How To Write A College Essay Introduction

Authenticity and Personal Voice 

• Be authentic: Write a story that is true to your life experiences and emotions. Writing about your real-life experiences can make your essay connect with the admissions officer more than writing what you think they would like to read. A brief anecdote in the introduction can help you develop your ideas in the body paragraphs. A good example can be seen here, where the student uses an anecdote of watching a cow give birth to develop a story about how they embraced their femininity. 

   

• Avoid overused phrases: Avoid using clichés in your introduction as this will not make your essay stand out against the other applicants who may also use similar statements. Some examples of phrases to avoid include "Little did I know", "At the end of the day", "Calm before the storm", etc. 

   

• Keep a personal touch: Ensure that your final essay reflects your own voice in terms of the ideas presented as well as the grammatical structure and presentation. Asking too many people to review your introduction might incorporate their views rather than your own, which might confuse you when writing the body paragraphs if you are following someone else's idea for the introduction rather than your own.  

Structure and Clarity

• Have a clear structure: Ensure that your introduction has a clear structure including a hook, a brief description and a thesis statement. For an in-depth guide on how to include these elements in formatting a college essay introduction, see this post here. 

   

• Be concise: Keep your introduction succinct and to the point. Avoid adding unnecessary details or descriptions that might be better placed in the body paragraphs. A good example of a concise introduction can be found here. 

   

• Connect to the main body: Ensure there is a link between the introduction and the ideas presented in the body paragraphs. This is usually done in the form of the thesis statement which outlines the main message of the essay. An example of a good connection between the introduction and body paragraphs can be found here, where the student's introduction showcases them as the family planner who tries to fit as many activities into one day as possible. This then links to the body paragraphs where the student explains their journey of how they changed their approach from focusing only on the end goal to also appreciating the journey to get there. 

Refinement and Feedback 

• Revise and edit: Once you have written the first draft of your introduction, ensure you read over it multiple times to check for any errors or missing information that you would have liked to include. Use a spellchecker to eliminate any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes to ensure your introduction looks professional. 

   

• Ask for feedback: Have a meeting with a teacher or guidance counsellor who could give you feedback about your introduction and help you improve it before moving on to writing the other parts of your college essay. This may help you rectify mistakes that you may not have been able to identify by yourself. However, it is important not to get feedback from more than 1-2 people to avoid losing your personal touch. 

We hope this guide helps you with writing the introduction for your college essays. For a comprehensive list of examples of good introductions, check out this post here. Good luck with your college applications!