How To Start A College Essay To Make It Stand Out

A college essay is not the same as an essay you would have produced at school, you really have to engage your audience. Starts and Ends are important.

  1. The first paragraph really needs to grab the attention of the reader making them want to read more.
  2. Use an interesting quote or a bold statement.

    Challenge the reader by asking a question.

    Put the reader in the middle of a situation or conversation.

  3. Be a real author.
  4. If you are reading an article in a magazine or newspaper, the journalist fades into anonymity. You know nothing about the journalist, their writing does not reflect their personality.

    Write with your voice, write with your personality, write with your humour.

  5. Don’t be uninteresting and dull. Don’t try to be what you are not, if you are not intellectual, don’t pretend to be.
  6. You are unique, and your writing style should reflect this. Be yourself and the reader will be interested in reading your essay, and would also be interested in reading more of your work.

  7. Make your essay accurate. Make your essay pleasing to the eye.
  8. Check out different fonts. Nothing too wacky, something that is easy on the eye. Think about whether a bold type face would improve the appearance.

    Think about the layout the way the margins; paragraphs; headings; fonts and print size makes an essay look more inviting to read. Use uniform spacing throughout.

    Check for mistakes (spelling, grammar and punctuation). Go to the trouble of getting someone to proof read for you.

  9. Be a Picasso and approach the essay slightly differently to the norm.
  10. Stand out from the herd. Craft your words carefully. Turn questions around, but make sure your answer is relevant to what is being asked of you. You could use analogies, or hide your answer in a story. But don’t hide it so deep that it becomes a chore to read and strays tto far off the pathway.

  11. Logic. Keep to a logical progression of ideas. Keep to a chronological progression.
  12. If a reader gets lost because your logical progression is bitty or does not exist, they are not going to read any further.

    If facts or stories do not follow a logical progression then the reader will not be interested in continuing to read your work.

    Do you have a beginning, middle and end?

    Try out your work on an audience and get some constructive feedback.

    Read and reread your essay. Make changes.

  13. Leave your reader with something to remember you by.
  14. A memorable ending - a well worded phrase or sentence.

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