Essay Opening Paragraph

The opening paragraph of your essay is vital and deserves careful consideration.

The first paragraph must arouse the reader’s interest. It works to push the reader out of a neutral mindset into one of curiosity concerning the direction of your essay. This can be done in a variety of ways: •Ask a provocative question, •Develop a philosophical stance, •Offer an interesting and relevant quotation, •Present a vivid scene, •State an opinion, •Relate an episode or anecdote, •Attack a general misconception, •Make an assertion, etc.

Whatever opening strategy you select, make sure it accomplishes three

vital things:

1. It must stimulate interest,

2. It must establish the tone of your essay,

3. It must in some way point out the method you are going to use

to develop your main idea.

Examine your introduction with a scrutinizing eye. Is it sincere? Is it energetic? Is it crisp and to the point? Is it decisive? Is it interesting? Too many essays fail before they really begin.
8. Essay Closing: As obvious as it sounds, an essay must have a distinct ending. Some applicants write until they feel they have satisfied some magical quota of words and then they screech to a halt. An essay must have an ending. In other words, your final paragraph should leave your readers with a definite impression and, at the same time, give them a sense of finality. Here are some closings to avoid when writing your final paragraph:
• Don’t end your personal statement with an impersonal, hollow sounding listing of key points: “let me review the three main points I learned as a campaign volunteer.”
• Don’t apologize: “Unfortunately I have not been able to go into the depth necessary to cover this concept.”
• Don’t cloud your impression by throwing in a bushel of added details at the last minute.
• Don’t laboriously repeat what you have already said in the essay.
• Don’t befuddle the reader by shooting out in a whole new direction.
• Don’t be presumptuous by suggesting you have uncovered knowledge heretofore untouched by the human mind.
If you end your essay on a sour note, you run the risk of discounting all the effort you put into the body of your work. Upon digesting the final paragraph, your readers should say to themselves, “Ah, so it ends, the writer has done his job.” The need for a sense of completion is satisfied.

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