How to do a personal essay in 2 hours

Anytime that professors and teachers assign anything with the word “essay” attached to it, students begin to panic. Writing an essay does not have to be intimidating or frustrating, because every type of essay is structured in the same way. The only differences from one essay to another is length and content. Once you know how to structure an essay, you can write about practically anything in any amount of time.

Know the Basics of Essay Writing

Writing a personal essay is one of the least challenging types of essays to write, simply because the essay is about yourself. You want to show how you have changed because of something that you experienced. As long as you know the formula for crafting an essay, the only part that is challenging is coming up with a topic. Once you have the topic, you are ready to go.

Craft a Brilliant Introduction

The first part of every essay is the introductory section. In short essays, this is a paragraph. The introduction needs to include a hook, a bridge, and a claim. The hook needs to be engaging to draw the reader into the essay. The bridge should be a few sentences (or longer) that transition the hook to the claim. Lastly, the claim is the part of the personal essay that you will prove, and will need to be about how you have changed.

Share Your Experiences

In the middle of the essay, you include the meat of the essay. This is where you include the information that will support your claim; it will show how you have changed. Each paragraph needs to include a reference back to the claim, as well as focused support for that claim. It is best to include information that is relatable so people will want to continue learning about your experience. Include transitions, interesting sentence structure, and unique experiences in these body paragraphs.

Conclude with Meaning

Finally, the conclusion is necessary, especially if you want to let the reader feel that the essay is finished. In a personal essay (as well as other essays), it is a good idea to leave the reader feeling like there is something that can be done or a way to have a similar experience. Following this format will help you complete the essay in two hours or less and you will continue to have similar ease with future essays, too.

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