Here’s an example of a good essay introduction with a memorable hook:
What I remember most from the night my entire life collapsed was the brightness of the stadium lights overhead. Not the chaos of the crowd or the faces staring down at me, talking over me. I was deaf to all that. The lights were so blinding, so distracting. And I kept thinking, over and over, ‘don’t take me out of the game’. Thoughts that would be strangely prophetic later, in the hospital, when they told me I wouldn’t be able to play the rest of the season, or maybe ever again. My entire life, my expected future, flew off a cliff. In those coming months, I would learn what it really means to start over, to pick yourself back up and keep playing the game.
Try not to start your college essay introduction with a cliché or a quote. Cliches have been read thousands of times by admissions officers, and they want to see something unique and interesting, not the same old things. And using a quote to start your essay isn’t a good idea, since it is meant to be written in your own words, not someone else’s.
Why It Works: This style subtly highlights the writing talent of the author without drawing attention away from the content of the story. In this example, the staccatoed sentence fragments convey a sense of halting anxiety and also mimic the movement of the bird’s chest as it struggles to breathe. All sorts of questions come up: What happened to the bird? What will the author do? (Read the rest of the essay .)
We’ll also brief you on a few essay introduction examples.
For our college essay introduction examples, we’ve used a few of the common app essay prompts you might see on your application. We’ve included sample introductions for essays from students of various different life experiences and situations to help you!
Writing a good hook takes some work. Try to think of how you would summarize your essay or the personal experience you are highlighting. What was the key lesson you learned? What is at the centre of your motivations? Try writing this topic sentence a few different ways and read it aloud to see how it sounds.
Your essay introduction should follow a , which should be helpful in guiding your writing. When thinking about how to write an introduction, remember that it will be structured into three parts:
We get it, writing a standout introduction is easier said than done. Hopefully though, after seeing some examples of dynamic and thoughtful intros that used our techniques, you’re inspired to . You’ve got this. DTDT has never looked so good.
Below is a perfect example of a persuasive essay introduction.
An essay introduction does exactly what its name implies: it introduces the subject of the paper to readers. Most importantly, it provides readers with a map of the overall paper. A good introduction captures readers' attention, tells them what the paper is about, and provides an outline of what is to come.
Here is a COVID-19 essay introduction example for your understanding:
We don't want you, intrepid essay writer, to end up at the bottom of the pile because of poor essay writing. We want you to know how to write an introduction that grabs attention and gets noticed.
Here is a good essay introduction example for a synthesis essay.
Refer to our article about for more ideas on how to write an introduction to your work. You can even present the point you are going to argue against.
Here are some downloadable essay introduction examples:
I once had a professor tell a class that he sifted through our pile of essays, glancing at the titles and introductions, looking for something that grabbed his attention. Everything else went to the bottom of the pile to be read last, when he was tired and probably grumpy from all the marking.
College Essay Introduction Examples
Your college essay is at heart a narrative that either answers the essay question or answers the question “why are you applying to this school?” Your essay should take the reader through each stage of your decision, but your introduction’s primary role is to grab the reader’s interest and set the stage. And just like an excellent stage play seizes the audience’s attention from the moment the lights turn on the stage, your essay needs to do the same. Be the narrator of your narrative and share with the audience what will be learned about you from reading your essay.
Here are some valuable tips for writing a good essay introduction:
In the introduction to an essay, provide readers with a little background or basic information about the topic you are covering. Start with the broader subject, and lead your readers to your specific topic. This is especially important when writing a book report. Show them how your topic relates to the bigger picture.