How Do I Write An Essay About Myself? 5 Tips For An Excellent Essay
Photo by Mikhail Nilov
From little learners in primary school to almost adults in college, we’ve all sat with a pen and paper and thought: how do I write an essay about myself? It’s easier to write an essay about your favourite personality or someone else, but it can get tricky to write about yourself.
No matter how old you are or what year you’re in, all you need to do is describe yourself in the best words possible – then just keep practising. And even if you don’t get tasked with this essay anytime soon, this is the perfect topic for students looking to improve their essay writing in English.
One thing’s for sure, nailing this essay today will benefit you in the long run (hello, university applications). So, here are our five top tips for writing an unforgettable ‘About Myself’ essay!
Essay Writing About Myself Tip #1: Interview Yourself
The key to writing an essay about yourself is knowing what to include and what not to include – but how do you determine this?
Much like any other write-up on a person, it helps to ask questions. These questions will create essay prompts that will help you draft your essay. The beauty of these questions is that once you’ve got them, you’ll be able to use these same questions for years to come.
Our suggestion is to pick a few prompts and memorise them. Here are a few of our favourites:
What is something you are good at?
What is the story behind your name?
Where were you born and why do you like your country?
What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
What is your favourite thing about school?
How would you describe your family?
What would you like to do in the future?
What are the three most unique things about you?
What makes you happy?
What makes you sad?
Photo by Sasha Kim
By answering five of these questions, you’ll be able to string together and write an interesting ‘About Myself’ essay. The key is to find a common thread and run with it; because otherwise, your essay won’t flow. Here’s an example:
Question #2: What is the story behind your name?
Answer: My name is Irama and that means tempo or rhythm in Malay.
Question #6: How would you describe your family?
Answer: I come from a family of four – my parents, my brother and I. All of us love music.
Question #5: What is your favourite thing about school?
Answer: I really love my music classes in school. Mostly because these classes are taught by my favourite teacher, Ms Lee.
Question #1: What is something you are good at doing?
Answer: I’m good at playing the piano and I’m currently in Grade 5. However, I enjoy singing, even more so than the piano.
Question #7: What would you like to do in the future?
Answer: In the future, I’d love to be an international artist who sings and plays the piano like Lady Gaga.
And just like that, you have your outline ready! All that’s left now is to get writing.
Essay Writing About Myself Tip #2: Get Personal
Now that the most challenging part is done, you can get to the fun bit – the actual writing.
The wonderful thing about writing an ‘About Myself’ essay is that the reader wants to find out who you are. And this means you shouldn’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges and personal anecdotes shine through! Being honest in your essay will help you tell interesting stories – and in this instance, it’s your story.
When telling your story, be as specific as possible. You want to avoid being generic; for example, ‘I really like numbers’. Instead, personalise your story by telling the reader about the moment you realised you liked numbers. For example, ‘My kindergarten teacher, Ms Jane, knew I was struggling with Math and helped me fall in love with it – I haven’t looked back since.’
In general, honest essay writing is a great approach to improving your English essay writing skills no matter the topic.
Photo by Armin Rimoldi
Essay Writing About Myself Tip #3: Show Off Your Accomplishments
This is where writing an essay about yourself can get a bit awkward. Most students are worried they’ll sound too confident or like they’re bragging. This is your time to shine, so our tip is to go for it! You want to use this essay as an opportunity to talk about your accomplishments and strengths, be it in the classroom or at home.
To avoid going overboard, a good tip is to stay on topic. Only highlight stories or achievements that are relevant to the theme of your essay. If your essay is about your love for sports, try not to include a story about the one time you scored straight A’s in your exams. Instead, tell the reader about how you were crowned champion of the High Jump competition at your annual Sports Day event.
Essay Writing About Myself Tip #4: Write In The First Person
Contrary to popular belief, all essays don’t have to be boring! Since this essay is all about you, you want to showcase your personality. You want to show emotion and, if you’d like to, include a bit of humour too!
To do this, you have to tell your story from your perspective. This means writing in an active tone and using ‘I’ and ‘me’ when writing your essay. Narrating your story this way will automatically make the essay more personal and appealing to the reader.
Essay Writing About Myself Tip #5: End On A Happy Note
Photo by Kyle Gregory Devaras
You’re almost at the finish line – but how do you end? You want to end hopeful and on a positive note; leaving the reader excited to follow your journey. If you have dreams of becoming a popstar, you could end with something like this: ‘While my journey to the biggest stages in the world may seem like a distant dream, I look forward to doing everything that I can to get there.’
Once you’ve made your grand exit, don’t forget to proofread your essay! Beyond checking for typos and grammatical errors, you want to make sure the structure of your essay makes sense.