things you've learned and accomplished thus far have motivated and prepared you for your future academic and career aspirations.

Example: "My experiences have confirmed my passion for science and astronomy, leading me to pursue a degree in astrophysics and dedicate myself to researching the mysteries of our universe."

6. Close with a memorable statement: Finish your essay by leaving a lasting impression on the reader, perhaps by tying back to your opening hook or sharing an inspiring thought.

Example: "As I continue to explore the cosmos, both academically and personally, I'll never forget those nights spent stargazing in my hometown and the curiosity that propelled me forward."

Remember, a well-rounded and engaging "tell us about yourself" essay will focus on a specific aspect or theme, be genuine and personal, and effectively showcase your growth and future aspirations. Good luck with your scholarship applications!

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.

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay About Myself

Writing a Descriptive Essay About Myself - Tips and Tricks

Descriptive Essay - A Brief Overview

Before you jump into writing your essay, it's important to understand the basics of a descriptive essay.

A descriptive essay is a type of essay that requires you to describe something in detail. The goal is to provide readers with a full description and make them feel as though they're experiencing it themselves.

That’s why, it's important to include details so readers can connect with the you on a deeper level.

Tips to Write a "Descriptive Essay About Myself"

Now you must be asking yourself, "how do I write a descriptive essay about myself?"

Once you understand what a descriptive essay is, you need to start brainstorming ideas for your essay.

Here are some tips to help you write a descriptive essay about yourself.

Pre-Writing Tips

Before you can jump right into the writing part, you need some preparation. Follow these steps to get ready for an excellent essay.

Brainstorm & Define Your Subject Matter

Begin by thinking of something about yourself. For instance, your interests, personality traits, or important life events. Once you have your subject matter in mind, define it more specifically so that it’s easier to discuss in detail.

Make a List of Key Qualities

Once you have your subject matter defined, make a list of key qualities that you’d like to focus on. This will help guide the structure and content of your essay.

Gather Examples

Collect real-life examples that support your key qualities. These can be stories, anecdotes, or events. This will help make your essay more engaging and informative for readers.

Make an Outline

Arrange your list of qualities, examples, and other material in a neat descriptive essay outline . This will help you write a coherent essay with an engaging flow of information.

Writing Tips

Now that you’re prepared, simply get started with writing your first draft. Follow these tips:

Use Creative Writing Techniques

When writing a personal essay about yourself, don’t be afraid to get creative! Try using vivid language and descriptive words to bring your essay to life.

Use Anecdotes & Stories

Incorporate stories and anecdotes into your essay to make it more engaging. This will also help readers connect with you on a deeper level.

Give Detailed Descriptions

Make sure to include lots of details in your description and be as specific as possible. This will help readers understand and visualize your subject matter.

Keep it Positive

Make sure to focus on the positive aspects when writing about yourself. This will help readers walk away with a good impression of you.

Finishing Your Essay

Once you’re done with writing your first draft, you need to go over it once again to polish and make it perfect. Here’s what you need to do:

Check & Revise

Once you’re done writing, be sure to take the time to read and revise your essay . Read through your essay one last time and look for typos, spelling errors, or grammatical mistakes. This will help make sure that all of your ideas are well-organized and error-free

Get Feedback

Once you’re done revising, ask someone to read your essay and give feedback. This can be a friend, an English teacher, or anyone you trust. They may have some helpful suggestions that can help you strengthen your argument and make it more compelling.

Descriptive Essay About Myself Examples

Before you get started, it can be helpful to look at some sample essays. Here are a few good essays you should check out!

Sample of Descriptive Essay About Myself

Example of a Descriptive Essay About Myself

Descriptive Essay About Yourself Example

500 Words Essay About Myself

Short Essay About Myself

Descriptive Essay About Myself 200 Words

Read more descriptive essay examples to know how descriptive essays are written.

"Descriptive Essay About Myself" Topics

When writing about yourself, you can choose a variety of topics and perspectives to write about. Here are some topic ideas to get you started:

Describe your life experiences during high school
Describe your favorite sport or hobby you do in free time
Tell a story from your childhood
Describe the most important lesson you've ever learned
Describe your goals in life
Talk about the most meaningful moment in your life
Describe a challenge you've faced and how you overcame it
Describe an experience that changed your life
Discuss ways in which you've grown as a person

These topics will give you a great starting point for your essay. You are free to explore whatever topics feel most relevant and meaningful to you.

You can also take a look at other descriptive essay topics here.

With these examples and tips in mind, you would have no problem writing a compelling and descriptive essay about yourself.

However, don't worry if you need expert help to write your essay! We've got you covered!

We at MyPerfectWords.com offer descriptive essay writing service to help you craft the perfect essay. Our descriptive essay writers are capable of creating any type of academic assignment.

We understand how important your work is, so we use only reliable sources and guarantee originality. Get in touch with the best essay writing service online today.

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Essay on My Self for Students and Children

500+ words essay on my self.

Seven billion people are on this Earth, and everybody is different from the rest of others. There is nothing without purpose in this world. Everything has some purpose. Humans are the best creation, and each person is exclusive. Thus, writing about myself, I’m here to express myself that what I see, what I experience and what I plan for my life. I try myself to be modest, passionate, devoted, hardworking and honest.

My Family and My Childhood

I’m from a middle-class family of Bihar, I am Naresh Shukla. Nobody comes in this world, without the support of family and friends. Actually, whatever you will be, it is just because of your family. My father is a respectable businessman in our community.

My mother is a doctor. They both love their occupation. That’s I have learned from my parents the value of time, honesty, hard work and commitment to the purpose.

We are three brothers and sisters. Being the eldest I am the most liable from my brothers and sisters. I am wanted to guide and take care of my other siblings. We all are in the same school. Reading is my passion.

I am a keen reader of novels and history books as I have a strong interest in Indian History and classical architecture. I love to read books that refer to the rich history and civilization of ancient India. At my pre-childhood, I used to listen to stories from my grandmother, and this has a long-lasting effect on me.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

My Education

I am studying at the best school in my city. I am presently in class 10th. I feel happy to be a part of this great school with the good friends, helpful and loving teacher and sound school administration. I have extraordinary skills in some subjects whereas I am very weak in the few.

My Strengths

In compare to studies, I am good at sports. so I am the captain of my class football team. I am the best football player at my school. Besides this, I am a fast runner also and I love athletics. I am in expert swimming.

The advice of my parents had a keen effect on my habits. I believe to speak the truth and try my best not to lie. My parents always advised me that if I commit a mistake, I should admit it. I try my best to do so. I know how to remain happy in every condition. Because I believe that: “Happiness is not out there; it’s in you.”

I am a very adventurous person too and like to take the risk. I like to do a creative thing besides doing old stuff again and again. Learning new things is one thing which I always enjoy. I always update myself with the news.

Along with this, I fond of reading a few children magazines in which different motivational stories are there. They taught me a high moral lesson. I am a very confident person and know how to talk. I always try to speak to every person according to his requirement so I understand people.

My Weaknesses

As every man have weaknesses, so have also. I am a little bit lazy at some places which I do not like. While playing time, I pass my lot of time there which is not a good habi t, but I try my best to overcome my weaknesses.

My Ambitions in Life

Everybody has an ambition in life . Aim or ambition is the inner aspiration of man. No man can do anything in the world without aim. So, all of us should be very determined about our aim in life.

Without good career planning, right from the start, one can’t be on the right track. One has to set the goals in accordance with his or her broad career goals.

I have studied biology and I will seat for the competitive entrance exam for admission to reputed medical college. I shall try to be a good and honest student. Then I shall be a qualified doctor. I will do all that to be a good doctor and will be sincere to it.

These are all the things which express me. Though nobody can be described in a few sets of sentences. One needs to have yet command of oneself before going to write something about his life. Life is meant to be lived avidly and with visualization to do good for your fellow beings. Keeping this aim in mind, I have always desired to serve my people in whatever capacity I can.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Download the App

My Self Essay for Children and Students

Table of Contents

My Self Essay: It is very easy to describe others, as you notice a lot of things in them. However, when it comes to describing own self, one has to take care of lots of things. There are many ways to describe oneself, but one of the most important ways is to think about what makes you unique. What are the qualities that make you stand out from the rest? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your passions and interests?

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

Also Check: Essay on Winter Vacation

These are all important questions to consider when thinking about how to describe yourself. If you can identify the qualities that make you special, you will be able to more accurately communicate who you are to others. In addition, it is also important to be honest when describing yourself. It is okay to admit your weaknesses and share your fears. Being honest will help others to understand and accept you more easily.

Long and Short Essay on My Self in English

We have provided here essays and paragraphs on my self in English which is a very common topic in schools. These essays and paragraphs are of variant word limits will help you in writing my self essay, my self paragraph, essay about my self, my self article or myself essay for kids etc.

These essays are written in a very simple language and easy to understand by the children. You can choose any of the essay on myself according to your requirements and earn the appreciation in your class.

My Self Essay 100 Words

Myself Rajani Tyagi, live in Ghaziabad in the New Panchwati colony. I read in the class 5 th in the section B. I read in the school New Era Ghaziabad. I am very punctual and like to do my all works throughout the day at right time. I love to eat simple and healthy food.

I like dancing, reading books, playing badminton and cooking in my spare time. I never bunk my classes and attend every class. I go to school daily in proper uniform. I do well in the exams whether main or class tests. I have many friends however Sarita is my best friend.

Myself Essay in 150 Words

There are many people living in world having different personalities. This is the personality which makes everyone unique and different from others. We can never see two people of exactly same personality. It never changes and decided the quality of a person. I am taking the example of me. I am so special in this world and have unique personality than others. I am very responsible and sympathetic person. I always help others and try my best to solve their problems. I am self-centred woman have not have any enemy in this world.

I always talk to others very happily with smiling face. I am a very simple student in my school and attend each class. I do my homework very well on daily basis and study well every day in the night till 10 pm and in the morning from 4 am. I always pay attention to my study and motivate my friends as well to focus on their study.

My Self Essay in English 200 Words

My name is Archana Mishra but generally called by everyone as Gudia. I am 12 years old, read in class 7 th standard. I am a second child of my parents and have an elder brother. I have a joint family in which my uncle, grandparents and cousins in the same big house. We love each other very much and closely related to grandparents. I have a group of friends however Sina is my best and true friend. I can share anything to her and she too. We read in the same school but in different sections. I like very much to tell jokes to my friends while being in the bus after school time.

I have a unique family. All the members of my family are broad and open minded. They always promote me to do well in every field. They never pull me back instead motivate. I am very happy to get birth in this family. My family is cross-cultural extended family where my uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, etc live together. I have great time with my family because we celebrate each festival together. I help other kids in family in doing their home works daily.

Myself Essay in 250 Words

My name is Queen but have a nick name called as Sara. My parents and grandparents generally call me by my nick name. My parents are very conscious to my health. They wake me up daily in the morning at 5 am and tell me to do all the daily routines. My mom gives me an apple a day in the daily morning and a healthy breakfast after one hour. I go to school at right time through school bus. I never get late. My school starts at 8 am in the morning and ends at 2 pm in the afternoon. My mom gives me healthy fruits for fruit break and healthy lunch for lunch break.

I read in 8 th standard in the school, Ch. Chhabil Dass Junior Public School. I am 13 years old and live in Ghaziabad with my parents . I also have joined dance and piano classes out of the school as I like to learn dance and piano very much. I enjoy my school time thoroughly with my friends and home time with my dearest parents and grandparents. I have good neighbours; they understand each other and never quarrel.

I love picnic and go to tour in my winter and summer vacations. I am very good student in my school. I participate in all the extracurricular activities of the schools and do well. I am very good in academic and sports activities. My school has a big garden and big playground provides all the facilities of sports. My school has healthy, nice and peaceful environment.

My Self Essay 300 Words

My name is Sulekha, I read in class 9 th standard in Delhi. I am a self-driven and self motivated student. I like to motivate my friends of the school always and help them in their difficult times. I am a bright student of my school and do well in the academic and sports activities. I am capable to do well under any stressful condition. I am very skilled and knowledgeable student in my school.

I do very hard study for long hours around the clock at home. I never left my home works and class works incomplete and like to complete all before bed time. My teachers like me very much because of my goodness and punctuality. I never become tired and continuously do hard work because my parents take care of me always. They always become conscious for my health and diet.

Because of my academic tenure, I always get good marks and grades. I am a merit scholarship holder in my school. I learn computer very well in my school and know everything about computer. I do everything according to my organized schedule of work. I never avoid my any of the works whether at home or at school. I always respect my parents and help my mom in her house works and my father in his office projects.

I share my mom’s laundries and washing dishes works. I always keep my room clean and decorate attractively every Sunday. I understand my all responsibilities toward myself and my family very well. I always try to make my friends and classmates happy through my interesting jokes and nice talks. I always become ready to give them advises and suggestions to get them out of their difficulties. I am very sympathetic girl and try to support old people and children in my colony or on the way.

Below are the related topics to My self essay available at IL

Myself Essay in 400 words

I am a lovely boy of my dear parents. I am 14 years old boy and read in class 4 th standard in the section A. My name is Suresh Raina. I study in Ryan Public School in Ghaziabad. My grandfather likes to say me Guddu. He always takes me out with him in the morning and evening for the walk. I live with my family in the Rajnagar colony in Ghaziabad.

I go to school with my school bus daily at right time in the morning at 7 am and come to home at 2 pm in the afternoon. I like to go school in proper uniform after become fresh. I say good morning to my class teacher when I reach to my classroom. I enjoy daily with my school friends in the bus and lunch time. I always take part in the sports activities and other extracurricular activities.

My school organizes inter-school competitions at every six months which I must participate. I always come first in every competition. My school celebrates all the important events of the year such as independence Day, Republic Day, Christmas, 2 nd October, Mother’s day, Teacher’s day, etc in order to increase our awareness and knowledge about.

We are advised by our class teacher to must participate in the cultural activities while celebrating any event. I generally take part in the poem recitation or speech recitation. I also like dance but not feel so comfortable to dance at event celebration. However, I take part in the dance in my annual function which gets celebrated in the month of November every year. My parents are also invited to the school annual function.

My parents get me out at picnic or long tour in my every vacation during winter or summer season. I live in very good society where some programmes are organized from time to time in order to increase awareness among common public about the social issues. My father always takes me with him to participate in such programmes.

My mom always teaches me about ethics and etiquettes to make me a good citizen of India. I always keep my study room and bed room neat and clean. I always take care of my hygiene and wash hands well with soap before and after eating the food. My mom and dad love me a lot and care for my every likes and dislikes. I like to play ludo or carom with my parents whenever they become free.

Essay on My Self FAQs

What is a good introduction text.

A good introduction text briefly shares who you are, your professional background, and your interests. It sets a friendly tone while keeping the information relevant and concise.

How do you introduce your name?

To introduce your name, you can simply start with Hello, my name is Your Name, or Im Your Name. This straightforward approach is polite and easy to understand.

Can I introduce myself by saying myself?

Its unusual to say, Myself Your Name. Instead, use I am Your Name or My name is Your Name for a clearer and more professional self-introduction.

What is a good self-introduction example?

A good self-introduction example is: Hello, Im Your Name. I am a Your Profession with a passion for a relevant personal interest. Im excited to be here and engage with like-minded individuals.

How do I introduce myself?

To introduce yourself, start by clearly stating your name, then share some relevant details about your background, achievements, or interests that you feel are important for others to know.

How do I write about myself?

When writing about yourself, focus on your experiences, goals, and things youre proud of. Use simple language and maintain a positive tone throughout. Be authentic, allowing your personality to shine.

How do you write about yourself for kids?

When kids write about themselves, they should mention simple things like their age, hobbies, favorite subjects, and what they want to be when they grow up. Its important to keep it fun, light, and easy to understand.

How can I introduce myself in speaking?

In speaking, introduce yourself with a warm greeting, then state your name and relevant details about your life or work that could help form a connection with your audience. Remember to speak clearly, maintain eye contact, and smile.

About Myself Essay for All Students | About Myself Paragraph in 200 Words

This type of essay, About Myself Essay is asked to write down in the lower and upper classes both. Such essays have a large discussion about you, your family, about your education, your aim, strengths and weaknesses.

Table of Contents

1. About my family and me

2. education: about myself essay, about myself essay video lecture, 4. my strength: about myself essay, 5. my weakness, 6. conclusion, frequent-asked questions (faqs), how do i write about myself as a student, how do you write 10 lines about yourself, how do you introduce your name.

I am Deepak Kumar. I live in Devipur, Deoghar. It is situated in Jharkhand State. I have been a very intelligent boy since childhood. I have a beautiful family. My father is a doctor.

He also owns a private clinic in the city. My father is a very hard-working man. He treats the patient from dawn to dusk. He also believes in charity. My mother is a government high school teacher.

She follows a very hard daily routine. She is a very kind and gentle lady. My mother is the only lady behind the success of my father. There is great love and understanding between both of them. I have two sisters and a brother.

I am the youngest among them. My elder sister has completed L.L.B. and is a lawyer in the high court. She comes home once a week. I always admire her way of learning and performing things. She is my real inspiration.

My brother is pursuing B. Tech from IIT Delhi. He has also struggled a lot with his studies. my younger sister and I read in the same school. She wants to become a pilot in future.

I have a very good school which produces toppers every year. Many successful people have gained education from this school. I read in D.P.S Public School, Deoghar.

I am a student in the 4 th standard. I like and respect all the teachers and their ability to teach. There are many friends in my school. We play together during the sports period. I feel very fortunate to be a student of this school. I love going to my school.

3. My Aim in Life

I want to serve my country by becoming an I.A.S. officer in the future. The full form of I.A.S is Indian Administrative Service. It is one of the white-collar jobs in India.

This service gives you the opportunity to stay connected with rural and urban life. For this purpose, I want to continue my studies in Arts after matriculation. I will also go to Delhi to enrol in a good coaching centre for smooth preparation.

I have developed much good strength through my parents. One of them is the value of truth and confession. They have been taught to speak the truth since childhood. I have seen the value of truth in my life many times.

The truth is the strongest pillar that needs no external support. If I commit any mistake then I am always ready to admit it as a man is the idol of mistakes. I am also good at sports.

I have been selected captain of the junior football team many times. Our football team has also played at the state level under my leadership. I also like crowd-speaking. I have won many medals in school at essay competitions.

Like everybody, I also have many weaknesses. I got angry soon. I have faced very ugly moments due to this attitude. I don’t like socialising more.

I like to live alone. I have been cheated many times because I trust people very easily. I try to work on these bad habits to get them improved soon.

Must Read: (Click Here) An Essay on my family

I always consider myself a very lucky boy. I am a mixture of good and bad habits both like the others. Although, I like to stay positive and work hard for my goal. I always want to make my parents proud of me by achieving the targeted goals.

You can simply follow these steps to write yourself as a student. 1. Mention you and your family 2. Mention your education 3. Mention the aim 4. Mention your strength 5. Mention your weakness 6. Sum up the conclusion

10 lines about myself

1. My name is Pawan Kumar. 2. I read in class 5th. 3. My father’s name is Ram Sewak. 4. My mother’s name is Lilawati Devi. 5. My School name is D.A.V Public School, Deoghar. 6. My favourite Subject is English. 7. My favourite teacher is V. Kumar. 8. I love watching cricket. 9. I want to become an IAS officer. 10. I love my family very much.

There are many ways to introduce yourself in English. In a formal way, you can start your introduction by saying hi or myself. In formal practice, you need to use hello and then tell your name. It is very important to be confident while introducing yourself. Try to maintain a smile while speaking about yourself.

Don’t Miss These Important Essays

An Essay on Independence Day
Essay on Teacher’s Day
Essay on My School

A woman’s life is all work and little rest. An age gap relationship can help.

In the summer, in the south of France, my husband and I like to play, rather badly, the lottery. We take long, scorching walks to the village — gratuitous beauty, gratuitous heat — kicking up dust and languid debates over how we’d spend such an influx. I purchase scratch-offs, jackpot tickets, scraping the former with euro coins in restaurants too fine for that. I never cash them in, nor do I check the winning numbers. For I already won something like the lotto, with its gifts and its curses, when he married me.

He is ten years older than I am. I chose him on purpose, not by chance. As far as life decisions go, on balance, I recommend it.

When I was 20 and a junior at Harvard College, a series of great ironies began to mock me. I could study all I wanted, prove myself as exceptional as I liked, and still my fiercest advantage remained so universal it deflated my other plans. My youth. The newness of my face and body. Compellingly effortless; cruelly fleeting. I shared it with the average, idle young woman shrugging down the street. The thought, when it descended on me, jolted my perspective, the way a falling leaf can make you look up: I could diligently craft an ideal existence, over years and years of sleepless nights and industry. Or I could just marry it early.

So naturally I began to lug a heavy suitcase of books each Saturday to the Harvard Business School to work on my Nabokov paper. In one cavernous, well-appointed room sat approximately 50 of the planet’s most suitable bachelors. I had high breasts, most of my eggs, plausible deniability when it came to purity, a flush ponytail, a pep in my step that had yet to run out. Apologies to Progress, but older men still desired those things.

I could not understand why my female classmates did not join me, given their intelligence. Each time I reconsidered the project, it struck me as more reasonable. Why ignore our youth when it amounted to a superpower? Why assume the burdens of womanhood, its too-quick-to-vanish upper hand, but not its brief benefits at least? Perhaps it came easier to avoid the topic wholesale than to accept that women really do have a tragically short window of power, and reason enough to take advantage of that fact while they can. As for me, I liked history, Victorian novels, knew of imminent female pitfalls from all the books I’d read: vampiric boyfriends; labor, at the office and in the hospital, expected simultaneously; a decline in status as we aged, like a looming eclipse. I’d have disliked being called calculating, but I had, like all women, a calculator in my head. I thought it silly to ignore its answers when they pointed to an unfairness for which we really ought to have been preparing.

I was competitive by nature, an English-literature student with all the corresponding major ambitions and minor prospects (Great American novel; email job). A little Bovarist , frantic for new places and ideas; to travel here, to travel there, to be in the room where things happened. I resented the callow boys in my class, who lusted after a particular, socially sanctioned type on campus: thin and sexless, emotionally detached and socially connected, the opposite of me. Restless one Saturday night, I slipped on a red dress and snuck into a graduate-school event, coiling an HDMI cord around my wrist as proof of some technical duty. I danced. I drank for free, until one of the organizers asked me to leave. I called and climbed into an Uber. Then I promptly climbed out of it. For there he was, emerging from the revolving doors. Brown eyes, curved lips, immaculate jacket. I went to him, asked him for a cigarette. A date, days later. A second one, where I discovered he was a person, potentially my favorite kind: funny, clear-eyed, brilliant, on intimate terms with the universe.

I used to love men like men love women — that is, not very well, and with a hunger driven only by my own inadequacies. Not him. In those early days, I spoke fondly of my family, stocked the fridge with his favorite pasta, folded his clothes more neatly than I ever have since. I wrote his mother a thank-you note for hosting me in his native France, something befitting a daughter-in-law. It worked; I meant it. After graduation and my fellowship at Oxford, I stayed in Europe for his career and married him at 23.

Of course I just fell in love. Romances have a setting; I had only intervened to place myself well. Mainly, I spotted the precise trouble of being a woman ahead of time, tried to surf it instead of letting it drown me on principle. I had grown bored of discussions of fair and unfair, equal or unequal , and preferred instead to consider a thing called ease.

The reception of a particular age-gap relationship depends on its obviousness. The greater and more visible the difference in years and status between a man and a woman, the more it strikes others as transactional. Transactional thinking in relationships is both as American as it gets and the least kosher subject in the American romantic lexicon. When a 50-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman walk down the street, the questions form themselves inside of you; they make you feel cynical and obscene: How good of a deal is that? Which party is getting the better one? Would I take it? He is older. Income rises with age, so we assume he has money, at least relative to her; at minimum, more connections and experience. She has supple skin. Energy. Sex. Maybe she gets a Birkin. Maybe he gets a baby long after his prime. The sight of their entwined hands throws a lucid light on the calculations each of us makes, in love, to varying degrees of denial. You could get married in the most romantic place in the world, like I did, and you would still have to sign a contract.

Twenty and 30 is not like 30 and 40; some freshness to my features back then, some clumsiness in my bearing, warped our decade, in the eyes of others, to an uncrossable gulf. Perhaps this explains the anger we felt directed at us at the start of our relationship. People seemed to take us very, very personally. I recall a hellish car ride with a friend of his who began to castigate me in the backseat, in tones so low that only I could hear him. He told me, You wanted a rich boyfriend. You chased and snuck into parties . He spared me the insult of gold digger, but he drew, with other words, the outline for it. Most offended were the single older women, my husband’s classmates. They discussed me in the bathroom at parties when I was in the stall. What does he see in her? What do they talk about? They were concerned about me. They wielded their concern like a bludgeon. They paraphrased without meaning to my favorite line from Nabokov’s Lolita : “You took advantage of my disadvantage,” suspecting me of some weakness he in turn mined. It did not disturb them, so much, to consider that all relationships were trades. The trouble was the trade I’d made struck them as a bad one.

The truth is you can fall in love with someone for all sorts of reasons, tiny transactions, pluses and minuses, whose sum is your affection for each other, your loyalty, your commitment. The way someone picks up your favorite croissant. Their habit of listening hard. What they do for you on your anniversary and your reciprocal gesture, wrapped thoughtfully. The serenity they inspire; your happiness, enlivening it. When someone says they feel unappreciated, what they really mean is you’re in debt to them.

When I think of same-age, same-stage relationships, what I tend to picture is a woman who is doing too much for too little.

I’m 27 now, and most women my age have “partners.” These days, girls become partners quite young. A partner is supposed to be a modern answer to the oppression of marriage, the terrible feeling of someone looming over you, head of a household to which you can only ever be the neck. Necks are vulnerable. The problem with a partner, however, is if you’re equal in all things, you compromise in all things. And men are too skilled at taking .

There is a boy out there who knows how to floss because my friend taught him. Now he kisses college girls with fresh breath. A boy married to my friend who doesn’t know how to pack his own suitcase. She “likes to do it for him.” A million boys who know how to touch a woman, who go to therapy because they were pushed, who learned fidelity, boundaries, decency, manners, to use a top sheet and act humanely beneath it, to call their mothers, match colors, bring flowers to a funeral and inhale, exhale in the face of rage, because some girl, some girl we know, some girl they probably don’t speak to and will never, ever credit, took the time to teach him. All while she was working, raising herself, clawing up the cliff-face of adulthood. Hauling him at her own expense.

I find a post on Reddit where five thousand men try to define “ a woman’s touch .” They describe raised flower beds, blankets, photographs of their loved ones, not hers, sprouting on the mantel overnight. Candles, coasters, side tables. Someone remembering to take lint out of the dryer. To give compliments. I wonder what these women are getting back. I imagine them like Cinderella’s mice, scurrying around, their sole proof of life their contributions to a more central character. On occasion I meet a nice couple, who grew up together. They know each other with a fraternalism tender and alien to me. But I think of all my friends who failed at this, were failed at this, and I think, No, absolutely not, too risky . Riskier, sometimes, than an age gap.

My younger brother is in his early 20s, handsome, successful, but in many ways: an endearing disaster. By his age, I had long since wisened up. He leaves his clothes in the dryer, takes out a single shirt, steams it for three minutes. His towel on the floor, for someone else to retrieve. His lovely, same-age girlfriend is aching to fix these tendencies, among others. She is capable beyond words. Statistically, they will not end up together. He moved into his first place recently, and she, the girlfriend, supplied him with a long, detailed list of things he needed for his apartment: sheets, towels, hangers, a colander, which made me laugh. She picked out his couch. I will bet you anything she will fix his laundry habits, and if so, they will impress the next girl. If they break up, she will never see that couch again, and he will forget its story. I tell her when I visit because I like her, though I get in trouble for it: You shouldn’t do so much for him, not for someone who is not stuck with you, not for any boy, not even for my wonderful brother.

Too much work had left my husband, by 30, jaded and uninspired. He’d burned out — but I could reenchant things. I danced at restaurants when they played a song I liked. I turned grocery shopping into an adventure, pleased by what I provided. Ambitious, hungry, he needed someone smart enough to sustain his interest, but flexible enough in her habits to build them around his hours. I could. I do: read myself occupied, make myself free, materialize beside him when he calls for me. In exchange, I left a lucrative but deadening spreadsheet job to write full-time, without having to live like a writer. I learned to cook, a little, and decorate, somewhat poorly. Mostly I get to read, to walk central London and Miami and think in delicious circles, to work hard, when necessary, for free, and write stories for far less than minimum wage when I tally all the hours I take to write them.

At 20, I had felt daunted by the project of becoming my ideal self, couldn’t imagine doing it in tandem with someone, two raw lumps of clay trying to mold one another and only sullying things worse. I’d go on dates with boys my age and leave with the impression they were telling me not about themselves but some person who didn’t exist yet and on whom I was meant to bet regardless. My husband struck me instead as so finished, formed. Analyzable for compatibility. He bore the traces of other women who’d improved him, small but crucial basics like use a coaster ; listen, don’t give advice. Young egos mellow into patience and generosity.

My husband isn’t my partner. He’s my mentor, my lover, and, only in certain contexts, my friend. I’ll never forget it, how he showed me around our first place like he was introducing me to myself: This is the wine you’ll drink, where you’ll keep your clothes, we vacation here, this is the other language we’ll speak, you’ll learn it, and I did. Adulthood seemed a series of exhausting obligations. But his logistics ran so smoothly that he simply tacked mine on. I moved into his flat, onto his level, drag and drop, cleaner thrice a week, bills automatic. By opting out of partnership in my 20s, I granted myself a kind of compartmentalized, liberating selfishness none of my friends have managed. I am the work in progress, the party we worry about, a surprising dominance. When I searched for my first job, at 21, we combined our efforts, for my sake. He had wisdom to impart, contacts with whom he arranged coffees; we spent an afternoon, laughing, drawing up earnest lists of my pros and cons (highly sociable; sloppy math). Meanwhile, I took calls from a dear friend who had a boyfriend her age. Both savagely ambitious, hyperclose and entwined in each other’s projects. If each was a start-up , the other was the first hire, an intense dedication I found riveting. Yet every time she called me, I hung up with the distinct feeling that too much was happening at the same time: both learning to please a boss; to forge more adult relationships with their families; to pay bills and taxes and hang prints on the wall. Neither had any advice to give and certainly no stability. I pictured a three-legged race, two people tied together and hobbling toward every milestone.

I don’t fool myself. My marriage has its cons. There are only so many times one can say “thank you” — for splendid scenes, fine dinners — before the phrase starts to grate. I live in an apartment whose rent he pays and that shapes the freedom with which I can ever be angry with him. He doesn’t have to hold it over my head. It just floats there, complicating usual shorthands to explain dissatisfaction like, You aren’t being supportive lately . It’s a Frenchism to say, “Take a decision,” and from time to time I joke: from whom? Occasionally I find myself in some fabulous country at some fabulous party and I think what a long way I have traveled, like a lucky cloud, and it is frightening to think of oneself as vapor.

Mostly I worry that if he ever betrayed me and I had to move on, I would survive, but would find in my humor, preferences, the way I make coffee or the bed nothing that he did not teach, change, mold, recompose, stamp with his initials, the way Renaissance painters hid in their paintings their faces among a crowd. I wonder if when they looked at their paintings, they saw their own faces first. But this is the wrong question, if our aim is happiness. Like the other question on which I’m expected to dwell: Who is in charge, the man who drives or the woman who put him there so she could enjoy herself? I sit in the car, in the painting it would have taken me a corporate job and 20 years to paint alone, and my concern over who has the upper hand becomes as distant as the horizon, the one he and I made so wide for me.

To be a woman is to race against the clock, in several ways, until there is nothing left to be but run ragged.

We try to put it off, but it will hit us at some point: that we live in a world in which our power has a different shape from that of men, a different distribution of advantage, ours a funnel and theirs an expanding cone. A woman at 20 rarely has to earn her welcome; a boy at 20 will be turned away at the door. A woman at 30 may find a younger woman has taken her seat; a man at 30 will have invited her. I think back to the women in the bathroom, my husband’s classmates. What was my relationship if not an inconvertible sign of this unfairness? What was I doing, in marrying older, if not endorsing it? I had taken advantage of their disadvantage. I had preempted my own. After all, principled women are meant to defy unfairness, to show some integrity or denial, not plan around it, like I had. These were driven women, successful, beautiful, capable. I merely possessed the one thing they had already lost. In getting ahead of the problem, had I pushed them down? If I hadn’t, would it really have made any difference?

When we decided we wanted to be equal to men, we got on men’s time. We worked when they worked, retired when they retired, had to squeeze pregnancy, children, menopause somewhere impossibly in the margins. I have a friend, in her late 20s, who wears a mood ring; these days it is often red, flickering in the air like a siren when she explains her predicament to me. She has raised her fair share of same-age boyfriends. She has put her head down, worked laboriously alongside them, too. At last she is beginning to reap the dividends, earning the income to finally enjoy herself. But it is now, exactly at this precipice of freedom and pleasure, that a time problem comes closing in. If she would like to have children before 35, she must begin her next profession, motherhood, rather soon, compromising inevitably her original one. The same-age partner, equally unsettled in his career, will take only the minimum time off, she guesses, or else pay some cost which will come back to bite her. Everything unfailingly does. If she freezes her eggs to buy time, the decision and its logistics will burden her singly — and perhaps it will not work. Overlay the years a woman is supposed to establish herself in her career and her fertility window and it’s a perfect, miserable circle. By midlife women report feeling invisible, undervalued; it is a telling cliché, that after all this, some husbands leave for a younger girl. So when is her time, exactly? For leisure, ease, liberty? There is no brand of feminism which achieved female rest. If women’s problem in the ’50s was a paralyzing malaise, now it is that they are too active, too capable, never permitted a vacation they didn’t plan. It’s not that our efforts to have it all were fated for failure. They simply weren’t imaginative enough.

For me, my relationship, with its age gap, has alleviated this rush , permitted me to massage the clock, shift its hands to my benefit. Very soon, we will decide to have children, and I don’t panic over last gasps of fun, because I took so many big breaths of it early: on the holidays of someone who had worked a decade longer than I had, in beautiful places when I was young and beautiful, a symmetry I recommend. If such a thing as maternal energy exists, mine was never depleted. I spent the last nearly seven years supported more than I support and I am still not as old as my husband was when he met me. When I have a child, I will expect more help from him than I would if he were younger, for what does professional tenure earn you if not the right to set more limits on work demands — or, if not, to secure some child care, at the very least? When I return to work after maternal upheaval, he will aid me, as he’s always had, with his ability to put himself aside, as younger men are rarely able.

Above all, the great gift of my marriage is flexibility. A chance to live my life before I become responsible for someone else’s — a lover’s, or a child’s. A chance to write. A chance at a destiny that doesn’t adhere rigidly to the routines and timelines of men, but lends itself instead to roomy accommodation, to the very fluidity Betty Friedan dreamed of in 1963 in The Feminine Mystique , but we’ve largely forgotten: some career or style of life that “permits year-to-year variation — a full-time paid job in one community, part-time in another, exercise of the professional skill in serious volunteer work or a period of study during pregnancy or early motherhood when a full-time job is not feasible.” Some things are just not feasible in our current structures. Somewhere along the way we stopped admitting that, and all we did was make women feel like personal failures. I dream of new structures, a world in which women have entry-level jobs in their 30s; alternate avenues for promotion; corporate ladders with balconies on which they can stand still, have a smoke, take a break, make a baby, enjoy themselves, before they keep climbing. Perhaps men long for this in their own way. Actually I am sure of that.

Once, when we first fell in love, I put my head in his lap on a long car ride; I remember his hands on my face, the sun, the twisting turns of a mountain road, surprising and not surprising us like our romance, and his voice, telling me that it was his biggest regret that I was so young, he feared he would lose me. Last week, we looked back at old photos and agreed we’d given each other our respective best years. Sometimes real equality is not so obvious, sometimes it takes turns, sometimes it takes almost a decade to reveal itself.

The Cut Shop

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

Lower case letters (a-z)
Upper case letters (A-Z)
Numbers (0-9)
Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

My Davidson | A Student Blog Photo Essay: English Scholars Go to AWP Conference

a compilation of images from a conference featuring young men and women

In February, Abbott Scholars in Davidson College’s English Department had the opportunity to attend the AWP (Association of Writers & Writer Programs) Conference in Kansas City. Check out their photos and reflections.

About the Authors

Isabel smith '24: poetry & book fairs.

The Abbott Scholars Program allows students to spend a year crafting either a scholarly or creative thesis on a topic of their choice, working alongside a director, a reader, and the other scholars. You get an extended period of time to produce strong writing, opportunities to talk with visiting authors, and the ability to request funding for related research and travel.

a group of young men and women standing and smiling

Abbott Scholars

One travel opportunity is the chance to attend the Association of Writers & Writer Programs (AWP) conference, which seven of us went to in February of this year. This year, the conference was in Kansas City, and it lasted three days: Thursday to Saturday. Each of us individually picked what panels to go to each day. I am writing a poetry thesis, so the first talk I attended was “Sound and Color: Poets and Visual Artists in Exquisite Exchange.” The presentation was my favorite of all of them because of how illuminating and beautiful it was. Each poet had partnered with a visual artist, and they shared the process of working in tandem to create together, displaying photographs, blurbs of text exchanges, paintings, and finally, the finished poetry. Due to this experience, I decided to incorporate visual art into my own practice, and I have since begun working on finding available art as well as creating some myself. Additionally, my mother is a painter and my father is a poet, so I was very excited to share what I had learned with the both of them.

Throughout the few days, I attended panels on drafting tips and tricks (featuring Davidson Professors Parker and Shavers), sharing elegies, queer post-religious poetry, and trans poetics, all of which were a pleasure and incredibly helpful. Another important aspect of the conference was the bookfair. It was a labyrinth, spanning an entire floor of the huge conference center. Besides fun and silly booths — like one labeled “Poetic Help” — the bookfair featured presses, literature reviews, and MFA programs, so I got the chance to talk to experts in the field of writing and publishing. They also tended to give out free books, excitingly, so I got quite the haul, all of which I can’t wait to read. At night, the seven of us — Tavie Kittredge, Michael Chapin, Nate Bagonza, Mason Davis, Taylor Dykes, Abby Morris, and myself — would explore the city, including events put on by AWPers. We went out to dinner together and attended the keynote, a poetry reading at a cat cafe, and a Rock & Roll-themed reading. It was amazing to bond with my peers and explore a new city. Thanks to the funding of the Abbott Scholars Program, I know much more about how to pursue a future in writing.

Michael Chapin ’24: Surrounded by Passionate Writers

The seven of us traveling together really solidified the bonds we’ve been building over the past semester and allowed us to spend time together outside of our thesis work, whether that was over Thai or ramen for dinner or just taking the time to explore the city.

a sign reading "welcome to the AWP24 Conference & Bookfair!"

Getting to spend that time at AWP was incredibly special because, for me at least, it was the first time being surrounded by people deeply connected and committed to writing in all its forms. We attended events ranging from poetry readings at cat cafés to queer narrative presentations in speakeasy bars.

My personal highlight of the conference was listening to Jericho Brown deliver the keynote speech in which he called on us to challenge the world as we know it — to challenge book bans and our perception of the world as impossible to change. Brown asked why we can’t imagine a better world while acknowledging that a better world is not created without a fight. A quote from the speech that has stuck with me in the weeks since was his question: “If the fight is against fascism, who do we need to be if we lose that fight?” And then, who do we need to be to win?

Trying a taste of Kansas City barbecue!

Exploring the streets of Kansas City.

Mason Davis '24: The Impact of AWP

The best part of the conference? Talking to authors, talking to MFA directors, talking to independent publishers … Being honest about what I wanted to know and not feeling awkward about lacking experience was so valuable.

The best single moment I had was cornering Susan Choi and telling her how much I loved Trust Exercise . She seemed so delighted that I loved the book, which warmed my heart. AWP carried an infectious feeling of immense creative potential that has stuck with me vividly.

a group of young men and women take a selfie

Now that I’ve seen a piece of the literary world, I want to be a part of it. I loved talking about books and the book-world all day. It felt a bit like the Davidson College campus except that everyone wants to do creative writing. That was a dream for me. I felt sad coming back to reality ... Sitting side-by-side with people who have just done a fantastic reading, or highly regarded editors, or publishers etc. etc. made me feel like my goals are imminently possible. There is so, so much writing out there and so many people making it work, somehow. If they can do it, so can I.

I'd also been skeptical about MFA programs (how will I afford it? is it even necessary?), but meeting all those MFA students and directors has convinced me that I'd be doing myself a serious disservice by not applying to programs in the next 1-5 years, depending on where life takes me. Not to get ahead of myself.

I want to express my gratitude to the Abbott family (and personally Susan, who was so wonderful to share a dinner with) for the opportunity to, in a sense, role-play as a 'real' writer for an extended weekend and get to try on those shoes. I liked how they fit. I can only speak with certainty for myself, but I know I felt (re)invigorated in becoming a person of letters.

Keep Exploring

Learn more about English at Davidson College

Learn more about the Abbott Scholars Program

March 26, 2024
My Davidson

Is a robot writing your kids’ essays? We asked educators to weigh in on the growing role of AI in classrooms.

Educators weigh in on the growing role of ai and chatgpt in classrooms..

Kara Baskin talked to several educators about what kind of AI use they’re seeing in classrooms and how they’re monitoring it.

Remember writing essays in high school? Chances are you had to look up stuff in an encyclopedia — an actual one, not Wikipedia — or else connect to AOL via a modem bigger than your parents’ Taurus station wagon.

Now, of course, there’s artificial intelligence. According to new research from Pew, about 1 in 5 US teens who’ve heard of ChatGPT have used it for schoolwork. Kids in upper grades are more apt to have used the chatbot: About a quarter of 11th- and 12th-graders who know about ChatGPT have tried it.

For the uninitiated, ChatGPT arrived on the scene in late 2022, and educators continue to grapple with the ethics surrounding its growing popularity. Essentially, it generates free, human-like responses based on commands. (I’m sure this sentence will look antiquated in about six months, like when people described the internet as the “information superhighway.”)

I used ChatGPT to plug in this prompt: “Write an essay on ‘The Scarlet Letter.’” Within moments, ChatGPT created an essay as thorough as anything I’d labored over in AP English.

Is this cheating? Is it just part of our strange new world? I talked to several educators about what they’re seeing in classrooms and how they’re monitoring it. Before you berate your child over how you wrote essays with a No. 2 pencil, here are some things to consider.

Adapting to new technology isn’t immoral. “We have to recalibrate our sense of what’s acceptable. There was a time when every teacher said: ‘Oh, it’s cheating to use Wikipedia.’ And guess what? We got used to it, we decided it’s reputable enough, and we cite Wikipedia all the time,” says Noah Giansiracusa, an associate math professor at Bentley University who hosts the podcast “ AI in Academia: Navigating the Future .”

“There’s a calibration period where a technology is new and untested. It’s good to be cautious and to treat it with trepidation. Then, over time, the norms kind of adapt,” he says — just like new-fangled graphing calculators or the internet in days of yore.

“I think the current conversation around AI should not be centered on an issue with plagiarism. It should be centered on how AI will alter methods for learning and expressing oneself. ‘Catching’ students who use fully AI-generated products ... implies a ‘gotcha’ atmosphere,” says Jim Nagle, a history teacher at Bedford High School. “Since AI is already a huge part of our day-to-day lives, it’s no surprise our students are making it a part of their academic tool kit. Teachers and students should be at the forefront of discussions about responsible and ethical use.”

Teachers and parents could use AI to think about education at a higher level. Really, learning is about more than regurgitating information — or it should be, anyway. But regurgitation is what AI does best.

“If our system is just for students to write a bunch of essays and then grade the results? Something’s missing. We need to really talk about their purpose and what they’re getting out of this, and maybe think about different forms of assignments and grading,” Giansiracusa says.

After all, while AI aggregates and organizes ideas, the quality of its responses depends on the users’ prompts. Instead of recoiling from it, use it as a conversation-starter.

“What parents and teachers can do is to start the conversation with kids: ‘What are we trying to learn here? Is it even something that ChatGPT could answer? Why did your assignment not convince you that you need to do this thinking on your own when a tool can do it for you?’” says Houman Harouni , a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Harouni urges parents to read an essay written by ChatGPT alongside their student. Was it good? What could be done better? Did it feel like a short cut?

“What they’re going to remember is that you had that conversation with them; that someone thought, at some point in their lives, that taking a shortcut is not the best way ... especially if you do it with the tool right in front of you, because you have something real to talk about,” he says.

Harouni hopes teachers think about its implications, too. Consider math: So much grunt work has been eliminated by calculators and computers. Yet kids are still tested as in days of old, when perhaps they could expand their learning to be assessed in ways that are more personal and human-centric, leaving the rote stuff to AI.

“We could take this moment of confusion and loss of certainty seriously, at least in some small pockets, and start thinking about what a different kind of school would look like. Five years from now, we might have the beginnings of some very interesting exploration. Five years from now, you and I might be talking about schools wherein teaching and learning is happening in a very self-directed way, in a way that’s more based on … igniting the kid’s interest and seeing where they go and supporting them to go deeper and to go wider,” Harouni says.

Teachers have the chance to offer assignments with more intentionality.

“Really think about the purpose of the assignments. Don’t just think of the outcome and the deliverable: ‘I need a student to produce a document.’ Why are we getting students to write? Why are we doing all these things in the first place? If teachers are more mindful, and maybe parents can also be more mindful, I think it pushes us away from this dangerous trap of thinking about in terms of ‘cheating,’ which, to me, is a really slippery path,” Giansiracusa says.

AI can boost confidence and reduce procrastination. Sometimes, a robot can do something better than a human, such as writing a dreaded resume and cover letter. And that’s OK; it’s useful, even.

“Often, students avoid applying to internships because they’re just overwhelmed at the thought of writing a cover letter, or they’re afraid their resume isn’t good enough. I think that tools like this can help them feel more confident. They may be more likely to do it sooner and have more organized and better applications,” says Kristin Casasanto, director of post-graduate planning at Olin College of Engineering.

Casasanto says that AI is also useful for de-stressing during interview prep.

“Students can use generative AI to plug in a job description and say, ‘Come up with a list of interview questions based on the job description,’ which will give them an idea of what may be asked, and they can even then say, ‘Here’s my resume. Give me answers to these questions based on my skills and experience.’ They’re going to really build their confidence around that,” Casasanto says.

Plus, when students use AI for basics, it frees up more time to meet with career counselors about substantive issues.

“It will help us as far as scalability. … Career services staff can then utilize our personal time in much more meaningful ways with students,” Casasanto says.

We need to remember: These kids grew up during a pandemic. We can’t expect kids to resist technology when they’ve been forced to learn in new ways since COVID hit.

“Now we’re seeing pandemic-era high school students come into college. They’ve been channeled through Google Classroom their whole career,” says Katherine Jewell, a history professor at Fitchburg State University.

“They need to have technology management and information literacy built into the curriculum,” Jewell says.

Jewell recently graded a paper on the history of college sports. It was obvious which papers were written by AI: They didn’t address the question. In her syllabus, Jewell defines plagiarism as “any attempt by a student to represent the work of another, including computers, as their own.”

This means that AI qualifies, but she also has an open mind, given students’ circumstances.

“My students want to do the right thing, for the most part. They don’t want to get away with stuff. I understand why they turned to these tools; I really do. I try to reassure them that I’m here to help them learn systems. I’m focusing much more on the learning process. I incentivize them to improve, and I acknowledge: ‘You don’t know how to do this the first time out of the gate,’” Jewell says. “I try to incentivize them so that they’re improving their confidence in their abilities, so they don’t feel the need to turn to these tools.”

Understand the forces that make kids resort to AI in the first place . Clubs, sports, homework: Kids are busy and under pressure. Why not do what’s easy?

“Kids are so overscheduled in their day-to-day lives. I think there’s so much enormous pressure on these kids, whether it’s self-inflicted, parent-inflicted, or school-culture inflicted. It’s on them to maximize their schedule. They’ve learned that AI can be a way to take an assignment that would take five hours and cut it down to one,” says a teacher at a competitive high school outside Boston who asked to remain anonymous.

Recently, this teacher says, “I got papers back that were just so robotic and so cold. I had to tell [students]: ‘I understand that you tried to use a tool to help you. I’m not going to penalize you, but what I am going to penalize you for is that you didn’t actually answer the prompt.”

Afterward, more students felt safe to come forward to say they’d used AI. This teacher hopes that age restrictions become implemented for these programs, similar to apps such as Snapchat. Educationally and developmentally, they say, high-schoolers are still finding their voice — a voice that could be easily thwarted by a robot.

“Part of high school writing is to figure out who you are, and what is your voice as a writer. And I think, developmentally, that takes all of high school to figure out,” they say.

And AI can’t replicate voice and personality — for now, at least.

Kara Baskin can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her @kcbaskin .

IMAGES

Steps to Write an Essay about Yourself
🎉 How to start off an essay about myself. The Easiest Way to Write an
How To Write An Essay About Yourself Example
🌱 Writing about oneself. How To Write About Yourself (With Tips and
Essay on about Myself
Self-Introduction Essay

VIDEO

My Self 20 lines in English
Myself paragraph| essay|descriptive paragraph|in English
ENGLISH ESSAY & PRECIS SESSION
10 lines on Myself
how to introduce yourself essay writing in english. #shorts
Self introduction in English for college students

COMMENTS

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.
Essays About Myself: Top 5 Essay Examples Plus Prompts
Discuss what you can do to work on your weaknesses and improve yourself. 3. What Sets You Apart from Others. An essential part of yourself is your uniqueness; for a strong essay about "myself," think about beliefs, qualities, or values that set you apart from others. Write about one or more, but be sure to explain your choices clearly.
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.
How To Write About Yourself: Great Tips For Personal Writing
Regardless of the shape your journal takes, keeping a record of your thoughts helps you track important experiences in your life—something that will come in handy when you're writing that personal essay. 2. It's good to write. Period. The more you write the better your writing will be.
How to Write a Perfect Myself Essay in English
The body of your essay should include your main ideas and personal experiences. Start with the most important idea and support it with personal experiences or stories. Use examples to illustrate your points. Be specific and avoid generalizations. Don't forget to use transition words to connect your ideas.
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.
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".
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
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.
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 ...
Essay about Myself for College Students Samples on
Letter About Myself from The 3rd Person. Essay grade: Good. 1 page / 633 words. Hello I'm Sophia's phone and for being around her for almost two years I know a lot about her, and I'm going to let you in on some of the stuff I know about her. Sophia and I spend all her free time together, she's... About Myself.
Essay About Myself: How To Write, Samples, Tips
Essay About Myself Sample. It's always easy to understand through an example and samples. We have given a sample below for your reference that will help you to get more clarity. "My name is XYZ and I'm a psychologist by profession. In the most basic words, I assist others in discovering their strength.
How to Start an Essay About Yourself: Proven Tips and Tricks
Starting an essay about yourself can be challenging. One effective way to begin is by brainstorming and jotting down a list of your personal experiences, achievements, and goals. You can also start with a catchy hook, such as a quote or a question that relates to your essay's theme. Another way to start is by describing a defining moment in ...
Essays About Yourself: 6 Essays And 7 Writing Prompts
6. My Strengths and Weaknesses. Our strengths and weaknesses are products of our experiences, and no two experiences are the same. Talk about your strengths and weaknesses and explain why you consider them. Then, share how you developed them and what you plan to do to keep or overcome them. 7. My Fears.
Essay on Myself: 100 Words, 250 Words and 300 Words
Tips to Write Essay on Myself. Given below are some tips to write an essay on myself: Prepare a basic outline of what to include in the essay about yourself. Stick to the structure to maintain fluency. Be honest to build a connection with the reader. Use simple language. Try to include a crisp and clear conclusion. 100 Words Essay on Myself
Tell Us About Yourself Essay Examples?
Sure, I can provide some guidance on structuring a "tell us about yourself" essay and provide tips on making it engaging and effective without sounding cliché or braggy. 1. Start with an attention-grabbing hook: Open your essay with a brief anecdote, piece of dialogue, or thought-provoking statement that reveals something interesting about you.
A Complete Guide to Writing Descriptive Essay About Myself
When writing a personal essay about yourself, don't be afraid to get creative! Try using vivid language and descriptive words to bring your essay to life. Use Anecdotes & Stories. Incorporate stories and anecdotes into your essay to make it more engaging. This will also help readers connect with you on a deeper level.
Essay on My Self for Students and Children
500+ Words Essay on My Self. Seven billion people are on this Earth, and everybody is different from the rest of others. There is nothing without purpose in this world. Everything has some purpose. Humans are the best creation, and each person is exclusive. Thus, writing about myself, I'm here to express myself that what I see, what I ...
How To Write About Yourself (With Example and 5 Tips)
Use a casual and friendly tone. 1. Develop a strong introduction. A concise, informative self-introduction can immediately interest the reader and make them more likely to continue reading the rest of your document. Write a short statement that accurately describes your skills and qualifications.
9 Long and Short Myself Essays in English for Awesome Students
Essay No 5 on "Myself Essay" (300 words): Humans are the most superior creatures amid all the creatures in the entire universe. Being a part of this universe makes me feel small and minuscule in a world where there millions of humans like myself. Although everyone is quite unique in their own way.
Essay on My Self in for Students in English
My Self Essay 300 Words. My name is Sulekha, I read in class 9 th standard in Delhi. I am a self-driven and self motivated student. I like to motivate my friends of the school always and help them in their difficult times. I am a bright student of my school and do well in the academic and sports activities.
About Myself Essay for All Students
About Myself Essay for All Students | About Myself Paragraph in 200 Words. July 28, 2021 by Sir Pawan Kumar. This type of essay, About Myself Essay is asked to write down in the lower and upper classes both. Such essays have a large discussion about you, your family, about your education, your aim, strengths and weaknesses.
8 Examples of How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself"
Here is an example of how to begin your answer to "tell me about yourself" as a very experienced candidate: "I first started managing people twelve years ago, when I was promoted from Customer Service Associate to Customer Service Supervisor. Since then, I've…". 2. Highlight Impressive Experience and Accomplishments.
Age Gap Relationships: The Case for Marrying an Older Man
The reception of a particular age-gap relationship depends on its obviousness. The greater and more visible the difference in years and status between a man and a woman, the more it strikes others as transactional. Transactional thinking in relationships is both as American as it gets and the least kosher subject in the American romantic lexicon.
Photo Essay: English Scholars Go to AWP Conference
Mason Davis '24 (he/him) is an English and Philosophy double major from Baltimore, Maryland. Outside of Abbott Scholars, Mason is a self-proclaimed "frequent patron of Davis Café, occasionally an active member of Phi Gamma Delta, and a big fan of the English department."
Is a robot writing your kids' essays?
Within moments, ChatGPT created an essay as thorough as anything I'd labored over in AP English. Get Parenting Unfiltered Unvarnished, approachable, candid conversations and resources for ...