How to Start Your College Essay: 5 Foolproof Intro Strategies

When students are looking for college essay help, they often ask: what’s the best way to start their application essay?

So today we’re going to talk about five foolproof ways to start your college application essay.

The first is a hook. A hook is something that makes your reader say, “Wait, what?” and makes them compelled to continue reading what you have to say. So it’s something different than what everyone else has said in their essays. It can be something simple, it can be something gross, it can be anything that is original.

A second way is to set a scene. That means using your five senses: taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. Bring your reader into the world through their senses so they can feel it too.

The third is action. Just start in motion. Be doing something, and then explain to your reader how you got to be doing that thing.

A fourth is to zoom in real small and then slowly zoom out. Reveal the world to your reader so that they’re engaged with you.

And a fifth is to utilize something called a totem, which is an object you can use in your story that brings your reader into that world with you that is important to your story or important to the activity that you’re doing.

But the biggest tip to making a great intro to your essay is to not try to write a great intro. Just write everything in your story. Just talk about everything that you think makes the story interesting. Then read it all back, and eventually right where it gets interesting, that’s where you want to start your story. So you can either bring that to the beginning or just cut everything before it and cut to the chase.

If you need more college essay help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 732-556-8220. We are here to help.