myself school essay

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Essay on Myself: 100 Words, 250 Words and 300 Words

Updated on
Mar 12, 2024

We are all different from each other and it is important to self-analyze and know about yourself. Only you can know everything about yourself. But, when it comes to describing yourself in front of others many students fail to do so. This happens due to the confusion generated by a student’s mind regarding what things to include in their description. This confusion never arises when someone is told to give any opinion about others. This blog will help students and children resolve the confusion and it also includes an essay on myself.

While writing an “essay on myself” you should have a unique style so that the reader would engage in your essay. It’s important to induce the urge to know about you in the reader then only you can perform well in your class. I would suggest you include your qualities, strengths, achievements, interests, and passion in your essay. Continue Reading for Essays on myself for children and students!

Quick Read: Essay on Child Labour

Table of Contents

1 Long and Short Essay on Myself for Students
2 Tips to Write Essay on Myself
3 100 Words Essay on Myself
4 250 Words Essay on Myself
5 10 Lines on Myself Essay for Children
6 300 Words Essay on Myself

Quick Read: Trees are Our Best Friend Essay

Long and Short Essay on Myself for Students

Mentioned below are essays on myself with variable word limits. You can choose the essay that you want to present in your class. These essays are drafted in simple language so that school students can easily understand. In addition, the main point to remember while writing an essay on myself is to be honest. Your honesty will help you connect with the reader.

Tell me about yourself is also one of the most important questions asked in the interview process. Therefore, this blog is very helpful for people who want to learn about how to write an essay on myself.

Tips to Write Essay on Myself

Given below are some tips to write an essay on myself:

Prepare a basic outline of what to include in the essay about yourself.
Stick to the structure to maintain fluency.
Be honest to build a connection with the reader.
Use simple language.
Try to include a crisp and clear conclusion.

100 Words Essay on Myself

I am a dedicated person with an urge to learn and grow. My name is Rakul, and I feel life is a journey that leads to self-discovery. I belong to a middle-class family, my father is a handloom businessman, and my mother is a primary school teacher .

I have learned punctuality and discipline are the two wheels that drive our life on a positive path. My mother is my role model. I am passionate about reading novels. When I was younger, my grandmother used to narrate stories about her life in the past and that has built my interest towards reading stories and novels related to history.

Overall I am an optimistic person who looks forward to life as a subject that teaches us values and ways to live for the upliftment of society.

250 Words Essay on Myself

My name is Ayushi Singh but my mother calls me “Ayu”. I turned 12 years old this August and I study in class 7th. I have an elder sister named Aishwarya. She is like a second mother to me. I have a group of friends at school and out of them Manvi is my best friend. She visits my house at weekends and we play outdoor games together. I believe in her and I can share anything with her.

Science and technology fascinate me so I took part in an interschool science competition in which my team of 4 girls worked on a 3-D model of the earth representing past, present, and future. It took us a week to finish off the project and we presented the model at Ghaziabad school. We were competing against 30 teams and we won the competition.

I was confident and determined about the fact that we could win because my passion helped me give my 100% input in the task. Though I have skills in certain subjects I don’t have to excel in everything, I struggle to perform well in mathematics . And to enhance my problem-solving skills I used to study maths 2 hours a day.

I wanted to become a scientist, and being punctual and attentive are my characteristics as I never arrive late for school. Generally, I do my work on my own so that I inculcate the value of being an independent person. I always help other people when they are in difficult situations.

Also Read: Essay on the Importance of the Internet

10 Lines on Myself Essay for Children

Here are 10 lines on myself essay for children. Feel free to add them to similar essay topics.

My name is Ananya Rathor and I am 10 years old.
I like painting and playing with my dog, Todo.
Reading animal books is one of my favourite activities.
I love drawing and colouring to express my imagination.
I always find joy in spending time outdoors, feeling the breeze on my face.
I love dancing to Indian classical music.
I’m always ready for an adventure, whether it’s trying a new hobby or discovering interesting facts.
Animals are my friends, and I enjoy spending time with pets or observing nature’s creatures.
I am a very kind person and I respect everyone.
All of my school teachers love me.

300 Words Essay on Myself

My name is Rakul. I believe that every individual has unique characteristics which distinguish them from others. To be unique you must have an extraordinary spark or skill. I live with my family and my family members taught me to live together, adjust, help others, and be humble. Apart from this, I am an energetic person who loves to play badminton.

I have recently joined Kathak classes because I have an inclination towards dance and music, especially folk dance and classical music. I believe that owing to the diversity of our country India, it offers us a lot of opportunities to learn and gain expertise in various sectors.

My great-grandfather was a classical singer and he also used to play several musical instruments. His achievements and stories have inspired me to learn more about Indian culture and make him proud.

I am a punctual and studious person because I believe that education is the key to success. Academic excellence could make our careers shine bright. Recently I secured second position in my class and my teachers and family members were so proud of my achievement.

I can manage my time because my mother taught me that time waits for no one. It is important to make correct use of time to succeed in life. If we value time, then only time will value us. My ambition in life is to become a successful gynaecologist and serve for human society.

Hence, these are the qualities that describe me the best. Though no one can present themselves in a few words still I tried to give a brief about myself through this essay. In my opinion, life is meant to be lived with utmost happiness and an aim to serve humanity. Thus, keep this in mind, I will always try to help others and be the best version of myself.

Kajal Thareja

Hi, I am Kajal, a pharmacy graduate, currently pursuing management and is an experienced content writer. I have 2-years of writing experience in Ed-tech (digital marketing) company. I am passionate towards writing blogs and am on the path of discovering true potential professionally in the field of content marketing. I am engaged in writing creative content for students which is simple yet creative and engaging and leaves an impact on the reader's mind.

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15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

What’s covered:.

What is the Purpose of the College Essay?
How to Stand Out Without Showing Off
15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
Where to Get Free Feedback on Your Essay

Most students who apply to top-tier colleges have exceptional grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. How do admissions officers decide which applicants to choose among all these stellar students? One way is on the strength of their college essay .

This personal statement, along with other qualitative factors like teacher recommendations, helps the admissions committee see who you really are—the person behind the transcript. So, it’s obviously important to write a great one.

What Is the Purpose of the College Essay?

Your college essay helps you stand out in a pool of qualified candidates. If effective, it will also show the admissions committee more of your personality and allow them to get a sense of how you’ll fit in with and contribute to the student body and institution. Additionally, it will show the school that you can express yourself persuasively and clearly in writing, which is an important part of most careers, no matter where you end up.

Typically, students must submit a personal statement (usually the Common App essay ) along with school-specific supplements. Some students are surprised to learn that essays typically count for around 25% of your entire application at the top 250 schools. That’s an enormous chunk, especially considering that, unlike your transcript and extracurriculars, it isn’t an assessment of your entire high school career.

The purpose of the college essay is to paint a complete picture of yourself, showing admissions committees the person behind the grades and test scores. A strong college essay shows your unique experiences, personality, perspective, interests, and values—ultimately, what makes you unique. After all, people attend college, not their grades or test scores. The college essay also provides students with a considerable amount of agency in their application, empowering them to share their own stories.

How to Stand Out Without Showing Off

It’s important to strike a balance between exploring your achievements and demonstrating humility. Your aim should be to focus on the meaning behind the experience and how it changed your outlook, not the accomplishment itself.

Confidence without cockiness is the key here. Don’t simply catalog your achievements, there are other areas on your application to share them. Rather, mention your achievements when they’re critical to the story you’re telling. It’s helpful to think of achievements as compliments, not highlights, of your college essay.

Take this essay excerpt , for example:

My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go.

Instead of saying “ I received this scholarship and participated in this prestigious program, ” the author tells a story, demonstrating their growth and initiative through specific actions (riding the train alone, applying academic programs on her own, etc.)—effectively showing rather than telling.

15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

1. start early .

Leave yourself plenty of time to write your college essay—it’s stressful enough to compose a compelling essay without putting yourself under a deadline. Starting early on your essay also leaves you time to edit and refine your work, have others read your work (for example, your parents or a teacher), and carefully proofread.

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you

The foundation of a great essay is selecting a topic that has real meaning for you. If you’re passionate about the subject, the reader will feel it. Alternatively, choosing a topic you think the admissions committee is looking for, but isn’t all that important to you, won’t make for a compelling essay; it will be obvious that you’re not very invested in it.

3. Show your personality

One of the main points of your college essay is to convey your personality. Admissions officers will see your transcript and read about the awards you’ve won, but the essay will help them get to know you as a person. Make sure your personality is evident in each part—if you are a jokester, incorporate some humor. Your friends should be able to pick your essay from an anonymous pile, read it, and recognize it as yours. In that same vein, someone who doesn’t know you at all should feel like they understand your personality after reading your essay.

4. Write in your own voice

In order to bring authenticity to your essay, you’ll need to write in your own voice. Don’t be overly formal (but don’t be too casual, either). Remember: you want the reader to get to know the real you, not a version of you that comes across as overly stiff or stilted. You should feel free to use contractions, incorporate dialogue, and employ vocabulary that comes naturally to you.

5. Use specific examples

Real, concrete stories and examples will help your essay come to life. They’ll add color to your narrative and make it more compelling for the reader. The goal, after all, is to engage your audience—the admissions committee.

For example, instead of stating that you care about animals, you should tell us a story about how you took care of an injured stray cat.

Consider this side-by-side comparison:

Example 1: I care deeply about animals and even once rescued a stray cat. The cat had an injured leg, and I helped nurse it back to health.

Example 2: I lost many nights of sleep trying to nurse the stray cat back to health. Its leg infection was extremely painful, and it meowed in distress up until the wee hours of the morning. I didn’t mind it though; what mattered was that the cat regained its strength. So, I stayed awake to administer its medicine and soothe it with loving ear rubs.

The second example helps us visualize this situation and is more illustrative of the writer’s personality. Because she stayed awake to care for the cat, we can infer that she is a compassionate person who cares about animals. We don’t get the same depth with the first example.

6. Don’t be afraid to show off…

You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn’t the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities.

7. …While also maintaining humility

But don’t brag. Demonstrate humility when discussing your achievements. In the example above, for instance, the author discusses her accomplishments while noting that her parents thought of her as immature. This is a great way to show humility while still highlighting that she was able to prove her parents wrong.

8. Be vulnerable

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with humility and authenticity. Don’t shy away from exploring how your experience affected you and the feelings you experienced. This, too, will help your story come to life.

Here’s an excerpt from a Common App essay that demonstrates vulnerability and allows us to connect with the writer:

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

In this essay, the writer isn’t afraid to share his insecurities and feelings with us. He states that he had been “ appallingly ignorant ” of his brother’s pain, that he “ often felt out of step ” compared to his brother, and that he had felt “ more and more alone ” over time. These are all emotions that you may not necessarily share with someone you just met, but it’s exactly this vulnerability that makes the essay more raw and relatable.

9. Don’t lie or hyperbolize

This essay is about the authentic you. Lying or hyperbolizing to make yourself sound better will not only make your essay—and entire application—less genuine, but it will also weaken it. More than likely, it will be obvious that you’re exaggerating. Plus, if colleges later find out that you haven’t been truthful in any part of your application, it’s grounds for revoking your acceptance or even expulsion if you’ve already matriculated.

10. Avoid cliches

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life. A sports victory as a metaphor for your journey. How a pet death altered your entire outlook. Admissions officers have seen more essays on these topics than they can possibly count. Unless you have a truly unique angle, then it’s in your best interest to avoid them. Learn which topics are cliche and how to fix them .

11. Proofread

This is a critical step. Even a small error can break your essay, however amazing it is otherwise. Make sure you read it over carefully, and get another set of eyes (or two or three other sets of eyes), just in case.

12. Abstain from using AI

There are a handful of good reasons to avoid using artificial intelligence (AI) to write your college essay. Most importantly, it’s dishonest and likely to be not very good; AI-generated essays are generally formulaic, generic, and boring—everything you’re trying to avoid being. The purpose of the college essay is to share what makes you unique and highlight your personal experiences and perspectives, something that AI can’t capture.

13. Use parents as advisors, not editors

The voice of an adult is different from that of a high schooler and admissions committees are experts at spotting the writing of parents. Parents can play a valuable role in creating your college essay—advising, proofreading, and providing encouragement during those stressful moments. However, they should not write or edit your college essay with their words.

14. Have a hook

Admissions committees have a lot of essays to read and getting their attention is essential for standing out among a crowded field of applicants. A great hook captures your reader’s imagination and encourages them to keep reading your essay. Start strong, first impressions are everything!

15. Give them something to remember

The ending of your college essay is just as important as the beginning. Give your reader something to remember by composing an engaging and punchy paragraph or line—called a kicker in journalism—that ties everything you’ve written above together.

Where to Get Free Feedback on Your College Essay

Before you send off your application, make sure you get feedback from a trusted source on your essay. CollegeVine’s free peer essay review will give you the support you need to ensure you’ve effectively presented your personality and accomplishments. Our expert essay review pairs you with an advisor to help you refine your writing, submit your best work, and boost your chances of getting into your dream school. Find the right advisor for you and get started on honing a winning essay.

How to Write a Personal Essay for Your College Application

What does it take to land in the “accept” (instead of “reject”) pile?

How can you write an essay that helps advance you in the eyes of the admissions officers and makes a real impression? Here are some tips to get you started.

Start early. Do not leave it until the last minute. Give yourself time when you don’t have other homework or extracurriculars hanging over your head to work on the essay.
Keep the focus narrow. Your essay does not have to cover a massive, earth-shattering event. Some people in their teens haven’t experienced a major life event. Some people have. Either way, it’s okay.
Be yourself. Whether writing about a painful experience or a more simple experience, use the narrative to be vulnerable and honest about who you are. Use words you would normally use. Trust your voice and the fact that your story is interesting enough in that no one else has lived it.
Be creative. “Show, don’t tell,” and that applies here — to an extent. The best essays typically do both. You can help your reader see and feel what you are describing by using some figurative language throughout your piece.
Make a point. As you finish your final body paragraphs ask yourself “So what?” This will help you hone in on how to end your essay in a way that elevates it into a story about an insight or discovery you made about yourself, rather than just being about an experience you had.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

We’ve all heard about the dreaded “college essay,” the bane of every high school senior’s existence. This daunting element of the college application is something that can create angst for even the most accomplished students.

AA Amy Allen is a writer, educator, and lifelong learner. Her freelance writing business, All of the Write Words , focuses on providing high school students with one-on-one feedback to guide them through the college application process and with crafting a thoughtful personal essay. A dedicated poet, Amy’s work has also been published in several journals including Pine Row Press , Months to Years, and Atlanta Review .

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How to Write an Essay About Yourself

Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman is a content editor and writer at Scholarships360. He has managed communications and written content for a diverse array of organizations, including a farmer’s market, a concert venue, a student farm, an environmental NGO, and a PR agency. Gabriel graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in sociology.

Learn about our editorial policies

Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Writing an essay about yourself is no easy feat — although you may know yourself better than anyone, it can be tough to get the perspective needed to write about yourself in essay form. Despite its challenges, writing essays about yourself is one of the most crucial skills in the college application process, and we have some key tricks to make it easier. Keep on reading to learn about some of our best techniques to write about yourself naturally!

Outline your experiences

Ask friends and family for input

Don’t be too humble…
Let your personality shine!

Try journaling

Read more: How to start a scholarship essay (with examples)

Outline your impactful experiences

Before you dig into prompts, try writing out a bullet-point list of meaningful experiences you’ve had. Underneath each bullet point, reflect on what they might demonstrate. Here’s an example:

Working as part of a team
Learning to balance school and work responsibilities
Honing communication skills
Developing writing skills
Fostering a passion for my school community
Learning to meet deadlines and balance responsibilities
Learning to balance school and volunteer responsibilities
Gaining an attention to detail

This is a little different than a typical resume — rather than focusing on your specific duties, try to focus on how the experience shaped your character. If you notice a lot of overlap between the experiences, that’s perfect! You can point out these recurring themes to make for an effective essay with a strong overarching point. Making lists like this early on in your writing stage can be helpful, and you may find yourself coming back to consult the list for many future essays.

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When writing about yourself, it is important to reflect on your strengths, and who is better to do that than a supportive team of family and friends?

Consulting family and friends is a great way to learn about strengths that you might not even know you had. Your friends choose to hang out with you for a reason, and they often notice your good qualities that you take for granted. Having your friends point these out can be useful for an essay, as well as a general pick-me-up!

And if you’re looking for a perfect anecdote to answer a prompt like “How have you demonstrated a commitment to your community ,” who better to remember your past acts of kindness than your parents?

Also recommended: Top essay & writing scholarships

Is it okay to ask friends and family to read my essay and offer feedback?

Some students may be wondering, is it okay to ask for additional help from friends and family? And the short answer is: absolutely. Additional essay reviewers can offer valuable feedback as you write your essay. With this said, students should make sure that they are maintaining their own voice in the essay. Outside reviewers should not be rewriting the essay or having a heavy hand in changing the written voice.

Don’t miss: How to respond to the Common App essay prompts

Don’t be too humble

There is a time and a place for humility. But don’t worry if you feel like your essay is verging on the braggadocios. These essays are an opportunity to showcase your best qualities, and you should not be worried about putting your best foot forward and telling the reader all the reasons why they should be impressed by you.

What makes these essays effective is that they both include your relevant experiences and demonstrate why they are so significant. You may feel as though you are making mountains out of molehills, but it’s important to emphasize the importance of your experiences. This is the main objective of writing about yourself.

Also recommended: How to write a 500 word essay

Let your personality come through

Most essays written about yourself will be written in first-person. This provides a perfect opportunity to add some flair to your writing. While your first priority is to include impactful examples and communicate your points effectively, it is also important to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

If you see an opportunity to show off your sense of humor or use a more personal tone, don’t be afraid to do it. As long as your remarks are appropriate, on-topic, and not too frequent, they can help put you ahead of the pack.

Recommended: How does an admissions officer read your application and essays?

A great trick for becoming comfortable writing essays about yourself is to try keeping a journal. Journaling helps eliminate the pressure of writing an essay while helping you become comfortable writing about yourself in an informal setting. Spending 10 or 15 minutes every night writing about your day, or answering some informal prompts can help you to get more in touch with yourself and jog your memory about past events that could be useful for an essay.

Don’t miss: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool

Next steps for students

Now you’ve learned about the goals and techniques for writing an essay about yourself. Your next step should be to focus on making your writing effective and efficient. Make sure that your conclusion ties everything together impactfully . And once you’ve finished your draft, ask family members, friends, or college counselors to read over it and provide suggestions. Good luck, writers!

Related: Overview of common scholarship essay prompts

Frequently asked questions about how to write an essay about yourself

How do you make yourself write an essay, how do you start off an essay about yourself, what are the 3 main parts of an essay, scholarships360 recommended.

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About Yourself Scholarship Essay Examples (2023)

Jennifer Finetti Sep 28, 2022

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A popular scholarship essay prompt is “Tell us about yourself.” This question is relatively open-ended, which may make it difficult to answer at first glance. What should I tell them about myself? My struggles, my goals, my passions…? These may all be fitting topics, depending on the scholarship. We’ll show you some scholarship essay examples about yourself, along with writing tips to guide you along the way.

What they want to know about you

As you prepare to write, think of the topics the scholarship committee would be interested in. These may include:

Your current degree, as it applies to your overall career goals. You can explain why you chose your current educational path and what you want to do with that.
Your short-term and long-term professional goals . Frame your answer as if to say “Where will you be in 5 years? Where will you be in 10 years?” Scholarship committees like to reward people with defined aspirations.
Past experiences that sparked your passions. You could talk about an influential person in your life, but make sure most of the essay focuses on you. After all, you are talking about yourself.
Something about you that relates to their organization. With any scholarship essay, you should try to connect yourself with the organization providing the funding. Don’t force a connection. Find one that naturally fits. Mention hobbies, experiences and goals that match what the review committee is looking for.
Something unique that sets you apart from other applicants. This may be volunteer experience, career specialties, situational differences (growing up in an area that didn’t encourage education), etc.

Note that you do not have to throw all this information into one essay. Choose the elements that best fit the scholarship. If you were on the review board, what would you want to learn about each applicant? What would make you choose one applicant over another? Keep this in mind as you develop your thoughts.

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What they don’t want to know about you

There is plenty of information you could include in an about yourself scholarship essay. There is just as much information to avoid though. Some topics to keep out of your essay include:

False information. Do not make up stories or fabricate goals to fit the prompt. The scholarship committee can instantly tell when someone is lying, and they will disqualify you immediately.
Past struggles that do not pertain to the essay topic. You can briefly mention struggles from your past, as long as you mention how you’ve learned from them. Do not make your essay a long story about the hard life you’ve led. Focus on your triumphs, not your obstacles.
Vague goals and aspirations. Scholarships are usually given to students who have a plan. If you say, “I’m not sure what I’m doing yet,” the committee will select a more motivated candidate. If you have a plan and a backup plan, that’s fine. Just make sure you mention both options and show which one you favor.
Cliché stories that most people tell. There is something that makes you stand out as a person. Use that to your advantage. Don’t rely on generic information they’ll find with other applicants.
Unrelated elements of your personal life. In most cases, you should not mention your significant other in the essay. You might mention a spouse if you need to reference your children or a turning point in your life, but these personal details do not fit most essays. Any information that seems frivolous or ill-placed should be removed from the essay.

Read through your essay carefully. If you stop at one point to say, “Why did I mention that?” get rid of the corresponding information. Showcase the best elements about yourself in a fluid and cohesive manner.

Short scholarship essay example: Tell us about yourself (100 Words)

With 100 words, you can only focus on one or two elements of your life. Think about your biggest selling points – the things that show you are the ideal candidate. Start by introducing yourself and your educational status. Then jump into the main topic of the essay. You may not have room to mention how the scholarship will help your education. Instead, mention how your education can help your career. The other information will be implied.

My name is Christian Wood. I am a high school senior who will be attending the University of Nevada, Reno in the fall. I want to become an online journalist. My goal is to work for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Huffington Post, or another news outlet that has a strong online presence. Most people already get their news on the internet, and the industry will be even bigger by the time I graduate. Getting a degree in journalism with a focus on digital media will set me up for a fulfilling, fast-paced career fit for the future.

Word Count: 96

Medium scholarship essay example: Tell us about yourself (250 Words)

With a mid-length scholarship essay, you have more space to explain how your past has influenced your present and future goals. You should have rom for an intro paragraph, a few body paragraphs, and a conclusion (maybe incorporated into the last body paragraph). Think of a few main points you want to touch on, and write those down first. If you still have room, you can add more details about yourself.

My name is Sarah, and I spent most of my childhood on the wrong medication. I experienced a problem common in clinical psychology – misdiagnosis. Professionals provide inaccurate diagnoses for many reasons – f rom antiquated testing methods to limited education. I want to open my own psychological testing facility and help change that. Therefore, I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child because I had trouble focusing in school. The medication m y doctor prescribed to me only made me numb to the world around me. I couldn’t think or process emotions, or had no emotions at all. After several years my parents finally decided to get a second opinion. I saw a specialist and she concluded that I didn’t have ADHD , but a combination of dyslexia and dysgraphia (difficulties with reading and writing). She sent us to a therapist who helped me learn how to work around my conditions, and my life improved tremendously. I went from being a lifeless student with barely passing grades to an honor roll student full of joy and excitement. Unfortunately, my story is not one of a kind. There are countless children in America who are put on mind-altering medications that do not adequately address their needs. I cannot help all of those children, but I can provide a better alternative for the ones in my area. Through proper education, funded by financial aid, I can learn about psychological evaluations and provide the most accurate diagnoses possible.

Word Count: 249

Long scholarship essay example: Tell us about yourself (500 Words)

Scholarship essays that are 500 words or longer let you tell the whole story. You can discuss your past, present and future in a comprehensive manner. Avoid rambling and make sure each topic contributes to the overall essay. If one piece feels out of place, remove it and elaborate more on the existing elements. By the end of the essay, the reader should have a full understanding of who you are and what you want to accomplish.

My name is Sierra Breault, and I am a junior at Murray State University. I am double-majoring in Criminal Justice and Forensics Science, and I will graduate in 2024 with two bachelor degrees. My career goal is in social justice, so I can contribute to criminal justice reform. I want to ensure that those who commit crimes are treated fairly. I come from a small town where excessive force and even death by cop incidents are often committed, especially against minorities. A few years ago, one of my relatives was charged for a crime although the crime scene evidence wasn’t properly obtained, catalogued and analyzed. This experience played a big part in my wish to study criminal justice. I started exploring the career more when I decided that a desk job just wasn’t for me. Throughout high school I struggled because of the routine nature of it all. I saw the same people and attended the same classes every single day. I knew I didn’t want a job that would be that stagnant. That’s when I got the idea to work in law enforcement, because there would always be a new challenge for me to tackle. After researching the field even more, I set my sights on crime scene investigation. I have performed much better academically in college than I ever did in high school. That’s because there is no routine to the experience. Every week, I have new projects to complete, tests to study for, and activities to try. I have been involved with the campus Crime Stoppers organization all three years of college, and I was elected president for the upcoming term. This lets me work closely with law enforcement to supplement my college education and further my career. After graduating, I will apply for work as a dispatcher in a state organization, such as the Department of Criminal Investigation. While my ultimate goal is to work as a forensic analyst or crime scene investigator, those positions usually only go to people within the organization. Dispatch is the most direct option for career entry, giving me the best chance to pursue my dream career. I am applying for this scholarship to help me finish the last two years of my degrees. As a college junior and soon-to-be senior, my scholarship opportunities are limited. Most awards are reserved for freshmen. I took advantage of those early on, and I have one recurring scholarship that covers half of my tuition. However, I need additional financial aid to cover the remainder of my academic costs. I appreciate your consideration, and I hope that you can help me pursue a profession in criminal justice. This is my passion, and I have a clear plan to turn that passion into a lifelong career.

Word Count: 463

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Scholarship Essay

Jennifer Finetti

As a parent who recently helped her own kids embark on their college journeys, Jennifer approaches the transition from high school to college from a unique perspective. She truly enjoys engaging with students – helping them to build the confidence, knowledge, and insight needed to pursue their educational and career goals, while also empowering them with the strategies and skills needed to access scholarships and financial aid that can help limit college costs. She understands the importance of ensuring access to the edtech tools and resources that can make this process easier and more equitable - this drive to support underserved populations is what drew her to ScholarshipOwl. Jennifer has coached students from around the world, as well as in-person with local students in her own community. Her areas of focus include career exploration, major selection, college search and selection, college application assistance, financial aid and scholarship consultation, essay review and feedback, and more. She works with students who are at the top of their class, as well as those who are struggling. She firmly believes that all students, regardless of their circumstances, can succeed if they stay focused and work hard in school. Jennifer earned her MA in Counseling Psychology from National University, and her BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how do i write a good essay about myself.

I'm struggling with writing my college essay. How can I write a compelling and genuine essay about myself without it sounding boring or braggy? Any tips would really help!

First, I understand that writing a personal essay can be challenging, but with a little guidance and practice, you can create a compelling piece. Here are some steps to help you write a strong essay:

1. Choose a unique angle: Instead of providing a broad overview of your life, focus on a specific experience, interest, or aspect of your personality that has shaped who you are. This will make your essay more focused and memorable.

2. Show, don't tell: Instead of simply stating your qualities, provide concrete examples of how you've demonstrated those characteristics. Use vivid details, anecdotes, and sensory language to bring your story to life.

3. Be authentic: Be genuine in your writing and don't try to present yourself as someone you're not. Admissions officers want to get to know the real you, so let your personality shine through.

4. Reflect on your experiences: Point out the lessons you've learned and how those experiences have influenced your growth and decision-making. This will show maturity and self-awareness, which are traits that colleges value.

5. Avoid clichés: Steer clear of overused phrases, ideas, or experiences. Make sure your essay stands out by giving it a fresh and original perspective.

6. Edit and revise: Once you have a draft of your essay, review it for clarity, grammar, punctuation, and flow. Make sure that each paragraph supports the central theme of your essay and that your writing is concise and engaging.

7. Get feedback: Share your essay with teachers, family members, or friends to gain different perspectives. Incorporate their feedback to help refine your essay and ensure it's an accurate representation of yourself.

For example, if you have a passion for community service, you might write about a specific volunteer experience that had a significant impact on you. Talk about the challenges you faced, the people you helped, and the lessons you learned. Make sure to incorporate personal stories and reflections to give your essay depth and substance.

Remember, a good college essay showcases your personality, values, and growth. By following these steps, you can create a compelling and genuine essay that will leave a lasting impression on admissions officers. Good luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

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Me, Myself, and I: How to Describe Yourself in College Application Essays

A Student’s College Application Essay Is One Of Their Best Opportunities To Stand Out…

After all, a well-written personal statement can be the difference between acceptance or receiving a waitlist letter. Often, the best essays are those that go into detail about the student themselves. A descriptive essay that shows how a student’s personal hobbies, interests, values, and career goals interconnect goes much farther than just a list of their extracurricular activities.

However, many students find it difficult to break the habit of being humble and write about themselves. In this article, we cover five different ways students can reframe the challenge of writing about themselves to make their college essays feel more personal.

The Importance Of Sharing Your Story

With over 3 million students expected to graduate from high school this year , the pool of college applicants will continue to grow. Because of this, colleges are increasingly seeking ways to adapt the college admission process to allow students the opportunity to share their unique stories.

Across the country, from small liberal arts colleges to leading research universities, schools are increasingly moving in the direction of a holistic admission process . A holistic approach to college admissions goes beyond a student’s test scores and grade point averages to take into account all that a student achieves inside and outside of school.

Because of this shift in approach, it’s never been more necessary for students to share their personal stories however they can in their college application. Most often, students are given the opportunity through essay prompts that ask questions about the student’s views, values, or interests as they relate to the institution.

While many students find these prompts uncomfortable, they are one of the only ways students can take control of the application process by choosing to put themselves in the spotlight. The person who reads a student’s college application and personal statement has no idea who they are; it’s up to each student to leave them with a good first impression.

5 Tips For Writing About Yourself On College Applications

Show personal depth.

While students may be tempted to state just the facts of their background, encourage depth and description in their application. A holistic admissions process loves to see students with interests that interconnect, especially when provided with a record of extracurricular involvement to back it up . Providing detail gives the reader the context they’ll need to get a clear picture of the student.

In other words, students shouldn’t be afraid to nerd out and get passionate! If their interest in political activism is driven by the field they’re most interested in studying, such as climate science, encourage them to work all aspects of their character into their application. Same with art, social justice, psychology, and more! Colleges provide students with essay prompts that invite them to get personal for a reason - they love the inside look at what qualities your student will bring to their campus.

However, students should be careful to not merely rewrite a list of accomplishments, extracurriculars, or commitments that can be found elsewhere on their college applications. A student’s personal essay can lean on these parts of the application by focusing on the most important accomplishments rather than trying to list all of them within a small word count limit.

DESCRIBE YOUR BACKGROUND

Today, it’s possible for students from all walks of life to attend college, each bringing their own unique perspective and background to create more diverse campuses than ever . As this diversity is continually being recognized as a driver of innovation and equality, colleges are giving applicants more chances than ever to describe their background and what factors have shaped them into the person they are today.

Therefore, if there’s a unique aspect of your student’s background that you believe is worth highlighting in their college application, don’t hesitate! Colleges are eager to hear from applicants with experiences during their upbringing that reveal grit, determination, or ambition.

MAKE USE OF STORIES

To this end, students should make use of stories in their personal statements, if given a prompt where a story would make sense. Past experiences that show personal growth, dedication to values or ethics, or willingness to reach out and help those in need can all do more to tell a college about an applicant’s potential as a student than a grade point average ever could.

Shockingly, sometimes the most powerful stories to tell in a personal statement are those where a student has failed, lost, or made a mistake. In these stories, students are not only given the opportunity to display humility and the capability for growth, but also many other soft skills often associated with success in higher education.

Even if the essay prompt doesn’t invite your student to share a story, look for ways to naturally incorporate small anecdotes. Past experiences and stories, even summarized in a few sentences, can add a personal touch to an essay that college admissions officials will notice.

CONNECT TO THE SCHOOL

Students should always aim to be truthful in their college applications and should avoid making themselves seem more connected to the college they apply to than they really are. However, if a student’s interests, values, or experiences align with a college’s, then making an effort to genuinely connect with the school in their college essay can give students an edge.

For example, a student with a nearly life-long passion for debate would be well served to mention it when applying for a school where their debate team has received national recognition.

Additionally, if your child has had positive experiences with a school, whether through official programs or interactions with current students or alumni, a brief mention of this can work well in their college essay. When a student is unsure of how to answer “why this college” essay prompts , this tactic can be a great way to bridge the gap between what first drew a student toward a school and what convinced them to apply.

ASK FOR AN OUTSIDE OPINION

If your student finds themselves struggling to weave their personal story into the essay prompt, one way to spark ideas is to ask a trusted outsider for help. From a counselor to a teacher or fellow student, chances are your student will know someone who is willing to give them an idea of how they’d describe them to others. These outside looks will do wonders for your child’s confidence, creativity, and perspective when it comes to writing their “me, myself, and I” personal statement.

Depending on who your student asks, they may even be reminded of past experiences where they showed personal growth, committed to their values, or helped someone in need. Hearing stories from a different perspective may make it easier to write about them in a way that doesn’t feel self-aggrandizing. If they’ve already written a rough first draft of the story, their helper may be able to fill in details that add strength to the essay.

Make Your Personal Statement Personal

Many students struggle with the idea of writing about themselves. However, the perception that describing your past or telling a meaningful story about yourself is “bragging” couldn’t be further from the truth. Colleges are eager to hear stories that give insight into who a student is beyond their grades and test scores, and students would be wise to take advantage of the opportunities to do so. Yet, even the most accomplished adults struggle with describing themselves and their own accomplishments. It can be difficult to sell yourself, no matter how much value you bring to the table!

If your student is having a difficult time portraying themselves in their college application, we’d love to hear from you and see where our WeAdmit counselors can help. Our counselors are experienced in helping guide students toward submitting the best possible college applications, exploring all their options, and putting their best first impression forward. We would love to hear from you and see how our team can help your student get into their dream college!

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Expressing Gratitude to Forbes for Recognizing WeAdmit's Commitment to Quality College Counseling

WeAdmit expresses gratitude to Forbes for recognizing our commitment to quality college counseling and accessible guidance. We are honored to empower students and shape a brighter future through education. Thank you, Forbes, for your support.

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9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped. So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

Tell me about yourself.
Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question.

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

What is your background? Family, finances, school.
What was challenging about that background?
What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers. Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

Intro to main essay prompt.
Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths. Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too. You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Top 10 Most Common Scholarship Essay Prompts Graphic

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this.

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Or if you’re not ready to register, simply sign up to receive an email with 20 new scholarship opportunities each week. Just enter your email address below:

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Essay on My Self for Students and Children

500+ words essay on my self.

Seven billion people are on this Earth, and everybody is different from the rest of others. There is nothing without purpose in this world. Everything has some purpose. Humans are the best creation, and each person is exclusive. Thus, writing about myself, I’m here to express myself that what I see, what I experience and what I plan for my life. I try myself to be modest, passionate, devoted, hardworking and honest.

My Family and My Childhood

I’m from a middle-class family of Bihar, I am Naresh Shukla. Nobody comes in this world, without the support of family and friends. Actually, whatever you will be, it is just because of your family. My father is a respectable businessman in our community.

My mother is a doctor. They both love their occupation. That’s I have learned from my parents the value of time, honesty, hard work and commitment to the purpose.

We are three brothers and sisters. Being the eldest I am the most liable from my brothers and sisters. I am wanted to guide and take care of my other siblings. We all are in the same school. Reading is my passion.

I am a keen reader of novels and history books as I have a strong interest in Indian History and classical architecture. I love to read books that refer to the rich history and civilization of ancient India. At my pre-childhood, I used to listen to stories from my grandmother, and this has a long-lasting effect on me.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

My Education

I am studying at the best school in my city. I am presently in class 10th. I feel happy to be a part of this great school with the good friends, helpful and loving teacher and sound school administration. I have extraordinary skills in some subjects whereas I am very weak in the few.

My Strengths

In compare to studies, I am good at sports. so I am the captain of my class football team. I am the best football player at my school. Besides this, I am a fast runner also and I love athletics. I am in expert swimming.

The advice of my parents had a keen effect on my habits. I believe to speak the truth and try my best not to lie. My parents always advised me that if I commit a mistake, I should admit it. I try my best to do so. I know how to remain happy in every condition. Because I believe that: “Happiness is not out there; it’s in you.”

I am a very adventurous person too and like to take the risk. I like to do a creative thing besides doing old stuff again and again. Learning new things is one thing which I always enjoy. I always update myself with the news.

Along with this, I fond of reading a few children magazines in which different motivational stories are there. They taught me a high moral lesson. I am a very confident person and know how to talk. I always try to speak to every person according to his requirement so I understand people.

My Weaknesses

As every man have weaknesses, so have also. I am a little bit lazy at some places which I do not like. While playing time, I pass my lot of time there which is not a good habi t, but I try my best to overcome my weaknesses.

My Ambitions in Life

Everybody has an ambition in life . Aim or ambition is the inner aspiration of man. No man can do anything in the world without aim. So, all of us should be very determined about our aim in life.

Without good career planning, right from the start, one can’t be on the right track. One has to set the goals in accordance with his or her broad career goals.

I have studied biology and I will seat for the competitive entrance exam for admission to reputed medical college. I shall try to be a good and honest student. Then I shall be a qualified doctor. I will do all that to be a good doctor and will be sincere to it.

These are all the things which express me. Though nobody can be described in a few sets of sentences. One needs to have yet command of oneself before going to write something about his life. Life is meant to be lived avidly and with visualization to do good for your fellow beings. Keeping this aim in mind, I have always desired to serve my people in whatever capacity I can.

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“Tell Me About Yourself” Examples for College Students

Don't let the inevitable, open-ended question at your college or internship interview fill you with dread. These creative and unique "tell me about yourself" examples will help you demonstrate your motivations and background in a way that'll wow when it really matters.

Know Your Goal Before You Answer

The most powerful and successful answers to the "tell me about yourself" question are closely related to your end goal and the goal of the person interviewing you. The first step is to consider what you want. Are you trying to get into a graduate or undergraduate program? Are you trying to land a great internship? What does the person interviewing you want to see?

Then, think about your personal history and your strengths . How do those fit with the goals you just considered? Closely connecting your answer to those goals gives you a strong advantage, as you can see in these examples.

Graduate School Applicant Example

I've always loved the Victorian period in English literature. Even as a kid, Dickens captured my imagination more thoroughly than the Harry Potter stories or anything else. As an undergraduate at Northwestern University, I studied English with a concentration on Victorian fiction. Now, I hope to continue exploring this fundamentally important literary period as a graduate student.

Internship Interview Example

I'm a senior at Michigan Technological University, majoring in biomedical engineering. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to work in the field of prosthetics. I saw first-hand how a prosthetic limb helped give my best friend a normal teenage life, and I've always wanted to be a part of that process. I'm drawn to prosthetic design and research, which is why I'm so excited to learn more about the internship your company is offering.

Make It Memorable

You'll have about two minutes to answer the "tell me about yourself" question. So, think of this as your " elevator pitch ." You need to cover the basics, but it's even more important to make it memorable. You want the interviewer to remember this answer when he or she thinks back on the day.

What are some of your unique qualities? How have you demonstrated those in the past? Consider this example:

During my freshman year of high school, I started a business designing and making custom prom dresses. It started with just four or five girls, but by the time I was a senior, everyone wanted to wear one of my gowns. I had two other girls helping me with the sewing, but I did the design work myself. I've known for a long time that I wanted to go into fashion design, but I also know there's a lot I still want to learn about the artistic and business sides of the field. That's why I really want to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Show, Don't Tell

If you've studied writing in high school or college, you probably remember the adage "show, don't tell." This refers to using an example and good visual imagery to make your point instead of just summarizing or stating it. The best answer for "tell me about yourself" does this too.

Show how you are the right candidate for the internship or program using real examples from your life, as in this example response:

I graduated in May from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in accounting, but my passion for numbers goes back much further than that. Even as a kid, I loved tax season. My parents used to think it was funny, and it definitely didn't endear me to other fifth graders. When I was 11, my mom let me do her taxes, and I just can't describe the satisfaction I felt when I saved her money. Wisely, she had an accountant check my work, and she came back shocked that I hadn't made any mistakes. She used the money from her refund to buy me books on accounting. For as long as I can remember, I've dreamt of working at H&R Block, and this internship opportunity is that dream come true.

What Not to Say

When you think about your answer to the "tell me about yourself" question, it's also important to know what not to say. Take some time to learn what topics and habits you should avoid.

Common Mistakes

Don't make these common mistakes:

Summarizing your resume or the list of classes you've taken
Offering overly personal details like political and religious views
Talking too long about too many things
Including too many negative traits or answers
Not planning your answer ahead of time
Being too general and not offering enough examples
Making grammatical errors and speaking very informally

Bad Example Answer for "Tell Me About Yourself"

I graduated this spring from Montana State University. It took me basically forever to decide what I wanted to major in, but I finally settled on biology. It's better than the other sciences, I guess, and I'm pretty decent at it. I've taken all kinds of biology classes, but I like marine biology best. It's just fun. That's why I want to go to grad school for marine biology.

Prepare and Practice

Answering an interview question like "tell me about yourself" is all about making a favorable first impression . Just like your cover letter and resume , how you answer this question can make a huge difference in whether or not you get the opportunity you want. Take the time to prepare and practice, and you'll be well on your way to success.

“Tell Me About Yourself” Examples for College Students

DESCRIPTION smiling male student in interview
SOURCE SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
PERMISSION Used under Getty Images license

How to Write an About Myself Essay With Example

Apply as a tutor to teach students online from anywhere in the world.

How to write an about myself essay with example.

Chloe Daniel
Published On: July 09 ,2021

Getting Started

When you may have to write about yourself.

Career advancement opportunities
Internship inquiry letters
Biographies
Graduate school applications
Cover letters
Grant proposals

How to Write an Essay About Myself?

Introduce yourself.
Make sure to include your most important professional experience.
Talk about significant awards or personal achievements.
Introduce details about your personal life.
Use a friendly and casual tone unless stated otherwise.

What Else Do You Need to Include in Your Self Introduction Essay?

The things you want to learn.
Your aspirations and dreams.
The things you are good at.
Your hobbies.

A Sample About Myself Essay

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Education and Communications
Autobiographies
Personal Profiles

How to Write About Yourself

Last Updated: July 31, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lucy Yeh . Lucy Yeh is a Human Resources Director, Recruiter, and Certified Life Coach (CLC) with over 20 years of experience. With a training background with Coaching for Life and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at InsightLA, Lucy has worked with professionals of all levels to improve the quality of their careers, personal/professional relationships, self marketing, and life balance. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,701,724 times.

Whether you're writing an essay about yourself for a scholarship, a self-introduction, or a personal bio for a job application, coming up with the right words to capture what makes you unique can feel challenging. Fortunately, there are tips and tricks that can make writing about yourself a breeze. Want some help getting across just how impressive, interesting, and skilled you really are? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about putting yourself into words effectively, complete with examples.

Writing of the Autobiographical Nature

Who are you?
What is your background?
What are your interests?
What are your talents?
What are your achievements?
What challenges have you faced?

What is your most interesting or unique quality? What word(s) describes you the best? Choose that topic.

Bad: I like sports.
Ok: I'm a fan of basketball, football, tennis, and soccer.
Good: My favorite sport is football, both to watch and to play.
Better: When I was growing up, I would watch Big Ten football with my dad and brothers every Saturday, before we'd go outside and toss the football around. I've loved it ever since.

Braggy: I'm the best and most dynamic worker at my company right now, so you should want to hire me for my talents.
Humble: I was lucky enough to be awarded three employee of the month awards at my current job. Turns out it was a company record.

Writing Personal Essays for School

Step 1 Choose a memorable story to tell.

Common themes or prompts for autobiographical essays include overcoming obstacles, great successes or spectacular failures, and what you learned about yourself.

Step 2 Focus on a single theme or purpose.

Depending on the assignment, you may need to connect a personal anecdote to a reading or an idea from class. Start brainstorming topics that are connected to that idea, to give yourself a variety of options to choose from.

Step 3 Write about complex topics, not cliches.

Common autobiographical essay cliches include sports stories, mission trips, and dead grandmothers. While these can all make for excellent essays if done well, it is difficult to stand out when telling the story of how your lacrosse team lost a big game, then practiced hard, then won. It has been written before.

If you want to tell the story of your nasty break-up, start with the break-up, do not start with the star-crossed way you met. You have got to get immediately to the tension in the story.

When you have an idea of your topic, start writing a "memory list" of specific things that you remember about the event. What was the weather like? What did it smell like? What did your mother say to you?
Your opening paragraph will set the tone for the rest of the essay. Rather than telling the dull biographical details (your name, your place of birth, your favorite food), find a way to express the essence of the story you are going to tell and the themes you are going to explore in your essay.

Writing a Cover Letter for an Application

Outline your qualifications and highlight your talents in a cover letter.
Write about who you are.
In a cover letter, describe how your education and experience qualifies you for this position.
Explain how this opportunity will benefit your career goals.

When in doubt, keep it brief and serious. If you are unsure whether or not telling an amusing anecdote about your friend's bachelor party is appropriate in a cover letter, it is probably best to leave it out.

Step 3 Describe why you are writing in the first paragraph.

"I'm writing to apply for the entry-level position with Company Inc. advertised on your website. I think my experience and training makes me an ideal candidate for this position."
Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to include your name in the body of the letter: "My name is John Smith and I am applying...." Your name will be included in the signature , as well as the header of a cover letter, so there is no need to put it in the text itself.

Step 4 Structure the cover letter as cause and effect.

Who you are and where you come from.
Where you want to go.
How this opportunity would potentially help you get there.

Step 5 Detail your talents and skills specifically.

Be as specific as possible. It is alright to note that you are "A passionate leader in all walks of life" but it would be much better to write about an example of a time you lead in a surprising way.
Stay focused on skills and talents that connect specifically to the thing you are applying for. Extracurricular involvement, leadership roles, and other types of outstanding achievement may be important to you personally, but it may be totally extraneous. If you include something, ensure to connect it specifically to the goal of the cover letter.

Step 6 Describe your goals and ambitions.

Be as specific as possible. If you are writing a university cover letter, it is obvious that you have to have a degree to get a job as a doctor, but how did you come to choose this field? Why did you choose this school? What, specifically, do you want to take away from the experience?

Step 7 Explain how both parties will benefit from your selection.

Be careful about using a cover letter to critique a business. It is not the time to describe the suffering of a particular brand over the previous fiscal quarter, then promising that you will be able to turn it around with your ideas. That might not go over well if you are hired, and then you are unable to live up to the promise.

Even if it is impressive, a high GPA or class ranking does not belong in a cover letter. Highlight it on your resume, but do not include it in two different places of the application.

Mailing address
Telephone and/or fax number

Expert Trick : Save time and effort by creating one generic format that you can use for many different job applications by tweaking the specific content for each one. Start with a general introductory paragraph , then a section or two fleshing out your resume and expertise as it relates to the job, and finish it off with a closing paragraph and a note of thanks.

Writing a Short Biography Note

Pretend you are writing about someone else. Write your name and start describing that person like a character or a friend: "John Smith is the Executive Vice President of Company Inc..."

If you are a jack of all trades, say so. Do not be afraid to list "actor, musician, mother, motivational speaker, and professional rock climber" if they all apply equally.

Step 3 Briefly list your responsibilities or accomplishments.

It is common to list degrees that you have received. Pay particular attention to anything that ties into the work you are writing about. If you have special training, include it here.

Step 4 Include a bit of your personal life.

"John Smith is the Executive Vice President of Company Inc., in charge of marketing and overseas acquisitions. He received an MBA with distinction from Harvard and lives in Montauk with his cat Cheeto."
Do not overshare. It can seem funny to immediately start with "John Smith loves rafting and hates eating Cheetos. He's a total boss" and such bio notes can be appropriate for some venues, however be careful to avoid awkward oversharing. Telling everyone about your killer hangover might be best left for after work talk.

Stephen King, who is one of the most successful and popular authors in recent history, has a bio note that just lists the name of his family members, his hometown, and his pets. Consider leaving out the self-congratulation entirely.

Community Q&A

Remember that you’re supposed to talk about yourself, it’s the main topic. Don’t talk about your friends or family, even though you may feel tempted to. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
If you are having a difficult time writing about yourself, search online for examples of personal writing, in order to get some ideas and inspiration. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
Don't think about how others feel about you. Everyone thinks from a different perspective. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-about-yourself
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/brainstorming/
↑ https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/chapter/narrowing-a-topic/
↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/essay-about-self-writing
↑ https://writingcommons.org/article/using-first-person-in-an-academic-essay-when-is-it-okay/
↑ https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/6-unconventional-ways-start-cover-letter/
↑ https://english.washington.edu/writing-cover-letter
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/career-goal-statement-examples
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-vs-cover-letter
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/whats-the-ideal-cover-letter-length
↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-format-a-cover-letter-example
↑ https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/first-vs-third-person
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/

About This Article

If you have to write an autobiographical description of yourself, write down a list of your talents, interests, and accomplishments. Use this list to help you choose one specific topic for your description, such as your academic achievements or your leadership qualities. Use specific, unique details to support your topic, such as being awarded an academic scholarship or the fact that you were president of the newspaper in high school. You can list bits of your personal life, but be careful not to overshare. If you want to write about yourself a cover letter or personal essay, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 177 college essay examples for 11 schools + expert analysis.

College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Want to write the perfect college application essay? We can help. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will help you craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay to proudly submit to colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts.

Connecticut college.

12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
10 Harvard essays from 2023
10 Harvard essays from 2022
10 Harvard essays from 2021
10 Harvard essays from 2020
10 Harvard essays from 2019
10 Harvard essays from 2018
6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions combines world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've guided thousands of students to get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit and are driven to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in:

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.” The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings . If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Myself Essay

Writing an essay about “Myself” is no easy task as you have to reflect on who you really are and what others say about you, and not just who you think you are. Most universities, colleges and other institutions ask students to write “myself” essays so as to have a better understanding of their diverse personalities. This can come in different forms including “Essay about my life” , “Composition about myself”, “Self-description with essayservices “ “Speech about myself” , “What I like about myself”, “Describing myself essay”, and other “essays about me”.

Want to get full “My self Essay” in PDF File ? Download the PDF From Here

Introduction On Myself Essay(100 words):

During an interview you may be asked to describe yourself or introduce yourself, you may also need to write autobiographies about yourself, cover letters, or other forms of personal essays which may be difficult if you don’t know the “How-to” of writing essays. So, in order to help the students seeking out numerous “Myself essays” online standout, Creative Savants provides diverse essays to suit individual needs. We also provide examples, tips, and basic guidelines on “how to write an essay about myself”. We have also written some other great essays on different topics you can check “ Essays “.

Do Checkout “ My Room Essay “

Essay No 1 on “Composition about myself” (100 words):

My name is (insert your first name and surname here). I grew up as an only child. I am thirteen years old. My parents died while I was quite little, so I live with my grandparents.

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Accustomed to living with older adults, I always act more mature than my age. I am in (mention your class and the name of your school). I have had a lot of people invest in me academically, so I have excelled in most of my classes. My hobbies include music, reading and traveling. Although I don’t get to travel much, I relish every moment I get to. I am generally pleased with my life.

Check out Other Essays “ My Hobby Essay “

Essay No 2 on “All about me essays” (100 words):

I am (insert your first name followed by your last name here) by name. I am a girl and I am light in complexion. I come from a family of five and I occupy the third position. My father is a banker, while my mother is a teacher. We are very close in my family and I can tell my parents just about anything.

I twelve years old and I am in class four. I love going to school because the atmosphere is conducive for learning and I have really nice friends. My hobbies include, reading, watching movies and taking music lessons. I don’t like sports and I don’t go out of my way to exercise. I am an easy going person and I love my life.

Check out Other Essays “ Essay On Dancing “

Essay No 3 on “Describing Myself” (200 words):

My name is (insert your first name followed by your last name here). I am a junior in my high school. I am also the youngest child in my family. I have two older brothers and two older sisters. My mum is a full time housewife and my dad is a doctor.

It is a common knowledge that I am a good student and I love to study a lot. My favorite subjects are mathematics, chemistry and biology. I’m what a lot of people call a geek. I have every intention of applying to a reputable university and obtaining a degree in one of these fields. I am responsible and hardworking, so I study hard to obtain good grades.

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I have always been treated like a baby, by my parents, siblings, teachers and basically everyone who is not in my age group. Sometimes even my friends talk to me like I am a child, which is why I basically love school and reading books. Books don’t talk back at you and they make me feel important in this gigantic universe.

This is not to say that I don’t love all the care and attention. I do, it’s just that sometimes it can get stifling. However, I am quite content with my life.

Also see: My School Essay

Essay No 4 on “What I Like About Myself” (200 words):

Who am I? Answering a question like this has often been difficult even for those with high intelligence quotient. I may not know who I fully am, but I know who I am not. I am not a vindictive person, I am not irresponsible, I am not slack with my studies, I am not dishonest and I will never deliberately set out to hurt anyone. I am not petty and I am not a bully.

My name is (insert your name here). I am fourteen years old and I am a boy. I was born into the family of Mr and Mrs (mention your last name here). I am an only child. I live a sheltered life. I live with my parents and my grandparents. Ours is an extended family setting. Even my mother’s relatives often come to crash at our house during the weekends.

My parents are outgoing people and they are quite down to earth. I get lots of attention from both of my parents, my grandparents, their friends and basically everyone around me. This probably explains why I crave attention wherever I go and I only associate with people who show me care and attention.

I love meeting people and I love making friends with people who are social. I am who I am, and I make no excuses for how I have turned out.

Also see: My Favourite Game Essay

Essay No 5 on “Myself Essay” (300 words):

Humans are the most superior creatures amid all the creatures in the entire universe. Being a part of this universe makes me feel small and minuscule in a world where there millions of humans like myself. Although everyone is quite unique in their own way. I try my best to be humble, kind and respectful of everybody I meet regardless of their age, gender, family background, nationality or race. It is not an easy task to write about one’s self because one may tend to either over exaggerate or fail to give succinct descriptions and commendations where necessary. It is with this background that I introduce myself.

I am (insert your first name followed by your last name here). I am a (insert your country here). I live in (insert your city here). I am fourteen years old. I am the second of three children. Ours is a close knit family. I have an older brother and a younger brother as well. I am the only girl in the family, which makes rather like the sheltered daughter. I love my siblings and my parents dearly and they love too. Although, my brothers monitor my every move which can be quite annoying sometimes. However, I know they have my back whenever I am in trouble.

I am currently in class 8. I am a focus driven and hardworking which reflects in my grades. My professional aspiration is to obtain a bachelor’s degree in any health related course at the university, which would promote my career goal of being a medical doctor. The reason why I want to pursue a degree in the medical line is to someday be able to provide a subsidized medical facility to a magnitude of people in (mention your country). Hence, I study hard because without a degree I cannot attain these goals.

Aside my love for everything medical related, I love to travel and meet new people. I am an outgoing person and I love to have fun. My live centers on improving humanity and I love where I am at right now.

Also see: My Hobby Essay Drawing

In search of essay writing help online? Feel free to contact WriteMyPaperHub and pay someone to do your essay for you.

Essay No 6 on ” Essay about my life” (400 words):

Life is full of ups and downs. I know this is a cliché, but this phrase summarizes my whole existence. Sometimes my life is fun, happy and almost enviable and at other times my life is boring, sad, uninspiring and sometimes downright disgusting. I know I am not perfect, I have never tried to be, but one thing is true – I AM WHO I AM.

Looking back at my childhood, I remember the fun times, the laughter we all shared the lavish parties my parents threw, my wonderful friends and my fancy dresses. I was the envy of my friends and I erroneously thought my life would follow this pattern forever. Was I ever wrong!

I was a good child. I never acted out like I do now. I was always obedient and I had good grades, even if they were not excellent grades. I had a positive outlook towards life. I made a promise to myself never to smoke, do drugs or land myself in the prison for any illegal act. I cared an awful lot about people and I thought nothing would ever change this attitude that I had.

I was brought up by the crème de la crème, my parents were rich and influential in my town. I couldn’t imagine my life without the affluence and the excesses. My parents weren’t always around but at least they were together. I thought they were happy together and we were financially stable to withstand anything. Until my brother was involved in an accident that claimed his life and made my mother cripple.

Ever since joseph died, life had never been the same at the (insert your last name) mansion. Mum became bitter (who could blame her), she and joseph were quite close. I was the daddy’s pet. Eventually, they both got a divorce and I have been conveying myself from my mum’s house to my dad’s.

My grades have suffered quite a hit. I have never been a straight ‘A’ student, I barely even have an ‘A’ on my report sheet, but now my grades are quite laughable. We don’t have money like we used to. I don’t know the details but dad got jilted and there is hardly anything left to spend. I have to work on my grades now because if I don’t secure a scholarship, I am basically on my own.

Dad has gotten married to another woman and now they have a child. I am not eighteen so I can’t refuse to visit them. I know my little step-brother has committed no offence, but each time I look at how happy my father has become with his existence I get very jealous. Now you understand why I opened my introduction with the phrase I used. One thing I know is that change is the only constant and nothing lasts forever. My life is not perfect, but then again whose is?

Do checkout “ How To Write A Process Analysis Essay? “

Essay No 7 on “Speech About Myself” (500 words):

Millions of people have walked the earth and many will still do. However, no two people have the same characteristics even among identical twins. Personalities, regardless of how dissimilar, make the world full of varieties. This is why I know I am uniquely me and the best version of myself there is. Perfection is a mirage, however the best individuals are those give it their all in order to attain perfection while knowing that it is impossible to be perfect. I believe people should strive to improve their life and be the best they can ever be regardless of how impossible the task may be.

My name is (insert your first name and last name). I live in (insert your city here). I am a (insert your country here). I am the first born of my parent. We are four in number and I have always felt responsible for my family. I love my parents and siblings dearly and the feeling is mutual.

My father is basically a business man and my mother is a fashion designer. I have a stable family and we are quite grounded in our beliefs and notions. My parents are not wealthy but we get by. My parents are attentive to my needs and my siblings. They can be strict when they have to be, but they have never raised their hands to strike us. They may not be financially rich, but they have big hearts.

I am in class 8 at (mention the name of your school). I have a stable grade and although I cannot rank high among the brilliant people in my class, I get by quite well. My favorite subjects are art, literature and music. I love to draw, paint and read books. This is how I often clear my head or distress myself. I desire to go to the university and obtain a degree in any art related course. This will help me to become a successful person and also impact the lives of others while I am at it.

I cannot claim that I love school and I don’t hate school either, I guess I’m just indifferent. Although, I love my art classes and literature lessons too. People are nice to me in school, I don’t get bullied and I rarely ever get punished by my teachers nor have I been asked to report to the principal’s office.

I am an outgoing person with a good sense of humor and I make friends easily. My friends say that I am funny and fun to be with. I sometimes go out of my way to be nice to people and help them out. I guess this is rooted in my sense of responsibility which was honed into me by my parents considering that I am the first born of my family. Friendship and family mean a lot to me. I can go all out for my friends and my family and they know it. I think this is why I have had the same set of friends for years. We have transitioned from friends to family.

I’m always looking for ways to develop my skills and learn new things not just in school but outside the school environment. I share ideas with my friends, we learn interesting things about one another, and most of the people I associate with I met with while on the lookout for ways to advance my skills.

I have every intention to make the world a better place. I know I’m no superman and I have no concrete plans right now, but I am on a road to discovery. I feel happy and enthusiastic when people commend my art works and the poems I love to doodle every now and them. I pride myself as a motivational person, so I write poems for people to inspire them when they are down or don’t know what else to do. I know I’m on the right track and soon enough I’ll be close to where I want to be.

Also see: 5 Tips to Avoid Plagiarism

Essay No 8 on “ Myself Essay” (500 words):

I cannot say exactly how I have survived school even till now, but I did and I have come out somewhat stronger. Bullying has been an awful experience that characterized the most part of my school life. I have endured bullying for so long that it has shaped who I have turned out to be. I know for a certain that we can reduce bullying (I doubt it can be totally stopped), by paying attention to people who have been bullied, the bullies themselves, analyzing how it happened, what led to it, the impact it has on both parties, and how best it can be dealt with.

My name is (insert your first name followed by your last name here), and I have been a victim of constant victimization. I am sixteen years old and I am a senior in my school. I attend (insert the name of your school here). Each time I have been asked who I was, this has always been the only explanation I give. When I act in a mean way to others, it is not a personal decision I made, it is often a reflex action born out of years of constant bullying.

Initially, I was a very quiet and calm girl. I never spoke back to my elders and I was very kind and accommodating of others. Now I can’t stand tardiness and I am always on the defensive. So I react before thinking of the consequences.

I am the last of seven children and I have endured bullying at home. Although, I wouldn’t exactly compare what I go through at home with what I endure in school. My six siblings are all boys and it is their nature to make my life miserable. I sometimes find it endearing because that is the only way they relate with me. I’m not athletic in any way, I am lanky and awfully small for my age. I get teased by my brothers for this, so when others bully me in school for being a size too small for my class, I take it all in stride.

I have never told my brothers or my parents about the bullying I constantly endure at school. Why should I? Mum works extra hard to support my dad and my dad already works two jobs as it is. I have a scholarship that covers my tuition fee, which was why I didn’t attend the same school as my brothers in the neighborhood. I was constantly reminded by the rich students why I don’t belong to their world and if not for the scholarship I wouldn’t even be breathing the same air they breathe.

This is true though, and as much as I wanted to flunk school, I couldn’t because attending a prestigious school was going to help my college application. So also would maintaining an outstanding college grade. I used to find trash in my bags, lockers and basically everything I brought to school.

Like all things that had a beginning this came to an end. I don’t know how it did but it did and I’m forever grateful that it did. I know I should analyze the root cause for the abrupt end, but I’m only human. Life is not a bed of rose, this I learned while still a student at (mention the name of the school).

Also see: My Aim In Life Essay

Essay No 9 on “Essay about Myself” (600 words):

Three major things characterize my whole existence; my intellect, my spiritual doctrines, and my social life. The intellectual aspect of my life consist of my creativity, my studies and basically my life pursuits that involve my intellectual capabilities. My social life is quite vibrant. I am an outgoing person and I make it a habit to meet people. My spiritual doctrines and my faith inform the decisions I make and consequently guide who I have become today.

My name is (insert your first name and your last name her). I am a (mention your nationality). I am seventeen years old. I am in (mention your class) and I attend (mention the name of your school here). I live with my parents and my siblings. I am the second child in my family. We are all five in number and we are not a close family. My parents are busy people, they have always been. My dad is a doctor and he owns his own hospital. My mother is a career woman and she travels all the time. So both my parents have never been present all through my life.

My parents have missed most of the big events in my life. They’ve missed most of my graduations in school, they’ve missed most of my birthdays and every important even that marked my existence. I don’t hate my parents. I don’t know them.

My siblings have never been around either. My birth was considered a mistake. I don’t know all the details but I know mum was not supposed to get pregnant when she did. The bottom line is I was an inconvenience and I have always been made painfully aware of just how inconvenient my birth is. Most of my siblings are married, some are away at college and the ones who aren’t think I am a child so they hardly relate with me.

I am not perfect and I have never claimed to be. However, I know what I want out of life and I pursue it doggedly. I am a focused person and it has often been said of me that I am quite focused-driven and that I have a one-track mind. I don’t know if I should consider that as a compliment or not.

My career aspiration is to go to the university and study law. I spend most of my time at the libraries or at my best friend’s house (mention the name of your close friend(s)). I am an intelligent person and I always top my class. I guess my need to always top my class stem from my need to get the attention of my parents or from the need an escapist sentiments.

I am not a blusterous person, neither do I seek to impress anyone. I figured if cant so much as compel my parents to care enough to be there for me when I need them, then there is no way I can ever impress others. I do not have lots of friend but my small circle of friends I cherish a lot. I am an observer. I try to learn a lot about the people I associate with, so I study their characters before I react. By studying others, I have learnt an awful lot which I have incorporated into my belief systems and general behaviour.

I mentioned earlier that I am quite religious. I was brought up into a Christian family. I have always gone to church every Sunday. My parents may never be around, but they always ensure that we all go to church on Sunday. I am generally good and I try to always do the right things to everyone. I live by the word and never on the edge. In fact, my life is quite plain and I never ever rebel. Not once in my whole life. I always take things in stride.

Also see: 7 Common Mistakes To Avoid In Essays

Bonus: Tutorial: How to write essay about myself

Regardless of the purpose of the essay, there basic rules you must obey in order for your essay to be accepted. Try as much as possible to express yourself in detail. No one can tell your story better than yourself. However, there are essential steps that will guide you on this part.

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18 Best Written Essays on Myself [ Primary, High School, College ]

Writing an essay or Paragraph about Myself is the important part of our school exam, college, university or even during professional exams. Writing an Essay to Describe Myself is essential for school, college exams or tests. Read 18 Best written Essays on My self topic for Children & Students with quotes & images

Essays on Myself | Myself Writing, Essays & Paragraphs with Quotes | For Primary, High School & College Level Students

You are needed to write about yourself that describes you in best words. As it is said that practice makes the perfect. Once you have read and written about yourself a dozen or so times you become able to know what to write and what not to write about yourself. Writing an Essay on About Myself or Yourself is one of the most interesting and easiest job provided you know its basics.

As, everyone has got a different set of qualities, when you are writing an essay about yourself, you are supposed to write what you are in most interesting, engaging and creative manner. While you write you think about yourself and you know yourself better regarding your qualities and capabilities. This will increase your self awareness and interest apart from keeping you engaged without getting bored.

Writing a myself essay to describe you for your school, college, scholarship test or even for you interview introduction may seem easy at look. But whenever, you take up the pen you may often find yourself surrounded by the questions like what I myself am? what to write and how to write about yourself?

1. Long Essay on Myself For College Level Students

Among all the creatures on Earth, human being is definitely superior. Writing a few lines or words about myself to introduce, I feel myself to be tiny part of this entire world that is filled with the human beings around. I am a human. I myself am humble, kind, caring and courageous. I am most respected, loved and responsible human being. Though, it is quite hard to write about yourself yet I have tried myself best to express all about myself.

Hailing from a working class family, I am Rajesh. I am simple, sweet, confident and cunning fellow. My father is a renowned doctor who knows how to love his profession with passion and dedication. While my mother is a hardworking teacher at city public school whose only passion is to transform the lives of her students with knowledge and a good vision.

That’s I have learned, from the very start, the importance of passion, dedication, confidence and time management. We are four brothers and sisters among our parents and my grandmother. My family is what my parents had worked for, ie completely happy and satisfied one.

I am the youngest of my only brother and two sisters. My elder brother is just six years elder in age than me. My other two elder sisters are younger than my brother. Being the eldest one, sometimes, gives you the favors. Luckily, I am loved, cared and most favored upon in my all family.

I am the students of high school. My elder brother studies in university. One elder sister of mine is the college student whereas the the youngest sister of mine is studying class 10. That’s, I go to school with my younger sister. I wake up early in the morning and finish up all of my doings on exact time. We all pack up for our respective works. My siblings prepare for school, college and university.

My father, for hospital and my mother for nearby school. The values like hard work, time management, sincerity with work and dedication to purpose have been ingrained in our nature. Its true to say that a child becomes what the environment he gets in his home. All the essential humane qualities like sincerity, dedication, truth and honesty I do experience practically at my home.

The school is a place that truly helps shaping one’s personality. My school is like another Godsend gift for me. It is one of the best school in our entire vicinity. We are truly cared, rightly educated and well socialized here at our school. I myself feel proud of being a student here. I do take care of what is being taught and what is to learn. I respect my teachers, my fellow beings, my school and every thing that is associated with my school.

I am a good student, who actively participates in all activities, be it exams or extra curricular activities. The extracurricular activities like sports, quiz competitions, essays and speech competitions etc. are the heart of my institution. I myself am essay competition winner on various times.

Truly it is said, one can not study from the books alone. Instead, one has to learn from all extracurricular activities in which one participates. I myself am the best essay writer, cricket player, singer and dancer and topper in all exams. The Career planning is the very thing that irritates oneself. Without a sound career planning, right from the start, one can not stay on the right track. One has to do the things or set the goals in accordance to his or her broad career goals.

A man without a sound career planning is like a ship without the radar. It drifts and ultimately sinks down in the deep ocean. But unlike my father, who is a doctor, I myself feel a little interest in this profession. Though it is the best profession but one’s interest and aptitude differs. I myself wants to be a Civil servant to serve my people in my best capacity.

I am very much inspired from my maternal uncle who is the chief of police force. That truly inspires me so as I myself want to serve my nation by being a good civil servant. One’s future can be determined by what one has achieved today or what one is doing today. A man who dreams only for future and does nothing for tomorrow can be best named as lazy and the pathetic person.

In that way, I dislike myself being called as a man without a vision and castle maker in sky. I do work for what I dream. So far, I have proved myself being the best one in all fields like in academic, extracurricular and in personal domains. All of this success, hard work, dedication, determination is truly credited to my parents who have made this possible for me.

Successes and failures are closely associated with one’s achievements and losses. One who achieves anything today has lost a thing yesterday. There is no completely successful man without the mixture of both failures and successes. That is to say, I failed a dozen of times. But, every failure made me stronger ever.

My family, especially my mother, has been the much source of encouragement and motivation for me. That is why I myself am a truly self inspired, strengthened and dedicated fellow today. I have learnt a lot from my mistakes and from my failures. I never regard my failure as a curse rather an opportunity to improve and to improvise.

What I myself regard life is a total pot of opportunities. One has to harness one’s skills and abilities to the maximum of one’s capacity. For every problem there is a solution. I regard the life as a blessing gift to humanity. One should strive hard to improve not only his lot but for his fellow beings.

The service of humanity is the best of all services. What I have learnt myself from my experience and struggles is that one should never cease working hard, be confident, positive and adoptable to all situations. The biggest success is that one becomes invincible. Only than, one can face the life in a full vigor and fullest of confidence.

Therefore, writing about myself, I m here to express myself that what I see, what I experience and what I plan for my life is the total manifestation of what I do today. I try myself to be humble, passionate, dedicated, hardworking and honest. I deem my parents as being my best mentors. I have learnt the real meaning and worth of life from my parents. I am with a happy, focused and hardworking family. That is definitely the greatest blessing of God for me.

>>>>> Read Detailed Essays on My Mother that Every Student has Liked <<<<

2. Myself Essay for Class 9 and 10th Students

Hailing from a middle class family of Bihar, I am Naresh Chukla. I am currently studying in class 10th. I feel glad to be the part of this great school with the such great friends, helpful and loving teachers and the sound school administration.

No one comes in this world at the stage where I am right now, without the support of family and friends. In fact, what I am today, is because of my family. My father is a reputable business man in our community. My mothers is a doctor. They both love their profession. That’s I have learned from my parents. That is, the value of time, sincerity, hard work and dedication to the purpose.

We are three brothers and sisters. Being the eldest I am the most responsible from my brothers and sisters. I am in charge to guide and take care of my other siblings. We all study in the same school. Reading is my passion. I am an avid reader of Novels and history books. I have a keen interest in Indian History and classical architecture.

I love to read books that describe the rich history and civilization of ancient India. Apart from history, I love to read the novels of Shakespeare. Though I am rarely free from my routine works. But whenever I am free I love playing ludo game with my friends. I have been the top scorer in this game, in fact.

I have a little interest in online gaming. I rarely use my personal computer and Mobile device for games. I love to value my time for the good of my future. Friends are the best mirrors of a person. In fact, the circle of friends you chose to stay with, does define your personality and priorities. I am fortunate enough to have the best ever friends in my company.

Haresh is my best friends. Not only he is my best friend but he is my class fellow as well. He has been the top scorer in my class. He is, in fact, a kind, gentle and sincere individual.

I love time management and discipline in life. I have learned all of these value from my parents. My father is my true inspiration. He has groomed me like himself. I am quite inspired by him and that has been the single aim of my life to serve the people selflessly, as my father does.

Time is quite a precious commodity. One should exercise minimum care in utilizing one’s time. I have learned throughout all the years of my life, the good value of time and discipline. I love having the time management, sound strategy and clear cut goals in the life.

My life is full of experiments and achievements. I have got success many times and many times I have failed also. This all has truly taught me the importance of rising again and strike again. I continue to update myself to be the better version of myself. Although no one can be described in a few set of sentences. One need to have though command of oneself before going to write something about his life. That’s to say my life has become what is, an essence of all of my achievements and struggles

3. Myself Essay for Class 8

Living in central city, Benars, I am Kajal. I am the student of class 8. My school is located about 10 minutes away from my home. I have 2 brothers who are elder to me and one younger sister. My younger sister also studies at my same school. We reach at school at the fixed time by our school’s bus. It is great to come school with your friends in school bus.

I am good at studies at my class. All of my teachers know me personally. I am punctual and dedicated. Not only I do my homework timely but also I assist my other class friends in their school works. I have been the position winner at my school since class 1. I have keen interest in English and history. During my free class timing I do sit at school library and read my favorite books there.

Our school regularly organize annual national events. I do participate in tabloids, dramas, speeches and essay writing competitions. I am good at all extracurricular activities. Not only at school, but also I take keen interest in works at my home. I am learning cooking and practicing yoga regularly. My mother has inspired me much. She has been good books reader and know social worker.

I value the personal development and human ethics. Your personality and yourself is what you have made it to be. One’s self is essentially linked to what one does and practice in his life. The honesty, dedication, sincerity and humbleness are the virtues one learns during his childhood life with family, friends and at his school. A good family gives the good children. That’s to say, I am proud of my parents for being the best in their conduct and dealing with everyone. I am truly inspired.

Life is meant to be lived passionately and with a vision to do good for your fellow beings. Keeping this aim in mind, I have always aspired to serve my people in whatever capacity I can. I am thankful to my parents, friends and school teachers for standing beside me in every step of life. I am truly lucky.

Myself Essay writing with example introduction

4. Myself Essay for Class 7

Myself Jiya Kumari. I live in citizen colony, Madras. I am the student of class 7 at Madras national public school. It is one of the oldest and best ever school in my town. I have two elder brothers and one younger sister. My father is government servant whereas, my mother is a doctor. We all live happily with our parents. I usually go on foot to my school that is adjacent to my house.

I reach school on exact time. I participate in school’s assembly. During the classes I give full attention to my studies. That’s to say, I am confident, caring and punctual student. I do my home work timely and help my fellow students in their tasks. I am also good at non academic activities like writing, dancing and sports. During my free class time in school I prefer to study books in school library

Apart from school activities, I assist my mother at my home. I am learning cooking. My father always praise me for my talent and aptitude. I am also good at drawing. I have won many drawing competitions at my school. I am extremely thankful to my parents, my school friends and my loving teacher for being kind and helpful to me.

Simplicity, sincerity and love has no parallel in human life. The one who possess all of it, never fails in life. A kind, sincere and passionate man is what precious gift in the face of a boy or girl, a student, a son, a father, husband or any one.

That’s to say, these all virtues are needed to learnt from one’s childhood. Therefore, I always value sincerity, kindness and dedication of purpose in my life. This is what my parents have taught me to keep it the single goal in my life.

Related Post: 10 BEST LINES & MORE SENTENCES ESSAY ON MY SCHOOL

5. Myself Essay for class 6

Myself Krishna, hailing from civil lines area, Mumbai. I am the student of class 6, from Modern civil lines public school. I am the only son of my parents. My family include my sister my parents and grandfather. My father is an Engineer whereas, my mother is a good housewife.

Being the only son in my family I am most loved cared at by every one. I am slim, smart and good looking man with attractive personality. I am studying at one of the best schools of our area. My parents have made it possible for me to lean more and be a good person in future.

I am very punctual in my entire class. Being a genius student of my class, I am responsible for helping my other class fellows. I do help all of my class mates with great sincerity and dedication. I myself feel to be honored for being able to help others. My school doesn’t put emphasis on academic knowledge only. Instead, we are taught self discipline, confidence, sincerity, and dedication of purpose. I take great interest in science and Math.

In fact, I have won 3 science fair contests in our schools. I do watch sci fi movies and documentaries with great interest. My big purpose in life is to be a scientist. I wish to serve my nation. Apart from academic achievement I myself am is the good singer and cricketer. I do play cricket during my free time with my friends. In addition to that, I also attend classes at national dance academy to learn dancing.

Life is a great gift. Those people are really lucky who have got good family, friends and teachers. Since, they are instrumental behind the success of every man in this world. In that way, I feel very lucky and confident for being able to achieve all.

6. Myself Essay for Class 5

Coming from a well educated family of central city, Calcutta, I am Pooja Kapoor. I live in civil lines Calcutta. I study in 5th class in central city public school Calcutta. My father is a civil servant while my mother is the head of public hospital Calcutta. I have one brother and one sister. My grandmother also lives us. We are like a happy family. I do reach school at the fixed time.

Our driver drops all of us at our respective schools. My elder sister studies in high school whereas, my elder brother studies in college. I love my school. It is like a family to me. I love my teachers and my class fellows. We are taught in a most cooperative and kind way. That’s why, the students of my school always get good positions in exams and various competitions. I am an active talker and representative of my school. I do organize my class and coordinate with school teachers. I also take part in extracurricular activities like singing, quiz competitions, dancing, essay writing, speeches etc.

I always get top positions in most of the competitions held at school. We do participate all national events at school with great excitement. Apart from my student life, I am very kind and cooperative son of my parents. However, sometimes I do react angrily when things do not go as per the plan.

But I have learned to control my emotions of anger and fear gradually. I am greatly interested in arts and literature. That’s why I always go to visit many historical places and literary events with my uncle. I understand the life as a precious gift. One should always spend it wisely. I have leaned from my parents to be honest, straightforward, bold and fearless in all situations. I am proud of it.

>>>> Read 5 Different Essays on My Best Friend with Quotes &Examples >>>>>

7. Myself Essay for Class 4

Hailing from the main city area, Delhi, I am Jai Kumar. I study in class 4 in one of the best schools of our city. The name of my school is New foundation public school. My school is 20 minutes away from my home. My father drops me at school while going to his office.

I am very punctual and humble. I do take proper care of my time and try not to waste my time. I am very sincere to my class friends. In fact, I am one of the most favorite students of my teachers. Because I do my homework on time and try to learn more and more by studying hard.

Apart from being best at books, I do participate in school games and other events like singing, dancing, quiz and essay writing competition. I have won few medals in essay writing and sports competitions held in school. I am very responsible and honest in my personal conduct as well.

My parents has always taught me to be straightforward and bold. That is why my parents are proud of me always. I believe behind the success of any man there is great ever role by his parents and his sincere teachers as well. I myself feel lucky in that sense, being socialized under the shade and guidance of the most respected and loved fellows.

8. Myself Essay Class 2 and 3 Students

Hailing from new defense colony, Mumbai, I myself am Rani Kaweeta. I study in class 3, in city public school, Mumbai. My school is just 10 minutes away from my home. I m very punctual. I care about my time, my work and my responsibilities. I do my home work sincerely and help my class fellows. Apart from that, I do assist my mother in her daily routine works at home.

I like cooking. I like eating simple yet tasty foods. I do play table tennis with my elder brother at my home. Apart from that I am good dancer and sweet singer as well. I like working hard with dedication and sincerity. I prepare myself best for all exams an try to help my friends as well. I believe one should work hard to be successful in life.

9. Myself Essay For Class 1

My name is Rajesh. I come from a well reputed family of Delhi. I am studying in class 1. My mother is a housewife and my father is a famous doctor.

We are two brothers and one sister. My elder brother studies in class 6th and my elder sister studies under class 3rd. We all studying in the same school. My hobby is drawing. I have secured many prizes in drawing and painting competition. In fact, I have always wanted to be an artist and painter.

My elder is the good friend of mine. She defends me on my side everywhere. In fact, we all brothers and sisters love each other. I value, hard work, dedication and sincerity in life. These values have been taught to us by our parents. During summer vacations I love to see and visit the beautiful places of my beloved countries.

I love my life, my school and my purpose and aim in life. I want to do something good for my community and my country men. I mean life to be great gift for some special purpose by God. Therefore, I value time in my life and strive hard to serve my country and my community.

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10 lines on Myself for KG Students

1. I am Guria, I am 4 years Old.

2. I study in class KG, at City memorial School.

3. I have two brothers and one sister.

4. We all come to school together.

5. I am very punctual and I always do my homework correctly.

6. I love watching cartoons and animal movies.

7. My favorite dish is fish and rice made by my mother.

8. Every night my grand mother tells me stories that I love most.

9. My father is a business man and my mother is a doctor.

10. We all live with great love, peace and care.

11. Like my mother, I also want to be a doctor.

12. I want to serve my country men with this profession.

10. Short Speech About Myself For Students

I am given two minutes to talk about myself. When I ponder at my being, at my existence and my physique, first thing that strike in my mind is my existence as a human. I am not more than a human.

I being a human possess such qualities which distinguish me from rest of the creature of God. God has endowed human with faculty of reasoning and intellect which is the most sublime characteristic in every man. My life as a human is full of adventures, experiences and experiments. I am twenty years old boy. I study in university.

I passed my college and school life where I faced many hardships and difficulties but I didn’t yield to those temporary forces of world. Even I got miserably failed twice during my school life. My life is amalgamation of failures and successes.

When I have a cursory glance at myself now. I truly stand indebted to my poor parents who not only supported me but encouraged me through hard times. They never lost their hope in me. After consequent failures in exams. At last I succeeded and made my parents happy. I took second position at college level and joined university.

When I was selected in university I made my mind that I have to work every waking to succeed in exams. I am punctual, regular and dedicated to my studies. Since last two years at university, I am position holder and have topped in all curricular and extra curricular activities and events celebrated annually and monthly.

My aim and goal in life is to serve my family and my nation. I aim to be an army officer. Being a army officer I will safeguard the borders of my nation and provide safety and security to people.

11. Simple Essay on Me and Myself For Students

Hey there! I am glad you are reading this, because that means you want to know more about me. Well, let me tell you something – I am an open book and I love talking about myself. My name is (Your Name), and in this essay, I am going to share with you all about me and myself.

I was born in (Place of Birth) on (Date of Birth), and I am the eldest among my siblings. My parents always say that they knew I was going to be a talkative and curious child, even before I could speak my first word. And true enough, as soon as I learned how to talk, I would constantly ask questions about everything around me. I was always curious to learn and explore.

As a child, my parents instilled in me the importance of education. They always told me that knowledge is power, and it is something that no one can ever take away from you. With that belief in mind, I excelled in my academics throughout my school years. I am grateful for the teachers who have guided and shaped me into the person I am today.

Hobbies and Interests

Apart from my studies, I have a plethora of hobbies and interests. I love playing sports, especially (Favorite Sport), which has been a part of my life since childhood. It has taught me discipline, teamwork, and the importance of perseverance. Music is also something that brings joy to my life. I love singing and playing instruments, and it is my ultimate stress buster.

Personal Values

Growing up, my parents always emphasized the importance of being kind, honest, and respectful towards others. These are values that I live by every day. I believe in treating everyone with empathy and compassion because you never know what someone else may be going through. I also strongly believe in standing up for what is right and using my voice to make a positive impact in the world.

Career Aspirations

As of now, I am still exploring different career paths, but one thing is for sure – I want to make a difference in people’s lives. Whether it is through medicine, education, or community service, my ultimate goal is to bring about positive change in society. I also have a keen interest in (Field of Interest), and I hope to pursue it further in the future.

Challenges Faced

Just like everyone else, I have faced my fair share of challenges in life. From academic pressure and self-doubt to personal struggles and setbacks, each obstacle has taught me valuable lessons and made me stronger. I believe that every challenge is an opportunity for growth and self-discovery.

Support System

I am truly blessed to have a loving family, supportive friends, and amazing mentors who have always been there for me through thick and thin. Their constant encouragement and belief in me have helped me overcome my fears and achieve my goals.

In conclusion, this is just a glimpse of who I am and what I stand for. There is so much more to me than what meets the eye, and I cannot wait to see where life takes me. I hope to continue learning, growing, and making a positive impact in the world around me. Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little better! So, this was all about me and myself. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And remember, never be afraid to express yourself and share your story with the world! Keep shining!

12. Sample Essay About Yourself For College:

Writing an essay about yourself can be a daunting task. It’s not always easy to write about our own experiences, strengths and weaknesses, and future goals. However, as a college student, you will probably come across this assignment at some point in your academic journey. So, it’s important to know how to tackle this type of writing effectively.

Firstly, let’s start with the basics. An essay about yourself is a type of personal narrative that tells a story or shares insights about your life. It can range from a few paragraphs to several pages, depending on the requirements of your professor. The purpose of this assignment is for the reader (in this case, your professor) to get to know you better and understand what makes you unique as an individual.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why do I need to write about myself? Isn’t my academic performance enough to showcase my capabilities?” While it’s true that grades and test scores are important, they don’t always give a complete picture of who you are as a person. This essay allows you to showcase your personality, interests, and experiences outside of the classroom, which can make you stand out among other students.

So, where do you start? The first step is to brainstorm and come up with a list of ideas that you want to include in your essay. It could be anything from significant life events to personal achievements or even struggles that have shaped you into the person you are today. Remember, the goal is not just to list your accomplishments but to provide insight into who you are and what drives you.

Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to organize them into a cohesive structure. A common format for writing an essay about yourself is the introduction-body-conclusion model. In the introduction, you can start with a hook or attention-grabber that will pique your reader’s interest. Then, provide a brief overview of what you will be discussing in your essay and end with a thesis statement that summarizes the main points.

In the body paragraphs, you can expand on each idea by providing specific examples and anecdotes. This is where you can showcase your writing skills and make the reader feel like they are getting to know you personally. Remember to stay focused on the main topic and avoid going off on tangents, as this can make your essay appear disorganized.

Finally, in the conclusion, you want to tie everything together and leave a lasting impression on the reader. You can summarize your main points and reiterate how they have shaped you into the person you are today. It’s also a good idea to end with a strong statement or call to action that will leave the reader with something to think about.

13. Simple Myself Essay For Interview:

When asked to write a simple essay about myself for an interview, I was initially stumped. I mean, how do you sum up your entire life in just 300 words? But then I realized that it’s not about listing every single detail or accomplishment, but rather highlighting the aspects of yourself that are most important and relevant to the job or opportunity at hand.

So, let me introduce myself. My name is [name], and I am a [age]-year-old [occupation/studying] from [hometown]. Growing up, I was always curious and eager to learn new things. This curiosity has stayed with me throughout my life and has pushed me to constantly seek out new challenges and experiences.

I believe that this thirst for knowledge and determination to succeed are my strongest qualities. They have helped me achieve academic success, such as graduating with [honors/awards] and constantly being on the Dean’s List. But more importantly, they have shaped my character and taught me resilience in the face of challenges.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was when I decided to pursue my dream of studying abroad. Leaving my comfort zone and moving to a new country was not an easy decision, but it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It taught me independence, adaptability, and cultural awareness. It also opened my eyes to different perspectives and allowed me to develop a global mindset.

Aside from academics, I am also passionate about [hobby/interest]. This has been my creative outlet and a way for me to destress from the demands of school or work. I believe that having a balance between work and leisure is crucial for overall well-being.

This brings me to why I am applying for this job/opportunity. [Explain how your qualities and experiences align with the job/opportunity]. I am excited about the challenges and growth opportunities that this position offers, and I am confident that my skills and passion make me a strong fit for the role.

In conclusion, while it may seem daunting to write about oneself, I hope this short essay has given you a glimpse into who I am. My determination, curiosity, and passion have driven me to succeed in both my personal and professional life, and I am eager to continue this journey with this job/opportunity.

Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications with you. So, this was a brief introduction about myself and I hope it gives you a better understanding of who I am as a person. Thank you for your time and consideration!

14. Short Essay on I am Unique:

As we go through life, we often hear the phrase “Be yourself” or “You are unique”. But what does it really mean to be unique? In simple terms, being unique means being one of a kind, unlike anyone else. And each and every one of us is unique in our own way.

We are all born with different physical features, personalities and talents. No two people are exactly the same, even identical twins have their own unique traits. This is what makes us stand out from one another and sets us apart from the rest of the world.

Being unique also means embracing our individuality and not conforming to society’s standards or expectations. It means having the courage to be true to ourselves and not being afraid to show our true colors.

One of the great things about being unique is that it allows us to bring something special and valuable to the world. We all have our own strengths, passions and ideas that can make a positive impact on those around us. By embracing our uniqueness, we can inspire and influence others in a way that no one else can.

However, being unique also comes with its challenges. It can be difficult to stand out in a world that constantly tries to make us fit into a certain mold. We may face criticism or judgement for being different, but it’s important to remember that our uniqueness is what makes us special and should be celebrated.

In conclusion, being unique means embracing our individuality, using our strengths to make a positive impact and not being afraid to be ourselves. So let’s embrace our uniqueness and inspire others to do the same. Remember, you are one of a kind and that is something to be proud of. So go out into the world with confidence, knowing that you are truly unique in every way.

15. Short Professional Essay on Myself:

I am sure by now you have read the essay on myself and have learned a few things about me. But, let’s dive deeper into my background and get to know each other better.

I was born in a small town in [insert location here]. My parents were hardworking individuals who instilled strong values in me from a young age. Growing up, I always had a love for learning and exploring new things. I was always curious about the world around me, which led me to have a broad range of interests.

In school, I excelled in both academics and extracurricular activities. I was a member of various clubs and organizations, which allowed me to develop my leadership skills. I also participated in sports teams and played the piano, which helped me to balance my academic pursuits with physical and artistic activities.

After completing high school, I pursued my passion for [insert subject here] by enrolling in college. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience as I learned more about the subject and myself. I met many new people from different backgrounds, all with their unique stories and perspectives. This exposure broadened my understanding of the world and helped me grow as an individual.

As I progressed through college, I began to think about my future career path. After much contemplation and guidance from my professors, I decided to pursue a career in [insert career here]. It was a decision that felt right for me, and I haven’t looked back since. My passion for this field continues to grow, and I am excited about the opportunities it presents.

Outside of academics and career pursuits, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. They have always been my support system and a source of joy in my life. I also love traveling and exploring new cultures; it allows me to experience different ways of life and broaden my perspectives even further.

In conclusion, I am a curious, driven, and open-minded individual who is always eager to learn and grow. I am grateful for the experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today and look forward to what the future holds.

I hope this essay has given you a glimpse into who I am, and I look forward to getting to know you better as well. So, let’s continue to learn from each other and make our journey through life even more enriching. We never stop growing, and I am excited to see where our paths will lead us. Cheers to new adventures!

16. 5 Years from Now I See Myself Essay:

Wow, it’s crazy to think about where I’ll be in 5 years. Time just seems to fly by so quickly. But if I had to imagine where I see myself in 5 years, there are a few things that come to mind.

First and foremost, I hope that I am happy and healthy. Without our health, we really have nothing. So, in 5 years from now, I hope that I am still taking care of my physical and mental health. This means eating well, staying active, and making time for self-care activities.

But when it comes to other aspects of my life, there are a few things I would like to achieve in the next 5 years. For starters, I hope to have advanced in my career. I am currently working towards a specific goal, and I hope that by the 5-year mark, I will have achieved it or be well on my way to achieving it.

I also hope to have traveled more in the next 5 years. Traveling has always been a passion of mine, but unfortunately, life can get in the way sometimes. So, in the next 5 years, I hope to have had the opportunity to visit some new and exciting places, both within my own country and abroad.

On a personal level, I hope that in 5 years from now, I will have grown and developed as an individual. This could mean learning new skills or taking up new hobbies. It could also mean forming stronger relationships with loved ones and becoming more confident in who I am.

But ultimately, 5 years from now, I hope that I am content and at peace with where I am in life. Of course, there will always be room for growth and improvement, but as long as I am happy with the direction my life is headed, that’s all that matters.

It’s also important to note that life can be unpredictable. No matter how much we plan and try to envision our future, things can change in an instant. So, while I have certain goals and aspirations for the next 5 years, I am also open to whatever opportunities and challenges may come my way.

In conclusion, 5 years from now, I see myself as a happy, healthy, and fulfilled individual. I hope to have achieved personal and professional growth, as well as having had some unforgettable experiences along the way. But most importantly, I hope that in 5 years’ time, I am content with who I am and where I’m headed in life. So here’s to embracing the journey and making the most out of every moment!

17. Things I would Like to Change about Myself Essay:

As humans, change is a constant process. We are continuously evolving and adapting to new situations and challenges. However, when it comes to changing ourselves, we often find it challenging to do so. It requires us to look at our weaknesses and areas of improvement without any bias or judgement.

If given the chance, there are several things that I would like to change about myself. One of the most significant changes I would like to make is my procrastination habit. Procrastination has been a constant struggle for me, and it often leads to missed opportunities and last-minute stress. I want to change this habit by becoming more organized and disciplined in managing my time.

Another aspect that I would like to work on is my lack of confidence. There have been several instances where I have held myself back from trying new things or taking up challenges because of my self-doubt. I want to change this by becoming more self-assured and believing in my capabilities.

In addition to these, I also want to change my negative mindset. Sometimes, I find myself dwelling on the negatives instead of focusing on the positives. This often leads to unnecessary stress and anxiety. I want to change this by adopting a more positive outlook on life and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.

Furthermore, I would like to change my communication skills. While I am comfortable communicating with people I know, I struggle with expressing myself in front of strangers or in unfamiliar situations. To overcome this, I want to work on my public speaking abilities and learn to effectively convey my thoughts and ideas.

Last but not least, I would like to change my tendency to compare myself with others. Comparison is the thief of joy, and it often leads to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. I want to focus on my own journey and accomplishments instead of comparing myself with others.

In conclusion, there are several things that I would like to change about myself. These changes may not happen overnight, but with determination and effort, I believe that I can become a better version of myself. After all, as the saying goes, “Change begins from within.” So let’s embrace change and strive towards becoming the best versions of ourselves. So why not take the first step now? Let’s reflect on the things we would like to change and start working towards them. Remember, small changes can lead to big transformations in our lives.

18. Short Essay on Myself as a Social Worker:

As a social worker, I have always been passionate about helping others and making a positive impact in their lives. Growing up in a small community, I witnessed firsthand the struggles that people faced on a daily basis – whether it was poverty, domestic violence or mental health issues.

These experiences shaped my desire to become a social worker and make a difference in the world. It is a profession that requires empathy, compassion and a strong sense of social justice. And as I embark on this journey, I am constantly learning and evolving – both personally and professionally.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a social worker is the opportunity to connect with diverse individuals from different backgrounds. Whether it’s working with children, families, or marginalized communities, each interaction leaves a lasting impact on me. I am constantly humbled by the strength and resilience of the people I work with, and it motivates me to do everything in my power to support them.

But being a social worker isn’t always easy. It can be emotionally taxing at times, and there are moments when I feel like giving up. However, the knowledge that I am making a positive difference in someone’s life keeps me going. It is a constant reminder that my work has meaning and purpose.

One of the most important skills I have developed as a social worker is the ability to listen without judgment. I have learned to truly hear what people are saying, and more importantly, what they are not saying. By creating a safe space for individuals to share their struggles, hopes and dreams, I am able to provide them with the support and resources they need to overcome their challenges.

Being a social worker is not just a job for me – it is my calling. It has taught me the value of human connection, and how small acts of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life. Every day, I am inspired by the strength and courage of the people I work with, and it reminds me of why I chose this path.

In a world where social issues are becoming increasingly complex, the role of a social worker is more important than ever. It is a profession that requires dedication, resilience, and a constant desire to learn and grow. And as I continue on this journey, I am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of others and be a part of their journey towards healing and empowerment. So, I urge anyone considering a career in social work to embrace it with an open heart and mind – because there is no greater satisfaction than knowing you have made a difference in someone’s life.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. how do i write an essay about myself or how can i write about myself.

Writing an essay about myself is not that much difficult. A good essay on myself should contain the following points;

1. Brainstorm and jot down the your ideas in outline
2. Write about your experience and struggles in life.
3. Write clearly about your achievement as well as life failure
4. Say about your future goals.
5. Never hide and don’t shy to mention your personal opinion about life experience.
6. Be expressive and straightforward in your words
7. Proof read, look at the structure of your words and you are done

2. How can I write about Me?

Writing an essay about ‘me’ is the kind of composition that shows the intellectual and observational qualities of the writer. To write an essay about one’s own self, there needs to be clarity in words, expressiveness of ideas, and straightforward approach to write an essay that reflects one’s personality, life and achievements.

3. How can I introduce myself in English example?

In order to effectively introduce yourself in English, you have to keep in mind few things. The practical things that matter include, a clearer and straightforward expression, a conviction in words for life struggle, achievements, failure and future, and above all, an ability to be expressive, clear with careful selection of words

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Extracurricular Activities: A Comprehensive Guide with 400+ Examples, Ideas, & Opportunities

On average, American students spend about 1195 hours per year in the classroom (with some variation from state to state). Assuming you’re spending about 8 hours a day sleeping (which, ideally, you are—your brain needs it), that leaves about 4645 hours in a year outside of school and sleep.

That’s a lot of time. (Maybe more than you thought?)

We’d highly recommend spending some of it doing extracurricular activities. (Which, considering how broad that term is, you already do.)

But since questions about extracurricular activities are some of the most common we get from students and families—for example, how do colleges evaluate extracurriculars, or are some “more valuable” than others, or even just “What are my options?”—we wanted to build a comprehensive guide for you.

So here it is.

What are extracurricular activities, what do colleges count as “extracurricular activities”, extracurricular activities in the common app, how do colleges evaluate extracurricular activities, how many high school extracurricular activities should i participate in, how to choose extracurricular activities, 9th grade extracurricular activities: the year of the dabble, 10th grade extracurricular activities: the year of the filter, 11th grade extracurricular activities: the year of the deep-dive, 12th grade extracurricular activities: the year of the legacy, how not to pursue extracurricular activities, extracurricular activities examples (400+) by type in the common app.

“Extracurricular activities” is an umbrella term used to describe pretty much anything a student does with their time outside of coursework, minus a few exceptions, like chores, errands, or essential life functions. Sometimes you’ll see them written as “co-curricular activities” (meaning that they’re pursued alongside coursework as part of a typical high school experience) or “after-school activities.” But they all basically mean the same thing: areas of recreation or engagement or responsibility outside of your classes.

Most U.S. high schools don’t actually require students to participate in extracurricular activities (minus community service hours, which are a part of many high schools’ graduation requirements). That said, most high school students— 60-80%, according to various national surveys — are involved in at least one extracurricular activity. The most common are athletics/sports, the arts, school-based clubs, and community service, but these are just really scratching the surface when it comes to the ways you can spend your time as a high school student (either in or out of school).

And, no, cleaning your room, riding the bus to school, brushing your teeth, or sleeping are not extracurricular activities. (Though I’ve definitely seen a few college applications that have cheekily tried to frame this as such)

If you’re trying to figure out if something you do with your time “counts” as an extracurricular activity, ask yourself these three basic questions:

Is it a part of my high school classes?

Is it a normal and/or essential human function that’s required for me to stay healthy and alive?

Is it something that I do infrequently or in a one-off manner, and that isn’t a clear form of community service/volunteering? (I.e., planning a friend’s surprise birthday party isn’t an extracurricular activity. Volunteering once for a local blood drive is.)

If the answer is “no” to each, congratulations: you may have an extracurricular activity on your hands!

(Of course, some people with a flair for the dramatic may say things like “I’d be dead if I couldn’t play soccer,” but so long as you keep the hyperbole reigned in, the simple formula above will serve you well).

To get a little more granular, here are the 27 categories that the Common Application (aka the application used by 1,000+ U.S. colleges) include as part of their Activities section (click on each to zoom down to the section discussing it)

Academic Art Athletics: Club Athletics: JV/Varsity Career Oriented Community Service (Volunteer) Computer/Technology Cultural Dance Debate/Speech Environmental Family Responsibilities Foreign Language Internship Journalism/Publication Junior ROTC LGBT Music: Instrumental Music: Vocal Religious Research Robotics School Spirit Social Justice Student Government/Politics Theatre/Drama Work (paid) Other Club/Activity

Most of these categories might look familiar, based on your own high school’s offerings, but if not, don’t worry—we have a whole section of this blog that explains each of these categories and provides oodles of examples.

And really useful side note: check here if you want an in-depth how-to guide to the Common App .

The United States’ approach to higher education is pretty unusual compared to the approach in other parts of the world. For most students who attend a four-year college or university, there’s an expectation that they are contributing to a residential community beyond solely taking classes and getting a degree.

What makes this residential community attractive, fun and fulfilling for students? Well, all-you-can-eat dining halls, pretty buildings covered with ivy, and, er… “weekend social activities” can certainly play a role.

But extracurricular activities are the primary way that U.S. college students find peers with common interests and identities, exciting and enjoyable recreation outside of their classes, and a sense of belonging on their college campus.

Colleges—particularly more selective ones—often voice that they are not solely admitting students. They’re admitting community members who can contribute to their campus community in meaningful ways. (For more on what colleges look for in students , check out that guide + analysis.)

Thus, students who’ve demonstrated engagement with activities outside of their classes and share those with colleges as part of their application are more likely to be attractive candidates.

Here’s some data that provides some insight into how much extracurricular activities “weigh” in a student’s college application process:

What does this data tell us?

That the vast majority of colleges and universities in the U.S. see extracurricular activities as “moderately important” to their admissions process. Also, these numbers haven’t changed much over the 10-or-so years NACAC has been conducting this survey, meaning that there isn’t necessarily exorbitantly more pressure for students to stack their resume as the admissions landscape continues to evolve (despite myths and misunderstandings about the application process you may hear).

Colleges are, first and foremost, tasked with admitting academically qualified students who are able to complete their degree requirements and graduate on time. Thus, it’s important to remember that extracurricular activities can’t replace or “make up for” an academic record that a college deems non-competitive.

That said, it’s pretty clear that they still make a difference in a student’s application process, and are something worth folding into your high school experience if you want to have the widest range of college options available to you.

In particular, a student’s extracurricular profile can impact admissions at highly selective colleges.

The small sampling of colleges that see extracurricular activities as “considerably important” in their admissions process—that 6.5% in the data above—are more highly selective colleges, according to David Hawkins, Chief Education and Policy Officer at National Association of College Admission Counselors (aka NACAC) .

These are schools where, on average, 80% of the applicant pool is academically admissible . Thus, standing out through other means—like a high-impact extracurricular profile—is good to be thinking about if you’re targeting these types of colleges.

The Common Application’s Activities section has historically provided students with space for 10 extracurricular activities. Given this, it may be tempting to think you have to be involved in 10-or-so activities to be a competitive college applicant.

Not true!

According to the Common App themselves , the majority of applicants include 5-7 activities in their application.

While even that number can seem pretty high on the surface, keep in mind that this figure includes past activities (things that a student may have stepped away from after their 9th or 10th-grade years to focus on things they cared more about) and/or “one-off” activities (summer programs, camps, trips, leadership institutes, etc.).

In our experience, we’ve found that the most successful college applicants are usually involved in 3-4 “core” extracurricular activities .

For instance, a typical high-achieving student might be involved in

a fall and spring sport

the annual school musical

a community service club (where they do most of their service work on the weekends)

a handful of one-off activities (research or a self-directed project during their junior year summer, a leadership institute for one week during a school break, etc.)

Another student might

write articles for the school newspaper

work a part-time job

lead their school’s Black Student Union, and

attend (and eventually become a counselor at) summer camp each year

These are “doable” extracurricular schedules that many admissions officers are used to seeing and won’t siphon away too much time away from your studies, which you’ll need to prioritize first and foremost to be a successful college applicant .

Key takeaway: Focusing on 3-4 long-term activities—and perhaps a few isolated short-term ones like research, internships, and self-directed projects—will help you develop many of the valued qualities that colleges hope to see in applicants: initiative, impact, consistency, and commitment.

Spreading yourself too thin and trying to “stack your resume” with a lot of activities for the sake of “impressing colleges” may result in you feeling burnt out, struggling to prioritize your academics, and unable to carve out opportunities to demonstrate leadership (which many colleges highly value).

And we’re not the only ones offering this advice— check out what MIT has to say about their Activities section , which only includes 4 spaces:

Some students feel so much pressure to get into the “right” college that they want to make sure they do everything right—down to their extracurricular activities. We ask for only four activities on our application because we want to know what you are passionate about, what is most important to you—not what you think we want to see.

As you move through high school and develop more clarity around what you value and how you want to prioritize your time, keep this “core 4” philosophy in mind. Doing so will not only allow you to have the most fun and gain the most satisfaction from your activities—it’ll also provide you with the extracurricular profile that most colleges are eager to see.

Transitioning from middle school to high school involves quite a learning curve—academically and otherwise. One area that’s both fun and maybe intimidating is choosing extracurricular activities, which are usually much more plentiful and varied on the high school level.

Many younger students are often involved in activities—such as a sport and/or music or art lessons—that were influenced and/or organized by their parents. High school is the time to take a little more ownership and independence when deciding how to spend your time, or balancing commitments you need to prioritize (such as work and/or family responsibilities) with ones that excite you and leave you feeling fulfilled.

While every student’s high school journey is unique, here’s some general guidance—organized by grade level—with some suggestions that can help you approach your extracurricular planning with ease, purpose and joy:

Ah, high school. The bodies roaming the halls are bigger. The locker room is (probably) smellier. And everything just seems… more .

Getting adjusted to this big, bad new world is your primary job as a bright-eyed 9th grader. Once you start to get your footing with your new academic schedule and culture, shifting your focus towards some of the ways you can get involved outside of class, start to make new friends, and identify like-minded peers will help you feel more at home in your new environment.

Now, what exactly does “the year of the dabble” mean? It means it's time to explore. Think of yourself as an extracurricular explorer, venturing into the unknown territories of clubs, sports, arts, and beyond.

To start your dabbling first, ask yourself: What did I enjoy most in middle school outside of my classes (or unstructured recess) ?

Did you love tinkering with machines in the robotics club?

Or maybe you found your rhythm in the school band?

Whatever it was, consider continuing with those activities and finding parallel opportunities at your new school (or potentially with out-of-school opportunities).

At the same time, high school might provide the symbolic “closing of a chapter” you’ve been waiting to step away from.

If you’ve found yourself, for instance, “peaking” and feeling uninspired by the piano lessons you started as a 9 year old, maybe it’s time to leave those keys behind and unlock something new. This is a particularly mature viewpoint if you don’t find yourself enjoying the activity all that much AND you don’t see yourself rising to the level of a top contributor to a music ensemble, sports team, or the like. Spending countless hours for the sake of consistency—and at the sacrifice of more exciting possibilities that you’ll inevitably learn a lot more from—is not typically an “order of operations” or decision-making matrix we recommend.

Lastly, many high schools offer an upperclassman “buddy” type of program (such as Link Crew) for you to learn more about the nuances of your high school: from course offerings, to favorite teachers (very “don’t sit in the front row of Ms. Traeger’s class!” vibes), to, yes, extracurricular opportunities.

Be sure to take advantage of the wisdom of these older students, who have volunteered their time to be a resource to you (yes, we know it can be intimidating sometimes to talk with the big bad seniors, but the more you can learn to advocate for yourself and leverage resources available to you, the easier your high school experience—and life—will be).

In addition, you may also want to see if you can meet with a school counselor or a homeroom teacher/advisor to share more about yourself, your interests, and ask for recommendations about ways to get involved.

Key takeaways:

Stay in exploration mode

Learn from the experiences of others

Take advantage of resources you have available to understand your options

Congrats, you’ve got one full year of high school under your belt!

Speaking of belts: you may be thinking something like “hmm… I’m starting to feel like my middle school goal of getting my black belt in karate is way less exciting than auditioning for Jean Valjean in Les Mis .”

Cue 10th grade, AKA sophomore year, AKA the year of the filter.

After dabbling your first year, it's time to think about how you want to "filter" your activities down. The goal here is to avoid spreading yourself too thin and instead, aim for consistency and depth in your high school experiences.

Ideally, you want to narrow it down to 3-4 long-term activities (If you missed it, see the “How many high school extracurricular activities should I participate in?” section above for more on why).

And, as you filter through your extracurricular options, keep in mind the importance of rising in leadership roles . By junior and senior year, aim to take more of "the reigns" in at least one of your chosen activities. This not only demonstrates your commitment and growth but also provides invaluable leadership experience.

While you’re filtering through your extracurricular array, consider what activities truly light you up.

Did you find yourself losing track of time (in a good way) during debate club meetings?

Or maybe you discovered a hidden talent for painting in art class?

Whatever it is, take note of those passions and interests, as well as the advice of those who have been there before. Upperclassmen, counselors, and teachers can offer valuable insights and guidance as you navigate the wide array of activities available.

But don't be afraid to keep dabbling , either. Maybe you've been curious about coding, but never had the chance to explore it. Or perhaps you've been itching to try out for the school play, but felt too nervous last year.

Sophomore year is the perfect time to push yourself and try new things.

Lastly, repeat after me: it's okay to step away from activities you did in 9th grade.

In fact, it's quite common, and college admissions officers understand and even value students who know how to prioritize balance (I know because I was one at Pomona ). Colleges like MIT even list “the ability to prioritize balance” as a valued quality in their admissions process. So don't be afraid to explore new opportunities and let go of activities that no longer serve you.

So, here's to 10th grade: the year of the filter. Take the lessons learned from your freshman year adventures and use them to shape an even more focused and fulfilling high school journey.

Start “filtering” your activities down to 3-4 potential core, long-term activities

Ideally, at least one of those allows for leadership

And keep dabbling/exploring—it’s fine to let things from 9th grade go and explore new opportunities

You're waist-deep in high school now, and it's time to take your extracurricular involvement to the next level. You've dabbled, you've filtered, and now it's time to dive deeply into the activities that truly resonate with you.

As you navigate this pivotal year, ask yourself:

“ Of the activities I’m involved in, are there opportunities to take on more of a leadership role or broaden the influence of the activity?”

“Is there a curiosity I’ve developed—from my classes, my own learning, even Wikipedia or YouTube rabbit holes, Netflix documentary binges, or one of my activities—that I can explore more deeply through a self-directed project?”

Junior year is often the perfect time to dive deeply into one (or maybe two) extracurriculars and focus on showing initiative and impact. Reflect on your first two years and think about problems and/or opportunities you've noticed as a member, and create an action plan to help address those points as an emerging leader (regardless of what title you hold).

Maybe you're part of the environmental club and you've noticed a lack of recycling bins around campus. Take the initiative to propose a recycling program and lead the charge in implementing it. Or perhaps you're passionate about mental health awareness and you want to organize a school-wide event to destigmatize discussions around mental health issues.

Junior year might also be the time to consider starting your own club or activity if you feel like the school doesn't have something that aligns with your interests.

Maybe you're a budding entrepreneur and you want to start a business club where students can learn about entrepreneurship and even launch their own ventures. Or perhaps you're passionate about social justice and you want to start a diversity and inclusion club to advocate for marginalized communities within your school.

“Diving deep” can also refer to something you do independently—not necessarily an existing extracurricular commitment. Maybe, as an aspiring history major, you decide to uncover neighborhood histories by interviewing locals and sharing them on a Wix or Squarespace website. Or perhaps you research how to make some DIY gadgets—such as solar-powered chargers to fuse your curiosity for technology with your commitment to sustainability.

Our How to Build an Independent Research Project in High School guide is a great place to start gathering some inspiration and ideas around how to conduct one of these projects, which—from our experience—encapsulates exactly the type of drive that colleges are eager to see in applications.

Whatever you choose, junior year is all about diving deep into a budding intellectual or extracurricular interest, making a meaningful impact both on and off campus, or a combination of both.

Take the plunge. See where it leads you.

Dive deeper into one (maybe two) activities that allow you to demonstrate initiative and impact

Remember that building an opportunity for yourself can easily be as impactful/impressive for college apps as “regular” activities

As you embark on your final year of high school, it's time to reflect on the mark you want to leave on your school community .

Take a moment to think about the clubs and organizations you've been a part of throughout high school.

Are there things you want to accomplish in a particular club that you think would be great to "pass the torch" to future students?

Maybe you want to implement a mentorship program within your club to ensure continuity and support for incoming members?

Or perhaps you want to establish a scholarship fund to help future students pursue their passions?

Consider the traditions at your school. Are there traditions that you'd like to shape or be a part of during your senior year?

Maybe you want to organize an epic senior prank that will go down in school history (but please, keep it safe and respectful!). Or perhaps you want to start an arguably more “mature” new tradition, like a senior sunrise breakfast where the graduating class gathers to watch the sunrise together on the first day of school. After all, you’re old and wise now—it’s time to embrace the early bird special

And don't forget about your own personal final hurrahs. This is your last year of high school, so focus on the things that bring you the most joy, fulfillment, and have the largest capacity for making a difference. Whether it's leading the school play, organizing a charity fundraiser, or simply spending quality time with friends, make sure to wrap up your high school journey in a way that feels meaningful to you.

Our final piece of advice? Be selective with how much you extend yourself, because 12th grade—especially the fall—is a time that is dominated by college applications for many students.

This often requires more time than students anticipate, so practice the art of saying “no” and establishing boundaries. Yes, your legacy is important, but so are your mental health and future goals—and trying to cram college planning into a suitcase overflowing with academic and extracurricular trinkets galore will make it impossible to thoughtfully plan out your new epic trip: your best-fit college.

So, here's to 12th grade: The year of the legacy.

Make it count, leave your mark, and take care of yourself as you prepare to embark on the next chapter of your life.

Reflect on the impact you want to leave behind

Remember that the autumn of senior year is super busy—set yourself up for balance and health

While we hope our above guidance around choosing extracurricular activities provides a helpful roadmap, our team has worked with many students and families who (understandably) feel like they are swerving all over the road while trying to figure out which extracurricular activities are “the best.”

Many feel overwhelmed by the smorgasbord of opinions, misinformation, and mixed messages online around how extracurricular activities impact a student’s admissions chances.

Sometimes this can lead to some unhealthy choices that not only limit student autonomy and enthusiasm, but can also backfire and lead to a less successful admissions process. So…

Here are the “ seven deadly sins ” to avoid when considering your extracurricular activities:

1. Having the “what’s most impressive to colleges?” mentality define your entire extracurricular approach

There is often a gross misalignment between what students and families think are the most coveted extracurricular experiences by colleges versus ones that admissions officers would actually prefer to see.

For instance, some students and families are surprised to learn that being a member of something like National Honor Society (NHS)—which students are eligible to join based on their academic performance in high school— does virtually nothing to increase your chances of admission , given how commonplace it is on a student’s resume.

Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t join something like NHS if it’s available to you—after all, it’s a great way to (potentially) develop leadership skills and make an impact on your local community through service endeavors.

But just remember that designing an extracurricular profile solely for the sake of impressing someone else can make it really difficult for you to feel as excited about the ways you’re spending time outside of class.

One key thing to keep in mind: colleges are essentially always asking themselves “What’s in it for us?” As in, how do you show that you’ll contribute to the college community? Having a laser focus on an activity that has no benefit to anyone else generally doesn’t carry a lot of weight in college admissions.

2. Thinking that a formal leadership role or title is the only way to demonstrate leadership

Many students think that you need to be president (or monarch, or czar, or oracle, or [insert name of other real or made-up leadership role]) of multiple clubs, organizations, and teams to be a competitive college applicant.

While a title can communicate a certain degree of responsibility, there are actually many students leading lots of great initiatives and having their values guide their involvement within a certain activity without any title at all.

For instance, one of our CEG college counselors recently worked with a student who wrote about pushing for a gender-inclusive formal wear policy for her soccer team (since they were previously asked to wear dresses on game days) in her college essays. The kicker (lol, because, soccer)? She wasn’t the team captain.

Other examples that clearly demonstrate leadership without a title (and do so better than a title does):

A student who organized an in-school food bank distributing unused food to food-insecure students to take home, and grew the project from one school to a district to the state.

A student who noticed that autistic students ate in a separate lunchroom. He asked if he could eat with them and soon brought others with him—and eventually the segregation ended.

A student who played his violin at senior centers to entertain the residents. He realized that many of them were former musicians and he started bringing instruments and organizing ensembles. He created an organization of students doing this at different residences. They brought music back to so many lives—by engaging, not just entertaining.

A student who created a simple mental health curriculum for middle schoolers after giving a TEDx talk at a school assembly. A group of interested students gathered and they got funding and worked to bring the program into schools.

You get the idea.

The moral of this story: leadership is certainly a valued quality among many colleges, but titles and roles are not the only way to achieve this .

Your college essay(s) can be a great way to share a little bit more about the real-deal work that you’ve accomplished as part of your activities, whether you had a title or not. High school can be a rather political place at times, and there are certainly instances where the students doing a lot of the “heavy lifting” within certain activities don’t get the credit they deserve. Let your college application be that place!

3. Solely prioritizing activities based on their pedigree, prestige, and/or selectivity

Many summer programs held on college campuses fall into this category.

Students and families chasing after elite colleges (including Ivy League schools and other extremely selective colleges, like MIT, Stanford, and Caltech) often think “doing a summer pre-college program at Harvard will definitely impress college admissions officers, because… well, it’s Harvard.”

But summer programs along these lines often have no connection or relationship with the admissions office, and were developed as a way to make use of a more sparse/empty campus and bring in short-term revenue during the summer months .

That’s not to say these programs can’t be valuable additions to your college process, and/or your life—but only doing them because you think they “look good for college” can leave you feeling uninspired and unsatisfied.

If you’re doing some of these programs, great. But as you do them, be sure to spend time reflecting on why the experience is important to you, what you’re learning, and how you’re growing.

4. Sticking with activities you’ve come to loathe in order to show commitment and consistency

Our team has worked with many students who mention that they’ve only pursued certain activities—like an instrument they’ve played since they were 5 years old—because they were afraid to step away from these long-term commitments.

Of course, achieving a certain level of expertise and excellence in a certain area can be wonderful to share with colleges, but this should never take precedence over your own long-term mental health and wellness.

If you find yourself dreading every meeting, practice, or rehearsal of a certain extracurricular activity, it could be a sign that stepping away from it will allow you to prioritize other things that bring you more joy and satisfaction.

True, the prospect of stepping away can maybe be stressful and intimidating (especially if you’re continuing the activity out of family obligation or pressure), but doing this will allow you to feel more engaged and excited by your activities, which leads to a happier life overall.

If you need help sharing news like this with your family, talk to a trusted adult, family member, school counselor, and/or mentor, who can guide you through that conversation and possibly mediate and/or join in.

Valuable side note : essays about stepping away from activities like these—and the power of saying “no” and having healthy boundaries—often show vulnerability, maturity, and self-awareness to colleges, and can be wonderful stories to share amidst an application full of accolades.

5. Not exploring activities and opportunities outside of your own high school

While many high schools— particularly in more affluent school districts —are chock full of a range of clubs, volunteer opportunities, sports teams, and arts ensembles, there are many others that don’t have as many offerings (especially costly ones, like robotics ).

Additionally, because so many high schools offer similar “categories” of activities, solely focusing your extracurricular life within the confines of your school can lead to your application looking rather “familiar” to admissions officers.

In the age of the internet, there are seemingly infinite ways for students to occupy their time outside of formal school activities. Of course, some of these aren’t really seen as extracurricular activities (sorry, Minecraft four nights a week doesn’t count).

But online communities around a shared interest or identity—even ones hosted on more “casual” platforms, like Discord—can show colleges that you’re the type of person who likes to bring people together and share your enthusiasm and/or curiosity around a certain topic.

Beyond online communities and MOOC courses (e.g. Stanford’s free online courses ), consider activities and societies available to high school students from your hometown, like

a teen writer’s section of your local paper

religious communities

or a youth advisory board

club sports teams (which are usually tryout-based and available to top athletes from high schools all across your area)

Things like these are all great ways to spread your wings, meet peers from different walks of life, and pursue something that may not be available—or isn’t at the degree of competition or difficulty you’re ready to take on—at your own school.

Plus, if you’re looking to make an impact through your activities within your community, collaborating with other schools—or like-minded peers who share your vision from across your hometown—can help you develop lots of meaningful skills and qualities, like teamwork, collaboration, and drive.

Important side note: Colleges view work (as in, your job at a coffee shop) or family responsibilities (as in, you help care for your siblings because both your parents work) as very valuable uses of time.

6. Shelling out lots of money for expensive “pay-to-play” programs (such as paid research opportunities) to stand out

There are many companies that offer pricey experiences—from immersive travel opportunities ( many of which include a community service component, which can be problematic and tone-deaf ) to research programs where your project is guaranteed to be published and/or peer-reviewed—that claim to yield higher acceptance rates at highly selective colleges.

It’s important to evaluate these opportunities with a grain of salt and not view them as a “silver bullet” in the admissions process. In fact, many admissions officers are turned off when experiences repeatedly appear to be bought—versus earned or self-directed—in a student’s application. Here’s what one former Ivy League admission officer (who requested to remain anonymous) had to say to ProPublica about paid research programs :

“The business of churning out high school research is a] fast-growing epidemic… The number of outfits doing that has trebled or quadrupled in the past few years… There are very few actual prodigies. There are a lot of precocious kids who are working hard and doing advanced things. A sophomore in high school is not going to be doing high-level neuroscience. And yet, a very high number of kids are including this.”

Some programs are great—for example, as the article above mentions, Pioneer Research is accredited by Oberlin College.

But if you stumble upon a program that looks exciting and interesting, but you aren’t sure whether it’s reputable, you can ask your school counselor for advice.

Better yet: you can email regional admissions officers at some of the colleges you may be interested in to get their take! Bonus: your email will count as demonstrated interest, which is an important aspect of many colleges’ admission process (more than extracurricular activities, in fact!), and two, you’ll gain perspective straight from “the source.”

7. Modeling your extracurricular path after another student who was admitted to top colleges

Now, don’t get us wrong: sometimes it’s great to lean on the wisdom of older siblings, family members, neighbors, friends, or mentors while navigating the college application process.

However, emulating or recreating someone else’s extracurricular or academic profile—and/or assuming that those were the things that “tipped the scale” for that student—can lead to both a frustrating high school experience and a lack of personal motivation.

For one, selective colleges have institutional priorities that play a heavy hand in their admissions process .

These priorities are very fluid and variable from college to college, and from year to year at the same college, and students are admitted, yes, because of their hard work in high school—but it’s also very possible there was an edge or “hook” that influenced their process that you may not know about.

Moreover, most colleges do not actually tell students why they were admitted beyond generalized, vague language about their academic excellence and/or accomplishments in an acceptance letter.

Thus, it’s even possible that that student you’re inspired by was admitted to fulfill pressing priorities, and their extracurricular profile was deemed just “fine” or “satisfactory” by the admissions team . So, yes, lean on the wisdom of older students—but don’t try to be them.

Because there’s only one you, and you’re pretty dang amazing in your own right!

The sections below will help you understand how to categorize activities when creating your college application, while offering examples to illustrate each Common App category.

Without further ado, here are many (many) examples and a brief(-ish) explanation of the 27 different Common App activity types (plus the oh so mysterious “Other Club/Activity” category):

“Academic” is a pretty broad term for anything outside of your normal classes that is academic, intellectual, or scholarly in nature. Academically-oriented extracurriculars can be a great way to develop an intellectual interest that you’ve stumbled upon through your high school classes, or perhaps a Wikipedia or YouTube rabbit hole.

These are also a way to provide evidence of your academic interests to colleges—what have you done to explore beyond classes? How has your intellectual curiosity driven you to learn more about your interests and aptitudes?

The great thing about pursuing these interests as part of a club or competition-based team is that you can connect with like-minded peers who share your geeky enthusiasm for black holes, Medieval literature, and/or everything in between—and, along the way, you can develop critical skills like teamwork, active listening, and discipline.

Many high schools offer formal opportunities like QuizBowl, Mathletes (side note: for some peak early 2000s nostalgia—aka probably before you were born—and a glimpse of the cutthroat world of math competitions, check out this iconic “aha” math moment from 2004’s Mean Girls ), or Academic Decathlon as a way to flex your delightfully nerdy side (which, trust us here, colleges absolutely LOVE, even if the stereotypical 80s movie jock villain may not) and put your brain power to the test in a competitive setting.

Academically-oriented summer pre-college programs or enrichment programs, like the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth , can also serve as ways to explore your academic interests beyond school, especially during the summer months (if you just CAN’T FATHOM parting from school for that long).

It’s usually a good category to select when you browse through the preexisting list and don’t see a specific designation for your academically-inclined activity—which may more closely connect to something like Art, Computer/Technology, Debate/Speech, Foreign Language, Research, or Robotics.

Examples (General):

History Club

Quiz Bowl/Academic Bowl

Creative Writing Club

National History Day (NHD)

Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)

Science Olympiad

Yale Young Global Scholars

National Honor Society

Odyssey of the Mind

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Math Competitions/Programs:

Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC)

American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)

Purple Comet! Math Meet

American Regions Mathematics League (ARML)

Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT)

Math Prize for Girls

International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)

USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO)

American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME)

English Competitions/Programs:

National High School Essay Contest - Sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace, this contest encourages students to write essays on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - A prestigious competition recognizing exceptional writing in categories such as poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic script.

Library of Congress Letters About Literature - A reading and writing contest where students write letters to authors about how their books impacted them.

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Awards in Writing - Recognizes outstanding high school writers.

Social Studies & History Competitions/Programs:

National History Day (NHD) - A research-based competition where students present historical topics through papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites.

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution - A competition that enhances students’ understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

United States Academic Decathlon - Includes social studies as one of its ten events, with a specific theme each year.

National Geographic GeoBee - A geography competition testing knowledge of the world’s regions, cultures, physical features, and more.

Language Competitions/Programs:

National Latin Exam - A test offered to Latin students to assess their knowledge of Latin language and Roman culture.

National Spanish Examinations (NSE) - Recognizes high achievement in Spanish language skills.

Le Grand Concours - The National French Contest for students of French, testing knowledge of the language and culture.

National Classical Etymology Exam (NCEE) - Tests knowledge of Latin and Greek derivatives and their usage in English.

Science Competitions/Programs:

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) - One of the largest pre-college science competitions globally.

Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) - Recognizes high school seniors for their scientific research and is one of the oldest and most prestigious science competitions in the U.S.

USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) - Aims to develop young biologists and select U.S. teams for the International Biology Olympiad (IBO).

Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology - Recognizes outstanding science research projects by high school students.

International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) - Selects the top high school chemistry students to represent the U.S. in an international competition.

Art is a graduation requirement in many U.S. states, but it’s not just a class—it’s a creative calling!

Students often have opportunities like Photography Club or Art Club to continue expressing their creativity (no matter the medium) within their high schools. Beyond this, art can also be something students pursue through outside lessons, independently at home (in your home “studio,” aka that corner of the basement that’s not occupied by those broken lamps you’re not sure why your mom is saving), or even through online communities.

In an age where technology intersects with creativity, even students who never felt like they excelled with their preschool finger paintings can leverage AI as a means to expand their artistic horizons. You should feel empowered to explore digital art tools, experiment with generative algorithms, and push the boundaries of traditional mediums.

Art can also be a powerful vehicle to elevate social issues, personal challenges or experiences, or causes near and dear to your heart: You may want to consider spearheading murals in your community to showcase the diversity of your city, or creating digital art around a personal challenge you've worked to overcome—like body positivity—and share your work widely on a (soon-to-be) viral Instagram account.

But art doesn’t have to be a solitary endeavor—it thrives in collaboration. Consider joining forces with fellow artists to embark on collaborative projects that amplify your collective voices and visions.

For those with a competitive streak, art competitions offer a platform to showcase your talents and vie for recognition. Whether it's the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the Congressional Art Competition, or local exhibitions, these competitions provide an opportunity to shine on a broader stage.

And for upperclassmen considering art school, start preparing materials for National Portfolio Day and other portfolio reviews early. Curate a collection of your best work, seek feedback from mentors and peers, and showcase your artistic evolution with pride.

Summer Art Institutes

Interlochen

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

National Art Honor Society

Governor’s School

Shakespeare Club

Photography Club

Anime/Manga Club

The [your hometown here] mural project

Athletics: Club

For students with exceptional athletic talent, it may be wise to consider joining an out-of-school club team to compete on a level that is more on par (hehe, sports) with your skills.

Many U.S. cities have a spectrum of club sport options for a wide range of athletic opportunities—from soccer, to swimming, to even more niche sports like squash.

The benefits of joining a club sport are that you can continue to develop your athleticism if you’ve “peaked” within your high school. Additionally, club sports are the primary mode through which high school athletes are recruited to play sports in college , which can significantly improve your admissions chances at a wide range of colleges and universities.

If you’re one of the star players on a varsity team as a freshman or sophomore, love your sport, and could see yourself playing even more of it—and being inspired by teammates from around your state or local area—look into your club sports options. You also may find that many students have begun playing club sports in middle school, or sometimes even earlier! No matter when you enter the club sport “pipeline,” there’s a place for you, so long as you make it through the tryouts.

One potential downside of club sports is that they often require a lot of time and investment from students and families—from games and showcases all across your state, to grueling weekend practices. Given this, it can be difficult for students pursuing club sports to have a more robust extracurricular life within their high school or local community in non-athletic areas.

Because of that, it’s important for students to communicate the number of hours and sacrifices their club time has involved somewhere in their application . Admissions officers are certainly familiar with the commitment, but it’s often a powerful reminder when students outline, for instance, their practice schedule and the sheer lack of “free time” they have to do other things.

US Club Soccer

Equestrian Club

Ultimate Frisbee Club

Club softball

Karate/other martial arts

Rock climbing

Athletics: JV/Varsity

Most sports offered in U.S. high schools are broken up into two primary difficulty or skill levels: Junior Varsity (JV), which is usually for more basic and/or intermediate athletes, and Varsity, which is for the most advanced athletes.

Depending on your high school’s distinct culture, there can be a lot of cultural capital and social status associated with what team you end up on—with varsity athletes being seen as the “Queen Bees” of the pool, court, or field. We’ve worked with lots of students who’ve expressed disappointment and/or embarrassment for “only making JV” within their sport.

Here’s the kicker there:

Most admissions officers truly do not care much about the athletic level you’ve achieved , as both options—JV and varsity—represent a commitment to physical health and wellness, and the development of crucial life skills like teamwork, discipline, and time management. As a general rule, level of sports involvement only truly impacts admissions chances if you’re being recruited to play at the college . (Also, have you tallied up the bad sports puns in this blog yet? They’re kind of a serve…). 😉

Admissions officers are typically not assessing your application for athletic talent. The same goes for students with exceptional talent in the arts, as colleges often offer program-based auditions or supplemental submissions to have their faculty or program directors make that judgment call. Because most colleges that offer competitive sports—whether those are Division I, II, or III—have an athletic recruitment process that is managed by the coaching staff and the college’s athletic department, that’s. Additionally, it’s pretty rare for admissions officers to “flag” certain students who have an extensive athletic resume for recruitment potential, as they already have a list of students provided to them by the coaches.

Does that mean you should just quit your high school sport entirely? Certainly not!

For many students, high school sports can serve as their primary social network, a mode to express school spirit, and, as we’ve previously mentioned, an enjoyable yet challenging way to develop valuable skills, qualities, values, insights, and interests that colleges admire.

The bottom line: high school sports, both JV and varsity, are valuable additions to your college application, as they show commitment and contribution to your high school and many other valuable skills. Just take the pressure off or yourself to feel like you have to have a laundry list of All-American awards or trophies to report, because, unless you’re planning on pursuing athletic recruitment and playing that sport in college competitively (which we have a podcast all about for more information) , it’s not something you’re being evaluated on with a high degree of scrutiny!

Small side note : some high schools may even have teams specifically for freshmen, in which case you can still select “Athletics: JV/Varsity” (since it’s the category most closely linked with “in school” sports).

Cycling Team

Bodybuilding

Martial Arts

Cheerleading

Cross Country

Field Hockey

Flag Football

And keep in mind things like

Team manager

Team stat keeper

Emphasizing other special roles like team captain

Career Oriented

Some students grew up performing surgery on their Barbies (or maybe even their Shopkins if they had, like, the most precise scalpel work ever known to humankind).

Or maybe they were flexing their budding legal prowess by arguing with their parents over why their weekly allowance should be increased from $5 to $50 (because inflation).

Whatever the case, “Career Oriented” clubs and extracurricular activities can be a great way to further clarify whether or not that emerging professional interest is, indeed, something you want to pursue.

Unlike Academic extracurriculars (see above), which tend to focus on core academic subjects (like English, math, social studies, language, and/or science), Career Oriented extracurricular activities are trade- and profession-focused, meaning they’re meant to expose you to what it’s like to work in a particular industry/“the real world.”

Within your school, you may have options like HOSA-Future Health Professionals , Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) , or DECA (a club for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management) to explore these various paths.

Nursing Students Association

Youth Apprenticeship Program

Medical Explorers

Society of Women Engineers

Leadership Summit

Model United Nations

Pre-Med Summer Program

Forensics Team

Business Professionals of America

FFA (Future Farmers of America)

TSA (Technology Student Association)

4-H Youth Development Programs

CyberPatriot

Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!)

Career-related internships

Starting a business club at school

Creating your own landscaping business

Pet sitting

Babysitting

Antique sales

Community Service (Volunteer)

Community Service extracurriculars are like stages for showcasing your superhero cape—minus the spandex.

But far more important than your Mr. Incredible/Elastigirl moment in the spotlight, they’re often where you can work to make the world a better place, one good deed at a time. And just like how we all have different flavors of ice cream we swear by, there are tons of community service experiences to choose from based on causes or populations you are most eager to support.

A big piece of advice we like to share when it comes to community service: remember the impact of your actions, even if they can feel small (cue iconic Carrie Underwood song ).

You're not just volunteering at the local animal shelter—you're the guardian angel for those fluffy companions, dispensing belly rubs and treats like a pro. Or perhaps you're tutoring younger students, wielding your knowledge like a magic wand to banish confusion and summon clarity.

Ever found yourself rallying the troops for a good cause, like organizing a bake sale to fundraise for charity? That's not just baking cookies; it's baking smiles and hope into every bite. And if you've ever donned a pair of gardening gloves to plant trees or clean up parks, you're not just getting your hands dirty; you're cultivating a greener, cleaner future. ( But side note : be a little wary of getting super flowery/hyperbolic with your Activities List descriptions , unless you can clearly make it an obvious joke.)

By diving into these community service adventures, you're not just ticking off boxes on a to-do list—you're mastering skills that would make Captain America proud. Empathy? Check. Leadership? Double check. Communication? Nailed it.

These experiences aren't just about giving back: they're about becoming the best version of yourself.

Admissions officers aren't looking for caped crusaders or masked vigilantes (although that would be pretty cool). They're looking for everyday heroes who make a difference, whether it's through a single act of kindness or a long-term commitment to service. So, whether you're the Robin Hood of fundraising (maybe don’t steal, though) or the Jane Addams of tutoring, own your community service journey with pride.

American Red Cross

Habitat for Humanity

Girl Scouts

Special Olympics

Soup kitchens

Food drives

Book drives

Community recycling programs

Community cleanups

Beach cleanups

Computer/Technology

Computer/Technology extracurriculars—as they’re labeled on the Common Application—are where digital diehards can showcase their skills with ones, zeros, and a whole lot of late-night keyboarding.

They’re where coding, gaming, and gadgetry allow students to flex their innovative spirits and unabashed geekery (serious, colleges LOVE anything geeky). So, grab your favorite energy drink and let's dive into the matrix of computer-centric extracurriculars.

First up, we have things like coding and computer science (CS) clubs within your high school. Some have national and international reach, like Girls Who Code , while others are more home-grown (or home… programmed?). Hackathons are another great way to take the skills you’ve learned in these clubs to the next level, often solving real-world issues through tech ideas and innovations. These can help you build up the entrepreneurial skills that many college STEM programs are hoping to see in applicants. Whether you're crafting elegant algorithms or slaying bugs like a digital exterminator, coding and CS clubs offer a space to hone your programming prowess. You get bonus points for mastering the art of debugging without pulling out your hair.

But wait, there's more.

Gaming tournaments and Esports teams are not just about crushing your opponents in pixelated combat (though that's definitely a perk). They're about strategic thinking, teamwork, and mastering the art of button-mashing without breaking a sweat. So, whether you're a seasoned pro or a casual gamer, gaming tournaments—whether those are in-school, online, or further afield—offer a chance to level up your skills and forge new friendships in the digital arena. We wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a highly sought-after extracurricular priority at most colleges (as in, most don’t have varsity Esports teams where you’d be recruited to play), but they can certainly be a fun part of your high school experience. Balance is key!

Of course, let's not forget about tech internships, which can be a great way to put skills you’ve developed through classes, clubs and competitions to the next level. Whether you're interning at a startup, a tech giant, or a local business looking to improve their work through artificial intelligence (AI), tech internships can offer a glimpse into the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley and valuable opportunities to network with industry professionals. There’s an “Internship” section on the Common App to “properly” label these experiences by the time you start applying to colleges—but that’s a more technical detail. And hey, we (and you) love all things technical.

And last but not least, we have independently-pursued tech or computer projects. Whether you're building your own app (or maybe even a computer), designing a website (maybe for a local non-profit?), or hacking your way through a cybersecurity challenge, self-directed tech projects offer a chance to unleash your creativity and leave your digital footprint on the world.

Who knows, your next project could be the next big thing in tech—and it’s sure to show colleges that you’re able to solve complex problems and make something out of nothing.

Whether you're coding like a boss, battling robots like a futuristic gladiator, or hacking your way through cyberspace, computer-centric extracurriculars offer a chance to geek out and make your mark on the digital world.

Conrad Challenge

Technovation Girls

Congressional App Challenge

American Computer Science League

Imagine Cup

Coding Club

Coding Challenge

Physical keyboard building

Attending WWDC Scholar (Apple’s developer’s conference)

Machine Learning-related activities

AI-related activities

Kode With Klossy

Teaching older or younger groups how to use tech

Github profile/contributions

Cryptography

Setting up secure networks for a local business

3D-printing related activities

Hackathons:

Updated list: https://hackathons.hackclub.com

Stanford ACM’s ProCo

HackMIT Blueprint

HPE CodeWars

Google Code-In

NASA App Development Challenge

NASA International Space Apps Competition

American Computer Science League (ACSL)

National High School Data Science Competition

Mountain Hacks

Mateo Hacks

SC Wilhacks 5.0

Hoya Hacks

DeveloperWeek Hackathon

TRON DAO HackaTRON

BNL Open Hackathon

Virtual CodeDay

Cultural extracurricular activities are spaces where you can celebrate your heritage, explore your identity, and connect with communities that resonate with your cultural roots. It's more than just a checkbox; it's an opportunity to embrace diversity and showcase the rich tapestry of who you are.

Think of affinity groups like the Black Student Union or Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations as your cultural compasses, guiding you through the maze of high school life and beyond.

These groups provide a supportive community where you can share experiences, celebrate traditions, and amplify your voice. Whether it's hosting cultural events, organizing discussions on social issues, or simply hanging out with like-minded peers, affinity groups offer a space to feel seen, heard, and valued.

But don't stop there.

Outside cultural organizations are another avenue to explore and expand your cultural horizons. Whether you're participating in traditional dance groups, attending language immersion camps, or volunteering at cultural festivals, these experiences offer a window into different cultures and perspectives. Plus, in today's interconnected world, you can connect with cultural communities online, whether it's through social media groups, virtual events, or online forums.

Now, let's address the elephant in the room—the fear of writing about your culture or race on college applications , especially given the recent changes to admissions due to the SCOTUS decision in 2023 .

Here's the truth: colleges don't just accept diversity—they celebrate it and believe it makes the college (and students’ college experiences) better .

In fact, sharing your cultural experiences and involvement in cultural activities can enhance your application and showcase your unique perspective. So, whether you're a dragon boat enthusiast, a member of an indigenous tribal group, or part of an Asian American affinity group, don't hesitate to highlight these experiences and how they have shaped your character and values.

They're not just extracurricular activities—they're a reflection of who you are and what you bring to the table.

In summary, the "Cultural" section of the Common Application is your canvas to paint a vibrant portrait of your cultural identity and heritage. So, embrace your roots, celebrate your diversity, and share your story with pride. Because in a world that values inclusivity and diversity, your cultural journey is not just a footnote—it's a masterpiece waiting to be unveiled.

Spanish Club

French Club

German Club

Japanese Club

Portuguese Club

American Sign Language Club

Chinese Club

Pacific Islanders Club

Russian Club

South Asian Student Society

Latino/a Students’ Association

Muslim Students’ Association

Foreign Language Club

Endangered Languages Club

International Food Club

Black Students’ Union

BIPOC Students’ Union

Asian Students’ Union

Cooking a certain ethnic food

Cultural dances

Cultural music

Culture-related instruments

Through Dance activities, you can pirouette, pop, and plié your way into the hearts of audience members and admissions officers alike. Whether you're a ballet prodigy, a hip-hop aficionado, or a cultural dance enthusiast, there's a spot on this dance floor for everyone.

First up, let's talk about dance extracurriculars at your school. Whether it's joining the dance team, participating in the school musical, or taking dance classes as part of your physical education curriculum, these opportunities offer a chance to showcase your talent and passion for dance while connecting with classmates who share your love for movement.

If you're serious about dance, consider staying engaged and committed through an outside dance studio. Whether it's a local studio or a prestigious academy, outside dance classes provide specialized training, professional instruction, and performance opportunities that can take your dance skills to the next level. Plus, it's a chance to meet new friends and expand your dance community beyond the walls of your school.

Cultural dance opportunities also count in the "Dance" section of the Common Application. Whether you're performing traditional Indian, Chinese, Irish, or any other cultural dance, these experiences offer a unique window into different cultures and traditions. Not only do they showcase your versatility as a dancer, but they also celebrate diversity and promote cultural understanding.

Now, let's talk about that selective college dream.

If you've got dance talent, many selective colleges allow you to submit a dance supplement or portfolio as part of your application. This is your chance to strut your stuff and show admissions officers what you're made of. Whether it's a video of your latest performance, a choreography reel, or a written statement about your dance journey, a well-crafted dance supplement can enhance your application and showcase your artistic potential. Just be sure to look up whether these opportunities exist at the colleges you may be applying to, and only submit what they welcome you to submit (in the format they ask for). We know your “following directions” skills are en pointe!

Juntos Collective

Irish Dance

Contemporary / Modern Dance

Latin Dance

Interpretive Dance

Swing Dance

African, West Indian, African-American Dance

Ceremonial Dance

Classical Dance

Cultural Dance

Ballroom Dance

Debate/Speech

Debate/Speech extracurriculars are a battleground of words where arguments are forged, ideas clash, and eloquence reigns supreme. But before we dive in, let's clear up a common misconception: the term "forensics."

While it might conjure images of crime scenes and CSI detectives, in the world of speech and debate, forensics refers to the art of public speaking and argumentation. So, put away your magnifying glass and don your rhetorical armor—we're about to embark on a journey of persuasion and advocacy.

Participating in debate and speech activities can be a game-changer for students. It's not just about honing your ability to craft a convincing argument (though that's certainly a big part of it). It's also about developing critical thinking skills, mastering the art of persuasion, and learning how to articulate your ideas with clarity and confidence. Whether you're engaging in Lincoln-Douglas debates, extemporaneous speaking, or interpretive events like dramatic interpretation, the skills you learn in debate and speech are highly transferable to a very wide range of majors and fields—not just law and politics.

But to truly excel in debate and speech, you need more than just a silver tongue. You also need to master the performance side of the equation. That's where taking a drama class can come in handy. Drama classes offer valuable training in vocal projection, stage presence, and emotional expression—skills that can take your speech and debate performances to the next level.

If you're serious about debate and speech, consider exploring outside-of-school opportunities and aiming for national competitions. These experiences not only provide a chance to test your skills against top competitors but also offer valuable networking opportunities and exposure to different styles and approaches.

Finally, consider finding a coach to help lead your debate or speech team. A coach can provide guidance, support, and expertise to help you reach your full potential. Check out resources from organizations like the National Speech and Debate Association for tips on getting started and finding a coach in your area.

Euro Challenge

American Legion Oratorical Contest

Rhetoric Club

Young Orators of America

National Forensics League

National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA)

Environmental

Whether you're passionate about sustainability, conservation, or climate activism, there's a place for you in Environmental extracurriculars.

First off, let's talk about in-school environmental clubs. These clubs are like green think tanks, where students come together to brainstorm, plan, and implement initiatives to make their school (or local community) more sustainable. From recycling drives to energy conservation campaigns, in-school environmental clubs are a hub of green innovation and action.

But here's the secret sauce: partnerships.

Partnering with local organizations and grassroots nonprofits can amplify your impact and bring your environmental efforts to the next level. Whether it's collaborating on community clean-up events, advocating for policy changes, or launching conservation projects, partnerships provide resources, expertise, and support to turn your green dreams into reality.

Speaking of advocacy, don't underestimate the power of your voice.

Advocating for changes in your own school—like reducing single-use plastics in the cafeteria, implementing recycling initiatives, or promoting “meatless mondays”—puts your green dreams to work on the local level and sets an example for others to follow.

Colleges are also highly impressed with students who get involved in policy advocacy and lobbying efforts to drive big changes on the city, state, or even national level. Take a page from activists like Greta Thunberg, who are leading the charge for climate action and environmental justice on a global scale.

And let's not forget the great outdoors—exactly what you’re trying to preserve! Trail maintenance, beach clean-ups, and community gardening are not only good for environmental health, they're also a great way to get outside, enjoy nature, and connect with like-minded individuals. So lace up your hiking boots and grab a trash bag—it's time to make a difference, one clean-up at a time.

Looking for even more opportunities to dive deeper into environmentalism?

Consider joining college or independent summer programs themed around environmentalism, like the Washington Youth Summit . These programs offer a chance to meet other sustainability-minded high school students, learn from experts in the field, and gain hands-on experience in environmental advocacy and leadership.

And if you're feeling ambitious, why not start a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for your own self-directed projects around sustainability? Whether it's building a community garden or launching a renewable energy initiative, crowdfunding can help turn your eco-friendly dreams into reality—because let's face it, money doesn’t grow on trees (... like the ones you’re going to save).

Roots and Shoots

The Mountaineers

Young Reporters for the Environment

Washington Youth Summit

School- or community-based environmental clubs

Beach or trail cleanups

Renewable energy projects

Family Responsibilities

Family responsibilities aren’t necessarily a “formal,” school-based extracurricular activity, but this is where the unsung heroes of the household shine—the students who juggle school, extracurriculars, and the weight of family responsibilities on their shoulders.

Let's start by emphasizing that family responsibilities are a completely valid extracurricular . Oftentimes, it's low-income students who carry the heavier burden of these responsibilities, and colleges recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions they make to their families and communities.

Family responsibilities can encompass a wide range of duties, from driving younger siblings to and from school or their activities, to babysitting for extended family members. For many immigrant families and communities, caring for younger relatives is a common practice—a testament to the strong bonds of family and community support.

Some students take on the role of primary caregiver for a grandparent or other family member, especially if they have health-related needs. Others may find themselves in charge of grocery shopping and meal planning, particularly if they have parents working night shifts or long hours to make ends meet.

Sometimes, these family responsibilities extend beyond what meets the eye. For instance, if a parent loses their job, a student may have to step away from other extracurricular commitments to help support their family. This was especially common during the pandemic, when many low-income students found themselves shouldering additional responsibilities at home.

If you find yourself in this situation, don't hesitate to provide additional details about your family responsibilities in the "Additional Information" section of the Common Application . Colleges want to understand the context of your experiences and the challenges you've overcome, and sharing this information can provide valuable insight into your life outside of school.

And here's the good news: colleges admire the sacrifices and commitment to family that students exhibit through these responsibilities. They understand that family comes first, and they value the resilience, maturity, and leadership skills that students develop as a result of their family obligations.

Childcare/babysitting of siblings or relatives

Care of a family member with a disability or illness

Employment to support family

Religious obligations

Foreign Language

Bienvenue to the global gamut of Foreign Language extracurricular activities!

Here, we celebrate the richness of linguistic diversity. Whether you're dipping your toes into a new language or diving headfirst into multilingual mastery, there's a world of opportunities awaiting you.

Let's start with in-school language clubs, such as French, Mandarin, American Sign Language, or Spanish Club. These clubs offer a low-commitment way to explore a language and culture with peers, all while indulging in delicious culinary delights. It's like a mini cultural immersion experience right in your own school, where you can practice your language skills, learn about traditions and customs, and maybe even pick up a few traditional dance moves along the way.

Beyond school offerings, self-studying with apps like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, or other MOOCs can help take your language learning journey to the next level. Whether you're brushing up on your conversational skills or tackling grammar concepts, these digital resources offer flexibility and convenience, allowing you to learn at your own pace and on your own schedule.

For those aiming for linguistic excellence, language honor societies are worth considering. Organizations like the French Honor Society (Société Honoraire de Français), Spanish Honor Society (Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica), and Chinese Honor Society (Zhongwen Xueshe) recognize students who demonstrate outstanding proficiency and dedication to their chosen language.

But let's not forget about the real-world opportunities available, both in your community and at community colleges.

Using another language in community service or employment is often very impressive to app readers (for example, a student volunteering or doing an internship in a dental clinic serving Spanish-speaking farm workers).

Community college courses with extensive practicum opportunities provide a unique chance to learn a language with people from diverse backgrounds and walks of life. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to step outside of your high school bubble and immerse yourself in a multicultural learning environment.

If you're fascinated by the inner workings of language, consider exploring opportunities in fields like linguistics and cognitive science. Competitions like the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO) offer a chance to put your language skills to the test and dive deep into the fascinating world of language structure and evolution.

If you're torn between selecting "Cultural" or "Foreign Language" for an activity on the Common App, don't sweat it. Choose the category that best represents the primary focus of the activity. If it's predominantly focused on learning and practicing a language, "Foreign Language" makes sense. If it's more comprehensive, like an identity-based affinity group, "Cultural" is probably the way to go. Ultimately, what matters most is highlighting your passion for language learning and cultural exploration on your college application, the values you’ve developed, and (potentially) the impact you’ve had.

Bon voyage!

Foreign Language Contest

National French Contest

Latin Honor Society

Tutoring students in a foreign language

Teaching English as a Second Language

Foreign Exchange

Study Abroad

Language-Based Summer Program

Middlebury College’s Immersion Language Program

Linguistics Club

Cognitive Science Club

Ready to embark on a summer adventure that's both educational and entertaining? Internships—either paid or unpaid—are your ticket to real-world experience, and come with a side of valuable skills and a sprinkle of career exploration.

Internships are like skill-building power-ups. They teach you practical skills that can’t be found in any textbook.

From learning how to navigate office politics to mastering workplace technologies (and maybe even the classic coffee run Hollywood trope, if you’re lucky), you'll gain a toolkit that's essential for adulting in any career. Plus, internships provide a sneak peek into different industries, helping you decide if you want to be a tech titan, a healthcare hero, or something in between.

Internships come in all shapes and sizes, and colleges are not necessarily actively looking for certain company names or “big ticket” items when reading your application.

You could find yourself crunching numbers at a local accounting firm, whipping up marketing magic at a digital agency, or even wrangling pandas as a zoo intern (seriously—my sister actually did that). Don’t limit yourself—see what internship flavors tickle your taste buds.

In particular, summer break isn’t just for sunbathing and Netflix marathons (though those are important too). It's the perfect time to embark on a summer internship adventure . With fewer classes and more free time, you can fully immerse yourself in the experience, soaking up knowledge like a sponge.

If internships are like full-time jobs, then job shadowing is like a sneak peek behind the curtain. It's your chance to play detective and observe professionals in their natural habitat in a less structured way, or with less responsibility. Whether you're interested in solving medical mysteries or cracking legal cases, spending a day shadowing can help you decide if you're ready to join the ranks of the pros.

So, how do you land that dream internship?

The guide linked just above gets into detail, but start by exploring online resources like Internships.com, LinkedIn, and Indeed. Many companies also post internship opportunities directly on their websites, so be sure to check out your favorite companies’ career pages. Don’t underestimate the power of personal connections—reach out to family friends, teachers, and local professionals to inquire about internship opportunities. And remember, a well-crafted resume and a compelling cover letter can go a long way in securing an interview.

NIH Summer Internships

Bank of America Student Leaders

Internship at local hospital

Job shadowing

Laboratory internship

Law firm / legal internship

Healthcare internship

Media internship (newspaper, magazine, T.V., publication)

Museum junior docent / internship

Environmental / Sustainability internship

Political science internship (campaign work, for example)

Community health internship

Theatre/drama internship

Research-based internship

Internship search sites:

CareerOneStop's Student Jobs : This website offers a section specifically for high school students, providing information on finding internships, apprenticeships, and part-time jobs.

Chegg Internships : Chegg offers internship listings for high school students, along with resources for resume building, interview preparation, and career advice.

Internships.com : This website has a dedicated section for high school students to search for internships by location, industry, and keyword. It also provides tips for landing internships and advice on gaining experience.

WayUp : WayUp offers internship and entry-level job listings for college and high school students. Students can create profiles, upload resumes, and apply directly to internships.

Idealist.org : Idealist lists internship opportunities with nonprofit organizations, NGOs, and social impact companies. High school students can search for internships related to causes they are passionate about.

Local Chamber of Commerce Websites : Many local Chamber of Commerce websites list internship opportunities with businesses in the area. Students can check their local Chamber of Commerce website for internship listings.

Student Opportunity Center : This website aggregates internship, research, and scholarship opportunities for high school and college students. Students can search for opportunities by category, location, and deadline.

Youth Opportunities : Youth Opportunities provides listings for internships, scholarships, competitions, conferences, and workshops for young people worldwide. Students can filter internship listings by region and category.

TeenLife : TeenLife offers resources for high school students, including internship listings, summer programs, volunteer opportunities, and college prep resources.

CollegeVine's Internship Finder : CollegeVine's Internship Finder allows high school students to search for internships by location, industry, and duration. It also provides advice on finding and applying for internships.

Journalism/Publication

Words have the power to inform, inspire, and ignite change.

Whether you're penning articles for the school newspaper, crafting stories for your blog, or reporting for your local newspaper, there's no shortage of opportunities to make your voice heard and your words matter through Journalism/Publication activities.

Let's start with the classics: school newspapers, yearbooks and literary magazines (aka litmag).

Most high schools offer these avenues for budding journalists to flex their writing muscles, hone their interviewing skills, and master the art of persuasive communication. From crafting compelling headlines to conducting in-depth interviews, working on the school newspaper or yearbook is a crash course in journalism 101.

But it's not just about the words—art direction and design play a crucial role in journalism and publication as well.

On a yearbook or school newspaper staff, there are usually multiple roles, including editors, reporters, and layout designers. These roles provide ample opportunities for collaboration and creativity, as students work together to design eye-catching layouts, select photos, and create visually engaging content. Colleges highly value this spirit of collaboration, as it reflects teamwork, communication, and creativity—essential skills for success in any field.

But why stop there? Consider branching out beyond the confines of your school to write for local newspapers or publications.

Platforms like Medium offer opportunities for aspiring writers to share their perspectives and insights with a wider audience. And if you're passionate about a particular topic or niche, why not start your own independent blog? It's a chance to explore your interests, hone your writing style, and build a portfolio of published work.

Looking for more hands-on experience? Summer programs and internships with companies or colleges can provide invaluable opportunities to gain real-world journalism experience.

For example, Princeton University offers the Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) , a prestigious program exclusively for low-income students interested in journalism. It's a chance to learn from industry professionals, sharpen your reporting skills, and immerse yourself in the world of journalism on one of the nation's most prestigious campuses.

In a world where holding people's attention is increasingly challenging, the skills you develop in journalism—interviewing, copy editing, crafting attention-grabbing headlines, and art direction—are more in-demand than ever. So whether you're writing for the school newspaper, contributing to a local publication, or launching your own blog, seize every opportunity to hone your craft, amplify your voice, and make a difference with your words and visuals.

Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Washington Journalism and Media Conference

Young Writers Club

Young Writers Workshop

School Newspaper

School Literary Magazine (LitMag)

Junior ROTC

Hut! Welcome to the world of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the nation and at US military bases worldwide.

Whether you're drawn to the call of duty or simply seeking to develop valuable life skills, JROTC offers a unique blend of education, leadership training, and military discipline.

In a typical week, JROTC cadets experience a diverse blend of activities. Two days are dedicated to academics, where cadets delve into military history, leadership principles, and citizenship education. These sessions provide a foundation of knowledge about the armed forces, instilling a sense of duty, patriotism, and respect for the military profession.

Additionally, two days are allocated for physical fitness activities, focusing on improving strength, endurance, and overall fitness levels. Whether it's running, calisthenics, or team sports, physical training plays a vital role in developing cadets' physical well-being and instilling a commitment to personal health and fitness.

Another day is designated for uniform days, where cadets don their military attire and practice marching, drill, and ceremony. These sessions emphasize discipline, precision, and teamwork, as cadets learn to move and act as a cohesive unit—a skill set essential for military service and leadership roles.

According to the National Defense Act, the goals of the JROTC program are manifold. They include developing citizenship and patriotism, fostering self-reliance and responsiveness to authority, improving communication skills, instilling a commitment to physical fitness, and cultivating respect for the role of the US Armed Forces in supporting national objectives. Additionally, JROTC aims to impart knowledge of team-building and basic military skills.

Participating in JROTC for one to three years grants cadets the ability to rank higher should they pursue a military career. However, even if military service isn't in your immediate plans, JROTC can still be immensely beneficial. It's an excellent way to develop disciplined habits, enhance leadership skills, and learn the importance of both leading and following—a skill set valuable in any career path.

Many colleges recognize the value of JROTC experience and offer scholarship opportunities for cadets. Additionally, there are opportunities to participate in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at the college level, spanning branches such as Naval ROTC, Army ROTC, and Air Force ROTC. These programs often lead to lucrative career paths, with fields like naval engineering offering substantial earning potential.

Moreover, JROTC can serve as a stepping stone for those interested in applying to prestigious military academies such as West Point (United States Military Academy), Annapolis (United States Naval Academy), and Colorado Springs (United States Air Force Academy). Attending these academies not only offers a world-class education but also opens doors to elite military careers and a lifetime of service to the nation. Being in JROTC opens a special category of nomination: The Vice President can nominate U.S. citizens without geographical restrictions, while the Secretary of the Army, Navy, or Air Force nominates members of regular military, reserve components, and participants in the JROTC.

JROTC can offer a pathway to personal growth, leadership development, and exciting career opportunities in the military and beyond. Whether you're inspired by a sense of duty or simply seeking to challenge yourself, JROTC equips you with the skills and mindset to succeed in any endeavor you pursue.

Air Force JROTC

Marines JROTC

Space Force JROTC

Coast Guard JROTC

LGBTQIAA+ extracurriculars are vibrant and inclusive spaces where students can come together to celebrate identity, promote inclusivity, and advocate for change. Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community or simply want to be an ally, there are numerous ways to get involved and make a difference.

A great first step is to join or start a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at your school. These groups provide a supportive environment for LGBTQ+ students and allies to come together, share experiences, and organize events.

For example, one high school’s LGBTQ+ student group was called GLOW: Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever—a name meant to capture the inclusive nature of the group. GSAs often host a variety of programming, from queer-themed socials and proms to movie nights featuring LGBTQ+ films like "But I'm A Cheerleader'' and RuPaul's Drag Race viewing parties.

But GSAs are more than just social clubs—they're also platforms for activism and advocacy.

Students can use their GSA to raise awareness about important LGBTQ+ issues, both locally and globally. This could involve advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in states where they are under threat or pushing for more inclusive policies within their own school, such as gender-neutral bathrooms.

Volunteering with outside organizations like the Trevor Project or participating in peer hotlines are other meaningful ways to support LGBTQ+ causes beyond the school walls. Students can also take the initiative to organize community events such as drag shows, library reading events, or inter-school gatherings to foster a sense of community and promote visibility.

It's important to remember that LGBTQ+ extracurricular activities aren't just about activism—they're also about building connections and finding support. For students navigating their identities, these groups can be invaluable resources for finding acceptance and belonging.

As you explore LGBTQ+ extracurricular opportunities, remember that resources are available to support you every step of the way. College Essay Guy has two podcast episodes dedicated to resources for LGBTQ+ students (thanks to Campus Pride Index ) and transgender students , offering valuable insights and advice for navigating the college search process with confidence and authenticity.

So whether you're looking to join a GSA, volunteer with LGBTQ+ organizations, or organize community events, know that you're not alone—and that your voice and your contributions matter.

The Trevor Project

Diversity Club

Pride March

Pride High School Event or Program

Gender and Sexuality Awareness

Volunteering at an LGBTQ+ Center

Trans Rights Advocacy

LGBTQ+ Youth Peer Support Group

LGBTQ+ Rights Advocacy

Trans Youth Rights Advocacy

Other LGBTQ+ Advocacy, Program, Work, or Activity

Music: Instrumental

Welcome, music enthusiasts, to the harmonious realm of instrumental music!

Here, we'll explore the symphonic milieu of opportunities available to high school students keen on tuning their talents and orchestrating their extracurricular pursuits.

First on our scorecard are the in-school music ensembles, ranging from orchestras to jazz bands to concert bands. Each ensemble offers a unique blend of instruments, musical genres, and levels of commitment.

Whether you're drawn to the classical elegance of an orchestra or the improvisational flair of a jazz band, there's a stage for every instrumentalist to shine. And while titles like 'first chair' and 'section leader' may carry prestige within the ensemble, remember that colleges look beyond these accolades to gauge your true musical potential on-campus (more on that in a second).

For those seeking a cadence of camaraderie and school spirit, marching bands and pep bands offer a rousing crescendo of musical involvement. These spirited ensembles not only foster teamwork and discipline but also infuse pep rallies and halftime shows with an infectious energy that resonates throughout the school.

But the melody doesn't end within the school walls.

External orchestras and community ensembles beckon, providing opportunities to collaborate with musicians from neighboring schools or even seasoned adults. These extracurricular ventures not only broaden your musical horizons but also showcase your versatility and adaptability as a performer.

And let's not forget the virtuosos who hone their craft through private lessons. While these one-on-one sessions demand time and dedication, they offer a personalized approach to musical growth that complements the ensemble experience. Whether you choose to continue outside lessons or focus solely on school-based opportunities, remember that your dedication and passion will always strike the right chord with admissions committees.

Speaking of admissions, aspiring musicians should consider composing a musical supplement to accompany their college applications. From websites and YouTube videos to recordings and recitals, showcasing your musical prowess can strike a resonant chord with highly selective colleges, potentially harmonizing your way to admission.

Be sure to check specific supplement instructions on individual college's websites. Some use Slideroom and give specific specs. Some don't want visual/perf arts materials from students not majoring in the subject (e.g. BU ). Others warn against sending materials if you are not AMAZING (hi, Yale ). Others will give music scholarships to non-music majors ( Bucknell )! "Talent" is not equally weighted.

And a heads up: while colleges don't necessarily prefer certain instruments over others, the most common do tend to be piano or violin, so just know that there are usually less pressing needs for that musical talent (from an institutional priorities standpoint ) on a college campus. Whereas French Horn or stand-up bass or bassoon are way harder to find. Ultimately, top talent in any instrument is valued, and orchestra directors can recruit just like athletic coaches.

For those setting their sights on conservatories, early preparation is key. Familiarize yourself with audition requirements and repertoire expectations to ensure you're in tune with the demands of these specialized programs.

So whether you're fine-tuning your flute solos or perfecting your percussion prowess, embrace the melody of possibility and let your passion for music resound loud and clear on your college application.

School of Rock

National Youth Orchestra

Music Creation and DJ Club

Church Band

High School Band

Duo, Trio, Quartet, etc.

Other Instrumental Music Group

Music Appreciation Club

High School Orchestra

Community Orchestra or Symphony

Community Band

Songwriting Workshop

Music Summer Camp or Program

Tri-M Music Honor Society

Music: Vocal

Greetings, songbirds!

Whether you've already found your voice or are just starting to discover its potential, there are various avenues through which you can nurture your talent and engage with others who share your passion for singing.

Within high schools, opportunities like chorus, chorale, and/or glee club offer structured settings for honing your vocal skills while collaborating with fellow singers. These ensembles typically perform a diverse repertoire, providing valuable exposure to different musical styles and techniques.

Beyond school walls, consider joining community choirs, church choirs, or a cappella groups. These extracurricular activities can provide additional performance opportunities and networking connections within the broader musical community.

While private voice lessons may seem like a solitary pursuit, they offer personalized instruction tailored to your unique vocal needs. Consider incorporating what you learn into broader musical endeavors, such as participating in solo performances or sharing your talent through online platforms like TikTok or YouTube.

Collaborating with instrumentalists to form a band can be a rewarding way to showcase your vocal talents in a different context. Whether it's a rock band, jazz ensemble, or pop group, bands provide opportunities for creative expression and live performances.

Keep an eye out for colleges that offer opportunities to submit a vocal portfolio as part of the application process. Some institutions also have specialized recruitment programs for talented vocalists, including scholarships and participation in prestigious vocal ensembles.

By actively engaging with these opportunities, you can not only refine your vocal technique but also develop valuable skills in teamwork, communication, and performance. Whether you aspire to pursue music professionally or simply enjoy singing as a hobby, high school is an ideal time to explore and cultivate your musical talents.

Lamont Summer Academy

Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)

High School Choir

A capella group

Church Choir

Vocal competition

Vocal training / singing lessons

Welcome to the diverse world of Religious extracurricular activities!

Here, we celebrate the rich tapestry of faith traditions: from Sunday prayers to Friday Jumu'ah and everything in between. Whether you're deeply rooted in your faith or simply curious to explore, there's a wealth of opportunities awaiting you.

For many students, religious extracurriculars extend beyond the walls of their high school. Whether you attend a religiously-affiliated school or not, there are ample opportunities for faith exploration outside of class. From Bible study and fellowship groups to youth activities and worship services at your local temple, mosque, church, or other house of worship, there are countless ways to deepen your spiritual connection and engage with your faith community.

But why limit yourself to just one tradition? Interfaith opportunities offer a chance to learn from students of diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Colleges value students who embrace religious and spiritual diversity, so don't hesitate to explore beyond your own faith tradition.

Understandably, many students and families worry whether or not a student’s religious identity (and extracurricular involvement) has a role in their college application process—especially given the sometimes polarizing and political associations with religion in some aspects of U.S. society.

It’s important to remember that colleges don’t just welcome but want students from diverse backgrounds, including those with strong religious identities. Even colleges that are considered more progressive, and therefore have a less religiously-affiliated student population, still welcome and value those voices and insights on their campuses and in their classrooms, since engaging with diverse viewpoints is fundamental to a good education .

All this to say: you should feel empowered to share this aspect of yourself in your college applications. It's an integral part of who you are.

Now, as RuPaul would say: “can I get an amen?”

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Jewish Student Union

Muslim student groups

School Youth Group or Club

Christian Student Organization (CSO)

Church Youth Group

Missionary Work

Church Choir or Band

Church Outreach

Church Mentorship Program

Bible Study

Sunday School Instruction

Welcome, aspiring Einstein!

Ready to take a deep dive into the world of research, even if it means getting lost in a sea of textbooks and scientific journals? Fear not, intrepid explorer. Research in high school can be as exciting as discovering a new planet—and just as rewarding.

First off, let’s debunk a myth: you don’t need a fancy lab or a swanky company to do research.

Seriously.

All it takes is an idea you’re curious about and a bit of grit. The internet is your playground, filled with resources to kickstart your research journey.

Want to investigate the effects of music on concentration? Go for it. Curious about sustainable farming methods? Dive in. Your project can be as simple or as complex as you want. The sky’s the limit (and maybe not even that—space research, anyone?).

However, even the greatest explorers need a map and a guide. This is where a mentor or collaborator comes in.

Think of them as your Gandalf or Yoda. They can provide guidance, feedback, and maybe even a few shortcuts through the maze of research. Mentors don’t have to be professors—teachers, librarians, or even knowledgeable family friends can help. And if you prefer to go solo, online forums and research groups are great places to find collaborators.

Now, let’s talk about the perks. Engaging in research prepares you for college-level skills and independent studies. You’ll learn to manage your time, handle data, and think critically—essential tools for any college student. Plus, when admissions officers see that you’ve conducted research, they’ll know you’re serious about learning.

So, you’ve done the work—what’s next? Publishing your research as a high school student is like hitting the jackpot.

Start by looking for student research journals or local science fairs. Even local university journals are good places to start. And don't forget about competitions like the Google Science Fair. Remember, the goal is to share your findings and get feedback, so don’t be shy!

But, a big caveat : be careful with “pay-to-play” research and publication programs (for detail, see #6 in the “How NOT to pursue extracurricular activities” section above.).

In summary, research in high school can be your ticket to becoming a mini-expert in something you love. With an idea, a mentor, and some perseverance, you can start delving into the scientific world before you even get to college. So, grab your notebook, channel your inner Sherlock, and go explore some mysteries!

Pioneer Academics

Summer Research Program

Independent research project

Research for course credit

Hey there, WALL-E wizard!

Ready to jump into the world of gears, circuits, and code? Robotics isn't just about building cool machines (though that's a huge perk). It's a fantastic way to showcase your skills and interests, especially if you’re aiming for a STEM major in college. Let's break it down like a robot disassembly guide, shall we?

First off, robotics shows colleges you’re serious about STEM—especially engineering. Whether you’re programming an autonomous vehicle or designing a robot to rescue rubber ducks, you’re honing skills that align with majors like computer science, mechanical engineering, and even physics. It’s like putting a big, flashing “I LOVE STEM” sign on your college application.

Now, let’s address the elephant (or rather, the robot) in the room: robotics can be expensive.

Not all schools have the budget for a robotics club, which can feel like hitting a brick wall. But here’s where you can turn lemons into lemonade—consider fundraising or petitioning to start a robotics club at your school. This shows initiative and impact, qualities that make admissions officers swoon. Organize a bake sale, launch a crowdfunding campaign, or partner with local businesses for sponsorships. You’re not just building robots—you’re building a legacy.

Once you’ve got your club rolling (pun intended), it’s time to think about competitions.

Competitions offer a chance to showcase your skills and network with other tech enthusiasts. Some popular ones include FIRST Robotics Competition, VEX Robotics Competition, and Botball. These events aren’t just about winning; they’re about learning, innovating, and having fun. Plus, they can look amazing on college applications (depending on what schools and majors you’re applying to).

And don’t keep all the fun to yourself—share the love!

Invite younger students to join workshops or mentor them in building simple robots. This not only inspires the next generation of innovators but also highlights your leadership and community spirit.

So grab your toolkit, power up your creativity, and let’s build the future—one robot at a time.

First Robotics

Vex Robotics

KISS Institute for Practical Robotics Tournament

BEST Robotics Competition

Robotics Club

Robotics Team

School Spirit

Greetings, future spirit leader! Ready to unleash your inner cheerleader and transform your high school into a hub of enthusiasm and joy?

School spirit activities are the heartbeat of any school, bringing students together and creating unforgettable memories. Plus, they’re a blast and can look great on your college application. Let’s dive into the world of school spirit with the same energy as the most extra peppy rally you can think of.

Unlike other extracurriculars that might take you off-campus or across the state, school spirit activities are all about your home turf.

These activities are deeply tied to your school, making them unique in a sense. Think student council, pep rallies, homecoming dances, and fundraisers.

The student council is usually the powerhouse behind these events, organizing everything from bake sales to prom. Other activities, like cheerleading and pep band, can also fall under this category, depending on how serious they are at your school (you may want to label them “Athletics” or “Music: Instrumental” on the Common App, for instance, but again—admissions officers won’t care about the semantics too much here).

School spirit activities are often light-hearted and perfect for students with dynamic personalities who love bringing people together and spreading cheer. If you’ve got a knack for creativity, planning Spirit Week is your time to shine. Themes like Pajama Day, Twin Day, or Throwback Thursday can turn the school halls into a vibrant runway. And who doesn't love a good old-fashioned students vs. teachers competition? These events are not only fun but also foster a sense of community and inclusivity, which colleges highly value.

Speaking of inclusivity, don’t forget to involve everyone in your school community, from custodial staff to cafeteria workers.

They are vital parts of the school and including them in events can create a more united and happy school environment. Some schools even have a house system (yes, much like Hogwarts), where students compete in fun challenges throughout the year. Being involved in house leadership can be a great way to enhance school spirit and showcase your leadership skills.

School spirit activities can often overlap with student government, which focuses more on the serious stuff—like school policies and procedures. But remember, both are valuable.

Student government is the “work hard” side of the coin, while school spirit is the “play hard” side. Together, they create a balanced and memorable high school experience. Colleges want to see students who can work hard but also know how to have fun and bring joy to their communities. So, bonus points if you like double-dipping (oh, come on… everyone secretly does it…).

If your school doesn’t have a strong school spirit presence, why not start something?

Organize a new club, plan events, or even create a friendly competition with neighboring schools. Fundraising can help cover costs if your school’s budget is pretty tight. Think car washes, bake sales, or even a GoFundMe campaign. Your initiative will not only boost school morale but also impress college admissions officers.

Diving into school spirit activities is a fantastic way to make high school memorable while building skills and experiences that colleges love. So, grab your pom-poms, rally your classmates, and let’s make your school the happiest place on Earth (sorry, Disney).

Campus Tour Guide

Student Ambassadors

Spirit Squad

Student Council

Social Justice

Hey there, Norma Rae.

Ready to make a difference in the world and show colleges that you care about more than just your grades? Social justice activities offer a means of demonstrating your passion, commitment, and drive to advocate for a better world.

Let’s dive into how you can champion social justice causes during high school, one rally at a time.

First, let’s clarify a common misconception: social justice and community service are related but distinct .

While community service often involves direct action like volunteering at a soup kitchen or cleaning up a park, social justice is about advocating for systemic changes. It’s the difference between feeding the hungry today and fighting for policies that end hunger tomorrow. Social justice clubs focus on issues like income inequality, educational inequity, BIPOC rights, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and more. They aim to tackle the root causes of social problems, pushing for lasting change.

In high schools, social justice clubs sometimes overlap with cultural affinity groups. If your club is more about celebrating traditions, it’s leaning towards cultural appreciation (and would probably warrant the “Cultural” category on the Common App). But if it’s about advocating for policy changes and raising awareness on justice issues, you’re in social justice territory.

Getting involved in social justice can start with joining or forming a club at your school. Organizations like the ACLU offer fantastic resources and ideas for young activists. You could plan a rally, organize a peaceful protest, or host a panel discussion on issues you’re passionate about. These activities show colleges that you’re not just aware of social issues, but are actively working to address them.

As you move up in high school and gain more clarity about your skills and interests, consider merging your academic passions with social justice.

Love filmmaking? Create promotional videos for local nonprofits or justice organizations. Skilled in graphic design? Design posters or social media campaigns for advocacy events. This fusion of talents and activism not only enhances your extracurricular profile but also makes a tangible impact.

Remember, social justice activities are a fantastic way to show colleges that you care about the world beyond yourself. They highlight your leadership, empathy, and dedication to creating a better future. Plus, they offer a powerful narrative for your college essays, showcasing how your high school experiences have shaped your worldview and aspirations.

Amnesty International

Black Lives Matter

Local immigrant rights organizations

Students Against Destructive Decisions

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Indigenous Peoples Movement

Climate change policy activism

Move for Hunger

Students Against Sexual Assault

LGBTQ+ rights and policy advocacy

Girls Learn International

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Student Government / Politics

Ready to make your mark in the world of Student Government and Politics?

Getting involved in student government is a fantastic way to showcase your leadership skills, drive for change, and passion for making a difference. Plus, it often looks stellar on your college application. Let’s explore the ins and outs of student government and political clubs, and how they can help you leave a legacy at your school.

First, let’s talk about the core of student leadership: student government. This is where the primary school leadership roles are housed, and there’s a role for every skill set.

Are you great at dreaming up grand visions and interfacing with administration to push for sweeping school reforms? Student body president might be your calling. Are you a budgeting wizard? The treasurer role is perfect for you. Got a knack for organization and keeping people accountable? The secretary position could use your talents. And if you’re in tune with the needs of your immediate peers, running for class president is a fantastic way to make a direct impact.

Student government can enact policies that improve the school experience, like implementing recycling programs, advocating for mental health resources, or pushing for changes in school policies (like gender-neutral uniforms) to better reflect student needs and desires. If you’ve frequently been told you have innate leadership abilities and you want to leave a legacy, student government can be your platform.

Beyond student government, which helps keep your school running smoothly and ensures that student voices are heard, your school may also offer clubs like Model Senate and Model UN. These give you a taste of other political systems, like the US Senate or the fascinating world of international diplomacy. You’ll debate, draft resolutions, and develop a deeper understanding of political processes.

There are also Young Democrats or Young Republicans, where you can connect with students who share your political ideology, bring in speakers, and organize activities to better understand the U.S. (unofficial) two-party system. These clubs might host debates, participate in local political events, and even organize voter registration drives.

Outside your school, there are countless ways to get involved in politics.

Volunteering or interning for a local political campaign is an excellent start. It’s pretty much always election season somewhere, whether it’s local, state, or federal. You can phonebank, canvass, or help with campaign events.

For those highly motivated to pursue politics or political science in college, consider programs like the Senate Page program or your state’s youth senate. These offer hands-on experience in the political arena and are incredible additions to your resume.

Whether you’re organizing a school event, advocating for policy changes, or volunteering on a political campaign, you’re showing colleges that you’re committed to making a difference.

Senate Page Program

State House Page programs

Boys and Girls Nation

Young Democrats

Young Republicans

Virtual Supreme Court Competition

American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

Your high school’s student government

Theatre/Drama

Hey superstar.

High school drama clubs offer a fantastic platform to develop meaningful life skills—both on and off the stage.

Most high schools have a drama club that puts on a mix of straight plays, musicals, and other big performance events. These productions require a variety of roles, each contributing uniquely to the magic of the theatre.

Acting helps develop public speaking skills, confidence, empathy, and the ability to think on your feet. Whether you’re playing the lead in a musical or a supporting character in a play, you’ll learn how to express emotions, memorize lines, and work as part of a team.

Stage managers are the unsung heroes of any production: coordinating rehearsals, managing backstage activities during performances, and keeping everyone on schedule. This role hones organizational skills, leadership, and problem-solving.

If you’re interested in lighting, sound, or set design, the tech crew is your domain. These roles involve setting up and operating technical equipment, designing stage sets, and creating the visual and auditory atmosphere of the production. Skills developed here include technical proficiency, creativity, and attention to detail.

If you have a vision for the whole show, consider directing or producing. These roles involve overseeing the entire production, from casting to final performance. They develop leadership, project management, and creative vision.

Beyond your high school drama club, many towns and cities offer additional theatre opportunities.

Local theatres often welcome high school actors to audition and participate in productions alongside adult actors, giving you a taste of more professional theatre. If you’re interested in film and television, consider starting to build a reel or audition for local productions (or maybe even commercials) to gain experience and exposure.

It's important to remember that being in a show requires a significant commitment. Rehearsals often take place after school and can run for several hours each day as the performance date approaches. This means balancing your academic responsibilities with your passion for theatre. But despite the time and energy required, the thrill of bringing a character to life or contributing to a successful production makes it all worthwhile.

If you’re considering taking your passion for theatre to college, there are several paths to explore.

Some students choose conservatory programs, which are highly specialized and focus intensely on the performing arts. These programs can be incredibly competitive, so it’s important to research and prepare thoroughly.

For those interested in more traditional college experiences, many liberal arts colleges offer robust theatre majors and programs. Even if a school doesn’t have a conservatory program, your involvement in high school drama can still boost your candidacy.

When applying to colleges, consider putting together a portfolio of your work. This can include footage from different plays, highlighting your range as an actor or your skills in other areas like directing or stage management. A strong portfolio can be a powerful addition to your application, showcasing your talent and commitment.

Break a leg!

Thespian Society

Community theatre programs

Community theatre workshops or summer camps

Renaissance faires

Historical reenactment programs

College-level drama courses

Work (paid)

Paid work opportunities are a fantastic way to gain real-world experience, boost your resume, and even help your family financially. Plus, contrary to popular belief, colleges value work experience just as much as traditional extracurricular activities.

Let’s dive into the world of high school jobs with the enthusiasm that comes with getting a first paycheck!

Paid work isn’t just about earning money (though, let’s be real, that’s a big perk). Jobs across different industries help you develop crucial skills and qualities.

Whether you’re flipping burgers or freelancing online, you’ll gain time management skills by balancing work and school, responsibility from showing up on time and completing tasks, customer service skills by interacting with customers, and teamwork through collaborating with colleagues.

Worried that colleges prefer traditional extracurriculars over work experience? Well, fear not, my friend.

Many students need to work to support their families, and colleges understand this. In fact, working demonstrates maturity, commitment, and a strong work ethic. If work commitments limit your involvement in school activities, use the Additional Info section on the Common App to explain your situation. It highlights your dedication and resilience.

Work can take many forms.

For example, websites like UpWork offer freelance opportunities in writing, video editing, graphic design, and more. These gigs allow you to work flexible hours and build a portfolio of professional work.

Don’t overlook traditional jobs, like retail, which is perfect for learning customer service and sales skills, or hospitality, which is great for building communication skills and handling high-pressure situations.

Tutoring is ideal if you excel in a particular subject and want to help others while earning money. These roles offer flexible hours, making them manageable alongside your schoolwork. (Bonus: recruit some friends and demonstrate your dedication to community by starting a tutoring group for younger students?)

So, roll up your sleeves, find that perfect part-time job, and start cashing in on experience and earnings!

Landscaping/lawn cutting

House sitting

Service industry, e.g. restaurant, coffee shop, fast food

Grocery store

Construction

Other Club / Activity

Hey there, omnipotent… “other clubber?”

If you happened to read through all 26 prior sections of these Common Application extracurricular activity categories—congratulations, you deserve a certificate of completion. You may also be thinking: “hey, what about the Fondue Club that I started last year?”

Well, what I’m thinking is… why wasn’t I invited?

Cheesy jokes aside (teehee), there are many activities that fall outside of the purview of the Common Application defaults.

From speciality clubs and student societies— anything from Video Game Club to your side hustle reading the morning announcements for the school office—there may be niche, interesting ways you spend your time that you can conveniently label “Other Club / Activity” if need be.

That doesn’t make it any less legitimate!

In fact, non-traditional activities and personal hobbies—from coin collecting, to juggling, to getting your pilot’s license–are often a nice palate cleanser for admissions officers, who often read applications from students doing similar clubs and activities in high school .

Now, that doesn’t mean the traditional activities are bad. Far from it! We’re just taking a moment to legitimize any of these “other” activities you may find yourself getting totally immersed in.

Independent hobbies and self-directed projects are a great way to really lean into an intellectual curiosity or academic interest you may continue to develop throughout high school.

For instance, one of our college counselors previously worked with a student who self-produced his own podcast all about ants. We’d say that’s a perfect example for this type of category.

One piece of advice we’d like to close with is potentially thinking about sharing the wealth of a personal hobby you may have that’s a little less “traditional teenager.”

So, for instance, trying to start a club at your school to share your interest with your immediate peers. That’s a great way to layer collaboration and teamwork onto an existing way you’re already spending your time.

Sharing is caring, after all—especially when fondue is involved. Bonus points for inclusivity if you fold in a non-dairy alternative.

As with our other entries, we’ll close things out with a few examples to help you get inspired and embrace the other.

Mental Health Club

Dungeons and Dragons Club

Documentary Film Club

Broadcasting Clubs

School TV or Radio Station

Running your own podcast

CPR Certification

First Aid Certification

Boating License

Pilot license

SCUBA certifications

Special thanks to Tom for writing this post, and to Renee & Susan from the CEG College Counseling team for contributing.

Tom Campbell (he/him) is an eternally extra Gemini who has spent the past seven years helping students and families navigate the college admissions process—one alliterative/assonant aphorism at a time. Prior to joining College Essay Guy, he worked as a college counselor at Lakeside School and an admissions officer at Pomona College and College of the Holy Cross (his alma mater). He stans em dashes and semicolons, Kacey Musgraves (all eras, not just star crossed and Golden Hour), superior breakfast burritos, and complaining about space tourism.

With contributions from:

Renee Ferrerio With 30+ years of experience as a school and college counselor, including having been a Director of College Counseling at an independent school and the Department Chair of Counseling at a public school, Renee possesses a wealth of college admission knowledge. She has assisted hundreds of students in pursuing colleges that best fit their goals and aspirations while remaining actively engaged in the field through regional and national professional organizations. Having visited 220 colleges in person, Renee approaches the art of guiding students with a blend of humor and meticulous research, exploring the expansive possibilities in the arena of post-secondary education. As a first-generation college graduate, Renee intimately understands the challenges that students face in navigating the intricate landscape of college admission.

Susan Kastner Tree is a native New Yorker whose career in college admissions has included working both in selective college admissions and as a secondary school college counselor. Following her graduation from St. Lawrence University with a BS in Psychology, Susan moved to New England where she worked for twelve years as Associate Dean of Admissions at Bates College. She completed her Master’s degree in School Counseling at the University of Southern Maine and for the next 25 years worked with students from around the world as the Director of College Counseling at a college prep day and boarding school near Philadelphia. Since stepping out of that role, Susan has evaluated applications for two selective research universities and serves as College Essay Guy’s lead college counselor. Susan is a founding board member of the Character Collaborative, the Independent Curriculum Group, and the college access organization GoToCollege NYC; she has served on the Counselor Advisory committees of the College Board, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and the Common Application. Her twins are recent college graduates.

Top Values: Empowerment | Family | Faith

photo of Icon of the Seas, taken on a long railed path approaching the stern of the ship, with people walking along dock

Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever

Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas

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Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET on April 6, 2024.

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MY FIRST GLIMPSE of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, from the window of an approaching Miami cab, brings on a feeling of vertigo, nausea, amazement, and distress. I shut my eyes in defense, as my brain tells my optic nerve to try again.

The ship makes no sense, vertically or horizontally. It makes no sense on sea, or on land, or in outer space. It looks like a hodgepodge of domes and minarets, tubes and canopies, like Istanbul had it been designed by idiots. Vibrant, oversignifying colors are stacked upon other such colors, decks perched over still more decks; the only comfort is a row of lifeboats ringing its perimeter. There is no imposed order, no cogent thought, and, for those who do not harbor a totalitarian sense of gigantomania, no visual mercy. This is the biggest cruise ship ever built, and I have been tasked with witnessing its inaugural voyage.

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“Author embarks on their first cruise-ship voyage” has been a staple of American essay writing for almost three decades, beginning with David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again,” which was first published in 1996 under the title “Shipping Out.” Since then, many admirable writers have widened and diversified the genre. Usually the essayist commissioned to take to the sea is in their first or second flush of youth and is ready to sharpen their wit against the hull of the offending vessel. I am 51, old and tired, having seen much of the world as a former travel journalist, and mostly what I do in both life and prose is shrug while muttering to my imaginary dachshund, “This too shall pass.” But the Icon of the Seas will not countenance a shrug. The Icon of the Seas is the Linda Loman of cruise ships, exclaiming that attention must be paid. And here I am in late January with my one piece of luggage and useless gray winter jacket and passport, zipping through the Port of Miami en route to the gangway that will separate me from the bulk of North America for more than seven days, ready to pay it in full.

The aforementioned gangway opens up directly onto a thriving mall (I will soon learn it is imperiously called the “Royal Promenade”), presently filled with yapping passengers beneath a ceiling studded with balloons ready to drop. Crew members from every part of the global South, as well as a few Balkans, are shepherding us along while pressing flutes of champagne into our hands. By a humming Starbucks, I drink as many of these as I can and prepare to find my cabin. I show my blue Suite Sky SeaPass Card (more on this later, much more) to a smiling woman from the Philippines, and she tells me to go “aft.” Which is where, now? As someone who has rarely sailed on a vessel grander than the Staten Island Ferry, I am confused. It turns out that the aft is the stern of the ship, or, for those of us who don’t know what a stern or an aft are, its ass. The nose of the ship, responsible for separating the waves before it, is also called a bow, and is marked for passengers as the FWD , or forward. The part of the contemporary sailing vessel where the malls are clustered is called the midship. I trust that you have enjoyed this nautical lesson.

I ascend via elevator to my suite on Deck 11. This is where I encounter my first terrible surprise. My suite windows and balcony do not face the ocean. Instead, they look out onto another shopping mall. This mall is the one that’s called Central Park, perhaps in homage to the Olmsted-designed bit of greenery in the middle of my hometown. Although on land I would be delighted to own a suite with Central Park views, here I am deeply depressed. To sail on a ship and not wake up to a vast blue carpet of ocean? Unthinkable.

Allow me a brief preamble here. The story you are reading was commissioned at a moment when most staterooms on the Icon were sold out. In fact, so enthralled by the prospect of this voyage were hard-core mariners that the ship’s entire inventory of guest rooms (the Icon can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers, but its inaugural journey was reduced to 5,000 or so for a less crowded experience) was almost immediately sold out. Hence, this publication was faced with the shocking prospect of paying nearly $19,000 to procure for this solitary passenger an entire suite—not including drinking expenses—all for the privilege of bringing you this article. But the suite in question doesn’t even have a view of the ocean! I sit down hard on my soft bed. Nineteen thousand dollars for this .

selfie photo of man with glasses, in background is swim-up bar with two women facing away

The viewless suite does have its pluses. In addition to all the Malin+Goetz products in my dual bathrooms, I am granted use of a dedicated Suite Deck lounge; access to Coastal Kitchen, a superior restaurant for Suites passengers; complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream (“the fastest Internet at Sea”) “for one device per person for the whole cruise duration”; a pair of bathrobes (one of which comes prestained with what looks like a large expectoration by the greenest lizard on Earth); and use of the Grove Suite Sun, an area on Decks 18 and 19 with food and deck chairs reserved exclusively for Suite passengers. I also get reserved seating for a performance of The Wizard of Oz , an ice-skating tribute to the periodic table, and similar provocations. The very color of my Suite Sky SeaPass Card, an oceanic blue as opposed to the cloying royal purple of the standard non-Suite passenger, will soon provoke envy and admiration. But as high as my status may be, there are those on board who have much higher status still, and I will soon learn to bow before them.

In preparation for sailing, I have “priced in,” as they say on Wall Street, the possibility that I may come from a somewhat different monde than many of the other cruisers. Without falling into stereotypes or preconceptions, I prepare myself for a friendly outspokenness on the part of my fellow seafarers that may not comply with modern DEI standards. I believe in meeting people halfway, and so the day before flying down to Miami, I visited what remains of Little Italy to purchase a popular T-shirt that reads DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL across the breast in the colors of the Italian flag. My wife recommended that I bring one of my many T-shirts featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, as all Americans love the beagle and his friends. But I naively thought that my meatball T-shirt would be more suitable for conversation-starting. “Oh, and who is your ‘daddy’?” some might ask upon seeing it. “And how long have you been his ‘little meatball’?” And so on.

I put on my meatball T-shirt and head for one of the dining rooms to get a late lunch. In the elevator, I stick out my chest for all to read the funny legend upon it, but soon I realize that despite its burnished tricolor letters, no one takes note. More to the point, no one takes note of me. Despite my attempts at bridge building, the very sight of me (small, ethnic, without a cap bearing the name of a football team) elicits no reaction from other passengers. Most often, they will small-talk over me as if I don’t exist. This brings to mind the travails of David Foster Wallace , who felt so ostracized by his fellow passengers that he retreated to his cabin for much of his voyage. And Wallace was raised primarily in the Midwest and was a much larger, more American-looking meatball than I am. If he couldn’t talk to these people, how will I? What if I leave this ship without making any friends at all, despite my T-shirt? I am a social creature, and the prospect of seven days alone and apart is saddening. Wallace’s stateroom, at least, had a view of the ocean, a kind of cheap eternity.

Worse awaits me in the dining room. This is a large, multichandeliered room where I attended my safety training (I was shown how to put on a flotation vest; it is a very simple procedure). But the maître d’ politely refuses me entry in an English that seems to verge on another language. “I’m sorry, this is only for pendejos ,” he seems to be saying. I push back politely and he repeats himself. Pendejos ? Piranhas? There’s some kind of P-word to which I am not attuned. Meanwhile elderly passengers stream right past, powered by their limbs, walkers, and electric wheelchairs. “It is only pendejo dining today, sir.” “But I have a suite!” I say, already starting to catch on to the ship’s class system. He examines my card again. “But you are not a pendejo ,” he confirms. I am wearing a DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL T-shirt, I want to say to him. I am the essence of pendejo .

Eventually, I give up and head to the plebeian buffet on Deck 15, which has an aquatic-styled name I have now forgotten. Before gaining entry to this endless cornucopia of reheated food, one passes a washing station of many sinks and soap dispensers, and perhaps the most intriguing character on the entire ship. He is Mr. Washy Washy—or, according to his name tag, Nielbert of the Philippines—and he is dressed as a taco (on other occasions, I’ll see him dressed as a burger). Mr. Washy Washy performs an eponymous song in spirited, indeed flamboyant English: “Washy, washy, wash your hands, WASHY WASHY!” The dangers of norovirus and COVID on a cruise ship this size (a giant fellow ship was stricken with the former right after my voyage) makes Mr. Washy Washy an essential member of the crew. The problem lies with the food at the end of Washy’s rainbow. The buffet is groaning with what sounds like sophisticated dishes—marinated octopus, boiled egg with anchovy, chorizo, lobster claws—but every animal tastes tragically the same, as if there was only one creature available at the market, a “cruisipus” bred specifically for Royal Caribbean dining. The “vegetables” are no better. I pick up a tomato slice and look right through it. It tastes like cellophane. I sit alone, apart from the couples and parents with gaggles of children, as “We Are Family” echoes across the buffet space.

I may have failed to mention that all this time, the Icon of the Seas has not left port. As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks. After the sun sets, in the far, dark distance, another circus-lit cruise ship ruptures the waves before us. We glance at it with pity, because it is by definition a smaller ship than our own. I am on Deck 15, outside the buffet and overlooking a bunch of pools (the Icon has seven of them), drinking a frilly drink that I got from one of the bars (the Icon has 15 of them), still too shy to speak to anyone, despite Sister Sledge’s assertion that all on the ship are somehow related.

Kim Brooks: On failing the family vacation

The ship’s passage away from Ron DeSantis’s Florida provides no frisson, no sense of developing “sea legs,” as the ship is too large to register the presence of waves unless a mighty wind adds significant chop. It is time for me to register the presence of the 5,000 passengers around me, even if they refuse to register mine. My fellow travelers have prepared for this trip with personally decorated T-shirts celebrating the importance of this voyage. The simplest ones say ICON INAUGURAL ’24 on the back and the family name on the front. Others attest to an over-the-top love of cruise ships: WARNING! MAY START TALKING ABOUT CRUISING . Still others are artisanally designed and celebrate lifetimes spent married while cruising (on ships, of course). A couple possibly in their 90s are wearing shirts whose backs feature a drawing of a cruise liner, two flamingos with ostensibly male and female characteristics, and the legend “ HUSBAND AND WIFE Cruising Partners FOR LIFE WE MAY NOT HAVE IT All Together BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL .” (The words not in all caps have been written in cursive.) A real journalist or a more intrepid conversationalist would have gone up to the couple and asked them to explain the longevity of their marriage vis-à-vis their love of cruising. But instead I head to my mall suite, take off my meatball T-shirt, and allow the first tears of the cruise to roll down my cheeks slowly enough that I briefly fall asleep amid the moisture and salt.

photo of elaborate twisting multicolored waterslides with long stairwell to platform

I WAKE UP with a hangover. Oh God. Right. I cannot believe all of that happened last night. A name floats into my cobwebbed, nauseated brain: “Ayn Rand.” Jesus Christ.

I breakfast alone at the Coastal Kitchen. The coffee tastes fine and the eggs came out of a bird. The ship rolls slightly this morning; I can feel it in my thighs and my schlong, the parts of me that are most receptive to danger.

I had a dangerous conversation last night. After the sun set and we were at least 50 miles from shore (most modern cruise ships sail at about 23 miles an hour), I lay in bed softly hiccupping, my arms stretched out exactly like Jesus on the cross, the sound of the distant waves missing from my mall-facing suite, replaced by the hum of air-conditioning and children shouting in Spanish through the vents of my two bathrooms. I decided this passivity was unacceptable. As an immigrant, I feel duty-bound to complete the tasks I am paid for, which means reaching out and trying to understand my fellow cruisers. So I put on a normal James Perse T-shirt and headed for one of the bars on the Royal Promenade—the Schooner Bar, it was called, if memory serves correctly.

I sat at the bar for a martini and two Negronis. An old man with thick, hairy forearms drank next to me, very silent and Hemingwaylike, while a dreadlocked piano player tinkled out a series of excellent Elton John covers. To my right, a young white couple—he in floral shorts, she in a light, summery miniskirt with a fearsome diamond ring, neither of them in football regalia—chatted with an elderly couple. Do it , I commanded myself. Open your mouth. Speak! Speak without being spoken to. Initiate. A sentence fragment caught my ear from the young woman, “Cherry Hill.” This is a suburb of Philadelphia in New Jersey, and I had once been there for a reading at a synagogue. “Excuse me,” I said gently to her. “Did you just mention Cherry Hill? It’s a lovely place.”

As it turned out, the couple now lived in Fort Lauderdale (the number of Floridians on the cruise surprised me, given that Southern Florida is itself a kind of cruise ship, albeit one slowly sinking), but soon they were talking with me exclusively—the man potbellied, with a chin like a hard-boiled egg; the woman as svelte as if she were one of the many Ukrainian members of the crew—the elderly couple next to them forgotten. This felt as groundbreaking as the first time I dared to address an American in his native tongue, as a child on a bus in Queens (“On my foot you are standing, Mister”).

“I don’t want to talk politics,” the man said. “But they’re going to eighty-six Biden and put Michelle in.”

I considered the contradictions of his opening conversational gambit, but decided to play along. “People like Michelle,” I said, testing the waters. The husband sneered, but the wife charitably put forward that the former first lady was “more personable” than Joe Biden. “They’re gonna eighty-six Biden,” the husband repeated. “He can’t put a sentence together.”

After I mentioned that I was a writer—though I presented myself as a writer of teleplays instead of novels and articles such as this one—the husband told me his favorite writer was Ayn Rand. “Ayn Rand, she came here with nothing,” the husband said. “I work with a lot of Cubans, so …” I wondered if I should mention what I usually do to ingratiate myself with Republicans or libertarians: the fact that my finances improved after pass-through corporations were taxed differently under Donald Trump. Instead, I ordered another drink and the couple did the same, and I told him that Rand and I were born in the same city, St. Petersburg/Leningrad, and that my family also came here with nothing. Now the bonding and drinking began in earnest, and several more rounds appeared. Until it all fell apart.

Read: Gary Shteyngart on watching Russian television for five days straight

My new friend, whom I will refer to as Ayn, called out to a buddy of his across the bar, and suddenly a young couple, both covered in tattoos, appeared next to us. “He fucking punked me,” Ayn’s frat-boy-like friend called out as he put his arm around Ayn, while his sizable partner sizzled up to Mrs. Rand. Both of them had a look I have never seen on land—their eyes projecting absence and enmity in equal measure. In the ’90s, I drank with Russian soldiers fresh from Chechnya and wandered the streets of wartime Zagreb, but I have never seen such undisguised hostility toward both me and perhaps the universe at large. I was briefly introduced to this psychopathic pair, but neither of them wanted to have anything to do with me, and the tattooed woman would not even reveal her Christian name to me (she pretended to have the same first name as Mrs. Rand). To impress his tattooed friends, Ayn made fun of the fact that as a television writer, I’d worked on the series Succession (which, it would turn out, practically nobody on the ship had watched), instead of the far more palatable, in his eyes, zombie drama of last year. And then my new friends drifted away from me into an angry private conversation—“He punked me!”—as I ordered another drink for myself, scared of the dead-eyed arrivals whose gaze never registered in the dim wattage of the Schooner Bar, whose terrifying voices and hollow laughs grated like unoiled gears against the crooning of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

But today is a new day for me and my hangover. After breakfast, I explore the ship’s so-called neighborhoods . There’s the AquaDome, where one can find a food hall and an acrobatic sound-and-light aquatic show. Central Park has a premium steak house, a sushi joint, and a used Rolex that can be bought for $8,000 on land here proudly offered at $17,000. There’s the aforementioned Royal Promenade, where I had drunk with the Rands, and where a pair of dueling pianos duel well into the night. There’s Surfside, a kids’ neighborhood full of sugary garbage, which looks out onto the frothy trail that the behemoth leaves behind itself. Thrill Island refers to the collection of tubes that clutter the ass of the ship and offer passengers six waterslides and a surfing simulation. There’s the Hideaway, an adult zone that plays music from a vomit-slathered, Brit-filled Alicante nightclub circa 1996 and proves a big favorite with groups of young Latin American customers. And, most hurtfully, there’s the Suite Neighborhood.

2 photos: a ship's foamy white wake stretches to the horizon; a man at reailing with water and two large ships docked behind

I say hurtfully because as a Suite passenger I should be here, though my particular suite is far from the others. Whereas I am stuck amid the riffraff of Deck 11, this section is on the highborn Decks 16 and 17, and in passing, I peek into the spacious, tall-ceilinged staterooms from the hallway, dazzled by the glint of the waves and sun. For $75,000, one multifloor suite even comes with its own slide between floors, so that a family may enjoy this particular terror in private. There is a quiet splendor to the Suite Neighborhood. I see fewer stickers and signs and drawings than in my own neighborhood—for example, MIKE AND DIANA PROUDLY SERVED U.S. MARINE CORPS RETIRED . No one here needs to announce their branch of service or rank; they are simply Suites, and this is where they belong. Once again, despite my hard work and perseverance, I have been disallowed from the true American elite. Once again, I am “Not our class, dear.” I am reminded of watching The Love Boat on my grandmother’s Zenith, which either was given to her or we found in the trash (I get our many malfunctioning Zeniths confused) and whose tube got so hot, I would put little chunks of government cheese on a thin tissue atop it to give our welfare treat a pleasant, Reagan-era gooeyness. I could not understand English well enough then to catch the nuances of that seafaring program, but I knew that there were differences in the status of the passengers, and that sometimes those differences made them sad. Still, this ship, this plenty—every few steps, there are complimentary nachos or milkshakes or gyros on offer—was the fatty fuel of my childhood dreams. If only I had remained a child.

I walk around the outdoor decks looking for company. There is a middle-aged African American couple who always seem to be asleep in each other’s arms, probably exhausted from the late capitalism they regularly encounter on land. There is far more diversity on this ship than I expected. Many couples are a testament to Loving v. Virginia , and there is a large group of folks whose T-shirts read MELANIN AT SEA / IT’S THE MELANIN FOR ME . I smile when I see them, but then some young kids from the group makes Mr. Washy Washy do a cruel, caricatured “Burger Dance” (today he is in his burger getup), and I think, Well, so much for intersectionality .

At the infinity pool on Deck 17, I spot some elderly women who could be ethnic and from my part of the world, and so I jump in. I am proved correct! Many of them seem to be originally from Queens (“Corona was still great when it was all Italian”), though they are now spread across the tristate area. We bond over the way “Ron-kon-koma” sounds when announced in Penn Station.

“Everyone is here for a different reason,” one of them tells me. She and her ex-husband last sailed together four years ago to prove to themselves that their marriage was truly over. Her 15-year-old son lost his virginity to “an Irish young lady” while their ship was moored in Ravenna, Italy. The gaggle of old-timers competes to tell me their favorite cruising stories and tips. “A guy proposed in Central Park a couple of years ago”—many Royal Caribbean ships apparently have this ridiculous communal area—“and she ran away screaming!” “If you’re diamond-class, you get four drinks for free.” “A different kind of passenger sails out of Bayonne.” (This, perhaps, is racially coded.) “Sometimes, if you tip the bartender $5, your next drink will be free.”

“Everyone’s here for a different reason,” the woman whose marriage ended on a cruise tells me again. “Some people are here for bad reasons—the drinkers and the gamblers. Some people are here for medical reasons.” I have seen more than a few oxygen tanks and at least one woman clearly undergoing very serious chemo. Some T-shirts celebrate good news about a cancer diagnosis. This might be someone’s last cruise or week on Earth. For these women, who have spent months, if not years, at sea, cruising is a ritual as well as a life cycle: first love, last love, marriage, divorce, death.

Read: The last place on Earth any tourist should go

I have talked with these women for so long, tonight I promise myself that after a sad solitary dinner I will not try to seek out company at the bars in the mall or the adult-themed Hideaway. I have enough material to fulfill my duties to this publication. As I approach my orphaned suite, I run into the aggro young people who stole Mr. and Mrs. Rand away from me the night before. The tattooed apparitions pass me without a glance. She is singing something violent about “Stuttering Stanley” (a character in a popular horror movie, as I discover with my complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream Internet at Sea) and he’s loudly shouting about “all the money I’ve lost,” presumably at the casino in the bowels of the ship.

So these bent psychos out of a Cormac McCarthy novel are angrily inhabiting my deck. As I mewl myself to sleep, I envision a limited series for HBO or some other streamer, a kind of low-rent White Lotus , where several aggressive couples conspire to throw a shy intellectual interloper overboard. I type the scenario into my phone. As I fall asleep, I think of what the woman who recently divorced her husband and whose son became a man through the good offices of the Irish Republic told me while I was hoisting myself out of the infinity pool. “I’m here because I’m an explorer. I’m here because I’m trying something new.” What if I allowed myself to believe in her fantasy?

2 photos: 2 slices of pizza on plate; man in "Daddy's Little Meatball" shirt and shorts standing in outdoor dining area with ship's exhaust stacks in background

“YOU REALLY STARTED AT THE TOP,” they tell me. I’m at the Coastal Kitchen for my eggs and corned-beef hash, and the maître d’ has slotted me in between two couples. Fueled by coffee or perhaps intrigued by my relative youth, they strike up a conversation with me. As always, people are shocked that this is my first cruise. They contrast the Icon favorably with all the preceding liners in the Royal Caribbean fleet, usually commenting on the efficiency of the elevators that hurl us from deck to deck (as in many large corporate buildings, the elevators ask you to choose a floor and then direct you to one of many lifts). The couple to my right, from Palo Alto—he refers to his “porn mustache” and calls his wife “my cougar” because she is two years older—tell me they are “Pandemic Pinnacles.”

This is the day that my eyes will be opened. Pinnacles , it is explained to me over translucent cantaloupe, have sailed with Royal Caribbean for 700 ungodly nights. Pandemic Pinnacles took advantage of the two-for-one accrual rate of Pinnacle points during the pandemic, when sailing on a cruise ship was even more ill-advised, to catapult themselves into Pinnacle status.

Because of the importance of the inaugural voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, more than 200 Pinnacles are on this ship, a startling number, it seems. Mrs. Palo Alto takes out a golden badge that I have seen affixed over many a breast, which reads CROWN AND ANCHOR SOCIETY along with her name. This is the coveted badge of the Pinnacle. “You should hear all the whining in Guest Services,” her husband tells me. Apparently, the Pinnacles who are not also Suites like us are all trying to use their status to get into Coastal Kitchen, our elite restaurant. Even a Pinnacle needs to be a Suite to access this level of corned-beef hash.

“We’re just baby Pinnacles,” Mrs. Palo Alto tells me, describing a kind of internal class struggle among the Pinnacle elite for ever higher status.

And now I understand what the maître d’ was saying to me on the first day of my cruise. He wasn’t saying “ pendejo .” He was saying “Pinnacle.” The dining room was for Pinnacles only, all those older people rolling in like the tide on their motorized scooters.

And now I understand something else: This whole thing is a cult. And like most cults, it can’t help but mirror the endless American fight for status. Like Keith Raniere’s NXIVM, where different-colored sashes were given out to connote rank among Raniere’s branded acolytes, this is an endless competition among Pinnacles, Suites, Diamond-Plusers, and facing-the-mall, no-balcony purple SeaPass Card peasants, not to mention the many distinctions within each category. The more you cruise, the higher your status. No wonder a section of the Royal Promenade is devoted to getting passengers to book their next cruise during the one they should be enjoying now. No wonder desperate Royal Caribbean offers (“FINAL HOURS”) crowded my email account weeks before I set sail. No wonder the ship’s jewelry store, the Royal Bling, is selling a $100,000 golden chalice that will entitle its owner to drink free on Royal Caribbean cruises for life. (One passenger was already gaming out whether her 28-year-old son was young enough to “just about earn out” on the chalice or if that ship had sailed.) No wonder this ship was sold out months before departure , and we had to pay $19,000 for a horrid suite away from the Suite Neighborhood. No wonder the most mythical hero of Royal Caribbean lore is someone named Super Mario, who has cruised so often, he now has his own working desk on many ships. This whole experience is part cult, part nautical pyramid scheme.

From the June 2014 issue: Ship of wonks

“The toilets are amazing,” the Palo Altos are telling me. “One flush and you’re done.” “They don’t understand how energy-efficient these ships are,” the husband of the other couple is telling me. “They got the LNG”—liquefied natural gas, which is supposed to make the Icon a boon to the environment (a concept widely disputed and sometimes ridiculed by environmentalists).

But I’m thinking along a different line of attack as I spear my last pallid slice of melon. For my streaming limited series, a Pinnacle would have to get killed by either an outright peasant or a Suite without an ocean view. I tell my breakfast companions my idea.

“Oh, for sure a Pinnacle would have to be killed,” Mr. Palo Alto, the Pandemic Pinnacle, says, touching his porn mustache thoughtfully as his wife nods.

“THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S your time, buddy!” Hubert, my fun-loving Panamanian cabin attendant, shouts as I step out of my suite in a robe. “Take it easy, buddy!”

I have come up with a new dressing strategy. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam. The response among my fellow cruisers has been ecstatic. “Look at you in the robe!” Mr. Rand cries out as we pass each other by the Thrill Island aqua park. “You’re living the cruise life! You know, you really drank me under the table that night.” I laugh as we part ways, but my soul cries out, Please spend more time with me, Mr. and Mrs. Rand; I so need the company .

In my white robe, I am a stately presence, a refugee from a better limited series, a one-man crossover episode. (Only Suites are granted these robes to begin with.) Today, I will try many of the activities these ships have on offer to provide their clientele with a sense of never-ceasing motion. Because I am already at Thrill Island, I decide to climb the staircase to what looks like a mast on an old-fashioned ship (terrified, because I am afraid of heights) to try a ride called “Storm Chasers,” which is part of the “Category 6” water park, named in honor of one of the storms that may someday do away with the Port of Miami entirely. Storm Chasers consists of falling from the “mast” down a long, twisting neon tube filled with water, like being the camera inside your own colonoscopy, as you hold on to the handles of a mat, hoping not to die. The tube then flops you down headfirst into a trough of water, a Royal Caribbean baptism. It both knocks my breath out and makes me sad.

In keeping with the aquatic theme, I attend a show at the AquaDome. To the sound of “Live and Let Die,” a man in a harness gyrates to and fro in the sultry air. I saw something very similar in the back rooms of the famed Berghain club in early-aughts Berlin. Soon another harnessed man is gyrating next to the first. Ja , I think to myself, I know how this ends. Now will come the fisting , natürlich . But the show soon devolves into the usual Marvel-film-grade nonsense, with too much light and sound signifying nichts . If any fisting is happening, it is probably in the Suite Neighborhood, inside a cabin marked with an upside-down pineapple, which I understand means a couple are ready to swing, and I will see none of it.

I go to the ice show, which is a kind of homage—if that’s possible—to the periodic table, done with the style and pomp and masterful precision that would please the likes of Kim Jong Un, if only he could afford Royal Caribbean talent. At one point, the dancers skate to the theme song of Succession . “See that!” I want to say to my fellow Suites—at “cultural” events, we have a special section reserved for us away from the commoners—“ Succession ! It’s even better than the zombie show! Open your minds!”

Finally, I visit a comedy revue in an enormous and too brightly lit version of an “intimate,” per Royal Caribbean literature, “Manhattan comedy club.” Many of the jokes are about the cruising life. “I’ve lived on ships for 20 years,” one of the middle-aged comedians says. “I can only see so many Filipino homosexuals dressed as a taco.” He pauses while the audience laughs. “I am so fired tonight,” he says. He segues into a Trump impression and then Biden falling asleep at the microphone, which gets the most laughs. “Anyone here from Fort Leonard Wood?” another comedian asks. Half the crowd seems to cheer. As I fall asleep that night, I realize another connection I have failed to make, and one that may explain some of the diversity on this vessel—many of its passengers have served in the military.

As a coddled passenger with a suite, I feel like I am starting to understand what it means to have a rank and be constantly reminded of it. There are many espresso makers , I think as I look across the expanse of my officer-grade quarters before closing my eyes, but this one is mine .

photo of sheltered sandy beach with palms, umbrellas, and chairs with two large docked cruise ships in background

A shocking sight greets me beyond the pools of Deck 17 as I saunter over to the Coastal Kitchen for my morning intake of slightly sour Americanos. A tiny city beneath a series of perfectly pressed green mountains. Land! We have docked for a brief respite in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. I wolf down my egg scramble to be one of the first passengers off the ship. Once past the gangway, I barely refrain from kissing the ground. I rush into the sights and sounds of this scruffy island city, sampling incredible conch curry and buckets of non-Starbucks coffee. How wonderful it is to be where God intended humans to be: on land. After all, I am neither a fish nor a mall rat. This is my natural environment. Basseterre may not be Havana, but there are signs of human ingenuity and desire everywhere you look. The Black Table Grill Has been Relocated to Soho Village, Market Street, Directly Behind of, Gary’s Fruits and Flower Shop. Signed. THE PORK MAN reads a sign stuck to a wall. Now, that is how you write a sign. A real sign, not the come-ons for overpriced Rolexes that blink across the screens of the Royal Promenade.

“Hey, tie your shoestring!” a pair of laughing ladies shout to me across the street.

“Thank you!” I shout back. Shoestring! “Thank you very much.”

A man in Independence Square Park comes by and asks if I want to play with his monkey. I haven’t heard that pickup line since the Penn Station of the 1980s. But then he pulls a real monkey out of a bag. The monkey is wearing a diaper and looks insane. Wonderful , I think, just wonderful! There is so much life here. I email my editor asking if I can remain on St. Kitts and allow the Icon to sail off into the horizon without me. I have even priced a flight home at less than $300, and I have enough material from the first four days on the cruise to write the entire story. “It would be funny …” my editor replies. “Now get on the boat.”

As I slink back to the ship after my brief jailbreak, the locals stand under umbrellas to gaze at and photograph the boat that towers over their small capital city. The limousines of the prime minister and his lackeys are parked beside the gangway. St. Kitts, I’ve been told, is one of the few islands that would allow a ship of this size to dock.

“We hear about all the waterslides,” a sweet young server in one of the cafés told me. “We wish we could go on the ship, but we have to work.”

“I want to stay on your island,” I replied. “I love it here.”

But she didn’t understand how I could possibly mean that.

“WASHY, WASHY, so you don’t get stinky, stinky!” kids are singing outside the AquaDome, while their adult minders look on in disapproval, perhaps worried that Mr. Washy Washy is grooming them into a life of gayness. I heard a southern couple skip the buffet entirely out of fear of Mr. Washy Washy.

Meanwhile, I have found a new watering hole for myself, the Swim & Tonic, the biggest swim-up bar on any cruise ship in the world. Drinking next to full-size, nearly naked Americans takes away one’s own self-consciousness. The men have curvaceous mom bodies. The women are equally un-shy about their sprawling physiques.

Today I’ve befriended a bald man with many children who tells me that all of the little trinkets that Royal Caribbean has left us in our staterooms and suites are worth a fortune on eBay. “Eighty dollars for the water bottle, 60 for the lanyard,” the man says. “This is a cult.”

“Tell me about it,” I say. There is, however, a clientele for whom this cruise makes perfect sense. For a large middle-class family (he works in “supply chains”), seven days in a lower-tier cabin—which starts at $1,800 a person—allow the parents to drop off their children in Surfside, where I imagine many young Filipina crew members will take care of them, while the parents are free to get drunk at a swim-up bar and maybe even get intimate in their cabin. Cruise ships have become, for a certain kind of hardworking family, a form of subsidized child care.

There is another man I would like to befriend at the Swim & Tonic, a tall, bald fellow who is perpetually inebriated and who wears a necklace studded with little rubber duckies in sunglasses, which, I am told, is a sort of secret handshake for cruise aficionados. Tomorrow, I will spend more time with him, but first the ship docks at St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie, the capital, is more charming in name than in presence, but I still all but jump off the ship to score a juicy oxtail and plantains at the well-known Petite Pump Room, overlooking the harbor. From one of the highest points in the small city, the Icon of the Seas appears bigger than the surrounding hills.

I usually tan very evenly, but something about the discombobulation of life at sea makes me forget the regular application of sunscreen. As I walk down the streets of Charlotte Amalie in my fluorescent Icon of the Seas cap, an old Rastafarian stares me down. “Redneck,” he hisses.

“No,” I want to tell him, as I bring a hand up to my red neck, “that’s not who I am at all. On my island, Mannahatta, as Whitman would have it, I am an interesting person living within an engaging artistic milieu. I do not wish to use the Caribbean as a dumping ground for the cruise-ship industry. I love the work of Derek Walcott. You don’t understand. I am not a redneck. And if I am, they did this to me.” They meaning Royal Caribbean? Its passengers? The Rands?

“They did this to me!”

Back on the Icon, some older matrons are muttering about a run-in with passengers from the Celebrity cruise ship docked next to us, the Celebrity Apex. Although Celebrity Cruises is also owned by Royal Caribbean, I am made to understand that there is a deep fratricidal beef between passengers of the two lines. “We met a woman from the Apex,” one matron says, “and she says it was a small ship and there was nothing to do. Her face was as tight as a 19-year-old’s, she had so much surgery.” With those words, and beneath a cloudy sky, humidity shrouding our weathered faces and red necks, we set sail once again, hopefully in the direction of home.

photo from inside of spacious geodesic-style glass dome facing ocean, with stairwells and seating areas

THERE ARE BARELY 48 HOURS LEFT to the cruise, and the Icon of the Seas’ passengers are salty. They know how to work the elevators. They know the Washy Washy song by heart. They understand that the chicken gyro at “Feta Mediterranean,” in the AquaDome Market, is the least problematic form of chicken on the ship.

The passengers have shed their INAUGURAL CRUISE T-shirts and are now starting to evince political opinions. There are caps pledging to make America great again and T-shirts that celebrate words sometimes attributed to Patrick Henry: “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” With their preponderance of FAMILY FLAG FAITH FRIENDS FIREARMS T-shirts, the tables by the crepe station sometimes resemble the Capitol Rotunda on January 6. The Real Anthony Fauci , by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears to be a popular form of literature, especially among young men with very complicated versions of the American flag on their T-shirts. Other opinions blend the personal and the political. “Someone needs to kill Washy guy, right?” a well-dressed man in the elevator tells me, his gray eyes radiating nothing. “Just beat him to death. Am I right?” I overhear the male member of a young couple whisper, “There goes that freak” as I saunter by in my white spa robe, and I decide to retire it for the rest of the cruise.

I visit the Royal Bling to see up close the $100,000 golden chalice that entitles you to free drinks on Royal Caribbean forever. The pleasant Serbian saleslady explains that the chalice is actually gold-plated and covered in white zirconia instead of diamonds, as it would otherwise cost $1 million. “If you already have everything,” she explains, “this is one more thing you can get.”

I believe that anyone who works for Royal Caribbean should be entitled to immediate American citizenship. They already speak English better than most of the passengers and, per the Serbian lady’s sales pitch above, better understand what America is as well. Crew members like my Panamanian cabin attendant seem to work 24 hours a day. A waiter from New Delhi tells me that his contract is six months and three weeks long. After a cruise ends, he says, “in a few hours, we start again for the next cruise.” At the end of the half a year at sea, he is allowed a two-to-three-month stay at home with his family. As of 2019, the median income for crew members was somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000, according to a major business publication. Royal Caribbean would not share the current median salary for its crew members, but I am certain that it amounts to a fraction of the cost of a Royal Bling gold-plated, zirconia-studded chalice.

And because most of the Icon’s hyper-sanitized spaces are just a frittata away from being a Delta lounge, one forgets that there are actual sailors on this ship, charged with the herculean task of docking it in port. “Having driven 100,000-ton aircraft carriers throughout my career,” retired Admiral James G. Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, writes to me, “I’m not sure I would even know where to begin with trying to control a sea monster like this one nearly three times the size.” (I first met Stavridis while touring Army bases in Germany more than a decade ago.)

Today, I decide to head to the hot tub near Swim & Tonic, where some of the ship’s drunkest reprobates seem to gather (the other tubs are filled with families and couples). The talk here, like everywhere else on the ship, concerns football, a sport about which I know nothing. It is apparent that four teams have recently competed in some kind of finals for the year, and that two of them will now face off in the championship. Often when people on the Icon speak, I will try to repeat the last thing they said with a laugh or a nod of disbelief. “Yes, 20-yard line! Ha!” “Oh my God, of course, scrimmage.”

Soon we are joined in the hot tub by the late-middle-age drunk guy with the duck necklace. He is wearing a bucket hat with the legend HAWKEYES , which, I soon gather, is yet another football team. “All right, who turned me in?” Duck Necklace says as he plops into the tub beside us. “I get a call in the morning,” he says. “It’s security. Can you come down to the dining room by 10 a.m.? You need to stay away from the members of this religious family.” Apparently, the gregarious Duck Necklace had photobombed the wrong people. There are several families who present as evangelical Christians or practicing Muslims on the ship. One man, evidently, was not happy that Duck Necklace had made contact with his relatives. “It’s because of religious stuff; he was offended. I put my arm around 20 people a day.”

Everyone laughs. “They asked me three times if I needed medication,” he says of the security people who apparently interrogated him in full view of others having breakfast.

Another hot-tub denizen suggests that he should have asked for fentanyl. After a few more drinks, Duck Necklace begins to muse about what it would be like to fall off the ship. “I’m 62 and I’m ready to go,” he says. “I just don’t want a shark to eat me. I’m a huge God guy. I’m a Bible guy. There’s some Mayan theory squaring science stuff with religion. There is so much more to life on Earth.” We all nod into our Red Stripes.

“I never get off the ship when we dock,” he says. He tells us he lost $6,000 in the casino the other day. Later, I look him up, and it appears that on land, he’s a financial adviser in a crisp gray suit, probably a pillar of his North Chicago community.

photo of author smiling and holding soft-serve ice-cream cone with outdoor seating area in background

THE OCEAN IS TEEMING with fascinating life, but on the surface it has little to teach us. The waves come and go. The horizon remains ever far away.

I am constantly told by my fellow passengers that “everybody here has a story.” Yes, I want to reply, but everybody everywhere has a story. You, the reader of this essay, have a story, and yet you’re not inclined to jump on a cruise ship and, like Duck Necklace, tell your story to others at great pitch and volume. Maybe what they’re saying is that everybody on this ship wants to have a bigger, more coherent, more interesting story than the one they’ve been given. Maybe that’s why there’s so much signage on the doors around me attesting to marriages spent on the sea. Maybe that’s why the Royal Caribbean newsletter slipped under my door tells me that “this isn’t a vacation day spent—it’s bragging rights earned.” Maybe that’s why I’m so lonely.

Today is a big day for Icon passengers. Today the ship docks at Royal Caribbean’s own Bahamian island, the Perfect Day at CocoCay. (This appears to be the actual name of the island.) A comedian at the nightclub opined on what his perfect day at CocoCay would look like—receiving oral sex while learning that his ex-wife had been killed in a car crash (big laughter). But the reality of the island is far less humorous than that.

One of the ethnic tristate ladies in the infinity pool told me that she loved CocoCay because it had exactly the same things that could be found on the ship itself. This proves to be correct. It is like the Icon, but with sand. The same tired burgers, the same colorful tubes conveying children and water from Point A to B. The same swim-up bar at its Hideaway ($140 for admittance, no children allowed; Royal Caribbean must be printing money off its clientele). “There was almost a fight at The Wizard of Oz ,” I overhear an elderly woman tell her companion on a chaise lounge. Apparently one of the passengers began recording Royal Caribbean’s intellectual property and “three guys came after him.”

I walk down a pathway to the center of the island, where a sign reads DO NOT ENTER: YOU HAVE REACHED THE BOUNDARY OF ADVENTURE . I hear an animal scampering in the bushes. A Royal Caribbean worker in an enormous golf cart soon chases me down and takes me back to the Hideaway, where I run into Mrs. Rand in a bikini. She becomes livid telling me about an altercation she had the other day with a woman over a towel and a deck chair. We Suites have special towel privileges; we do not have to hand over our SeaPass Card to score a towel. But the Rands are not Suites. “People are so entitled here,” Mrs. Rand says. “It’s like the airport with all its classes.” “You see,” I want to say, “this is where your husband’s love of Ayn Rand runs into the cruelties and arbitrary indignities of unbridled capitalism.” Instead we make plans to meet for a final drink in the Schooner Bar tonight (the Rands will stand me up).

Back on the ship, I try to do laps, but the pool (the largest on any cruise ship, naturally) is fully trashed with the detritus of American life: candy wrappers, a slowly dissolving tortilla chip, napkins. I take an extra-long shower in my suite, then walk around the perimeter of the ship on a kind of exercise track, past all the alluring lifeboats in their yellow-and-white livery. Maybe there is a dystopian angle to the HBO series that I will surely end up pitching, one with shades of WALL-E or Snowpiercer . In a collapsed world, a Royal Caribbean–like cruise liner sails from port to port, collecting new shipmates and supplies in exchange for the precious energy it has on board. (The actual Icon features a new technology that converts passengers’ poop into enough energy to power the waterslides . In the series, this shitty technology would be greatly expanded.) A very young woman (18? 19?), smart and lonely, who has only known life on the ship, walks along the same track as I do now, contemplating jumping off into the surf left by its wake. I picture reusing Duck Necklace’s words in the opening shot of the pilot. The girl is walking around the track, her eyes on the horizon; maybe she’s highborn—a Suite—and we hear the voice-over: “I’m 19 and I’m ready to go. I just don’t want a shark to eat me.”

Before the cruise is finished, I talk to Mr. Washy Washy, or Nielbert of the Philippines. He is a sweet, gentle man, and I thank him for the earworm of a song he has given me and for keeping us safe from the dreaded norovirus. “This is very important to me, getting people to wash their hands,” he tells me in his burger getup. He has dreams, as an artist and a performer, but they are limited in scope. One day he wants to dress up as a piece of bacon for the morning shift.

THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC (the Icon of the Seas is five times as large as that doomed vessel) at least offered its passengers an exciting ending to their cruise, but when I wake up on the eighth day, all I see are the gray ghosts that populate Miami’s condo skyline. Throughout my voyage, my writer friends wrote in to commiserate with me. Sloane Crosley, who once covered a three-day spa mini-cruise for Vogue , tells me she felt “so very alone … I found it very untethering.” Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes in an Instagram comment: “When Gary is done I think it’s time this genre was taken out back and shot.” And he is right. To badly paraphrase Adorno: After this, no more cruise stories. It is unfair to put a thinking person on a cruise ship. Writers typically have difficult childhoods, and it is cruel to remind them of the inherent loneliness that drove them to writing in the first place. It is also unseemly to write about the kind of people who go on cruises. Our country does not provide the education and upbringing that allow its citizens an interior life. For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.

A day or two before I got off the ship, I decided to make use of my balcony, which I had avoided because I thought the view would only depress me further. What I found shocked me. My suite did not look out on Central Park after all. This entire time, I had been living in the ship’s Disneyland, Surfside, the neighborhood full of screaming toddlers consuming milkshakes and candy. And as I leaned out over my balcony, I beheld a slight vista of the sea and surf that I thought I had been missing. It had been there all along. The sea was frothy and infinite and blue-green beneath the span of a seagull’s wing. And though it had been trod hard by the world’s largest cruise ship, it remained.

This article appears in the May 2024 print edition with the headline “A Meatball at Sea.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

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Guest Essay

Harvard Should Say Less. Maybe All Schools Should.

An illustration of a graduation cap connected by its tassel to a microphone.

By Noah Feldman and Alison Simmons

Dr. Feldman is a law professor and Dr. Simmons is a professor of philosophy, both at Harvard.

Last fall, Harvard University’s leadership found itself at the center of a highly public, highly charged fight about taking an official institutional position in connection with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza.

First, critics denounced the school for being too slow to issue a statement on the matter. Then, after a statement was released by Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, and 17 other senior Harvard officials, some critics attacked it for being insufficiently forceful in condemning the Hamas attack, while others criticized it for being insufficiently forceful in condemning Israel’s retaliation.

One of the many sources of confusion at the time was that Harvard, like many other universities, did not have a formal policy on when and whether to issue official statements. In the absence of a policy, Harvard not only had to figure out what to say or not say; it also had to deal with the perception that not issuing a statement, or not issuing one fast enough, would in effect be a statement, too.

Fortunately, Harvard now does have official guidance for a policy on university statements, in the form of a report issued on Tuesday by a faculty working group on which we served together as chairs, and endorsed by the president, provost and deans. The report recommends a policy based on both principle and pragmatism, one that we hope can enable Harvard — and any other school that might consider adopting a similar policy — to flourish in our highly polarized political era.

In brief, the report says that university leaders can and should speak out publicly to promote and protect the core function of the university, which is to create an environment suitable for pursuing truth through research, scholarship and teaching. If, for example, Donald Trump presses forward with his announced plan to take “billions and billions of dollars” from large university endowments to create an “American Academy” — a free, online school that would provide an “alternative” to current institutions — Harvard’s leadership can and should express its objections to this terrible idea.

It makes sense for university leaders to speak out on matters concerning the core function of the institution: That is their area of expertise as presidents, provosts and deans. But they should not, the report says, take official stands on other matters. They should not, for instance, issue statements of solidarity with Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, no matter how morally attractive or even correct that sentiment might be.

In addition, the report says, university leaders should make it clear to the public that when students and faculty members exercise their academic freedom to speak, they aren’t speaking on behalf of the university as a whole. The president doesn’t have to repeat this point with regard to every utterance made by the thousands of members of the university. But the university should clarify repeatedly, for as long as it takes to establish the point, that only its leadership can speak officially on its behalf.

This policy might remind some readers of the Kalven Report , a prominent statement of the value of academic “institutional neutrality” issued in 1967 by a University of Chicago committee chaired by the First Amendment scholar Harry Kalven Jr. But while our policy has some important things in common with the Kalven Report, which insisted that the university remain silently neutral on political and social issues, ours rests on different principles and has some different implications.

The principle behind our policy isn’t neutrality. Rather, our policy commits the university to an important set of values that drive the intellectual pursuit of truth: open inquiry, reasoned debate, divergent viewpoints and expertise. An institution committed to these values isn’t neutral, and shouldn’t be. It has to fight for its values, particularly when they are under attack, as they are now. Speaking publicly is one of the tools a university can use in that fight.

Take the use of affirmative action to achieve diversity in higher education admissions. Harvard argued in defense of this idea in the Supreme Court on several occasions — starting in 1978, when the court’s controlling opinion allowing diversity in admissions relied extensively on a brief that Harvard filed, through 2023, when the court rejected the use of race in diversity-based admissions. Harvard’s advocacy all along was far from neutral and would arguably have violated the Kalven principles. On our principles, however, Harvard was justified in speaking out forcefully in support of the method it long used to admit students, because admissions is a core function of the university.

We recognize that some observers, on both the left and the right, may interpret the timing of our report as an attempt to support some point of view they don’t like. That said, our recommended policy is designed not as a response to immediate events but as a response to the changed reality in which the university operates: a world of social media and polarized politics. Both put intense pressure on universities. Both cry out for a policy where before, none was demanded.

On social media, it can sometimes appear that anyone with a claim to Harvard affiliation speaks for the institution, even as we in the university know otherwise. We’re not naïve enough to think that just announcing a policy will change what the internet thinks. It will take repetition, emphasis and consistency to make the policy widely understood.

In an age of polarized politics, we also need a policy that will spare university leaders from having to spend all their time deciding which global and national events deserve statements and which statements from the university community merit official repudiation. On many, maybe most, important issues, no official statement made by the university could satisfy the many different constituencies on campus.

In formulating its recommendation, our faculty working group struggled with some challenges that don’t have great solutions. For example, we didn’t address, much less solve, the hard problem of when the university should or shouldn’t divest its endowment funds from a given portfolio. The Kalven Report claimed that a decision to divest is a statement in itself and so the university shouldn’t do it. In contrast, we saw divestment as an action rather than a statement the university makes. We therefore treated it as outside our mandate, even though symbolic meaning can be attached to it, just as it can to other actions (including investing in the first place). Our report encourages the university to explain its actions and decisions on investment and divestment — much as Harvard’s President Larry Bacow did in 2021 when the university decided to reduce its investments in fossil fuels, and much as President Derek Bok did when the university didn’t divest from South Africa in the 1980s — but that’s all.

Our committee members represented a wide range of academic specialties and points of view. We disagreed, and still disagree, about a lot. At a university, that’s both normal and highly desirable. Ultimately, a university is a community unified by a commitment to trying to get it right, not by a single answer to what is right in every case. Where we converged was on the belief that the university must protect and defend its critically important role and that it undermines its core function if it speaks officially on matters outside it.

Noah Feldman ( @NoahRFeldman ) is a law professor and Alison Simmons is a professor of philosophy, both at Harvard.

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Extreme Heat
Heat-Related Illnesses
Risk Factors and Heat-Related Illness
Hot Weather Tips
Natural Disasters and Severe Weather

Preventing Heat-Related Illness

Protect yourself and others when it's hot outside by staying cool, staying hydrated, and staying informed.
Learn additional tips for staying safe during extreme heat.

Young woman sitting on a couch and turning on the air conditioning with a remote.

Wear appropriate clothing.

Choose lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.

Stay cool indoors.

Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible.
If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat.
Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.
Take a cool shower or bath to cool off.

Infographic: Beat the Heat: Extreme Heat. Preventing heat-related deaths.

Download Infographic

Simplified Chinese

Do not leave kids or anyone else in cars.

Cars can quickly heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open. While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying.

When traveling with children, remember to do the following:

Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
To remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.

Don't rely on electric fans‎

Schedule outdoor activities carefully..

Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours.
Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to recover.

Pace yourself.

Cut down on exercise during the heat.
If you’re not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually.

Know when to stop activity‎

Wear sunscreen..

Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated.

If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out.
Continue to reapply it according to the package directions.

Important tip‎

Avoid hot and heavy meals..

These types of meals add heat to your body.

Stay Hydrated

Young girl is drinking from a water bottle on a hot day

Drink plenty of fluids.

Drink more fluids, regardless of how active you are.
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
Stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks—these actually cause you to lose more body fluid.
Avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

Warning‎

Replace salts and minerals..

Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat.
If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.

Keep your pets hydrated.

Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.

Stay Informed

Check for updates.

Check your local news for extreme heat alerts and safety tips and to learn about any cooling shelters in your area.

Know the signs.

Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.

Text demonstrating what to look for and what to do for various heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, sunburn, and heat rash.

Use a buddy system.

Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness.

When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you.
If you are 65 years of age or older, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this age group, check on them at least twice a day.

Check on people who are at high risk.

Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:

Infants and young children
People 65 years of age or older
People who are overweight
People who overexert during work or exercise
People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation

Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

Learn how to protect yourself and others from extreme heat.

Dover middle school students nominate their heroes, tell them why in their own words

Dover Area Middle School students invited their heroes to school on May 22 to hear, in their own words, why they were chosen. Parents, teachers, coaches and soldiers were among those chosen by students.

Students wrote the essays ahead of time and then invited their heroes to the assembly where students sat at long tables with their heroes to hear why they were chosen.

"My hero is Miguel Rosado, his friends and family call him Mikey. He is my dad," Mikalyn Rosado read to her father, "He changed his life for me and that is why he is my hero..."

Rosado, wearing an XPO logistics company work shirt and cap, said he was a little bit choked up by the nomination, unaware that his daughter had named him her hero before he had arrived to meet her at school.

Several essays were chosen to read in front of the whole room.

Brody Wise took to the podium to read his nomination of his father Andrew Wise, "Have you ever heard of a hero without a cape? Well I have one… He might have some mental scars from serving, but there isn’t anything in the world that I would be grateful for more than him," citing his service to the Marine Corps. “He put his life on the line to give us the freedom of walking the earth.”

Andrew Wise served with the Marines between 2000-2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Brody goes on to tell the audience how his father has “influenced my life to make me a clean and trustworthy person and make me stronger so when it comes time for me to face.”

Andrew Wise gave his son a strong hug after his reading.

Justin Rowand, a Dover middle school football coach, wore two name tags that said “Justin” because he was nominated by two different students. He sat at the end of the table with his head slightly tilted to the ceiling as he listened to what the two boys were saying on either side of him

More photos: Dover log house through the years in photos.

“He was a good impact on me and he helped me so much and made me into the young man I was today…,” Josh Alexander said, sitting to the right.

“He is a mentor to me and helps me every single day whether it comes to being better in life or being better in football,” Broden Greener said to his left.

Notable Places in the Area

Elektrostal Satellite Map

Popular Destinations in Moscow Oblast

Escape to a random place.

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Myself
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Essay on Myself: 100 Words, 250 Words and 300 Words
250 Words Essay on Myself. My name is Ayushi Singh but my mother calls me "Ayu". I turned 12 years old this August and I study in class 7th. I have an elder sister named Aishwarya. She is like a second mother to me. I have a group of friends at school and out of them Manvi is my best friend.
How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay
Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses. Mention objects that have special significance to you. Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight. Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality.
15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself
We don't get the same depth with the first example. 6. Don't be afraid to show off…. You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn't the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 7. …. While also maintaining humility.
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Here are some tips to get you started. Start early. Do not leave it until the last minute. Give yourself time when you don't have other homework or extracurriculars hanging over your head to ...
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The 3 main parts of an essay are introduction, body and conclusion. An essay about yourself should not be much different. However, there are two important things to keep in mind. First, an essay about yourself for a college application or scholarship usually has a fairly small word count. So, make sure you get your points across in a concise ...
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Short scholarship essay example: Tell us about yourself (100 Words) With 100 words, you can only focus on one or two elements of your life. Think about your biggest selling points - the things that show you are the ideal candidate. Start by introducing yourself and your educational status.
How do I write a good essay about myself?
Here are some steps to help you write a strong essay: 1. Choose a unique angle: Instead of providing a broad overview of your life, focus on a specific experience, interest, or aspect of your personality that has shaped who you are. This will make your essay more focused and memorable. 2.
How do I write about myself in a college essay?
First, set yourself deadlines: you should spend about 10% of your remaining time on brainstorming, 10% on outlining, 40% writing, 30% revising, and 10% taking breaks in between stages. Second, brainstorm stories and values based on your essay prompt. Third, outline your essay based on the montage or narrative essay structure.
Me, Myself, and I: How to Describe Yourself in College Application Essays
From a counselor to a teacher or fellow student, chances are your student will know someone who is willing to give them an idea of how they'd describe them to others. These outside looks will do wonders for your child's confidence, creativity, and perspective when it comes to writing their "me, myself, and I" personal statement ...
9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
5. Write in the First Person. You're telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using "I" and "me" throughout your essay. 6.
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You either love to talk about yourself or hate it, but one thing is for sure: Writing about yourself in essay form is hard for anyone. Learn how to write the perfect essay about yourself here. ... I wrote about my world, about my school, and the beauty of our natural surroundings. Often, I just wrote about my perspective and tried to convey ...
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Regardless of the shape your journal takes, keeping a record of your thoughts helps you track important experiences in your life—something that will come in handy when you're writing that personal essay. 2. It's good to write. Period. The more you write the better your writing will be.
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500+ Words Essay on My Self. Seven billion people are on this Earth, and everybody is different from the rest of others. There is nothing without purpose in this world. Everything has some purpose. Humans are the best creation, and each person is exclusive. Thus, writing about myself, I'm here to express myself that what I see, what I ...
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These unique "tell me about yourself" examples will help you demonstrate your motivations and background at college and internship interviews. ... Essays "Tell Me About Yourself" Examples for College Students By Kate Miller-Wilson, B.A. , ... During my freshman year of high school, I started a business designing and making custom prom ...
How to Write an About Myself Essay With Example.
A Sample About Myself Essay. Three major aspects characterize my existence; my social life, my intellect, and my spiritual doctrines, and my social life. The intellectual part of my life comprises my studies, my artistic creativity, extra-curricular activities, my intellectual capabilities, and basically my life pursuits.
5 Ways to Write About Yourself
9. Keep it brief. Ideal cover letters should be about half to one full page in length, and somewhere between 250-400 words. [12] Certain places may ask for longer letters, in the neighborhood of 700-1000 words, but it is rare that cover letters should ever be longer than that. 10. Format the letter.
177 College Essay Examples for 11 Schools + Expert Analysis
Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other). My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.
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Essay No 5 on "Myself Essay" (300 words): Humans are the most superior creatures amid all the creatures in the entire universe. Being a part of this universe makes me feel small and minuscule in a world where there millions of humans like myself. Although everyone is quite unique in their own way.
18 Best Written Essays on Myself [ Primary, High School, College ]
1. Long Essay on Myself For College Level Students. Among all the creatures on Earth, human being is definitely superior. Writing a few lines or words about myself to introduce, I feel myself to be tiny part of this entire world that is filled with the human beings around. I am a human.
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Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever
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The PFRH Master's Essay with Distinction Award. The PFRH Master's Essay with Distinction Award recognizes Master's Essays of exemplary quality. These award-winning essay presentations can now be viewed, along with all of the 2024 presentations, on our Master's Essay page. Congratulations to the 2024 awardees:
Preventing Heat-Related Illness
Wear appropriate clothing. Choose lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. Stay cool indoors. Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat.
Dover Area Middle School students choose heroes and tell them why
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Elektrostal
Elektrostal. Elektrostal ( Russian: Электроста́ль) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is 58 kilometers (36 mi) east of Moscow. As of 2010, 155,196 people lived there.
Elektrostal Map
Elektrostal is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located 58 kilometers east of Moscow. Elektrostal has about 158,000 residents. Mapcarta, the open map.