200 letter essay

Writing a Great 200-Word Essay (Tips & Examples)

While some students often struggle to write longer essays and come up with enough words to hit the required word count, others are challenged to write shorter ones. In fact, 200-word essays are among the toughest to write as students must convey a complicated message in four short paragraphs. In this article you will find effective tips on how to write a great 200-word essay, as well as some examples.

Here’s How to Write a 200-Word Essay

• Step 1: Understand the Prompt : Clearly understand what the essay is asking. Identify the key points or questions you need to address. Jot down your thoughts, facts, or arguments related to the topic. This step is about gathering content, not worrying about the word limit.
• Step 2: Create a Thesis Statement : Develop a clear thesis statement that encapsulates the main idea of your essay. This statement will guide the direction of your essay.
• Step 3: Plan Your Essay Structure : Organize your thoughts and knowledge on the topic into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Given the word limit, plan for a brief introduction and conclusion (about 40-50 words each) and a more substantial body (100-120 words).
• Step 4: Write the Introduction : Start with a hook to grab attention, then briefly introduce your topic and end with your thesis statement.
• Step 5: Write the Body : Focus on 1-2 key points that support your thesis. Provide evidence or examples for each point, explain your ideas. Be concise and avoid over-elaborating.
• Step 6: Write the Conclusion : Summarize the main points and restate your thesis in a new way. Avoid introducing new information.
• Step 7: Edit and Revise : Review your essay. Ensure each word serves a purpose. Check for clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Remove any unnecessary words or phrases. Check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Ensure you’ve met the word count requirement. Read your essay aloud to ensure it flows well and makes sense. Make any last adjustments.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, check our 200-word essay templates and examples below. These will help you create your paper by giving you an idea of the format and writing style to use.

Here are Some 200-Word Essay Examples

Essay example #1 (the impact of technology on modern education), essay example # 2 (the power of music in cultural unification), essay example #3 (the meaning of friendship), general essay writing tips, ✅ brainstorm ideas.

Take another look at the prompts for the essay to gain a deeper understanding of the topic at hand. Make sure you fully understand what your teacher expects before starting to write. Don’t jump into writing an essay blindly without understanding what the paper is supposed to be about. The document may be 200 words, but it still needs a compelling structure like any other essay. Take advantage of all the other fundamentals of essay writing, you know. Create an attention-grabbing introduction and introduce a new idea with each paragraph.

✅ Choose an Appropriate Topic

Choosing a topic you know about and familiar with is vital for any essay, especially a short one. Write your paper on something that means something to you or is otherwise essential to you. Choosing an appropriate subject helps you create an authentic and excellent piece. Your essay reflects your familiarity with the issue. A perfect quality paper increases your chances of achieving your goal, such as landing a scholarship.

✅ Do Some Research

Be sure to dedicate some time to researching the subject. Understand the topic at hand. Doing research gives you the information you can use to write a better essay backed up with facts and figures to convince the audience to your way of thinking.

✅ Give Yourself Enough Time

Be sure to take your time when writing the essay and think about the prompt. Create a plan and draft and revise them to put together the best possible paper. Essays and personal statements that you take the time to write correctly are sure to stand out and improve your chances of success.

You don’t have much room to play with for a 200-word essay. As such, you should keep things brief and avoid using jargon and complicated terminology. Stick to direct and efficient language to send your message.

✅ Have a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement covers the main themes of an essay. The statement introduces readers to what they should expect from the piece. You can develop a short, two-sentence statement after creating an outline for the paper. This statement should introduce the purpose of the essay, so having an outline in mind helps to create one. This statement also gives you something to refer back to when writing the essay.

✅ Write the Introduction

Once you’ve created a thesis statement and written the body of the essay, go back and write a compelling introduction. The introduction fascinates readers and encourages them to keep reading. Busy openings discourage people from reading and send the wrong message. Use an exciting story, quote, summary, revelation, or other hooks to start your paper and introduce the topic. Your hook should tie into the thesis statement.

✅ Write the Essay Body

The essay body is the bulk of the text. This is where you describe your topic and make your arguments. The body is where you discuss the main ideas identified in your outline. Each paragraph in the body introduces one new concept or idea. Don’t forget to give each section an introductory sentence and ensure they serve a purpose.

Explaining the themes and ideas of the essay comes after this introductory sentence. Be sure to back up your claims with credible sources and information. Cite any material you reference or quotes you use according to the assigned essay format.

✅ Stick to the Word Count

The desired word count is one of the most essential parts of writing an essay. If your piece comes with a word limit, then make sure that you respect that word count and convey your message in an appropriate number of words. Slight deviations are acceptable, but don’t severely under-write or over-write your essay. Also, avoid repeating information covered in companion pieces, such as a resume. The paper should be brief and written with perfect grammar. Go through the essay and correct grammar and spelling mistakes.

✅ Write a Conclusion and Proofread the Essay

Make sure the points of your essay are appropriately organized. Avoid writing too much in the paper, or you risk losing control of the writing. Your essay conclusion summarizes the paper and the main points covered. The conclusion should be no more than five sentences long.

Don’t introduce any new ideas during the closing statements. With that said, you can restate your thesis statement. Some people like to write conclusions by restating the introduction. When finished, go through the paper and correct any mistakes or other issues you find.

The Key Features of a Short Essay

• Thesis Statement . The thesis statement is crucial to any essay, no matter how long it is. However, how you formulate that statement can change. This statement should be placed in the first three sentences of the essay. Ensure that your thesis statement appears at the start of the essay.
• Opening Sentences . Each new paragraph must begin with a topic phrase. Approach the topic sentences from different angles and choose the most persuasive argument to create the most substantial opening sentences in a 200-word essay.
• Supporting Phrases . Writing such a short essay means ensuring each paragraph has supporting evidence that backs up the main arguments. However, avoid using over-long sentences or wordy facts to save room in the piece. Remove quotes that don’t add to the paper.
• Conclusion . Cover the thesis statement in the conclusion and provide a summary of the paper.

How to Reduce Word Count For a 200-Word Essay

Writing a 200-word essay is a challenge for students and professionals. Summarizing a complex idea in 200 words is a challenge for anyone. One way to approach the issue is to write a longer essay and then remove words to bring it down to 200. If your paper is longer than 200 words, you need to go through it and remove unnecessary words and sentences. Here are some tips on how to reduce the word count in a 200-word essay.

• Highlight key sentences you need in the essay and remove ones that aren’t.
• Single out and remove unnecessary words to ensure the essay only contains essential data.
• Evaluate the essay to see if sentences are connected to your main point or not. Delete any unnecessary sentences.
• Simplify long and complex sentences into simpler and shorter ones.

Writing a 200-word essay is more complicated than it sounds. We hope you understand how to write such a short essay correctly with our advice. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact the best essay writing services if you still need help writing essays of any length, not just 200-word essays.

Free 200-Word Essay Samples

226 samples of this type

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A 200-word text usually takes about 1 page. All the major citation styles assume that an essay will take approximately 250 words per page. The most common format is double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. The details might differ – for instance, in MLA 9 and APA 7, Calibri and Arial are also accepted. However, 12-point Times New Roman remains preferable.

How Many Paragraphs Is 200 Words?

A 200-word essay should include 2 to 4 paragraphs. In academic writing, a paragraph should contain at least 50 words and three sentences.

200-Word Essay Structure

A 200-word essay is quite a short piece. However, it should be properly planned. Your essay should contain four to five concise paragraphs. It is to consist of an introduction paragraph, two to three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

How Long Does a 200-Word Essay Take?

It will take you about 4 to 8 minutes to type 200 words on your keyboard, depending on your typing speed. However, if you also need to perform research, make a reference list, add in-text citations, and graphic materials, you’ll need more time – not less than 0,5 hours for 200 words.

How Many Body Paragraphs Are in a 200 Word Essay?

An average 200-word essay contains 1 to 2 paragraphs. Each paragraph should be 70 to 150 words long.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how to write a 200-word college essay.

I need some advice on writing a 200-word essay for one of my college applications. What are some tips for getting my point across effectively and concisely?

When writing a 200-word college essay, it's essential to focus on being concise and making every word count. Here are some tips to help you achieve that:

1. Plan before writing: Take a moment to outline your main ideas and organize your thoughts. This will help you stay on track and present your points in a logical order.

2. Be specific: Choose a narrow topic or specific aspect to focus on, giving you the chance to delve into details without getting too wordy. Avoid trying to cover too much ground or using broad or vague language.

3. Start strong: Begin with a captivating opening sentence or question to grab the reader's attention. This can set the tone for the rest of your essay and engage the reader from the start.

4. Stay focused: With a 200-word limit, it's crucial to stay on topic and not be sidetracked by tangential information. Ensure every sentence contributes to the core message or theme of your essay.

5. Be concise: Write succinctly and avoid redundancy, especially in your word choices. Edit your essay to remove fluff or unnecessary words and phrases, ensuring each word has a purpose.

6. Use concrete examples: Illustrate your points with specific examples that show your experiences, thoughts, or feelings. This will provide the reader with a clearer understanding of your point and make your essay more engaging.

7. Revise and edit: After writing your initial draft, take a break and then come back to it with fresh eyes. This will help you catch any errors, inconsistencies, or areas where you could improve clarity and make better use of limited word count.

8. Seek feedback: Show your essay to someone you trust, like a teacher or family member, to get their perspective and suggestions for improvement. Their feedback might help you identify areas where you can tighten or strengthen your writing.

Remember, the goal here is to effectively convey your point in only 200 words. With careful planning, focus, and revisions, your essay will demonstrate your ability to be both concise and compelling.

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200-Word Essay Examples

Laughter is the best medicine in 200 words.

It is often said that “laughter is the best medicine,” a phrase grounding itself in the myriad benefits laughter brings to the human psyche and physical health. Manifesting both as a spontaneous response to joy and a communal activity, laughter operates on various levels to…

Nonverbal Communication: The Importance And Main Aspects

Nonverbal communication is the first thing that interests me because of its importance. I believe that many individuals underestimate the significance of nonverbal communication. We normally think of communication in reference to what we say or the words we utilize. Interpersonal communication encompasses far more…

How Long is a 200-Word Essay?

A 200-word essay is typically very short, spanning about half a page to a full page, depending on factors such as font size, spacing, and formatting.

Where You Can Find an Example of a 200-Word Essay?

Remember be respectful about academic integrity and avoid plagiarism. Use the examples as references and sources of inspiration and be attentive that your own work is original and properly cited. You can find examples of 200-word essays in such places like: educational websites, writing centers, and academic blogs. Also some universities and colleges publish sample essays or have writing centers that offer resources for students. You can explore database or online platforms as some scholarly journals or academic publications may feature shorter essays, including 200-word pieces.

A 200-Word Essay Is How Many Pages?

Usually a 200-word essay typically spans around half a page to one full page. Actual page count may vary slightly based on the specific formatting guidelines provided by an instructor or institution. It's best to adhere to those guidelines to ensure your essay meets the required page length.

How Many Paragraphs Should a 200-Word Essay Have?

Generally, a 200-word essay would consist of at least two paragraphs: an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction paragraph should introduce the topic, provide background information, and present the main argument or thesis statement. This paragraph is typically a few sentences long. The body paragraphs are where you present your supporting points or arguments. In a 200-word essay, you may have one or two body paragraphs, or no body paragraph at all. The conclusion paragraph wraps up the essay by summarizing the main points and restating the thesis in a concise manner. It is typically a few sentences long.

How to Write an Appropriate Academic 200-Word Essay?

Writing an appropriate academic 200-word essay requires careful planning and effective execution. First of all you need to understand the essay prompt, read it carefully and identify the key requirements, such as the topic, purpose. With a limited word count, it's crucial to stay focused on the main topic or argument. Avoid unnecessary jargon or overly complex sentences. Keep your language precise and straightforward to effectively communicate your ideas. After writing your essay, take the time to revise and edit it. Check for any grammatical or spelling errors, ensure coherence and logical flow of ideas, and refine your language for clarity and conciseness.

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Writing A Great 200-Word Essay (Tips & Examples)

• Essay Writing FAQ

Some students struggle to come up with the words needed to meet the word count. Others are forced to write shorter essays. Students are often challenged to create 200-word papers because they must communicate a complex message within four short paragraphs. This article will provide you with some tips and examples on how to create a 200-word essay.

General Essay Writing Tips

Brainstorm ideas.

Consider reading through the essay prompts a second time to better understand the subject. Before you begin writing, make sure that you understand exactly what your teacher is expecting. Do not start writing your essay without knowing what it is about. It may only be 200 words long, but the essay still requires a strong structure. You know all about the fundamentals for writing an essay. Create an introduction that grabs attention and introduces a new thought with every paragraph.

Select the Topic That Is Right for You

A short essay is no exception. You should choose a topic about which you have some knowledge and experience, especially when it comes to the subject. You should write about something important to yourself or that you find meaningful. You can create a great piece by choosing a topic that is meaningful to you. The essay you write reflects how well-versed you are in the subject. You will have a better chance of winning your scholarship if your essay is perfect.

Research is Important

Don't forget to spend time on research. Understanding the subject at hand is important. By doing research, you will have the necessary information to create a convincing essay.

Allow yourself enough time

When writing your essay, take time to consider the prompt. Prepare a draft, then edit it to create the best paper possible. Your essays and personal statement will stand out if you spend the time writing them correctly.

Keep it short.

In a short essay of 200 words, there is not much room for creative expression. Avoid jargon, complex terminology and slang. Keep your communication simple and direct.

Make a thesis statement

The thesis statement is a summary of the essay's main points. The statement tells the reader what to expect in the essay. After creating an outline, you can create a two-sentence summary. To help create this statement, it is best to have an outline. You can also refer to this statement when you write the essay.

Introduce yourself

After you have written your essay body and created a strong thesis statement, write an engaging introduction. The introduction is what captivates the reader and makes them want to read more. Overly busy openings are distracting and can send the wrong signal. Start with an intriguing story, a quote, a summary, a revelation or another hook to introduce your topic. The hook should relate to the thesis.

You can write the essay body

This is where you will describe your topic and make your arguments. You will use this section to describe your subject and your arguments. In the body, you will discuss your main points that were identified in your outline. Each paragraph introduces a new idea or concept. Don't neglect to introduce each section with a sentence.

The essay's themes and main ideas are explained after the first sentence. Don't forget to support any claims you make with solid sources of information. Cite all material or quotes that you use in accordance with the essay format.

Keep to the word count

The word count you desire is an important part of writing a good essay. You should always adhere to the word limit of your essay. You can make slight changes, but do not drastically alter the essay. Avoid repeating the information that is already in other documents, like a resume. The paper must be concise and have perfect grammar. Correct any grammar or spelling errors.

Writing a conclusion is important. Proofread your essay.

You should ensure that your essay is organized properly. If you overwrite your paper, you may lose control. Your conclusion should be a summary of the essay and its main points. The conclusion should not exceed five sentences. Do not introduce new ideas in the closing statement. Then, restate the thesis.

Some people prefer to restate the introduction in their conclusions. After you finish, review the document and fix any errors.

How to Write a 200-Word essay

• Outline and Plan. The same goes for 200-word essays. These are short papers that require a body, an introduction, and a conclusion. Be mindful of the word limit when you prepare the outline. Make sure that each section receives enough attention.
• Find some Essay Templates . You can find examples and templates of 200-word essays. You can use these to help you write your essay by providing you with a format and style guide.
• Explain ideas. Do not use long quotes, but rather explain the facts. This allows you to reduce the amount of words in your essay.
• Use complete but concise sentences. To spread your message, use concise sentences.
• Proofread. Proofreading an essay is a crucial part. It is important to proofread your essay as soon as you have finished writing it. Correct any errors that you may have made in the writing of your essay. Check the essay for typos, punctuation, grammar, and structure problems.

The main features of an essay that is short

• Thesis . No matter how lengthy an essay may be, the thesis is always crucial. The way you phrase that statement may change. This statement needs to be included in the three first sentences of your essay. Your thesis statement should be placed at the beginning of your essay.
• Opening Phrases . Each paragraph should begin with a phrase that relates to the topic. Choose the strongest argument and approach the topic sentences differently to come up with the best opening sentence for a 200 word essay.
• Supporting Words . In order to write a brief essay, you will need to make sure that every paragraph includes supporting evidence. To save space, you should avoid long sentences and wordy facts. Remove any quotes that do not add value to your paper.
• Conclusion . The conclusion should contain the thesis statement and summarize the entire paper.

How to reduce the word count for a 2000-word essay

Students and professionals alike find it difficult to write a 200-word paper. Anybody can struggle to summarize a large idea into 200 words. You can try to reduce the length of an essay to 200 words by removing unnecessary words. If you have a paper that is more than 200 pages, it's time to remove any unnecessary sentences or words. These tips will help you to reduce your essay's word count.

• Highlight important sentences and delete others.
• The essay should only contain the necessary information.
• The essay should be evaluated to determine if it is connected to the main point. Delete all unnecessary sentences.
• Reduce the complexity of long sentences to simpler ones.

200-Word Essay Examples

Scholarship essay example #1.

My area has many college graduates who used loans to pay for their education. It is a concern that many cannot afford student loan repayments, which prevents them from going to college. This scholarship is important to me because it will help me achieve my mother's and my own dream of studying at college. My mother wanted me and my two siblings to live a better lifestyle than she had. I watched her sell her belongings and borrow money to pay for my siblings' college. Our father was killed in an accident many years ago. I still dream of a better tomorrow despite my struggles. I am more dedicated to my work than anyone I know. I want to succeed, but lack the funds to go to university and achieve my goals. I am a hard worker and have always worked to achieve high grades. I've always strived to achieve top grades. I promise that I will work even harder to achieve my college goals. I look forward to your response regarding my application.

Narrative Essay Example # 2

The mahogany urn was covered in weeds and rocks. The shovel was a symbol of my shame for sending off my brother with such diligence. It made me feel ashamed that I didn't say goodbye properly. While I was standing there, scooping dirt onto my brother and saying goodbye to him, I knew that he would never be the same. I couldn't imagine that my beloved could be taken away by a disease. My brother was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when I turned ten. When he died, I was angry with myself. I couldn't forget how I left him to watch TV or play with friends rather than be with him. I was devoted to my studies. I wanted to know everything about sickle-cell anemia. I swore to myself I'd memorize and learn all I can about sickle-cell anemia. Sickle cell is only one part of the life a person leads. My brother and other sickle cell anemia sufferers are more than just their illness. I would like to specialize in helping people with sickle cell. I want others to receive the emotional and physically support that my brother could not. It's through my work that I can say goodbye and never forget about my brother.

Essay Example #3

Humanity is not complete without friendship. Our friends teach us the most important lessons. People become who their friends want to them to be based on their environment. It's impossible to have a friend that will abandon you when times are tough. A friend who abandons you in times of trouble is not one. Real friends are there to keep you happy and motivated. They stick with you to ensure you are always happy and motivated. Loyalty is also taught by friendships. Friendships are a great way to teach people about loyalty and how they can return it. Everyone wants to be surrounded by loyal friends. Friendships are what make us stronger. They make us stronger and test our resolve. Occasionally, we fight our friends. But we always reconcile with them. Strengthening yourself means becoming stronger. Best friends are those who lift you up when you're down. Friends are always there for us when we need them. Friends provide guidance and advice that can help you avoid conflict and danger. You can never have too many friends.

Therefore, in conclusion

A 200-word essay can be more challenging than you think. You should now be able write a 200 word essay. Do not hesitate to contact essay writing services for help with any type of essay, even if it is only 200 words.

Cora Carver is an educational blogger and mother of two. She has a passion for helping others learn and grow, and she uses her blog to share her knowledge and experiences with others.

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coracarver11

Cora Carver is an educational blogger and mother of two. She has a passion for helping others learn and grow, and she uses her blog to share her knowledge and experiences with others. View all posts by coracarver11

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Choose Your Test

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!

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

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.

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

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.

"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.

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 .

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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Free 200 Words Essay Examples

As a rule, a short 200-word essay is assigned by teachers to assess one’s ability to articulate their ideas succinctly together with their knowledge of a particular topic. Commonly used genres for 200 words essays include personal statements and discussion board posts.

You don’t need to conduct an in-depth analysis to write a paper of 200 words. The keys to success are good planning, a catchy hook, conciseness, and creativity. Check free 200-word essay examples on this page to get inspired!

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200-Word Essay FAQ

How long is a 200 words essay.

A 200 words essay would typically be about 1 page long, assuming it is double-spaced and written with a standard font (Arial or Times New Roman) in 12-point size. If the text is single-spaced, it will be twice shorter. Other factors that influence the 200-word essay length are formatting and paragraph structure.

How Many Paragraphs Is a 200 Words Essay?

How many paragraphs are there in a 200 words essay? A paper of such a length would contain 2 to 3 paragraphs. This works for an academic writing assignment because a typical paragraph there is about 100 words long.

How Long Does It Take to Write a 200 Words Essay?

It usually takes 4 to 7 minutes to type a text of this length on your keyboard at an average speed. However, if you are assigned a 200 words essay, it is going to take much more time, as you will need to conduct research, study the sources, and plan your paper. Writing a solid essay of 200 words will take about an hour.

How Many Lines Are 200 Words?

At a rough estimate, 200 words would take up about 20 to 25 lines. However, the exact number of lines in your 200-word essay depends on a number of factors such as the spacing, the font size, and the margins.

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Collection of Free 200-Word Essay Example Papers

4 samples of this type

Let us guess: you were assigned to a 200-word essay and immediately rejoiced, assuming that it won't take you long to prepare? Despite being possibly the briefest academic writing piece, a 200-word college essay has some pitfalls that not all students manage to avoid. Of course, the trickiest part is respecting the word count. You might be surprised at how hard it is to cram all necessary facts and ideas into just 200-words! Remember that aside from a few arguments, you should fit in a thesis statement, an introduction, and a conclusion, too. Besides, it is essential to sound formal, eliminate all unnecessary details, and stick to the required format. Sounds perplexing enough? Don't worry! A diversity of free faultless samples on this page will help you find an answer to the question "What does a 200 word essay look like?”

In the open database below you'll see hundreds of professionally written short essays. Each 200-word essay sample can become a perfect pattern to help you structure and outline your own work. However, if you currently have no time to analyze and learn, our trained paper writers will promptly craft an A-level 200-word piece while meticulously following your requirements. All you need to do is drop us a note.

Good Essay On Tathagatagarbha In Buddhism

Tathagatagarbha in Buddhism

In the Buddhist religion, there is a concept called tathagatagarbha. The tathagatagarbha is the womb and/or embryo of the Tathagata. The tathagata has wisdom, vision and body. The tathagata’s tathagatagarbha is eternally unsullied and has virtues similar to the Buddha itself, which is important to note as it has an important purpose.

The tathagatagarbha is man’s eternal and true nature, which ultimately means every person can obtain Buddha-hood. A person seeking tathagatagarbha is seeking it on a soteriological manner versus a theoretical one. This means that it must be sought purposefully by the person seeking it.

Example Of Rhetorical Situation Essay

“That’s My Dinner on Display”: A First Nations Reflection on Museum Culture

The article, “That’s My Dinner on Display”: A First Nations Reflection on Museum Culture, has been penned by Gloria Jean Frank. The author talks about the representation of the First Nations people in the museum that treats them as anthropological specimens.

The article opines that many of the objects that are exhibited in the museum in relation to the First Nations people are not antiquated or defunct. Thus, the cultures of the First Nations that are reflected in the museums require critical evaluation and scrutiny.

Good Example Of Essay On Boundaries Between Humans And Machines

Nowadays, technologies are developing rapidly and already take a huge part of our everyday life. Modern world is one step behind of creating a machine that looks and acts mostly like a human.

Don't waste your time searching for a sample.

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“The Namesake” Book Review Critical Thinking

“The Namesake” is somewhat fiction with reality and the story moves around cities in India and United States and is about a family that has migrated from India to United States. Gogol Ganguly who is born in United States to Indian parents Ashima and Ashoke Ganguly struggles to be Americanized.

The name “Namesake” comes from the idea where in the US he gets compared to Nikolai Gogol (his namesake) which he hates.

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Writing an Effective 200-Word Essay: 6 Tips

Table of Contents

A 200-word essay should convey an idea or message that is brief and easy to follow. The topic sentence should be concise.

You must be able to convey your thoughts within the given space effectively . Each point should make sense and keep your readers engaged.

This article answers the question “how long is a 200-word essay “.

Some students have difficulty writing longer essays and writing enough words to achieve the required word count. However, others must write shorter ones.

It is quite challenging to write essays of 200 words as it requires conveying complex messages in four to five short paragraphs.

Any essay aims to get readers hooked and engaged in the topic. Your writing must create a reaction from the readers and provide a view of the major ideas and arguments. The following tips will guide you through the process of writing an excellent essay.

1. Select a compelling topic

Select a topic that you are most comfortable with that interests you. Choose an area of expertise or something that you can relate to.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you’re very knowledgeable about the topic chosen, but it must be something you feel passionate about.

You want to select a topic that will keep readers interested, so check out your topic from many angles. If you’re interested in the topic, it will be easy to determine good resources.

2. Research

Once you’ve chosen a good topic, you should explore it a little to ensure you have relevant statistics and facts.

This will facilitate your work and increase your chances of being credible. Spend some time researching the subject. It’s a good idea to ensure that you have in-depth knowledge of this topic to present it.

Look for the appropriate keywords and make the most out of relevant information for your essay.

3. Stay focused on the topic.

You want to focus on your topic, and take a deeper approach to it. Narrow your focus by outlining your thesis.

A well-written essay should have a thesis statement that informs the reader about what to expect. It can be the bridge to your paper and give the reader a focus on the topic.

Stick to the thesis; do not mention unnecessary points in the essay.

4. Follow an outline.

An outline can serve as a road map to help guide you through your writing. Once you have an idea of which points you want to make in your essay, it’s best to begin writing your outline.

You can write a separate outline for each paragraph or stick with one general outline that works for the whole essay.

5. Create a Structure

Don’t jump into writing an essay blindly without understanding what the paper is supposed to do. Even if the document is 200 words, it needs a compelling structure, as with any other essay.

Create a structure for your essay, and make sure each paragraph is tightly focused on a particular point within the overarching theme. A good structure will ensure a clear, concise message.

Think of the structure as a roadmap. Each section’s primary goal/purpose is to lead readers to a solid central idea.

An introduction, a body, and a conclusion are important sections for your essay. The introduction should provide the reader with a sense of purpose. Give a brief description of the main ideas and points to be discussed.

The body should discuss the ideas and points of the essay in detail. Discuss each concept in a separate paragraph. The conclusion should summarize what you have discussed in the paper.

6. Write briefly with concision

Use straightforward language that is efficient. Concision will help avoid confusion of the reader as they will follow the logic of your writing without getting lost.

Remember to stick to the required word count. Your text can be effective even with fewer words. Try not to repeat the points you have stated previously. Don’t write too much in the paper, otherwise you risk losing control of the writing.

Type of font used, font size, spacing, margins on paper and paragraph length will determine the number of pages an essay will occupy.

A 200-word essay is a short essay that would usually occupy 3-5 paragraphs. It will mostly contain less than 1 page of typed work. Generally, the number of pages will vary slightly based on your text processing software and settings.

Still, you can expect similar results with conventional page margins and a 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font.

When writing your essay, focus on making a solid argument about the subject. A 200-word essay might be short, but you can create a compelling piece with the right words and vocabulary.

The tips highlighted in this article will help you achieve an effective essay while maintaining the required word count.

Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.

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2000 Word Essay Examples & Topic Ideas

Writing a 2000-word essay may seem overwhelming at first, especially if you’ve dealt with smaller tasks before. However, writing such a paper is the next step in your educational process. Two thousand words length is typical for critical writing assignments, movie reports and reviews, book reviews, reports of all kinds, and research papers.

You may face the need to compose a 2000-word task at any moment and in any class. Here are the basics of writing a paper of this length with hot, relevant, and interesting topics you may cover. And if you’re looking for more inspiring samples, check the page with free essays online for students !

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🏆 Best 2000 Words Paper Topics for 2024

Here are a couple of 2000-word essay topics you may borrow or tweak a bit to present an interesting, well-researched, and thought-provoking paper.

• The promise and failure of multicultural education.
• Pros and cons of religious education at schools.
• Misinformation and lack of access to data about climate change.
• Can households play a role in air pollution decrease?
• The contribution of social media to medical care quality.
• Psychology and physiology of living with allergy.
• Pros and cons of a vegetarian diet for a child.
• The medication addiction epidemic in the USA.
• Alternatives to animal testing.
• Ethics behind placebo treatment.
• Pros and cons of child vaccination.
• The role of standardized testing in public education.
• Ethical and legal concerns of metal detector setup at schools.
• Social media and peer communication at schools.
• Modern technologies for educating blind and deaf children.
• Alternatives to paper usage for tree protection.
• The real magnitude of deforestation.
• The science behind GMO products’ impact on human health.
• The ethical problem of beauty contests.
• Long-term impact of violent games on children’s temperament.

📝 2000 Word Research Paper Examples

• Flooding Problem in Philippines Flooding affects every region of the Philippines neighborhood, and several low-lying regions in the Manila City, such as Espino, Taft, Malabo, and Valenzuela, are usually among the worst hit in every series of flooding that […]
• I Have a Dream Speech Analysis The speech has become a symbol of a new era of freedom and symbol of the American civil rights movement.”I Have a Dream” is a representation of the “America Dream” about a free and equal […]
• Tesla Globalization: A Strategic Marketing Plan + Expansion Strategy First, it is worth mentioning that, according to the company’s website, the mission of the business is to manufacture and promote a product that would allow for a more sustainable use of the natural environment.
• Pros and Cons of Hosting the World Cup Considering that grants would be obtained from FIFA to partly support the preparation, the revenue body in the state would benefit from such grant and the developments that will be carried out with the support […]
• “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Symbolism In the context of the “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, the pentangle brings together the influence of “the five virtues, the five wounds of Christ, the five senses, the five joys of Mary the […]
• PepsiCo Leadership Style: Indra Nooyi Leadership Style Indra Nooyi ensures the long-term sustainable performance of PepsiCo with her leadership approach that is focused on collaboration and is considered to be extremely significant for the whole company.
• Greek and Roman Theatre Differences The design was further involved in the seat arrangement that ensured that the actors were clearly heard by the people on the uppermost semicircular bench of the theater.

💡 Topic Ideas for a 2000 Word Report

If you’re tasked to write a 2000 words essay, sample topics in the following list can help you out. They are suitable for lab report-type writing on a variety of subjects.

• Straw panel manufacturing for eco-friendly housing.
• Alternative energy source use in your location.
• New statistical applications in medicine.
• Exploring plant photosynthesis on the example of kale.
• Preventing unauthorized access: lab report in cybersecurity.
• Blood sugar regulation.
• In-vitro antimicrobial activity of rosemary.
• Hematological parameters of malaria patients.
• Microbial analysis of expired bread.
• Water quality analysis.
• Impact of local spices and herbs on community health.
• Correlates of yeast cell absorption speed.
• Emotional regulation in children.
• Environmental pollution: local parameters.
• Dehydration of cyclohexanol .
• Wind engine use: a case study of local practices.
• Impact of noise level on the nervous system’s resilience.
• Quality of detergents.
• Computer modeling of gait.
• Caffeine levels in tea and coffee.

👫 2000 Words Peer Pressure Essay Examples

• The Influence of Peer Groups on Youth Crime The impact of youth crime on the community is profound, and so is the influence of criminal behavior on the lives of adolescents.
• Friends’ Influence and Peer Pressure in Adolescents The list of physical and emotional transformations happening to the young people during adolescence is universal; the processes are the same for all teenagers.
• Online Peer Support Groups for Depression and Anxiety Disorder The main objective of peer support groups is connecting people with the same life experiences and challenges to share and support each other in healing and recovery.
• A Peer Intervention Program to Reduce Smoking Rates Among LGBTQ Therefore, the presumed results of the project are its introduction into the health care system, which will promote a healthy lifestyle and diminish the level of smoking among LGBTQ people in the SESLHD.
• Bullying and Peer Abuse Especially at work, targets fear coming to work and this will have an adverse result in the efficiency of the staff in the hospital.
• Peer Assessment and Productivity of Low Achieving Students To be more exact, the fact that low achieving students need graphic data in order to understand the mechanics of the learning process better and, thus, engage into the meta-cognition process was discovered with the […]

Overall, a 2000-word essay doesn’t differ from other essay types. It should also have an introductory part, a particular number of body paragraphs, and a concluding section with major insights you’ve derived from research. Since this essay type can be 7-8 pages long, it makes sense to divide the content into sections and cover each of them in several paragraphs.

2000-Word Essay Structure

The structure of your 2000-word essay will largely depend on the professor’s prompt. If the tutor requires a more structured paper, you can divide the content into several sections and dwell on every aspect in a couple of paragraphs each. It is not typical for 2000-word essays to have a separate literature review – you may have one in a report or research paper, but essays usually favor a more integrated presentation of literature in the body of the paper. Thus, overall, the essay should have an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion with main findings and inferences. As the intro and conclusion take 10% of the word count each, you should expect the body of the paper to have around 1500-1600 words, which translates into 10-15 body paragraphs.

Consider using the outline generator if a 2000-word essay structure is challenging for you.

2000-Word Essay Introduction

The essay’s introduction usually takes 10% of the paper’s length, but short essays may have even 20% taken by the introductory section. When we’re talking about a 2000-word essay, 7-10% will be totally fine to cover the broad context, background, and thesis statement of the paper after introducing the essay’s main subject. This way, you should allocate 150-200 words to the introduction of this essay.

Try the thesis statement tool if you’re stuck making a thesis statement. And check our research introduction maker and hook sentence generator if you want to prepare your introduction in no time.

2000-Word Essay Conclusion

Similar to the introduction, a 2000-word essay’s conclusion may also take 150-200 words, which equals 7-10% of the essay’s length. It should summarize the key points you have discussed and derive the main takeaways from every argument or body section you’ve had in the essay.

Check our closing sentence generator to formulate a closing paragraph for your essay.

How Many References Should I Use in a 2000 Word Paper?

It depends on the specific task your supervisor has set and the academic level at which you’re studying. A rule of thumb is to have 8-12 references for every 1,000 words of text. Thus, your 2000-word essay should have around 20 unique sources to comply with the professor’s requirements and academic standards.

📃 Examples of 2000-word Essay on Integrity

• Academic Integrity: Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty Some of the most significant issues he highlights include the following: The quality of information on the web varies significantly While internet search may help to narrow down on a topic, it may erode the […]
• Media Law and Ethics: Integrity in Media Broadcasting The concept of integrity makes one earn the respect of the society, while the opposite draws insolence and ridicule from the members of the community.
• Corruption and Integrity in Modern World The difference in the levels of corruption in these countries is a result of different parameters and at the same time, the effects are diverse.
• Technology Impact on Students’ Academic Integrity The International Center for Academic Integrity has recently generated a toolkit to assist educators and institutions of higher learning in dealing with contract cheating.
• Corruption and Corporate and Personal Integrity Bribery, embezzlement of funds and illegitimate procurement always impose extra and unjustified costs to the cost of acquiring public services and damages the credibility of those institutions that are involved in the vice.

📣 2000 Words Persuasive Essay Prompts

Here are a couple of prompts that can help you craft a 2000 words example essay for a high grade. Feel free to use them or tweak the prompts so that they match your individual task.

Time Management Essay 2000 Words

Discuss the concept of time management and analyze its significance for people’s education, employment, and attainment of life goals. Give examples of the positive impact of good time management on people’s quality of life across domains. Focus on one or several time management techniques, explain their basis and principles, and give instructions for adopting better time management habits.

Essay about Social Networking 2000 Words

Discuss the existing social networks and their history of emergence and mass adoption. Analyze research findings about the pros and cons of reliance on social media and evaluate the arguments of opponents and proponents. Talk about the negative impact of social media on academic achievement and the potential implications of blocking social media use at schools. Consider several cases of teachers’ social media image scandals, such as inappropriate behavior and dressing in social media posts.

2000 Word Essay on Accountability in the Army

Examine the concept of accountability as such and apply it to a narrower field – army service. Talk about the variety of officers’ accountability obligations during army service, covering their duty to treat army property, documents, and funds with due care. Examine various shades of meaning of army officers’ accountability – in civil service and on the battlefield (e.g., joint action and decision-making). Evaluate the importance of accountability in the army and discuss the organs and entities keeping those duties under control.

A Dangerous Experience Essay 2000 Words

Discuss the importance of challenging oneself and leaving the comfort zone for the sake of personal development and growth from the viewpoint of viewing these experiences as dangerous. Give a personal example of leaving the comfort zone and feeling fear and danger in the face of the unknown. Examine the psychological motivations of people agreeing to withstand danger for the sake of moving forward and the justifications of those who avoid danger and never move ahead.

✅ Argumentative Essay 2000 Words Examples

• Music Effects on the Brain However, listening to music has the ability to inspire the hormones and raise the levels of these elements to equilibrium, making the brain to work optimally.
• Educational Applications of Nursing Informatics The application of informatics implies the incorporation of information technology in the process of direct healthcare provision, establishment of efficient administrative systems, management and education delivery as well as supporting nursing research.
• Addressing the Income Inequality in the People’s Republic of China It is obvious that the mentioned issues are among the most relevant reasons for II; eliminating them should lead to the improvement of II situation in the world.
• Efficiency and Effectiveness Pursuit of Management Relevance of efficiency and effectiveness to enhance the performance of organisations The assumption of maximising profits through focusing on mechanisms that enhance efficiency and effectiveness of organisations as the main goal of an organisation rather […]
• The Primary Causes of Terrorist Political Violence In a clash between the religious beliefs and those of the state or a foreign power, the religious beliefs are likely to triumph and garner the support of the majority.
• Sustainable Tourism and Market Economy According to Billington, Carter and Husain Whole Place Development refers to the dynamic process of creating public as well as private spaces by utilizing the input of the stakeholders who are the community to develop […]
• The Effects of Television on the Way People Understand Themselves This is because, despite the fact that the advocates of political correctness encourage citizens to believe that the specifics of one’s racial affiliation are not being reflective of his or her tendency to commit crimes, […]
• Employment Relations in Modern Australian Workplaces Nevertheless, continued involvement of the state in employment relations led to changes in the employment relations that saw employers exploit their employees.
• Counselling Theory of Freudian Psychoanalysis Even though that from a Christian point of view, there is indeed a number of discursive controversies to the theory of psychoanalysis, there can be little doubt as to the fact that it was specifically […]

🌎 Globalization Essay: 2000 Words Samples

• Globalization: Concept, Advantages and Disadvantages The lecture provokes the interest to the evaluation of the consequences of globalization. The accumulation of the first experience has started with watching the different documentary and feature movies about the global and cultural integration […]
• Anti-Globalization Movement’s Goals and Power The movement works with the destruction of the legal status of “legal entities,” the disappearance of commercial fundamentalism liberated, and the necessary actions of economic privatization by the World Bank, the Foundation International Monetary Fund, […]
• Globalization as Growth Driver for Society and Economy From the start, Levitt argues that the globalization of markets is a phenomenon like never seen before, where the international market becomes one whole and there is a demand for modern, popular, standardized products which […]
• The Economic Aspects of Globalization This trend is active in the most developed countries such as the United States of America and even in the developing countries in Africa and Asia.
• Strategic Marketing Plan for Globalization Move The company’s strong position in the domestic market and the availability of resources to enter the Chinese market allow for the decisive transition of the company to international marketing.
• Globalization and Inequity in Global Maternal Mortality Globalization has led to the transition of existing threats to collective and individual health to a new qualitative level and to the emergence of new threats.
• Tendencies That Were Caused by Globalization Krishnamurthy’s article was published in 2004, and it contributed to drawing the public’s attention to the question of outsourcing in contexts of the information exchange and economic growth. In 2006, Michael Palm responded to the […]
• Impact of Globalization and Neoliberalism on Crime and Criminal Justice Globalization entails the conception of principles, perpetuated by both governments and organizations that have altered the way nations perceive the obligation for a criminal justice system and the ability of the governments to control crime […]
• The Era of Globalization in Canada: Employment Standards The purpose of the act was to set minimum standards legislation in order to create regulatory framework for wages, hours of work, overtime, and vacations with pay, for the majority of workers in the province.
• Healthcare System: Future Prospects in the Era of Globalization Nevertheless, there is another concern that we should worry about; and that is the worsening of health services or hindering in the flourishing of health services in the future.

📌 2000 Word Essay: Answers to the Most Pressing Questions

📌 how many pages is 2000 words double spaced.

How many pages is 2000 words of academic text? According to the guidelines of all the key citation styles, one page should contain approximately 250 words (12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced). If you follow these guidelines, your 2000-word essay will be 8 pages. If you make it single-spaced, it will take 4 pages.

📌 How Much Is 2000 Words in Paragraphs?

How much is 2000 words in paragraphs? A typical academic paragraph contains 100 to 150 words. So, a 2000-word essay will consist of 14-17 paragraphs.

📌 How Many Sentences Is 2000 Words?

How many sentences is a 2000-word essay? A typical sentence in academic writing consists of 15-20 words. So, 2000 words are not less than 100-103 sentences.

📌 How to Outline a 2000-Word Essay?

An academic paper of 2000 words is not always an essay. A text of this length is more likely to be a research paper, term paper, or extended essay. An outline for such an assignment is more complicated than that for a standard essay. In addition to the usual parts (introduction, body, and conclusion), you’ll probably need to include other elements like an abstract and methodology. The details will depend on the exact requirements.

📌 How Long Does It Take to Write 2000 Words?

How long does it take to write a 2000-word essay? It will take you 40-80 minutes to type 2000 words on your keyboard (the total time will depend on your typing speed). Writing an academic paper will take more time because you’ll have to research, make an outline, write, format, and edit your text. It would be best if you planned to spend a little over 6 and a half hours for a 2000-word paper.

📌 How Many Body Paragraphs Are in a 2000 Word Essay?

A typical 2000 words essay consists of 17 to 19 paragraphs. Each of the paragraphs should contain 75-150 words.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, November 13). 2000 Word Essay Examples & Topic Ideas. https://ivypanda.com/essays/words/2000-words-essay-examples/

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Bibliography

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Essay Word Counter

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What Is Essay Word Counter?

An essay word counter is a simple yet powerful tool that has the ability to quickly count the number of characters and words within an essay. While the primary goal of an essay word counter is to measure characters and words, this tool allows you to determine the number of sentences and paragraphs that your essay consists of.

If you're tasked with reading your essay aloud in front of a classroom, this online word counter can help you prepare by providing you with an estimated speaking time and reading time. If you're asking yourself "How do I count the words in my essay?", plugging your essay into an online word counter will allow you to receive nearly instantaneous results.

Benefits of Using This Tool Compared to Alternatives

Online word counter tools offer the functionality you need to determine what your current essay word count is. There are several additional tools that can provide you with similar functionality, which include Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and PDF documents. Even though all of these alternatives allow users to measure the word count and character count for their essay, they lack many of the extra features that set the online tool apart from the competition.

Wordcounter vs Microsoft Word

When comparing this online word counter to Microsoft Word, the online word counter allows users to paste any kind of text into the box. Even if the text comes from a PDF file, it can be easily copied into the word counter. Among all of the alternatives for an essay word counter, Microsoft Word may be the most comprehensive of the three. Along with measuring the number of words, it can also count characters, pages, lines, and paragraphs. The main issue with Word, however, is that it's less intuitive than using an online tool.

When you click on word count in Microsoft Word, you'll be provided with data on the lines, paragraphs, words, and other aspects of your essay. However, the word count extends to every page of the Word document. To identify the number of words and characters in a specific section, you'll need to highlight the section and select the word count option again.

Wordcounter vs Google Docs

As for Google Docs, this tool doesn't display a status bar that tells you how many words are present in the document. To receive an updated word count, you must select the "Tools" tab that's found in the "Menu" section. From here, you'll be able to select "Word Count". When compared to the online word checker tool, Google Docs doesn't include information about how many sentences are in your essay or the frequency of a specific word.

Wordcounter vs PDF Tool

When it comes to a PDF document, you'll find that these documents are similar to Google Docs in that they don't include a status bar. You're also unable to access any kind of menu that allows you to view the word count of the essay you're writing. There are two distinct options for identifying the word count in your essay. First, you can convert the PDF file into what's known as the Rich Text Format, which makes it easier for you to count the words. You could also upload the file directly into this online word counter, which will give you an accurate word total.

The primary benefit of using the online word counter tool is that there are a number of exclusive features like speaking time and reading time that can't be found in other tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Essay Length Best Practices

Whether you're writing an essay for a high school class or for graduate school, there are some best practices that can guide you through the process and help you write the best essay. The most important element of writing an essay is getting the length right. If the essay is too long, there's a good chance it isn't as succinct and direct as it should be. The essay length guidelines you should adhere to include:

High school essay

The average essay word count for a high school essay is 300-1,000 words. Most high school essays are five paragraphs long with an introductory paragraph, three total body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.

College admission essay

This essay should be around 200-650 words long. Along with having a set word limit, these essays should include a look at your motivations and interests.

Undergraduate essay

This essay can be around 1,500-5,000 words long. The content and length depend on the college and program you're entering.

Graduate admission essay

An admission essay should be 500-1,000 words in length. Make sure you include a lengthy personal statement that details your motivations and academic achievements.

Graduate school essay

This extended essay word count is usually around 2,500-6,000 words. The assignment you receive depends on the course you're in. Most graduate-level essays are lengthy and can involve research papers.

IB extended essay

The IB extended essay word count is 4,000 words. This essay is mandatory for every student of the International Baccalaureate program and is based on independent research.

Short Essay on Our Planet Earth [100, 200, 400 words] With PDF

Earth is the only planet that sustains life and ecosystems. In this lesson, you will learn to write essays in three different sets on the planet earth to help you in preparing for your upcoming examinations.

Short Essay on Our Planet Earth in 100 Words

Earth is a rare planet since it is the only one that can support life. On Earth, life is possible for various reasons, the most essential of which are the availability of water and the presence of oxygen. Earth is a member of the Solar System. The Earth, along with the other seven planets, orbits the Sun.

One spin takes approximately twenty-four hours, and one revolution takes 365 days and four hours. Day and night, as well as the changing of seasons, occurs due to rotation and revolution. However, we have jeopardized our planet by our sheer ignorance and negligence. We must practise conservation of resources and look after mother earth while we have time.

Short Essay on Our Planet Earth in 200 Words

Earth is a blue planet that is special from the rest of the planets because it is the only one to sustain life. The availability of water and oxygen are two of the most crucial factors that make life possible on Earth. The Earth rotates around the Sun, along with seven other planets in the solar system. It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation, and approximately 365 days and 4 hours to complete one revolution. Day and night, as well as changing seasons, are all conceivable due to these two movements. 

However, we are wasting and taking advantage of the natural resources that have been bestowed upon us. Overuse and exploitation of all-natural resources produce pollution to such an alarming degree that life on Earth is on the verge of extinction. The depletion of the ozone layer has resulted in global warming. The melting of glaciers has resulted in rising temperatures.

Many animals have become extinct or are endangered. To protect the environment, we must work together. Conversation, resource reduction, reuse, and recycling will take us a long way toward restoring the natural ecosystem. We are as unique as our home planet. We have superior intelligence, which we must employ for the benefit of all living beings. The Earth is our natural home, and we must create a place that is as good as, if not better than, paradise.

Short Essay on Our Planet Earth in 400 Words

Earth is a unique planet as it is the only planet that sustains life. Life is possible on Earth because of many reasons, and the most important among them is the availability of water and oxygen. Earth is a part of the family of the Sun. It belongs to the Solar System.

Earth, along with seven other planets, revolves around the Sun. It takes roughly twenty-four hours to complete one rotation and 365 days and 4 hours to complete one revolution. Rotation and revolution make day and night and change of seasons simultaneously possible. The five seasons we experience in one revolution are Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, and Winter.

However, we are misusing resources and exploiting the natural gifts that have been so heavily endowed upon us. Overuse and misuse of all the natural resources are causing pollution to such an extent that it has become alarming to the point of destruction. The most common form of pollution caused upon the earth by us is Air Pollution, Land Pollution, Water Pollution, and Noise Pollution.

This, in turn, had resulted in Ozone Layer Depletion and Global Warming. Due to ozone layer depletion, there harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun are reaching the earth. It, in turn, is melting glaciers and causing a rise in temperature every year. Many animals have either extinct or are endangered due to human activities.

Some extinct animals worldwide are Sabre-toothed Cat, Woolly Mammoth, Dodo, Great Auk, Stellers Sea Cow, Tasmanian Tiger, Passenger Pigeon, Pyrenean Ibex. The extinct animals in the Indian subcontinent are the Indian Cheetah, pink-headed duck, northern Sumatran rhinoceros, and Sunderban dwarf rhinoceros.

The endangered animals that are in need of our immediate attention in India are Royal Bengal Tiger, Snow leopard, Red panda, Indian rhinoceros, Nilgiri tahr, Asiatic lion, Ganges river dolphin, Gharial and Hangul, among others. We have exploited fossil fuels to such an extent that now we run the risk of using them completely. We must switch to alternative sources of energy that are nature friendly. Solar power, windmills, hydra power should be used more often, and deforestation must be made illegal worldwide.

We must come together to preserve the natural environment. Conversation, reduction, reuse and recycling of the resources will take us a long way in rebuilding the natural habitat. We are as unique as our planet earth. We have higher intelligence, and we must use it for the well-being of all living organisms. The Earth is our natural abode, and we must make a place as close to Paradise, if not better.

Hopefully, after going through this lesson, you have a holistic idea about our planet Earth. I have tried to cover every aspect that makes it unique and the reasons to practise conversation of natural resources. If you still have any doubts regarding this session, kindly let me know through the comment section below. To read more such essays on many important topics, keep browsing our website. 

Join us on Telegram to get the latest updates on our upcoming sessions. Thank you, see you again soon.

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• Applying For Scholarships

How to Write a Great 250-Word Essay

David Dec 14, 2017

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In college, there are many instances where you may be required to write a 250-word essay – your application, exam questions, small writing prompts, etc. A 250-word limit may seem like a novel to some, but others find it difficult to get their point across with so few words. In this guide, we will look at a 250-word essay example, along with tips on how to write a great 250-word essay.   Bonus: Need to write a longer essay? See this guide on how to write a 500-word essay

The Basic Format of a 250-Word Essay

All essays consist of the same three parts: an introduction with a thesis, a body paragraph or body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a concluding paragraph that summarizes the overall essay.

In 250 words, you will most likely have 3-4 paragraphs in total, each with 50-100 words. This will allow for 3-5 concise but detailed sentences per paragraph.

A Step-by-Step 250-Word Essay Example

To help visualize this process, let’s go ahead and write a simple 250-word essay.  You’ll see our writing sample in green and our explanation of what we did (and what can be done) with each section in normal text.

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Without further ado, let’s get started on our essay!

TOPIC:  How has your family upbringing influenced your educational goals?

Step 1 – Write Your Thesis

Your thesis is the first thing you should consider in your essay. Simply put, it’s the main idea of your essay that will control everything else you write. If you could summarize the question in just one sentence, how would you do it?

For our topic   How has your family upbringing influenced your educational goals?  our thesis will be:

My parents saw little value in a formal education. It was their lack of passion that led me to my educational goals.

Step 2 – Write Your Introduction

In the introduction, the first sentence can be a broad or general statement that sets the tone for the piece. It is usually supported by a second sentence that leads into the thesis. The optional third sentence may pose a question that the thesis aims to answer, or it may prompt the reader to think about the topic in a different light. The final sentence of the intro paragraph clearly establishes the thesis.

As a general rule of thumb, the introduction should go from broad to specific, sentence by sentence, gradually leading up to your thesis. Here’s a sample example of an introductory paragraph.

Parents are supposed to push you past your goals, or at least, that’s what I always believed. I was raised in the generation of “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.” My parents did not follow that philosophy, and they saw little value in a formal education. It was their lack of passion that led me to my educational goals.

Word count:  Introductory paragraph, 64 words.

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Step 3 – Write The Body Paragraph(s)

Next, we’ll continue with the body paragraph. Remember, body paragraphs should support the thesis and be about 3-5 sentences or 50-100 words long. In a short essay you may opt for only one body paragraph but in a longer one you may need more.

So how should your body paragraphs support your thesis? Think of each body paragraph as an argument that supports it.

Working with our thesis   “My parents never saw the value of formal education and that’s what lead me to my educational goals” , then each paragraph could be about   how not seeing the value of formal education led to the writer pursuing it.

For example, maybe the writer didn’t want to end up in the same work as their parents. Or maybe it was the parents’ lack of belief in the writer that pushed them to pursue a better future.

Let’s have a look at what a body paragraph can look like for our 250 word essay.

From as far back as I can remember, I knew I didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of my parents, at least not when it came to work. My father had worked on the family farm all his life and my mother had been a housewife since graduation. They were both content with the simplicity of their lives and wanted the same for me. I remember my father telling me that college was “expensive and a waste of four years”.  I knew however, that I wanted a career in the city that would be more challenging than simple farm life could provide. The only way to make that possible would be through formal education and a college degree. 

Word count:  Body paragraph 119 words. Total essay is now 181 words.

Step 4 – Summarize with a Conclusion

The final paragraph is the conclusion. You may start this paragraph with “To summarize,” “As evident by X, Y, and Z,”  or a similar statement that highlights the biggest points in your essay. Use the conclusion paragraph to sum up the main point of your essay using different words. The last sentence can be something broad that leaves the reader wondering. Let’s see how we can write a conclusion for our sample essay.

While my parents may not understand the value of formal education, I know it is essential for my future. This has helped me immensely, by making me realize that without strong parental support, I’m the only one who’s responsible for my own goals. In a way this has been the strongest source of motivation. And for that, I am forever grateful.  

Notice how we summarize the main point of the essay in the first sentence. We then connect the first sentence to the a conclusion we arrive at. Finally we end in an optimistic tone by stating how this has been helpful and we are grateful. Unlike the introduction paragraph, which flows from broad sentences to specific, a conclusion generally flows the opposite way, from specific sentences to broader concepts.

Word count: Concluding paragraph 61 words. Total essay is now 242 words. 

Sure, we came up 8 words short. But being that close should not be considered an issue. If for some reason you are required to write 250 words minimum, you can make the essay longer by sprinkling in a few extra words.

The Entire 250-word Essay  Altogether

Parents are supposed to push you past your goals, or at least, that’s what I always believed. I was raised in the generation of “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.” My parents did not follow that philosophy, and they saw little value in a formal education. It was their lack of passion that led me to my educational goals. From as far back as I can remember, I knew I didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of my parents, at least not when it came to work. My father had worked on the family farm all his life and my mother had been a housewife since graduation. They were both content with the simplicity of their lives and wanted the same for me. I remember my father telling me that college was “expensive and a waste of four years”.  I knew however, that I wanted a career in the city that would be more challenging than simple farm life could provide. The only way to make that possible would be through formal education and a college degree.  While my parents may not understand the value of formal education, I know it is essential for my future. This has helped me immensely by making me realize that without strong parental support, I’m the only one who’s responsible for my own goals. In a way this has been the strongest source of motivation. And for that, I am forever grateful.  

Should I Write More Than 250 Words or Less Than 250 Words?

When a professor or college entry application asks for a “250 word essay,” 250 words is generally a rough guide. No one is going to fail you if you go over or under the limit by a few words. We’d say a good gauge is plus or minus 50 words. As a general rule of thumb though, try to stay as close to 250 words as possible without going too far over or under.

Essay Writing Tips

Here are some quick tips for writing a great 250-word essay:

• Write the first draft from start to finish without any pauses. This will make the writing sound fluid, and you can make adjustments after that.
• Avoid over-editing your work. Ideally, you should take a long pause between editing sessions so you can clear your head and come back with a fresh perspective.
• Try not to think about the word count too much. Once you get in the habit of writing four 3-5 sentence paragraphs, you’ll find your words naturally get close to 250.
• Don’t throw fluff sentences in your essay. Professors see right through those. Instead, think of an additional sentence to enhance the support in your body paragraphs.
• If you feel like you have concisely and sufficiently answered the question below the word count, trust your gut. Most instructors will value quality over quantity.

The more 250-word essays you write, the easier they will become. Feel free to practice with free essay prompts online to train your brain to write with this rhythm. You’ll soon be able to whip out 250 words without checking your word count!

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The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay | Steps & Examples

An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative — they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

The essay writing process consists of three main stages:

• Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
• Writing : Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
• Revision:  Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.

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Table of contents

Essay writing process, preparation for writing an essay, writing the introduction, writing the main body, writing the conclusion, essay checklist, lecture slides, frequently asked questions about writing an essay.

The writing process of preparation, writing, and revisions applies to every essay or paper, but the time and effort spent on each stage depends on the type of essay .

For example, if you’ve been assigned a five-paragraph expository essay for a high school class, you’ll probably spend the most time on the writing stage; for a college-level argumentative essay , on the other hand, you’ll need to spend more time researching your topic and developing an original argument before you start writing.

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Before you start writing, you should make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. There are a few key steps you can follow to make sure you’re prepared:

• Understand your assignment: What is the goal of this essay? What is the length and deadline of the assignment? Is there anything you need to clarify with your teacher or professor?
• Define a topic: If you’re allowed to choose your own topic , try to pick something that you already know a bit about and that will hold your interest.
• Do your research: Read  primary and secondary sources and take notes to help you work out your position and angle on the topic. You’ll use these as evidence for your points.
• Come up with a thesis:  The thesis is the central point or argument that you want to make. A clear thesis is essential for a focused essay—you should keep referring back to it as you write.
• Create an outline: Map out the rough structure of your essay in an outline . This makes it easier to start writing and keeps you on track as you go.

Once you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to discuss, in what order, and what evidence you’ll use, you’re ready to start writing.

The introduction sets the tone for your essay. It should grab the reader’s interest and inform them of what to expect. The introduction generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

1. Hook your reader

The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the topic.

Let’s say we’re writing an essay about the development of Braille (the raised-dot reading and writing system used by visually impaired people). Our hook can make a strong statement about the topic:

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

2. Provide background on your topic

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms. Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of your essay.

3. Present the thesis statement

Next, you should formulate your thesis statement— the central argument you’re going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the topic. It is usually one or two sentences long. The thesis statement for our essay on Braille could look like this:

As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness.

4. Map the structure

In longer essays, you can end the introduction by briefly describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. This guides the reader through your structure and gives a preview of how your argument will develop.

The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Write your essay introduction

The body of your essay is where you make arguments supporting your thesis, provide evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is to present, interpret, and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument.

Length of the body text

The length of the body depends on the type of essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of your essay. For a high school essay, this could be just three paragraphs, but for a graduate school essay of 6,000 words, the body could take up 8–10 pages.

Paragraph structure

To give your essay a clear structure , it is important to organize it into paragraphs . Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea.

That idea is introduced in a  topic sentence . The topic sentence should generally lead on from the previous paragraph and introduce the point to be made in this paragraph. Transition words can be used to create clear connections between sentences.

After the topic sentence, present evidence such as data, examples, or quotes from relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and explain the evidence, and show how it helps develop your overall argument.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

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The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of the text . A strong essay conclusion :

• Returns to your thesis
• Ties together your main points
• Shows why your argument matters

A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with a strong final impression.

What not to include in a conclusion

To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The most common mistakes are:

• Including new arguments or evidence
• Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
• Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Write your essay conclusion

Checklist: Essay

My essay follows the requirements of the assignment (topic and length ).

My introduction sparks the reader’s interest and provides any necessary background information on the topic.

My introduction contains a thesis statement that states the focus and position of the essay.

I use paragraphs to structure the essay.

I use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

Each paragraph has a single focus and a clear connection to the thesis statement.

I make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

My conclusion doesn’t just repeat my points, but draws connections between arguments.

I don’t introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion.

I have given an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information I got from another source.

I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.

My citations and references are correctly formatted according to the required citation style .

My essay has an interesting and informative title.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (e.g. font, page numbers, line spacing).

Your essay meets all the most important requirements. Our editors can give it a final check to help you submit with confidence.

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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5 Strong UPenn “Thank You” Essay Examples

What’s covered, essay example 1 – the power of the arts, essay example 2 – turning a flaw into a talent, essay example 3 – girl dad, essay example 4 – thank you for the music, essay example 5 – middle school english.

• Where to Get Feedback on your UPenn Essays

Founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania is one of the eight Ivy League institutions. Its beautiful campus features unique red-and-green-brick buildings, gorgeous tree-lined paths, and lots of tributes to Ben Franklin. In addition to its elite academics, UPenn is also known for its thriving student life–it’s even nicknamed “the social Ivy.” UPenn also enjoys the benefits of being situated in the heart of Philadelphia, just a stone’s throw from myriad museums, gardens, cathedrals, and historic sites, including Independence Hall.

Between its superb academics, vibrant social scene, and prime location, UPenn is one of the most competitive schools in the country. As a result, your essays need to shine, to set you apart from other smart, talented applicants. In this post, we’ll break down five responses to UPenn’s “Thank You” supplemental prompt, which was just added during the 2022-2023 applications cycle. We’ll lay out what each essay did well, and any areas for improvement.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Read our UPenn essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

UPenn “Thank You” Prompt

The following essays respond to this prompt:

Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150 – 200 words)

Since this prompt is a recent addition to UPenn’s list of supplements, and doesn’t fit neatly into one of the classic supplemental essay boxes (like “Why School?” or “Why Major?” , you may not be quite sure where to start. To help you out, we’ve compiled five responses real students wrote to this prompt. You can read the essays below, and get our breakdowns of each one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Dear Mrs. Peterson,

After finishing my drawing of Timothée Chalamet this semester, I was stunned by its beauty—it was one of the first pieces that I was proud of. Because of the debacle with the charcoal drawing of my sister last year, I avoided drawing another human. Yet, you persisted in encouraging me to tackle this challenge; from achieving Timothée’s chiseled cheekbones to highlighting his curls, you always stood by my side—even when I wanted to quit.

Honing my artistic abilities was only a portion of what you taught me. You always encouraged me to be vulnerable, and I am gratified by our insightful conversations. From consoling me through the stress of finals to supporting my aspirations of becoming a lawyer, you never wavered in listening to my stories. You weren’t just my art teacher, but my shoulder.

I am inspired by how you lead your life with compassion and authenticity. Watching you build a community through dialogue furthered my own love of interaction as an instrument to foster connection. Thank you for being my guidepost. You made a home for me in your class, and it saddens me that I will be leaving it soon.

Gratefully,

Future Empathetic Lawyer

What the Essay Did Well

A strong hook is an essential part of any essay, to really draw a reader into the story. This writer does an excellent job immediately grabbing our attention by describing a tangible object that represents why they are thankful to their art teacher, which is a far more powerful technique than just saying something general like “You have made me a much better artist.”

The drawing of Timothée Chalamet also serves as an anchor for the traits the writer wants to highlight about themselves, such as risk-taking (taking on the challenge of drawing “his chiseled cheekbones…[and] curls” ) and perseverance ( “you always stood by my side” ). Remember that showing your reader something about yourself, through a tangible example like an art project, makes your points far more convincing than just telling them you are a certain way, as then you’re just leaving them to take your word for it.

The writer also seamlessly transitions from talking about their drawing to talking about how their art teacher has helped them in general, with the line “Honing my artistic abilities was only a portion of what you taught me.” This line provides the perfect jumping-off point for the writer to show us how their teacher has supported them in non-art contexts as well.

Finally, in a big-picture sense, the writer strikes a great balance between highlighting their art teacher’s virtues, and how those virtues have helped them grow and develop their own personality. With this prompt, there’s a risk that you end up talking too much about the person you’re thanking, and not enough about yourself–remember, you’re the one admissions officers are trying to make a decision about! But this writer avoids that pitfall by always connecting the things they admire in their art teacher to qualities they have developed themselves.

What Could Be Improved

There is not much room for improvement in this essay. The author directly connects the values they have learned from their art teacher to tangible experiences, which ensures their essay will stand out even from other essays written about teachers.

The only point in the essay that reads a little strangely is the inclusion of the word “empathetic” in the student’s signature. Although we can read between the lines that they learned empathy from their teacher, that actually isn’t a value they name outright. They do highlight vulnerability, compassion, authenticity, and connection, so to make the end of the essay feel more cohesive, they could either replace “empathetic” with something like “compassionate,” or just make sure they do explicitly include empathy in the body of the essay.

Dear Mr. Gonzalez,

I want to take a moment to thank you for the encouragement and support you have given me throughout my high school career. You have been a great teacher and mentor, and I am lucky to have you in my life.

However, I would especially like to thank you for helping me discover my gifts and turning them into abilities. All my life, I have been told that my love of talking with anyone and everyone was an annoyance at best and a flaw at worst. You decided to turn this “flaw” into one of my greatest joys. You taught me how to meticulously craft words and introduced me to rhetoric. Before, I never noticed how perfectly my skill for speaking and writing played into my other skills and talents.

You helped me learn that I grow best when thrust into high-pressure situations. The speeches and the competitions you signed me up for made me incredibly nervous but also incredibly proud.

You taught me that anything you love can be used to bring you happiness, and, more importantly, to help others.

Much appreciative,

This student uses this letter to say a touching, genuine thank you to a teacher who has helped them “turn [a] ‘flaw’ into one of [their] greatest joys.” Rather than highlighting a more generic trait like work ethic, the writer chooses a core value that shows they are able to deeply reflect on how they became the person they are, and how this teacher helped them with that development.

The writer’s impressive ability for introspection is also shown by their description of how their loquaciousness has always been a part of them (which we understand from the line “All my life” ), but their teacher was the first person to help that quality blossom. Rather than framing the essay around a quality that someone else taught them directly, they show that they understand growth can happen in a variety of ways, which in turn shows that they are a mature, emotionally intelligent person.

The author begins their essay very generically, by thanking their teacher for “encouragement and support” and saying that he is a “great teacher and mentor.” Remember, the point of any college essay is to help distinguish yourself from other applicants, and these lines could have been plucked from just about anybody’s “Thank You” essay.

Especially given the low word count, the student should use each sentence purposefully, rather than wasting space on general pleasantries. They would be better off starting the letter with the line “I would like to thank you for helping me discover my gifts and turning them into abilities.” As noted above, this personal, specific reason they are grateful to their teacher is really the heart of the essay, and thus should be given as much attention as possible.

Along the same lines, cutting the general introductions at the beginning would also give the writer more space to explain how their teacher helped them become more confident in their gifts. Rather than just saying that he “taught [them] how to meticulously craft words and introduced [them] to rhetoric,” the writer should provide us with an anecdote that shows what their teacher did specifically to improve their speaking and writing skills. This might look something like:

“I will never forget breaking down some of history’s most famous speeches with you, from the Gettysburg Address to ‘I Have a Dream,’ and slowly starting to understand how I could use these great orators’ techniques myself.”

Likewise, in the third paragraph, the student should provide context for how they reacted to high-pressure situations before their teacher started signing them up for speeches and competitions. They could include something along the lines of “In the past, I always shied away from the spotlight and never felt confident enough to pursue my passion for public speaking, but your faith in my talents pushed me to break past my mental boundaries.” By telling us what the student was like before meeting Mr. Gonzalez, this line emphasizes the importance of the lesson they learned from him.

Finally, in the last sentence of the letter, the student says that their teacher has taught them “to help others.” However, the essay never discussed helping others, so this lesson comes out of nowhere. Especially in the conclusion, you want to be sure that the points you make are supported by the rest of the essay. In the case of this student, that means they would be better off just sticking with the line “You taught me that anything you love can be used to bring you happiness,” as that is a quality they have discussed in detail.

I’ll always remember the times you corrected our Arabic-speaking friends when they greeted you with Abu Jack [Jack’s father] instead of Abu Julia [Julia’s father], proudly breaking the patriarchal tradition of referring to parents by the name of their eldest son, even when their first child is a daughter. Despite our disagreements on everything from economics to foreign policy, your simultaneous open-mindedness and commitment to your values remind me to appreciate intellectual plurality grounded in respect.

Thank you for motivating me to constantly learn more with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world. For inspiring me to see beauty in language, history, literature, and science. For strengthening my empathy through every late-night dinner debate. For spending hours discussing each book we share, from Sapiens to Sophie’s World.

Please never stop asking me for advice on your poetry to gauge whether your metaphors translate to English. Never lose the softness in your heart that makes you cry while we watch Coco for the third time because it reminds you of your family. Keep reminding me to “demand evidence and think critically,” even though I tease you for buying a sweatshirt plastered with the phrase.

Your mini-you

Although many other applicants are likely to write letters to parents or other family members, this writer ensures her essay will still stand out by structuring her essay around stories and anecdotes that are personal to her relationship with her dad. Her father’s rejection of a “patriarchal tradition,” two specific examples of books they have read together, and her description of one of his favorite sweatshirts all show what makes their connection different from any other between a father and daughter.

More broadly, these personal anecdotes help readers understand this writer’s background as a whole, not just her relationship with her dad. The essays are admissions officers’ number one resource for understanding how you’ll fit into their campus community as a person, not just a student, and this essay gives us a clear sense of the intellect and compassion this writer would contribute to late night conversations with her roommate, interactions with the dining hall staff, and all the other “little moments” that truly define a college experience.

Unfortunately, this essay falls into the trap outlined in our breakdown of Essay Example 1: we learn more about the author’s dad than we do about her. We know he breaks patriarchal tradition, has encyclopedia-like knowledge, loves poetry, and gets emotional when watching the movie Coco, but we don’t learn anything concrete about this student’s values, only that she admires these qualities in him.

To improve this, the author can reframe some of her ideas to be more focused on herself. For example, take the paragraph:

“Thank you for motivating me to constantly learn more with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world. For inspiring me to see beauty in language, history, literature, and science. For strengthening my empathy through every late-night dinner debate. For spending hours discussing each book we share, from Sapiens to Sophie’s World.”

Instead of spending most of the space highlighting her father’s virtues, she should rephrase this paragraph to be grounded in actions she has taken as a result of feeling inspired by her father. This could look something like:

“Your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world has motivated me to linger by paintings in museums for a few seconds longer, to make sure I fully grasp the artist’s intentions, give Moby Dick a second chance even though I couldn’t get past the third chapter on my first attempt, and start self-studying Italian.”

As you can see, fleshing out her ideas in this way will take up space, and right now the essay covers too much ground for her to do this for each point she makes: she touches on Arabic culture, disagreements they have had, films and books they’ve enjoyed together, and general values she has learned from her father like empathy.

Narrowing her focus will give her the space she needs to make the essay more personal, and also communicate in a more cohesive way what her dad has taught her, as right now readers might leave feeling confused about what the most important lesson she has learned from him is. Choosing just one or two things to focus on will make the essay feel more unified.

Dear Mrs. Charles,

Entering your classroom, it was the lively music that drew me in, yet it would be your energetic voice that would hook me into the countless lessons about history for the next nine months. There was no dull moment, only excitement and the curiosity to learn more. You have instilled beyond knowledge, but more importantly, the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me. You looked out for me even when I was too insecure about my residential status to ask for help. With my first ever letter of recommendation, you have since advocated for my academic career. Amidst overwhelming college applications, I sobbed reading your note, “Good Luck My Perfect young woman – You deserve the world!” You continuously believe in my potential, and that faith has emboldened me to be the resilient woman I am today. Thank you, Mrs. Charles, for encouraging me when things seemed impossible, mentoring me when I was lost, and strengthening my confidence when no one was there. It has been an honor to be your student, and I cannot wish for any other teachers to have changed my life this way.

This student’s genuine gratitude towards her teacher comes across in her strong personal voice, which is reflected in engaging lines like “there was no dull moment” and “the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me.” We can tell that the student’s appreciation for her teacher comes from moments that were truly formative for her, and that authenticity wins us over by pulling at our heartstrings with strong word choices and phrasings.

Although this essay does a great job of expressing the emotional depth of this student’s relationship with her teacher, it lacks the specific details to evidence how this relationship has grown over time. For example, the student writes:

“You have instilled beyond knowledge, but more importantly, the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me. You looked out for me even when I was too insecure about my residential status to ask for help.”

While these lines are compelling, and speak to how the teacher looks out for the writer as an individual, not just a student, we don’t get any details about how she “instilled beyond knowledge” or “looked out for” the student. An anecdote that provides some of those details would give us a clearer sense of why this relationship is so meaningful to this student. That might look something like:

“You went out of your way to meet with me every week as I prepared for my mock debate on the pros and cons of the American public education system, a system that, as an immigrant, I had always admired. I had been too nervous about my residential status to ask you for help understanding the points my peers knew instinctively, and so it meant the world to me when you asked me to join you for a snack at your desk after class one day. This discrete support made me feel simultaneously looked out for and empowered.”

Finally, this essay would look better on the page if it were split into two or even three paragraphs. A huge block of text on the page can be daunting, and you don’t want to turn off your readers before they even start. Plus, breaking up your ideas into smaller paragraphs can also make your essay easier to understand, as your reader can focus on one point at a time, rather than trying to keep everything in mind simultaneously as they’re reading.

Also on a structural level, the writer should have a signature of some kind. If you were writing a note to someone in a non-college essay context, you wouldn’t leave it unsigned. So, while it’s a small detail, to be true to what the prompt is asking, this student should include a signature.

Dear Mrs. King,

Even though it has been five years since I’ve stepped into your English classroom at Harrison Middle, I remember the sound of your enthusiastic voice and genuine smile like it was yesterday.

Your energy was contagious and your quick wittedness unmatched. The way you effortlessly enthralled the entire class with your love for writing is something I will never forget. When you organized a classwide debate based on our argumentative essay topics, you captivated everyone to the point where enthusiastic shouts bounced off the walls of the room.

You made us feel warm and comfortable. As a rigorous teacher and thinker, your lessons impacted me in and out of the classroom. The door to your classroom was always open if I needed advice, helping me navigate everything from friendships to high school applications. In your presence, I felt like a friend instead of a student, because that was just your comforting nature. Thank you for the moments with you in middle school that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Warm regards,

This essay’s greatest strength is the author’s use of vibrant, playful language, which helps readers vicariously feel Mrs. King’s enthusiasm and energy. For example, the “enthusiastic shouts bouncing off walls” and feeling “like a friend instead of a student, because that was just your comforting nature” drop us right into Mrs. King’s classroom, and allow us to vicariously understand why this student respects her so much.

This essay’s biggest issue is that most of the writer’s points are very generic, and could have been written by anyone, about any teacher. The point of this prompt is to highlight certain aspects of your personality by describing values you have learned from someone else, but the details we get about Mrs. King are very surface-level, like the sound of her voice, smile, and love for writing. As a result, we don’t learn much about either the teacher’s personality or how she has impacted the writer.

The author should instead include stories that show us specific values and lessons they have learned from this teacher. For example, the line “As a rigorous teacher and thinker, your lessons impacted me in and out of the classroom,” could be about nearly anything. To make this line more informative, the writer needs to get much more specific about what their point is, along the lines of:

“When you took us on a field trip to see a production of Hamlet which had recast Ophelia as a man, you challenged me to reconsider how societal standards, which I like to think I’m able to transcend, unavoidably impact my interpretation of literature.”

This version both identifies a particular aspect of the writer’s personality (their ability to push back on preconceived ideas) and something specific Mrs. King did to help them develop that aspect. As a result, admissions officers now get what they really care about: information about who this student is, and how they would fit in at their school.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay

Want feedback on your UPenn “Thank You” essay before you submit? That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Guest Essay

Open Letters Are Cries in the Dark

By Roxane Gay

Contributing Opinion Writer

Once upon a time, it is often suggested, people with starkly different viewpoints were able to convene and compromise and find hallowed common ground. This all happened in a “better time,” one invoked in fraught political discussions in which the discourse is not happening in exactly the way the invoker prefers. If only we could get back to that place, we could solve all our problems. We could overcome our differences. We could create lasting change.

It’s easy to look upon the past with rose-colored glasses, to assume that whatever compromises people were once able to make came easily to well-mannered gentlemen and perhaps a few gentlewomen engaged in debates. Our assumption that the past was more civil is such a beautiful lie, one that serves only the people so desperately willing to believe it.

Open letters are not new; they have served as rhetorical tools for at least two centuries, from Émile Zola’s “J’accuse” to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” As a means of personal empowerment, they allow people to use their voices, to advocate causes for which they hold affinity, to bring attention to important social issues, to express outrage, to defend decisions, to chastise ignorance, to affirm humanity. Open letters are persuasive arguments, but they are also entreaties. Please, hear me, the writers of open letters implore. Please act. Please change. Please.

I am not a fan of open letters, though I recognize their value. I’ve signed a few over the years because doing so felt urgent and necessary. But once the letter was released, I felt a little lost and had no idea where to put the energy of the letter and its pleas. The open letter, as a genre is, in this way, far too limited. We speak with conviction, and then what?

We need not have solutions to every issue we bring attention to, but the constant volley of open letters does not really address the problems with which they are concerned. In some cases, these letters only encourage audiences to become even more attached to their convictions. If, in the best case, an open letter really influences people to change their minds, where do they go with their newfound perspectives? If an open letter offers practical steps forward, how does it create space for what happens after we vote or bring awareness about an issue to our social circles?

In 1962, James Baldwin wrote a searing letter in which he grappled with the fraught, racist future into which his nephew would come of age. Mr. Baldwin wrote, “You were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason. The limits to your ambition were thus expected to be settled. You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity and in as many ways as possible that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence. You were expected to make peace with mediocrity.”

This was a message for his nephew, but it was also for any Black person or other person of color trying to reconcile the realities of racism. And it was a reckoning for a white audience about the ways bigotry seeks to limit the Black imagination. That’s the beauty of open letters: There is your intended audience and then all the ancillary audiences to which you have access, by virtue of the open message.

But open letters are not always as profound or noble or edifying. At their worst, they are thinly veiled opportunities for the writer(s) to air grievances to like-minded individuals or share unfiltered, unrefined opinions of little substance. They purport to reach a specific audience for a specific reason, but really, these letters are often undisciplined monologues. The writers are preachers, standing at powerful pulpits, all call and little interest in response.

Before the rise of the internet, open letters could have a significant impact because most people had few avenues for expressing their ideas to a large audience. But now, when we send a tweet or post an image on Instagram or make a TikTok, we are, in a sense, sharing a tiny open letter. Please, we say, please hear me. Please see me.

I cannot nor would not dare try to adjudicate a decades-long conflict no person or entity has ever been able to resolve. But over the past several months, I have been struck by the sheer number of open letters various individuals and groups have written in support of Israel, in support of the Palestinians, in support of war, against war, demanding cease-fire, rejecting cease-fire and on and on.

Instead of having conversations, many people have taken to talking at their intended audiences, composing arguments as unimpeachably as possible and trusting that little more needs to be said. Or, because someone else has done the work of crafting an argument, people co-sign a letter’s sentiments without having to expend unnecessary effort or original thought — all reward, little risk.

We are six months past Oct. 7 and the brutal Hamas incursions into Israel. Hamas is still holding more than 100 hostages. At least 33,000 Palestinians, according to the local Health Ministry, have been killed by Israeli military attacks. There is no end in sight to the hostilities. A great many of us are feeling helpless in the face of such an intractable conflict. We want to say and do the right thing without necessarily knowing what that looks like. Open letters have allowed us to scream into the void, innumerable calls begging for some kind of response that might bring an end to so much suffering.

Open letters about Gaza are not a recent phenomenon. In 2014, physicians and scientists wrote a letter for the people of Gaza, denouncing Israeli aggression. In December 2023, Doctors Without Borders and other humanitarian groups wrote an open letter to the U.S. secretary of defense, Lloyd J. Austin, sharing concerns about the civilian casualties of war and requesting that the United States take steps to protect civilians in Gaza. Jewish elected officials in New York wrote a letter, articulating the effects the war has had on their constituents and urging the Israeli government to find a peaceful resolution and protect Palestinians from settler violence. Museum employees and volunteers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art wrote an open letter encouraging the museum to call for an end to the bombing in Gaza and showcase more Palestinian artwork. Workers at several other museums took similar stands. American political appointees wrote an open letter decrying President Biden’s stance on Israel.

These open letters are not solely an American endeavor. More than 60 nongovernmental agencies in Britain wrote an open letter to members of Parliament about the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and requesting support for a cease-fire motion. Journalists from around the world have written open letters in support of Palestinian journalists and demanding better access to Gaza to report on the destruction and demanding that media outlets more effectively and accurately report on the brutal realities of the war.

In Hollywood there has been a slew of open letters. In one such letter, released days after Oct. 7, actors and entertainment industry executives wrote passionately in defense of Israel, condemned Hamas and demanded the release of the Israeli hostages. In another, actors and artists wrote an open letter to Mr. Biden, calling for a cease-fire. Poets and writers have written open letters, and so have university faculty, lawyers, artists and art workers, philanthropists, college students, researchers, congressional staff members, philosophers and even Holocaust survivors .

Each open letter, no matter what stance it adopts, is earnest, incisive and unequivocal. All the writers and co-signers believe they are right and know the best way forward. As the war continues, so does this chorus of open letters. They are coalescing into a historical record of how people are responding to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our lifetimes. We need this record, but we also need so much more.

As with the conflict itself, there is, seemingly, little common ground beyond a collective desire to speak and be heard and remain confident in one’s correctitude. This reveals one of the biggest weaknesses of the open letter. We know what the writers of these letters think and feel. We know what they want. But we don’t really know if anyone is listening. We don’t know how to translate those words into meaningful action. We don’t know what could happen if, instead of talking at one another by way of open letters, we found better ways to talk with and listen, truly listen, to one another — to participate in both the call and the response.

Change is difficult. It is incremental. Sometimes, compromise and progress demand sacrifice. Rarely do all people get everything they want. And, I suspect, that’s why we keep turning to open letters. They may not lead to workable solutions, but they do allow us to speak. They won’t provide food and medical care to the people of Gaza, and they won’t bring the hostages home or bring about a cease-fire, but we can articulate what we want without having to engage in the messy and unsatisfying but necessary work of compromise. We can hold fast to our deeply held beliefs without having to question them or grapple with doubt. We can mitigate any helplessness with performance rather than practice.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Roxane Gay  is the author, most recently, of “Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business” and a contributing Opinion writer. Write to her at  [email protected] . @ RGay

As a college student, I’d never written an actual letter. They seemed so old-fashioned.

I sat by walden pond and wrote about the whiplash transition of moving cross-country and going from carefree adolescent to working young adult..

On my first night living alone in Boston, the record-breaking mid-July heat wave simmered into the early morning. A box fan in my shoebox-sized room rattled in vain, no match for the suffocating air that lingered thick like warm syrup. Overhead, a single exposed light bulb flickered out. With my bedding still in storage across town, I curled up on my dirty sleeping bag spread across the bare mattress, and thought of the home I had left behind.

I had spent the past two months on the other side of the country, wringing out what I imagined were the last moments of my childhood — and much of it in that same sleeping bag. Under Nevada stars, along Oregon riverbanks, and on the granite slabs of California alps, I spent my days in close company of friends, doing everything I could to avoid solitude. Now alone in my Allston apartment, surrounded by buildings and strangers, with my Big Serious First Job as a student journalist at this magazine looming the next morning, I was not just lonely, I was out of my depth.

But there was a nagging whisper in the back of my mind: You need this.

My phone glowed in the darkness, luring me to “connect.” Then, for reasons still unknown to me, I deleted my social media and put down my phone. The next day, I bought a 50-pack of envelopes and a book of stamps.

I had never written a letter. It had always seemed so old-fashioned, long replaced by superior modes of communication. Soldiers muddy in trenches, fountain pen in hand, wrote letters. My former-flower child mother wrote letters. But I could call or text. I could follow people’s lives through silent scrolling. Putting pen on paper had never seemed worth the effort.

On my first Saturday, I rose early, boarded two buses and then a commuter rail to Concord. Through the asphalt haze of another blistering day, I walked the 2 miles to Walden Pond. Finding a vacant patch of sand a little way back from the shore — babbling children on one side and a horde of teenage boys on the other — I sat down and wrote.

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I wrote about the transition whiplash from my home in California to here, from Pacific to Atlantic, from carefree adolescent to working young adult. About the strange sense of invisibility, of limitless autonomy, and of joy or terror or pride that washed over me in waves each day. About the glee of office eavesdropping, the comically cheap meals I’d been concocting, and the water sliders gliding along the pond surface a few feet in front of me. As I wrote, I imagined my friends, wherever they were, whatever they were up to.

Writing letters forced me to override my expectation of immediacy. It split apart my world built around access through clicking and swiping and forced me to connect to the one person I’d grown so good at avoiding: myself.

That evening, I slipped four stamped envelopes into a sidewalk collection box. At dusk the next day, after several hours spent writing in the Boston Public Library courtyard and then under a willow in the Public Garden, I mailed four more. Over the course of the next month, I addressed dozens of letters to friends and family scattered across the country.

With every envelope I dropped into the mailbox, the crushing sense of loneliness that once consumed me began fading away. My life was changing and I was changing, but that didn’t have to be isolating. I was able to exist in one place, and be present, without the feeling that something — that constant ding of online reinforcement — was missing.

Two weeks after Walden, responses began to trickle in. A few people called and a few texted.

Then I received my first letter. I ripped open the envelope. I read it, reread, slipped it back in the envelope, and placed it in the woven basket beside my bed. Then I picked up my pen.

Zenobia Pellissier Lloyd is a Boston University student. Send comments to [email protected] . TELL YOUR STORY. Email your 650-word unpublished essay on a relationship to [email protected] . Please note: We do not respond to submissions we won’t pursue.

Zenobia Pellissier Lloyd can be reached at [email protected] .