high school experience essay

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The La Salle Falconer

The high school experience: a personal reflection.

Filled with growth and life lessons, the high school experience has been a journey worth the climb.

Anna Waldron , Editor May 4, 2022

High school is arguably the most transformative time of a person’s life. My own experience has been filled with more memories, laughter, stress, and — most importantly, growth — than I ever could have anticipated when I began. 

The lessons I have learned about myself, about others, and about the world in the last four years have shaped who I am today, and that person is far from the naive 14-year-old girl who walked through those glass doors of La Salle nearly four years ago. I was oblivious to the overwhelming emotional distress that I would feel when I started high school. 

In some ways, it feels like an everyday battle. 

As a freshman, the struggle began with adjusting to what felt like a whole new world. I was desperately trying to make friends, considering I had only one. I never knew what it was like to feel alone in a school with so many people. I felt like I had to act a certain way or be a certain person in order to maintain a basic conversation with people in my classes or on my soccer team. 

Every day, my head was filled with an overwhelming concern about how I could manage to make myself look like someone with more friends than I actually had at the time. 

I remember constantly thinking, “I’ll start enjoying this at some point, right?” 

The truth is, I did. 

To anyone who is feeling the way I once felt, please know that those feelings do go away. By the end of my freshman year and into the next, I enjoyed myself. School wasn’t particularly challenging, and I was spending my weekends having fun with my friends and going to basketball games and sleepovers. I had finally created a routine and felt mostly content with my life, aside from daunting thoughts in my head telling me it was all a lie.

I think that’s something that all teenagers deal with. It comes with the age, the questions, “do my friends actually like me?” or “am I enough?” — “do people worry about me or have I tricked myself into thinking they do?” 

I continued to move throughout my sophomore year feeling a new level of comfort with my life. Then, the pandemic hit. 

The original two weeks of quarantine turned into two months, and then two years. The predictable high school experience I had become accustomed to was no longer my reality, and instead, high school turned into an atypical rollercoaster of isolation from all the essential parts of the experience. 

To say it was hard would be an understatement, but after the initial forced adjustment to a remote life, I was forced to be content without relying on others.

Without having to fear other people’s judgments of me or having to conceal myself in social situations to appear more “acceptable,” I gained independence and confidence within myself that I didn’t know existed.

Then finally — after over a year — the long-awaited return to school arrived. 

I rejoiced in my ability to thrive academically again and I was so relieved to feel like I was really learning. I reconnected with my friends, ate lunch outside, took finals, and then — after a blur of two months — the year ended. My junior year flew by like no other. 

When senior year rolled around, I felt out of place. I couldn’t imagine a world where I belonged to the oldest class at the school. In the beginning, it was odd getting used to, but after a few weeks, it was nothing but a thrill as I planned what the next weekend alongside my friends would hold. 

My friendships were flourishing and I was becoming closer and closer with people I had never really gotten to know. 

Unlike the three years prior, my senior year has felt like a stereotypical high school experience, and I could not be more grateful for it. 

I always thought of myself as someone who was above enjoying things like attending soccer games, getting ready for homecoming with my friends, singing karaoke in someone’s basement, or going to a trampoline park for an 18-year-old’s birthday party. 

The truth is, I’m not. 

I regret that I spent so long depriving myself of the things I love in order to fit a narrative that I created for myself. 

I love that I will graduate high school happier and more fulfilled than I ever felt during my other three years here. It feels like everything has finally come full circle, after all these years of feeling so alone. 

So yes, it was transformative. I am finally content with the person I have become and the life I have chosen to lead. I wouldn’t be the same without La Salle and I wouldn’t be the same without the people I’ve gotten to know here. 

I know that I will look back on my high school experience here, not feeling critical of the insecurities I have felt, but feeling grateful for the memories and lessons that came regardless of them. 

Senior Anna Waldron has lived in Portland, Oregon her whole life, in the same neighborhood as nine members of her extended family.  Outside of The...

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Essay on Experience In Senior High School

Students are often asked to write an essay on Experience In Senior High School in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Experience In Senior High School

First day feelings.

Starting senior high school can be exciting and scary. You meet new teachers and make new friends. The big campus makes you feel grown-up. You might worry about getting lost or fitting in. But soon, you find your way and start enjoying this new chapter.

Classes and Learning

In senior high, subjects get harder but more interesting. You study science, math, and literature in depth. Projects and homework increase, and you learn to manage time. Teachers expect more, but they also guide you to understand complex ideas.

School Activities

There are clubs and sports to join. Whether it’s drama, soccer, or robotics, these groups help you find your passions. You learn teamwork and leadership. School events like dances create fun memories with friends.

Preparing for the Future

Senior high is about planning your future. You think about college and jobs. Counselors help with these decisions. You learn what interests you and what you’re good at, shaping your path after graduation.

250 Words Essay on Experience In Senior High School

Life in senior high school.

In senior high, the classes become harder. Students study subjects like math, science, and history in more detail. Teachers expect more from students, like doing research and giving presentations. Many students also choose special courses that interest them, which can help decide what they want to do after school.

Friendships and Social Life

Friends are a big part of high school. Students meet new people and sometimes make friends for life. There are also many groups and clubs to join, like sports teams or music bands. These activities help students learn to work with others and build strong relationships.

Senior high is also about getting ready for what comes next. Students start thinking about college or jobs. They might visit colleges or learn about different careers. This helps them make big decisions about their lives after high school.

Challenges and Growth

High school is not always easy. There are tests and homework that can be tough. But these challenges help students grow. They learn to manage their time and to keep trying even when things are hard.

In conclusion, senior high school is a mix of learning, making friends, and planning for the future. It can be challenging, but it is also a time when students grow a lot and prepare to become adults.

500 Words Essay on Experience In Senior High School

Introduction to senior high school.

Senior high school is a time filled with new experiences and challenges. It’s the final stage before entering college or the working world. For many, it is a period of growth, learning, and making memories that last a lifetime.

Academic Life

In senior high school, the level of study becomes more serious. Subjects are more detailed, and students often have to pick a track or a focus area. This could be science, arts, commerce, or vocational studies. Teachers expect more from students, and the homework can be tough. But it’s also exciting to learn new things and understand subjects on a deeper level. Some students find their passion during this time, which can guide their future career choices.

Social Changes

Social life changes a lot in senior high school. Friendships become stronger or may shift as interests change. There are many events like sports, prom, and school festivals that bring everyone together. It’s a time to make new friends and learn about teamwork and cooperation. Students also learn to deal with more complex social issues and personal relationships.

Senior high school is also about getting ready for what comes next. This means thinking about college or jobs. Students might take tests like the SAT or ACT, or they might start working part-time jobs. Counselors and teachers often help students figure out what steps they need to take to reach their goals.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities are a big part of senior high school. Clubs, sports teams, and other groups let students explore interests outside of class. These activities can be fun and also help with college applications. They teach important skills like leadership, time management, and commitment.

Senior high school isn’t always easy. There can be a lot of pressure to do well in exams and make important decisions about the future. It’s also a time when students might face personal challenges. But overcoming these difficulties can lead to growth. Students learn to be responsible, how to manage stress, and how to ask for help when they need it.

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — School — Looking Back on My High School Experience: the Best I’ve Ever Had

Looking Back on My High School Experience: The Best I've Ever Had

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Published: Apr 5, 2023

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Personal High School Experience Reflective Essay

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Education plays an important role in every individual’s life and the whole nation’s destiny. For this reason, the emphasis should be put on the content of the national education programs, having a significant impact on the consciousness of the growing generation.

However, there is much space for improvement in contemporary education systems inducing students to do the monotonous primitive assignments. Descriptions of the American School System by Michael Moore in Idiot Nation and John Gatto in Against School are similar to my own high school experience full of boredom and dissatisfaction.

Description of school lessons in Gatto’s Against School is close to my own perception of the teaching-learning process but helps to view the problem from a new perspective. Teachers and students as the main participants of the teaching-learning process are inclined to shift the responsibility for the low effectiveness of the programs on each other.

On one hand, learners blame their tutors in lack of knowledge and inability to generate their interest. Most young people consider their teachers to be the party responsible for their low academic achievements. My own high school lessons did not become a memorable experience for me. I remember the monotonous routine of doing the same senseless assignments day by day.

It was really hard for me and my classmates to come to realization of the usefulness of learning the enormous amounts of theoretical materials and sitting around, wasting our time. It seemed that our program was separated from the rest of life and there was hardly any link between the class discussion and the reality outside the classroom. Our tutors explained that the education programs were not aimed at entertaining learners. The high school lessons were compared to taking medicines, being unpleasant but useful.

We wondered why it was impossible to combine the business with pleasure and make the lessons more exciting and closer to reality. Receiving the grades remained the primary motivation for learning the materials and developing skills for me and other learners. On the other hand, suffering from the ineffectiveness of the education programs, teachers are bored at the lessons as well but they shift the responsibility on their students.

“Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers’ lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there” (Gatto XIII). John Gatto’s description of education process is rather realistic, viewing the issue from the teachers’ perspective and providing the educators’ opinion of the problem.

Gatto shed light on the endless circle of the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the education programs. I agree with the author that concentrating on the searches of the responsible party, the participants of the teaching-learning process do not look for the ways to enhance its effectiveness.

I completely agree with Moore who puts emphasis on the content of contemporary education programs as the key factor for increasing their effectiveness. Actually, the idea of combining the business with pleasure in lessons occurred to me when I was a high school student. Saying that the whole high school course was boring and senseless would mean to distort the reality.

In fact, I remember several lessons that were really exciting. Analyzing those activities, I must admit that I and my classmates were impressed when our teachers provided us with an opportunity to fill the gap between theory and practice and implement our knowledge in real life. The fact is that human memory has got certain laws and functions in accordance with them.

It can retain plenty of information that appears to be interesting for a learner. Moore uses an example of sports events popular among all categories of population and offers implementing the same principle in education programs. “Our challenge, Chomsky said, was to find a way to make politics as gripping and engaging as sports” (Moore 38).

Though the question whether it is possible to make the teaching-learning process exciting remains rather controversial, the attempts to generate the learners’ interest in their academic activities are praiseworthy. Striking the right balance between the form and the content of education programs, teachers could enhance their effectiveness significantly. Certainly, literacy is impossible without learning all the necessary theoretical materials.

Still, educators could obey the laws of human memory instead of struggling against them. Thus, altering diverse activities during the lesson and allowing the students to realize their creative potential, educators could enhance the popularity and effectiveness of their lessons significantly.

At the same time, instead of complaining of the lack of students’ interest, teachers could find the ways for generating it. For example, the majority of contemporary students are keen on computer games and other multimedia devices. This could become a blessing in disguise for developers of school programs.

Incorporating the elements of innovative techniques into the teaching process, teachers could take advantages of them instead of discussing their dramatic impact on the learners’ academic achievements and intellectual development. Describing the contemporary state of American education, Moore is rather realistic, and following his advice as to changing the approach to the content of education programs could be helpful for increasing their effectiveness and curing the education system in general.

Defining the primary goal of contemporary education is important for changing the approach to the content of the programs. From my personal high school experience I remember that developing the main academic skills was the primary goal of my teachers. And we felt as trained animals performing at the concerts. We were so bored with monotonous academic activities that could not rate their usefulness at it true value.

The goal of education is much broader than developing the basic learning skills. Education programs without exciting assignments aimed at generating the learners’ interest are similar to body without a soul. The scheme is right, but lacking a significant element, it does not work. “The Dilemma Training vs Education may be introduced […] on a more fundamental level, as an intelligence vs. intellect dilemma” (Krasko 63).

This issue becomes especially topical due to the present day progress of scientific knowledge. The education programs are unable to provide the learners with all the necessary information for the rest of their life. As opposed to descriptions of the school realities by Gatto and Moore and my personal high school experience, present day researchers shift the emphasis on the content of education programs.

Describing the American School System, Michael Moore in his Idiot Nation and John Gatto in his Against School raise the most burning issues of contemporary school, trying to get to the roots of the problems and offer the solutions. Being realistic, these descriptions resemble my own high school experience, enabling me to view the situation from a new perspective.

Works Cited

Gatto, John. Prologue. Against School . By Gatto. Canada: New Society Publishers, 2009. Print.

Krasko, Genrich. This Unbearable Boredom of Being: A Crisis of Meaning in America . Lincoln: iUniverse Inc., 2004. Print.

Moore, Michael. Idiot Nation . New York: Penguin, 2005. Print.

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High School Experience Essay | Essay on High School Experience for Students and Children in English

July 22, 2021 by Prasanna

High School Experience Essay: High school life – presumably the most joyful a great time. Many consider their school lives to be awesome, to my high school is better, in light of the fact that it has a good time and less responsibility. It denotes when we have recently shed our child skins and we are coming into our bodies. We are youthful grown-ups now. Our bodies are going through a progression of changes. Young men are changing into young fellows, while young ladies are sprouting into excellent young ladies. Now, we are sufficiently developed to perceive our inclinations, our interests and all the other things we need to think about ourselves.

School life is a great time of our life. Aside from getting training, the understudies take in a ton of things from the school climate including; tolerance, earnestness, faithfulness, genuineness, fellowship, discipline and so forth. The school is actually a remarkable record of our encounters.

You can read more  Essay Writing about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more

Essay on High School Experience

At the point when I consider my high school insight, there are numerous things that ring a bell. Some of them are acceptable recollections, awful recollections, botches, exercises, joy, tragedy, adversity, satisfaction, dramatization, and in particular, fun. high school to me seemed like it passed by super quick, too quick now and again. I learned numerous significant life exercises just as made long-lasting companions. I took in the worth of difficult work, devotion, and furthermore how to tell your genuine companions from the others. It was intense yet generally an incredible encounter that I will before long miss.

At the point when I consider high school and every one of the recollections, some of them were acceptable, some of them were awful. The greater part of the great recollections included my old buddies and a large portion of the terrible recollections included just me. A few instances of good recollections in high school are very much like going to the various sporting events with my companions.

My companions and I went to a considerable lot of the football match-ups, b-ball games and some ball games. The sounds, the environment, and the organization of your companions is the thing that makes the occasions so fun and energizing. Simply great memory for me overall in high school. I remember only the essentials of seeing individuals for the lobbies during passing periods, doing class projects, going to gatherings, just as seeing individuals in class is ordinary.

A portion of the awful recollections in high school for me incorporate young ladies!!! I had 2 sweethearts in high school and both have an extremely unique spot in my heart, however, they are the ones that caused me the most sadness in high school. Encircled by dramatization, battles, and conflicts the majority of my awful recollections have something to do with them. Try not to misunderstand me. I was delighted in one of the connections I was in. Her name was Richelle Talbot. We were together for just 8 months however I felt like I had tracked down an extraordinary young lady.

A portion of the mix-ups, exercises, bliss, happiness and fun were all in direct relationship to the time I went through with her. She made my high school experience pleasant just as troublesome. I would say that one of the greatest life exercises I have gained from this high school relationship is that you ought to consistently act naturally. Individuals regard and partake in the individual that you truly are inside, and on the off chance that they don’t, they are not actually your companion.

It’s a given accordingly that high school life is the most developmental time of an individual’s life. The idea of life turns out to be clear here and the understudies get a brief look at how this present reality functions. Actually, all things considered, high school life can be gathered into two: the great side and working/examining side with a hazy situation in the middle, for exercises like pastimes and interests.

It is a pleasant period throughout everyday life since teens have no awareness of certain expectations separated from examining. They are constantly on the planet to have a great time. They begin framing bunches with other similar people. Nerds structure their understanding clubs, performers structure groups, competitors fabricate groups, entertainers sharpen their specialties in venue clubs, writers are caught up with running the school magazine and so forth

With such countless various individuals in a similar office, there will undoubtedly be contests and contention. The opposition might sound like in a homeroom setting. It might likewise be undesirable when understudies attempt to swindle their direction into school. These rivalries work with the arrangement of partners and adversaries.

Since being a first-year recruit, I have changed in a significant way. Coming into high school I was a timid, unmotivated youngster that didn’t actually have a clue what he was getting into. I’m leaving high school a man who is adult, active, and extremely secure with himself. On the off chance that high school has shown me anything, it is that you ought to consistently believe in yourself. In the event that you put stock in yourself and you accept that you can accomplish anything you need throughout everyday life, beneficial things will happen to you. Realizing that I am graduating high school and always failing to return hasn’t actually hit me yet. These 4 years have been a general groundbreaking encounter that I will always remember.

FAQ’s on High School Experience Essay

Question 1. What is school life experience?

Answer: School Life is a great time as we make new companions, learn new things and fabricate our vocation there. We love our school life and truly appreciate it. We have heaps of companions, and every one of our teachers was good to us. We have learned new things in high school.

Question 2. What do we get in our high school life?

Answer: School life is a great time of our life. Aside from getting an education, we take in a ton of things from the school climate including; tolerance, earnestness, faithfulness, genuineness, fellowship, discipline and so forth.

Question 3. How to write an essay on high school experience?

Answer: Write the name of your school, share your best memories with friends and teachers, describe how you have grown yourself while in high school, your classroom memories, bonding with teachers and other students, group projects, first crush in school, etc.

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Reflecting on My High School Experience: Anecdotes and Advice

I recently graduated from high school, and have had some time to reflect on the past four years of my life. These years have been filled with valuable lessons, wonderful memories, and significant personal growth. I thought I would revisit some of the most notable parts of my high school experience in the hopes that it might be helpful to someone about to embark upon their own.

When I first began grade nine, I was very focused on academics. I have always prioritized doing my best in school and since the beginning of high school was a shift to a new learning environment, I really wanted to make sure that I kept up. High school definitely seemed intimidating: I had fewer, but longer, classes than in grade eight; I was faced with new and unfamiliar teachers; and for the first time in my life, I had to worry about exams. However, once I was immersed in this new environment, I realized that it was much more manageable than I had initially perceived it to be.

The best advice that I could give to new high schoolers concerned about academics is to stay on top of your work, as this will make it easier in the long run. This applies both to each year in isolation, and to the four years as a whole.

Each year, if you make sure to learn all the information in your classes as it is being taught, you simply have to remind yourself of what you already learned when it is exam time. In terms of high school as a whole, if you develop good academic habits in your earlier years, you will be better prepared for the later years. Many people say that grade nine and ten do not matter because universities and colleges do not look at your marks from these grades. While these marks may not be as important as your grade eleven and twelve marks, applying yourself in these years to build a good academic foundation will make it easier to achieve good marks later on.

If I could change one thing about my grade nine experience, I would have gotten more involved in the school. While I did participate in a few sports and activities, I did not do any extracurriculars that I was particularly passionate about, which caused me to feel disconnected from my school.

All of this changed in grade ten. After developing an interest in theatre through a drama class I was taking, I began to get involved with extracurricular drama at school. I joined the dance club and became more deeply involved with the ski team by helping out with our team sweaters. Belonging to clubs and teams that I was actually excited about really made me feel like I was a part of my school community and it truly became a place that I looked forward to going to each day. I would absolutely recommend getting involved with extracurricular activities that you are interested in. It’s a fantastic way to make school more fun and engaging, and it also brings you together with so many more people than you would meet just from your classes. I had expected to make most of my new friends in grade nine, simply because at that point everyone was new to the school. In reality, I met far more people once I got more involved and continued to make great friends by joining clubs and groups throughout high school.

Due in part to my newfound passions and involvement, I personally found grade ten to be a year of massive personal growth and self-discovery. Grade ten and grade eleven, were, without a doubt, my favourite years of high school. Both of these years allowed me time to explore the things that I was excited about, learn more about myself, and build wonderful relationships with others.

At my school, I was able to choose more electives in grade ten and eleven and I had the chance to take some really interesting courses including Latin and photography. In grade eleven, I became even more involved at school by joining the newly created arts council, helping to create even more performances with the drama club, and landing a role in the school play. These activities were such important and enjoyable parts of that year and I will always look back on them fondly. In addition, my grade eleven year was when I truly got involved with volunteering outside of my school community. Involvement within your school is fantastic, but it is also amazing getting to give back to the outside community. It can really give you a new perspective and help you build important life skills; it is something I would definitely recommend.

Finally, this past year, I completed grade twelve. While it was definitely very challenging at times, I certainly learned a lot about life and about myself. There is a lot to be done in grade twelve. Personally, I had a full course load each semester and was also working on university and scholarship applications for the first few months of school. If you are planning on going to university or college, I would recommend starting to look at schools, programs, and applications as soon as possible. I didn’t find any of the application processes to be difficult; however, they do require a lot of paperwork, involve strict deadlines, and can be very time consuming. In terms of grade twelve academics, I did find most of my courses to have fairly heavy workloads.

A piece of advice I would give anyone selecting their courses for grade twelve is to not take any courses that you do not need for a future university or college program or that you are not otherwise really interested in. Your final year of high school will be demanding, so if you have opportunities to engage in subjects and activities which you enjoy, take those opportunities.

The highlight of my grade twelve year was directing my school play, an incredible experience from which I gained so much. It was something that I was involved with purely because I wanted to be and it served as a great creative outlet throughout the year. On the whole, grade twelve was one of the most difficult, but also one of the most rewarding years of my high school career.

At the end of the day, high school will be different for everyone. I learned so much about myself and the world around me; I will always reflect fondly upon both the ups and the downs of high school and how they have shaped me as a person. To anyone who is entering high school: best of luck, work hard, have fun, and believe that high school, and life itself, have exciting, unexpected, and wonderful ways of all coming together in the end!

Katrina Warenycia

Katrina is an enthusiastic student who's just getting started. She loves baking, staying active, and quality time with family and friends. Books and reading have always been an important part of Katrina's life and she is excited to share that passion with others.

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How to Write Any High School Essay (With Examples!)

Last Updated: July 16, 2024 Fact Checked

• Research & Outlining Your Essay
• Writing the Intro
• Types of Essays & Sample Topics

Writing Techniques Cheat Sheet

This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising . Emily Listmann is a Private Tutor and Life Coach in Santa Cruz, California. In 2018, she founded Mindful & Well, a natural healing and wellness coaching service. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. Emily also received her Wellness Coach Certificate from Cornell University and completed the Mindfulness Training by Mindful Schools. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 565,195 times.

Writing an essay is an important basic skill that you will need to succeed in high school, college, and beyond. While the exact requirements of any essay will vary depending on the teacher and assignment, most high school essays follow the same basic structure. By presenting a well-written five-paragraph essay with a strong thesis statement, you can successfully write an essay for any high school class or topic!

Writing in a High School Essay Format

Decide on and research a topic, then create your essay outline. Write an introduction that states your argument with a thesis statement, then support the thesis statement with evidence in your three main body paragraphs. Finally, restate your thesis and summarize your argument in your concluding paragraph.

Writing a High School Essay: The Preparation Stage

• While most high school essays follow a similar format, different requirements are needed for different types of essays —such as a persuasive, expository, narrative, or descriptive essay. [1] X Research source
• If you need help coming up with a topic , brainstorm or search for subjects related to your assignment’s focus.

• Eventually, the sources you find in your research will be the evidence to back up the main point of your essay.

• For example, the statement “Elephants are used to perform in circuses” does not offer an arguable point—this statement just presents a fact.
• Instead, you may try a thesis statement like “Elephants should not be kept in the circus since they are mistreated.” Since people may reasonably agree or disagree with this statement, you’ll be able to find supporting arguments for and against it to use in your essay.
• Keep in mind that some types of essay writing may not require an argument, such as a narrative essay. However, the standard high school essay structure typically requires a thesis statement.

• Introduction Paragraph Hook: Thesis Statement:
• Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence: Supporting Evidence #1: Supporting Evidence #2: Supporting Evidence #3:
• Body Paragraph 2 Topic Sentence: Supporting Evidence #1: Supporting Evidence #2: Supporting Evidence #3:
• Body Paragraph 3 Topic Sentence: Supporting Evidence #1: Supporting Evidence #2: Supporting Evidence #3:

• Talk to your school’s librarian for direction on specific books or databases you could use to find your information.
• Many schools offer access to online databases like EBSCO or JSTOR where you can find reliable information. If you need help, consult with your teacher.
• Wikipedia is a great starting place for your research, but it can be edited by anyone in the world, so it’s not a reliable source. Instead, look at a related Wikipedia article’s references to find the sites where the information really came from.
• Use Google Scholar if you want to find peer-reviewed scholarly articles for your sources.
• Make sure to consider the author’s qualifications when determining source credibility . If a source does not include the author’s name, then it might not be a good option.

Writing an Essay Introduction

• However, make sure that your hook is both accurate and related to the subject of your essay.
• Example : Gender inequality has been an inescapable fact of life for as long as history can remember.
• Example: Women have been seen as inferior, and have been treated as such, for centuries. But to respond to such sexist ideas and treatment, the modern feminist movement arose. Feminism has become a prevalent theme in all forms of art, including literature. Feminist criticism examines works of literature in order to analyze their portrayal of the sexes.

• Example: In John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums,” the lens of feminist criticism provides insight into how the issue of gender inequality affects the main protagonist, Elisa Allen.

• Mapping out this structure for the reader helps them know exactly what you’re discussing and what they should expect from the rest of your essay.
• However, this structural preview in the introductory paragraph is typically only included in longer, more advanced essays. If you’re not sure about including this segment, double-check with your teacher. When in doubt, leave it out and end the intro with your thesis.
• Example: This paper begins by exploring the limitations placed on Elisa due to her gender, then goes on to discuss the ways in which Steinbeck showcases Elisa’s struggles through symbolism and other literary devices. Finally, this essay will explore the modern-day parallels of Elisa’s story and the continuing ramifications of gender inequality.
• 5 Example Introductory Paragraphs William Shakespeare’s classic drama Othello centers around the two conflicting characters of scheming, manipulative Iago and the honorable, but oftentimes faithless, Othello. Both Othello and Iago use many of the same literary devices and much of the same figurative language to express not only their opinions of those around them, but also their general conceptions of the workings of the universe on a more spiritual level. Despite the fact that these men are completely opposite in character, Iago commands such persuasive powers that he literally starts to affect Othello’s thinking, altering the figures of speech he uses and his perceptions of those close to him. Gender inequality has been an inescapable fact of life for as long as history can remember. Women have been seen as inferior, and have been treated as such, for centuries. But to respond to such sexist ideas and treatment, the modern feminist movement arose. Feminism has become a prevalent theme in all forms of art, including literature. Feminist criticism examines works of literature in order to analyze their portrayal of the sexes. In John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums,” the lens of feminist criticism provides insight into how the issue of gender inequality affects the main protagonist, Elisa Allen. This paper begins by exploring the limitations placed on Elisa due to her gender, then goes on to discuss the ways in which Steinbeck showcases Elisa’s struggles through symbolism and other literary devices. Finally, this essay will explore the modern-day parallels of Elisa’s story and the continuing ramifications of gender inequality.

Writing Body Paragraphs

• Check with your teacher if you’re not sure how many paragraphs should be in the body of your essay.

• Don’t assume your reader will make the connection between your info and the thesis of your paper. Analysis also gives you a chance to include your own thoughts and interpretation of the facts you provide.
• Unless you’re writing a personal essay, avoid the use of “I” statements since this could make your essay look less professional.
• When quoting or paraphrasing specific pieces of information or evidence, don’t forget to cite your sources in-text based on the format required for your paper. [10] X Research source Many high school essays are written in MLA or APA style. Ask your teacher what format they want you to follow if it’s not specified.

• For example, if your body paragraphs discuss similar points in a different way, you can use phrases like “in the same way,” “similarly,” and “just as” to start other body paragraphs.
• If you are posing different points, try phrases like “in spite of,” “in contrast,” or “however” to transition.
• 4 Example Body Paragraphs Act I of Othello closes with Iago giving a soliloquy introducing his plan to make Othello lose faith in his wife. He concludes this speech by saying “Hell and night/Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light,” comparing Othello and Desdemona’s marriage to a “monster birth,” while equating himself and his deceptions to Satan. Iago hates that he must play an innocent underling in his own plot, but at the same time he realizes that the easiest method to achieve his goals is to hide his true intentions under a cloak of innocence. Trip Fontaine is another character negatively affected by the pressures to assimilate to American culture. Trip is a classmate of the Lisbon girls and fulfills the role of golden boy at their high school, after his emergence “from baby fat to the delight of girls and women alike.” Trip is constantly courted by girls and his young life fulfills every stereotype for the definition of the teenage American Dream. However, Trip’s later life is spent in detox and rehab, living off “the last of his ex-wife’s savings.” Trip is the definition of an American teen heartthrob, yet his need to conform to and maintain this image leads him down the path of drugs and alcohol, ending in a life riddled with addiction and disease (48). His eventual fate depicts the price that one must pay for living the idealized young American life.

Writing an Essay Conclusion

• For example, if your thesis was, “The cell phone is the most important invention in the past 30 years,” then you may restate the thesis in your conclusion like, “Due to the ability to communicate anywhere in the world and access information easily, the cell phone is a pivotal invention in human history.”
• If you’re only writing a 1-page paper, restating your main ideas isn’t necessary.

• For example, if you write an essay discussing the themes of a book, think about how the themes are affecting people’s lives today.

• Try to pick the same type of closing sentence as you used as your attention getter.

• Including a Works Cited page shows that the information you provided isn’t all your own and allows the reader to visit the sources to see the raw information for themselves.
• Avoid using online citation machines since they may be outdated.
• At the high school level, most teachers dislike common concluding phrases like “To sum up” or “In conclusion,” so avoid using those in your final paragraph.
• 6 Example Conclusions: While Othello uses much of Iago’s own figurative language by the end of the play, he does so to achieve different results. Iago degrades every other character by comparing them to objects that can easily be manipulated, while Othello, when he dehumanizes people, somehow makes them out to be more than human. Despite their contrasts, Iago and Othello both represent the extremity of the same thing—human emotion. When Iago makes reference to heaven and hell, he always describes how hell comes out on top. Othello, on the other hand, knows that Heaven represents all that is good and right on Earth and so eventually throws himself at the mercy of his God, making him the tragic hero of the play. Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. In Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, the protagonist Elisa Allen experiences gender inequality. Society’s perception of her as inferior causes her to be unfulfilled and unchallenged with her life. Elisa, as a feminist, strives for equality with her male counterparts, yet she continually fails to achieve it. Through her character, the reader sees the broad issue of gender inequality and the toll it takes on individual members of society.

Revising & Completing Your Essay

• Have a peer or parent read through your essay to see if they understand what point you’re trying to make.
• If you find any off-topic or contradictory sections, cut them from your essay or find a way to tie it into your main focus. If you do cut parts out of your essay, make sure to reread it again to see if it affects the flow of how it reads.

Writing Different Types of High School Essays

• Write a clear thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
• Provide evidence support for your thesis statement in each body paragraph.
• Use clear and concise language without any figurative or sensory imagery.
• Sample Topics: “What makes a good leader?,” “Describe how the internet changed the world,” “What is the theme of [literary work]?”
• Write a thesis statement in the first paragraph that clearly states your opinion.
• Use well-researched, factual, and detailed information to support your argument .
• Include a counterpoint paragraph where you present the opposing argument and point out its flows.
• Use the conclusion to synthesize the essay and provide insight into further research.
• Sample Topics: “The best music genre is…,” “Is capitalism the best form of economy?,” “Should schools have dress codes?”
• Structure your essay like a story with a plot, characters, setting, conflict, and theme.
• Use the first-person pronoun “I” as needed, since the story is told from your point of view.
• Write the events in chronological order to aid organization and help readers understand better.
• Sample Topics: “Describe a performance or sporting event you took part in,” “Describe a time in your life when you’ve been scared,” “Explain a family tradition, how it developed, and its importance today.”
• Structure your essay with an introduction, body paragraph, and summary conclusion.
• Use figurative and vivid language to provide a sensory description to the reader. Mention what something looks, feels, smells, sounds, and tastes like.
• Use transition words to lead the readers into the right stages of emotions and follow the logical flow of the essay.
• Sample Topics: “What is your happiest memory?,” “Write about your favorite place,” “Describe yourself to someone who has never met you.”

Community Q&A

• If you have writer's block , take a break for a few minutes, stretch, get a snack, and come back to your essay. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Your teacher should have provided you with a rubric, so use that as your final guide to make sure your essay is meeting all of the criteria for this assignment. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Avoid using plagiarism since this could result in academic consequences. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1

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• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-of-essays/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
• ↑ https://facultyweb.ivcc.edu/rrambo/eng1001/outline.htm
• ↑ https://guides.libs.uga.edu/reliability
• ↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/20-compelling-hook-examples-for-essays.html
• ↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/how-to-write-a-thesis-statement.html
• ↑ https://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/five_par.htm
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs/topicsentences
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/transitions/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions
• ↑ https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/how-to-write-an-essay/conclusion
• ↑ https://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/
• ↑ https://www.csueastbay.edu/scaa/files/docs/student-handouts/expository-essay.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/historical_perspectives_on_argumentation/toulmin_argument.html
• ↑ https://gallaudet.edu/student-success/tutorial-center/english-center/writing/resources-for-writing-different-types-of-essays/guide-to-different-kinds-of-essays/

About This Article

Writing good essays is an important skill to have in high school, and you can write a good one by planning it out and organizing it well. Before you start, do some research on your topic so you can come up with a strong, specific thesis statement, which is essentially the main argument of your essay. For instance, your thesis might be something like, “Elephants should not be kept in the circus because they are mistreated.” Once you have your thesis, outline the paragraphs for your essay. You should have an introduction that includes your thesis, at least 3 body paragraphs that explain your main points, and a conclusion paragraph. Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph. As you write your main points, make sure to include evidence and quotes from your research to back it up. To learn how to revise your paper, read more from our Writing co-author! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Students Share Their Best School Experiences and What We Can Learn From Them

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Today, five students from my classes contribute short pieces about their favorite moments, and what others might be able to learn from them.

You might also be interested in these two other posts:

• Students Describe Their Favorite Teachers
• ‘He Was a Very Good Listener’ - Students Write About Their Most Memorable Teachers

Response From Leslie Servin

During my time in high school I had it really good moments, but my best moments that I’ve experienced are in a particular class during my senior year, in Sacramento, Calif. So I was basically a new student in these kind of classes and also I’m English learner. I remember my first presentation in this class. I didn’t want to do it, but finally I did it and that one was my best moment. When I went to present I felt afraid, and then when I presented I felt so good for the effort I applied on. Now I feel so much better than my first day of presentations because I now know that I can do whatever I want to do. The learnings that I acquire made it so good this moment because I know that I have to trust on me. Something teachers or students can learn from my experience is that we have to overcome our fears and not let them control ourselves because we can’t know our capabilities if we are afraid.

Response From Jesneel Singh

The best moment in class was when I was in 9th grade in sixth period. That was when I got into poetry and spoken word. Having that “character and scene” class made my life even greater. Not knowing anything about poetry, hating on poems about reading and writing it in the past. That class was fun in many ways. For example; there was this one time where we had to write our own plays and poems and perform them in front of the class. I felt alive, and the creative side of me came out. When I wrote my first poem in freshman year. I realized that it was fun and unique. I felt like I wanted to write more and more. When I performed my first poem to that class I found my passion. Since that day and today I have written over 400 poems and made two books. I have performed on many stages in small audience and in school. That was a good day for me because I can write my thoughts down and write the truth about the world. Teachers and students can learn from this experience that, you can find what best fits you.

Response From Nancy Ramirez

I would say my best class moment would be from my sophomore year in high school. For my Spanish class, our teacher decided we would do a class circle (Editor’s note: see “How To Practice Restorative Justice in Schools” for more information on class circles) for the day. She asked us a sequence of questions which required us to give a more in depth and heartfelt answer each time, starting with something along the lines of “How are you feeling?” and ending with “Why do you think that is?” A class circle which only should have lasted one day extended to three, with each and every single one of us having to share our deepest and darkest fears and insecurities. By then it felt more than just a class and opened my eyes to very different ways of teaching styles. I believe there is much to learn from this experience, both then and now. I have come to deeply appreciate not only the class but the teacher as well. This experience showed me the extent a relationship with your classmates and your teacher can go....

Response From Oscar Salazar

The best moment I’ve ever experienced in school was last year when I was a sophomore. I took biology last year and towards the end of the year we got to dissect a fetal pig. I know that it sounds gross but it’s really not. That’s what I thought at first too. I did lots of fun experiments in that class that were new to me, such as making a small ecosystem in a bottle and dissecting owl pellets to find mouse skeletons. I think that these experiences were really fun and interesting. I’ve never done anything like that in a class before.

I think that when teachers introduce students to hands-on activities and projects the students enjoy it more. Since we have more energy it’s a good use of it. We learn better when we’re allowed to move around and be creative. Our lives aren’t going to be pen on paper or books forever. It’s best to get us students to explore the world using our skills that we learn and strengthen our understanding of daily life that is sometimes hidden from us and exposed to us abruptly once we turn into adults.

Response From Kayla Guzman

What has been my best moment in a class? I’ve had many great moments but perhaps the most best moment took place in my English class about a month ago. I had a 10-15 minute presentation and I felt pretty confident. 30 minutes before my presentation I decided to incorporate an actor for visual appeal, to correspond with my presentation. I felt even more confident, assure that I would captivate the audience’s attention and keep them engaged. When my presentation started, I gave a signal to my actor which led me to drop my 8 notecards all over the floor. I was aware that the time was ticking, so I quickly grabbed all the notecards off the floor. I became overwhelmed with embarrassment, listening to the echoing laughter of the audience as I tried to rearrange the cards. The cards in my hand then became extremely restraining. My anxiety levels rose, and the disorganized cards just added stress to my emotions. I placed the cards down, and felt a great sense of relieve. My words, my explanations, my connections all flowed out my mouth with harmony, and I felt more natural and free as I presented my topic.

My presentation was a diagnosis of a character with schizophrenia, explaining the symptoms and the reasoning behind my diagnosis. The movement of my hands and my exaggeration presented by a drive of passion, along with my visual representative, kept the audience captive. I felt like a completely different person. By the end of the presentation I was sweaty, not by nervousness but because I left it all on the floor. I realized that the key to presenting with people is not getting their attention just by visual appeal. You need to let your heart pour out so that you can captivate their hearts, reach their souls. You can’t just be the center of attention, you need to give the audience attention, you need to talk to them. First and foremost, you can’t present without emotions. Anything you present should be built off of passion. As long as you can find a connection between yourself and the topic and exude your passion, you will keep the audience engaged.

Thanks to Nancy, Jesneel, Kayla, Leslie, and Oscar for their contributions!

(This is the last post in a three-part series. You can see Part One here and Part Two here .)

The new “question-of-the-week” is:

What was the best moment you ever had in the classroom?

In Part One , Jen Schwanke, Amy Sandvold, Anne Jenks, and Sarah Thomas shared their top moments. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with them on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here. In Part Two , Meghan Everette, Jeryl-Ann Asaro, Jeffery Galle, and Kara Vandas shared their memories. I also included comments from readers.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

If you missed any of the highlights from the first six years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. They don’t include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the “answers” category found in the sidebar.

This Year’s Most Popular Q&A Posts

Classroom Management Advice

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Implementing The Common Core

Best Ways To Begin The School Year

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I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column .

Look for the next “question-of-the-week” in a few days.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (120+ Ideas!)

Ideas to inspire every young writer!

High school students generally do a lot of writing, learning to use language clearly, concisely, and persuasively. When it’s time to choose an essay topic, though, it’s easy to come up blank. If that’s the case, check out this huge round-up of essay topics for high school. You’ll find choices for every subject and writing style.

• Argumentative Essay Topics
• Cause-and-Effect Essay Topics
• Compare-Contrast Essay Topics
• Descriptive Essay Topics
• Expository and Informative Essay Topics
• Humorous Essay Topics

Literary Essay Topics

• Narrative and Personal Essay Topics
• Personal Essay Topics
• Persuasive Essay Topics

Research Essay Topics

Argumentative essay topics for high school.

When writing an argumentative essay, remember to do the research and lay out the facts clearly. Your goal is not necessarily to persuade someone to agree with you, but to encourage your reader to accept your point of view as valid. Here are some possible argumentative topics to try. ( Here are 100 more compelling argumentative essay topics. )

• The most important challenge our country is currently facing is … (e.g., immigration, gun control, economy)
• The government should provide free internet access for every citizen.
• All drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed.
• Vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco.
• The best country in the world is …
• Parents should be punished for their minor children’s crimes.
• Should all students have the ability to attend college for free?
• Should physical education be part of the standard high school curriculum?

WeAreTeachers

• Schools should require recommended vaccines for all students, with very limited exceptions.
• Is it acceptable to use animals for experiments and research?
• Does social media do more harm than good?
• Capital punishment does/does not deter crime.
• What one class should all high schools students be required to take and pass in order to graduate?
• Do we really learn anything from history, or does it just repeat itself over and over?
• Are men and women treated equally?

Cause-and-Effect Essay Topics for High School

A cause-and-effect essay is a type of argumentative essay. Your goal is to show how one specific thing directly influences another specific thing. You’ll likely need to do some research to make your point. Here are some ideas for cause-and-effect essays. ( Get a big list of 100 cause-and-effect essay topics here. )

• Humans are causing accelerated climate change.
• Fast-food restaurants have made human health worse over the decades.
• What caused World War II? (Choose any conflict for this one.)
• Describe the effects social media has on young adults.

• How does playing sports affect people?
• What are the effects of loving to read?
• Being an only/oldest/youngest/middle child makes you …
• What effect does violence in movies or video games have on kids?
• Traveling to new places opens people’s minds to new ideas.
• Racism is caused by …

Compare-Contrast Essay Topics for High School

As the name indicates, in compare-and-contrast essays, writers show the similarities and differences between two things. They combine descriptive writing with analysis, making connections and showing dissimilarities. The following ideas work well for compare-contrast essays. ( Find 80+ compare-contrast essay topics for all ages here. )

• Public and private schools
• Capitalism vs. communism
• Monarchy or democracy
• Dogs vs. cats as pets

• Paper books or e-books
• Two political candidates in a current race
• Going to college vs. starting work full-time
• Working your way through college as you go or taking out student loans
• iPhone or Android
• Instagram vs. Twitter (or choose any other two social media platforms)

Descriptive Essay Topics for High School

Bring on the adjectives! Descriptive writing is all about creating a rich picture for the reader. Take readers on a journey to far-off places, help them understand an experience, or introduce them to a new person. Remember: Show, don’t tell. These topics make excellent descriptive essays.

• Who is the funniest person you know?
• What is your happiest memory?
• Tell about the most inspirational person in your life.
• Write about your favorite place.
• When you were little, what was your favorite thing to do?
• Choose a piece of art or music and explain how it makes you feel.
• What is your earliest memory?

• What’s the best/worst vacation you’ve ever taken?
• Describe your favorite pet.
• What is the most important item in the world to you?
• Give a tour of your bedroom (or another favorite room in your home).
• Describe yourself to someone who has never met you.
• Lay out your perfect day from start to finish.
• Explain what it’s like to move to a new town or start a new school.
• Tell what it would be like to live on the moon.

Expository and Informative Essay Topics for High School

Expository essays set out clear explanations of a particular topic. You might be defining a word or phrase or explaining how something works. Expository or informative essays are based on facts, and while you might explore different points of view, you won’t necessarily say which one is “better” or “right.” Remember: Expository essays educate the reader. Here are some expository and informative essay topics to explore. ( See 70+ expository and informative essay topics here. )

• What makes a good leader?
• Explain why a given school subject (math, history, science, etc.) is important for students to learn.
• What is the “glass ceiling” and how does it affect society?
• Describe how the internet changed the world.
• What does it mean to be a good teacher?

• Explain how we could colonize the moon or another planet.
• Discuss why mental health is just as important as physical health.
• Describe a healthy lifestyle for a teenager.
• Choose an American president and explain how their time in office affected the country.
• What does “financial responsibility” mean?

Humorous Essay Topics for High School

Humorous essays can take on any form, like narrative, persuasive, or expository. You might employ sarcasm or satire, or simply tell a story about a funny person or event. Even though these essay topics are lighthearted, they still take some skill to tackle well. Give these ideas a try.

• What would happen if cats (or any other animal) ruled the world?
• What do newborn babies wish their parents knew?
• Explain the best ways to be annoying on social media.
• Invent a wacky new sport, explain the rules, and describe a game or match.

• Imagine a discussion between two historic figures from very different times, like Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I.
• Retell a familiar story in tweets or other social media posts.
• Describe present-day Earth from an alien’s point of view.
• Choose a fictional character and explain why they should be the next president.
• Describe a day when kids are in charge of everything, at school and at home.

Literary essays analyze a piece of writing, like a book or a play. In high school, students usually write literary essays about the works they study in class. These literary essay topic ideas focus on books students often read in high school, but many of them can be tweaked to fit other works as well.

• Discuss the portrayal of women in Shakespeare’s Othello .
• Explore the symbolism used in The Scarlet Letter .
• Explain the importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men .
• Compare and contrast the romantic relationships in Pride and Prejudice .

• Dissect the allegory of Animal Farm and its relation to contemporary events.
• Interpret the author’s take on society and class structure in The Great Gatsby .
• Explore the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia.
• Discuss whether Shakespeare’s portrayal of young love in Romeo and Juliet is accurate.
• Explain the imagery used in Beowulf .

Narrative and Personal Essay Topics for High School

Think of a narrative essay like telling a story. Use some of the same techniques that you would for a descriptive essay, but be sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. A narrative essay doesn’t necessarily need to be personal, but they often are. Take inspiration from these narrative and personal essay topics.

• Describe a performance or sporting event you took part in.
• Explain the process of cooking and eating your favorite meal.
• Write about meeting your best friend for the first time and how your relationship developed.
• Tell about learning to ride a bike or drive a car.
• Describe a time in your life when you’ve been scared.

• Share the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you.
• Tell about a time when you overcame a big challenge.
• Tell the story of how you learned an important life lesson.
• Describe a time when you or someone you know experienced prejudice or oppression.
• Explain a family tradition, how it developed, and its importance today.
• What is your favorite holiday? How does your family celebrate it?
• Retell a familiar story from the point of view of a different character.
• Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision.
• Tell about your proudest moment.

Persuasive Essay Topics for High School

Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative , but they rely less on facts and more on emotion to sway the reader. It’s important to know your audience, so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them. Try these topics to persuade someone to come around to your point of view. ( Discover 60 more intriguing persuasive essay topics here. )

• Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?
• Everyone should be vegetarian or vegan.
• What animal makes the best pet?
• Visit an animal shelter, choose an animal that needs a home, and write an essay persuading someone to adopt that animal.
• Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
• Should little kids be allowed to play competitive sports?
• Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
• The best music genre is …

• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Is capitalism the best form of economy?
• Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
• Should schools have dress codes?
• If I could change one school rule, it would be …
• Is year-round school a good idea?

A research essay is a classic high school assignment. These papers require deep research into primary source documents, with lots of supporting facts and evidence that’s properly cited. Research essays can be in any of the styles shown above. Here are some possible topics, across a variety of subjects.

• Which country’s style of government is best for the people who live there?
• Choose a country and analyze its development from founding to present day.
• Describe the causes and effects of a specific war.
• Formulate an ideal economic plan for our country.
• What scientific discovery has had the biggest impact on life today?

• Analyze the way mental health is viewed and treated in this country.
• Explore the ways systemic racism impacts people in all walks of life.
• Defend the importance of teaching music and the arts in public schools.
• Choose one animal from the endangered species list, and propose a realistic plan to protect it.

What are some of your favorite essay topics for high school? Come share your prompts on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the ultimate guide to student writing contests .

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• 5 Common Types of High School Essays (With Examples)
• Last modified 2024-04-01
• Published on 2021-08-28

When it comes to high school essays, descriptive and narrative essays are very similar in the sense that they encourage writers to be creative in expressing their ideas. Expository and argumentative essays focus on providing clear information and making compelling points. Analytical essays require writers to present their arguments and are intended to enhance readers’ understanding of a topic, while persuasive writers try to persuade readers to accept a point of view.

In this article, we will go into detail about each one to help you better define the type and the writing method when you start writing.

1. Descriptive high school essays

A descriptive essay asks writers to describe something vividly —object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc., but more commonly, you will be asked to describe something abstract —emotions, experiences, or something outside of your typical experience.

A descriptive essay allows writers to be creative and have the freedom to express, especially when the topic is personal about them and what they care about, such as their favorite food or culture. Even though this sounds easy, this type of essay tests the writer’s ability to make appropriate word choices and have strong creativity to help readers visualize the overall picture of what they are writing about. A descriptive essay normally starts with introducing the subject or object of description, continuing with giving an overall picture, and then going into details. Additionally, understanding different points of view, as detailed in the Guide to Point of View in Writing , can greatly enhance the descriptive elements of the essay, providing varied perspectives and enriching the reader’s experience

Below is an example of a descriptive essay from Yourdictionary :

I watched a thunderstorm, far out over the sea. It began quietly, and with nothing visible except tall dark clouds and a rolling tide. There was just a soft murmur of thunder as I watched the horizon from my balcony. Over the next few minutes, the clouds closed and reflected lightning set the rippling ocean aglow. The thunderheads had covered up the sun, shadowing the vista. It was peaceful for a long time.

I was looking up when the first clear thunderbolt struck. It blazed against the sky and sea; I could see its shape in perfect reverse colors when I blinked. More followed. The thunder rumbled and stuttered as if it could hardly keep up. There were openings in the cloud now, as if the sky were torn, and spots of brilliant blue shone above the shadowed sea.

I looked down then, watching the waves. Every bolt was answered by a moment of spreading light on the surface. The waves were getting rough, rising high and crashing hard enough that I could hear them.

Then came the rain. It came all at once and in sheets, soaking the sand, filling the sea. It was so dense I could only see the lightning as flashes of light. It came down so hard the thunder was drowned. Everything was rhythmic light and shadow, noise and silence, blending into a single experience of all five senses.

In an instant it stopped. The storm broke. The clouds came apart like curtains. The rain still fell, but softly now. It was as if there had never been a storm at all, except for a single signature. A rainbow, almost violently bright, spread above and across the water. I could see the horizon again.

2. Narrative Essay

A narrative high school essay is similar to a descriptive essay but focuses more on the story description rather than the object description. The story can be about a personal experience that the writer has had, an event, a story, or an incident. Writers can even narrate a fictional experience that they haven’t had. Narrative essays are typically written in the first person. For example, the personal statement high school students must write for college applications.

The purpose of a narrative essay is not only to tell a story, but also to highlight the importance of the experience. Therefore, to write a perfect narrative essay, writers must include the elements of settings, context, plot, ending, and climax.

We have an example from a student’s work, which was published on the blog: People’s Republic of Creativity

Glup, glup.

I sat watching the plunger slowly make its way down the tube and into Miriam’s body. Inside the tube was a clear unknown liquid that would soon be injected into my own body. This was the third time this week, the twelfth time this month, and who knows how many times since we have been trapped in this hell on earth. Each day, we have only been given the bare minimum of food, water, and sleep. I don’t know how much longer we can survive before deemed useless by him.

Miriam fell out of her chair and onto the cold concrete floor, screaming in pain. She scrambles for something she can grasp onto to prop her malnourished body up. Then the piercing sound just suddenly stopped. Her thin arms that look only of bones and skin drop to the ground and she lay still on the floor, as if she were…dead. Please don’t tell me she’s dead! No, she couldn’t be; we promised each other to live until the day of liberation.

She needs to live.

It was my turn. He walked over with a syringe full of what had just been injected into Miriam. I try to focus on the red, black, and white badge on his left arm instead of letting the fear crawl in and take over my brain. But the unsettling tension stirs my thoughts around and around.

“Twin A1387, let’s hope what happened to your sister doesn’t happen to you.” He smirked. The needle pierced through my skin and my body was suddenly aflame. The raging blaze spread through every one of my veins, until I was shrouded in darkness.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in an empty confinement. The space next to me, the space for Miriam, was empty too. Where was everyone? Most importantly, where was Miriam?

I got up and set my bare foot onto the dirty, wooden floor. Suddenly, my head started spinning and along with it, the world spun too. I fell to the ground, and when I could finally lift my head, what I saw above me terrified me. It was him, death in human form, and beside him were four of his helpers. They grabbed my arms and forced me to stand up.

“Good morning A1387. I am afraid your dear twin sister couldn’t handle the injections from yesterday. Let’s hope your fragile little limbs can endure those chemicals. I wonder how many more injections it will take for you to meet your pathetic sister,” he said, patting my head. His tone was playful, but deadly.

I froze. What? Miriam…dead? That one word, “twins”, has taken away everything of what feels like my past life, and now my last hope? I felt a surge of anger, hatred, sadness, fear, devastation swirling inside me like boiling lava in a volcano, ready to erupt. I wanted to scream, to shout, to kill him, but I couldn’t. My soft limbs felt as if they would collapse merely by trying to stand up. They would be harmless and defenceless against the Angel of Death. When he saw the hatred on my face, he started laughing hysterically and simply said, “What a shame; she was only 13. I cannot wait to see how long it will take for you to fall apart!”

3. Expository Essay

According to Purdue University , the expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. To accomplish this, writers use the method of comparison and contrast, definition, example, cause and effect, etc.

Writers are not required to argue or make a personal opinion but to present balanced and well-organized facts and figures.

In an expository essay–as the name suggests–you need to expose the particular subject in question by providing enough information. It is an informative piece of writing that provides a balanced analysis of the topic. It does not contain any personal opinion; instead, it is based on real facts and figures. Therefore, this kind of high school essay is commonly assigned in high school or college in order to test students’ familiarity with a topic and ability to convey information.

This is an example from College Board’s SAT Writing Prompt.  

In response to our world’s growing reliance on artificial light, writer Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness should be preserved in his article “Let There be dark”. He effectively builds his argument by using a personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions.

Bogard starts his article off by recounting a personal story – a summer spent on a Minnesota lake where there was “woods so dark that [his] hands disappeared before [his] eyes.” In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter about night darkness, the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess. He builds his argument for the preservation of natural darkness by reminiscing for his readers a first-hand encounter that proves the “irreplaceable value of darkness.” This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims.

Bogard’s argument is also furthered by his use of allusion to art – Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” – and modern history – Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light”. By first referencing “Starry Night”, a painting generally considered to be undoubtedly beautiful, Bogard establishes that the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite. A world absent of excess artificial light could potentially hold the key to a grand, glorious night sky like Van Gogh’s according to the writer. This urges the readers to weigh the disadvantages of our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting. Furthermore, Bogard’s alludes to Paris as “the famed ‘city of light’”. He then goes on to state how Paris has taken steps to exercise more sustainable lighting practices. By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2 AM”. This furthers his line of argumentation because it shows how steps can be and are being taken to preserve natural darkness. It shows that even a city that is literally famous for being constantly lit can practically address light pollution in a manner that preserves the beauty of both the city itself and the universe as a whole.

Finally, Bogard makes subtle yet efficient use of rhetorical questioning to persuade his audience that natural darkness preservation is essential. He asks the readers to consider “what the vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?” in a way that brutally plays to each of our emotions. By asking this question, Bogard draws out heartfelt ponderance from his readers about the affecting power of an untainted night sky. This rhetorical question tugs at the readers’ heartstrings; while the reader may have seen an unobscured night skyline before, the possibility that their child or grandchild will never get the chance sways them to see as Bogard sees. This strategy is definitively an appeal to pathos, forcing the audience to directly face an emotionally-charged inquiry that will surely spur some kind of response. By doing this, Bogard develops his argument, adding gutthral power to the idea that the issue of maintaining natural darkness is relevant and multifaceted.

Writing as a reaction to his disappointment that artificial light has largely permeated the presence of natural darkness, Paul Bogard argues that we must preserve true, unaffected darkness. He builds this claim by making use of a personal anecdote, allusions, and rhetorical questioning.

4. Argumentative Essay

The argumentative high school essay is similar to the expository essay, because it requires writers to present their evidence-based arguments. Writers have to present a thesis statement, gather and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic. Many people think argumentative and expository essays are the same. They belong to a similar genre, but an argumentative essay requires more research than an expository essay. An expository essay is normally used in the SAT test, because test takers are required to investigate and present points from the prompts given. An argumentative essay is generally used in a final project or a capstone, which requires length and detailed research. The essay is divided into 3 parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction has a topic and thesis statement, the body has evidence and arguments, and the conclusion summarizes the arguments and potential directions for future research.

Below is an example from a GRE writing answer from ETS : 

Prompt : The best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement above and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how those considerations shape your position.

Passion is clearly necessary for a truly great idea to take hold among a people—passion either

on the part of the original thinker, the audience, or ideally both. The claim that the most lucrative

subject matter for inspiring great ideas is “commonplace things” may seem initially to be counterintuitive. After all, aren’t great ideas usually marked by their extraordinary character? While this is true, their extraordinary character is as often as not directly derived from their insight into things that had theretofore gone unquestioned. While great ideas certainly can arise through seemingly pure innovation… say, for example, Big Bang cosmology, which developed nearly all of its own scientific and philosophical precepts through its own process of formation, it is nevertheless equally true that such groundbreaking thought was, and is, still largely

a reevaluation of previous assumptions to a radical degree… after all, the question of the ultimate nature of the universe, and man’s place in it, has been central to human thought since the dawn of time. Commonplace things are, additionally, necessary as material for the generation of “the best ideas” since certainly the success among an audience must be considered in evaluating the significance and quality of an idea.

The advent of Big Bang cosmology, which occurred in rudimentary form almost immediately upon Edwin Hubble’s first observations at the Hooker telescope in California during the early 20th century, was the most significant advance in mankind’s understanding of the universe in over 400 years. The seemingly simple fact that everything in the universe, on a very large scale, is moving away from everything else in fact betrays nearly all of our scientific knowledge of the origins and mechanics of the universe. This slight, one might even say commonplace, distortion of tint on a handful of photographic plates carried with it the greatest challenge to Man’s general, often religiously reinforced, conception of the nature of the world to an extent not seen since the days of Galileo. Not even Charles Darwin’s theory, though it created more of a stir than Big Bang cosmology, had such shattering implications for our conceptions of the nature of our reality. Yet it is not significant because it introduced the question of the nature of what lies beyond Man’s grasp. A tremendous number of megalithic ruins, including the Pyramids both of Mexico and Egypt, Stonehenge, and others, indicate that this question has been foremost on humankind’s collective mind since time immemorial. Big Bang cosmology is so incredibly significant in this line of reasoning exactly because of the degree to which it changed the direction of this generally held, constantly pondered, and very ancient train of thought.

Additionally, there is a diachronic significance to the advent of Big Bang cosmology, which is that, disregarding limitations such as the quality of optical devices available and the state of theoretical math, it could have happened at any point in time. That is to say, all evidence points to roughly the same raw intellectual capacity for homo sapiens throughout our history, our progress has merely depended upon the degree of it that a person happens to inherit, a pace that has been increasing rapidly since the industrial revolution. Yet this discovery had to happen at a certain point in time or another—it cannot have been happening constantly or have never happened yet still be present—and this point in time does have its own significance. That significance is precisely the fact that the aforementioned advent must have occurred at precisely the point in time at which it truly could have occurred—that is to say, it marks the point in our history when we had progressed sufficiently to begin examining, with remarkable substantiated acuity, the workings of the universe across distances that would take millions of human lifetimes to reach or to traverse. The point for the success of this advent must necessarily have been, additionally, the point at which the audience concerned was capable and prepared to accept such a radical line of reasoning.

Both factors, a radical, passionate interpretation of the commonplace and the preparedness to accept such an interpretation, are necessary for the formulation of a truly great idea. If the passion is absent from an inquiry by the thinker or by the bulk of an audience, the idea will die out if it comes to fruition at all. If the material is not sufficiently commonplace to be considered by an informed audience of sufficient size, the same two hazards exist. Given these two factors, the idea must still be found palatable and interesting by the audience if it is to hope to gain a foothold and eventually establish itself in a significant fashion.

5. Analytical Essay

An analytical essay is a writing genre that provides an in-depth analysis of a topic, ranging from art, music, and literary text to politics, science, and philosophy, etc. Analytical essays can boost a writer’s writing skills and overall comprehension of a topic while helping readers become more educated about the subjects of importance. This type of essay does not aim to persuade readers to a certain point of view but rather to provide a well-rounded and comprehensive analysis for the readers. The analytical essay is normally used in the GRE writing section.

A good analytical essay includes a thesis statement stating your main argument, followed by an analysis of your thesis and supporting evidence. Here are the 7 Steps to Write a Literary Analysis Essay .

We will take an example from a student’s work about CRISPR, a genetic engineering method. The full essay can be accessed here , but below is the preview of the essay:

No matter how much money people are willing to pay for health care, they may still suffer terribly from incurable diseases such as AIDS and cancer because of the underdevelopment of medical technology. However, today, the advancement in human knowledge has led to the introduction of human gene-editing, turning impossibility to possibility. In particular, the recent technology for genome editing called CRISPR has been having a groundbreaking impact on research in genetic science. This is due to its remarkable potential to simply cure genetic diseases in an embryo before they have a serious effect on further developmental progression. Although currently, there have been numerous debates regarding its extension in research for widespread uses, CRISPR is a completely promising technology because of the benefits it brings to people.

CRISPR, or Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, is the newest innovation in genetic engineering. The way CRISPR works is similar to “the scissor-like action of Cas 9 to target… any specific DNA sequence” (Baylis and Rossant). By making cuts in specific locations in DNA, CRISPR can cure diseases and make alterations in an embryo’s DNA, which prevent diseases from being passed down to following generations (Baylis and Rossant). Throughout the history, governments and researchers came up with different approaches politically and scientifically in attempt to control population. They hoped to encourage the “richest, wisest and healthiest to breed like rabbits” and the “sick, stupid, and poor to take one for the empire and remain childless” (Comfort 28). The second attempt happened during the 20th century, when the U.S government passed the law preventing marriage and immigration that would threaten a perceived core American “stock.” Another more extreme example was when Nazi sterilization law further advanced this population control approach. Later in the century, a biotechnological approach was established as a safer and more humane way to manage population health (qtd in Comfort 28). “Gene surgery,” which is similar to CRISPR technology, was established and followed by contentious debates regarding ethical issues between disease treatment and human trait enhancements. Currently, there has been a halt in the use of CRISPR because of the increase in concern from the public about the pros and cons of this technology.

Further reading: 

• Where to Submit Your Writing Works: 5 Main Platforms
• 6 Differences between High School and College Writing
• 20 Tips to Improve Your Writing
• Guide to Point of View in Writing
• 10 Mistakes High School Students Make in Creative Writing
• How to Overcome Writer’s Block in High School Writing Competitions

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This course helps students develop and improve their writing skills to prepare students for higher education courses. The methodology emphasizes the ability to read critically, think critically, and write critically. Students will learn informative, narrative, descriptive, creative, and persuasive essay writing skills. Students will learn how to brainstorm, structure and outline, form an argument, defend it, incorporate academic sources, and develop a clear, articulate writing style. The focus will be on the writing process, intended audience, consistent tenses, point of view, correct grammar uses, building vocabulary, appropriate style, and proper research and citation protocols.

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2 University of South Carolina Essays by an Accepted Student

What’s covered:, essay example #1 – intellectual curiosity, essay example #2 – extracurricular, where to get your university of south carolina essays edited.

If you’re applying to the University of South Carolina’s Honors College, you’ll need to have more than high grades and test scores. Strong academic credentials are a must, of course, but to truly set yourself apart in a competitive applicant pool, you’ll want to showcase your intangible qualities that will allow you to take full advantage of all the Honors College has to offer.

The following essays were written by a real student who was ultimately accepted to the Honors College, so they should give you a more concrete sense of what admissions officers are looking for beyond the numbers.

Please note that while looking at examples of real essays written by other students can give you inspiration for your own essays, you should never copy from these examples. If colleges think you have plagiarized, they are likely to automatically reject you, and plus, the essay is your opportunity to tell your own story, not repeat someone else’s.

Prompt: What sparks your intellectual curiosity? How have you explored the subject in the past? How do you plan to explore it at UofSC?

When I began my true crime podcast almost two years ago, the choice for a perfect first case was simple. I would have to cover the murder of Jonbenet Ramsey. While it may sound morbid, true crime is an interest of mine, and this specific case has always fascinated me. Specifically, the fact that this case has remained unsolved for so many years is profoundly unsettling.

Jonbenet Ramsey was a child pageant queen who was brutally murdered the day after Christmas in her idyllic Colorado town in 1996. Because of the crime’s unsettling nature, and the victim’s pageantry, the American public became quickly captivated by the case. However, despite years of speculation surrounding suspects, the case has remained unsolved. I suppose this is why I have always been drawn to wanting answers in this case. I simply cannot comprehend how a case that gained sweeping media coverage and mesmerized the American public for decades has never been solved.

Over the years, this murder has had many circulating theories. Some speculate it was Jonbenet’s strangely behaved parents, while others suspect a stranger snuck in through the basement window to commit the crime. While I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media, there is one matter in this case that can simply not be ignored. I believe that if this case had been handled more professionally since the beginning of the investigation, it would be solved today.

There were two major reasons why this case was handled inappropriately: Christmas and community. Jonbenet Ramsey was determined missing in the early morning hours of December 26, 1996. Because of the timing, Boulder, Colorado’s more senior detectives were out enjoying their holiday, while the officers with less experience were called into the initial investigation. Simple mistakes and miscommunications due to their inexperience complicated this already unsettling investigation. Despite this being the most shocking crime to occur in the picturesque Colorado town, it was handled by a gaggle of rookie cops that didn’t get to sleep in the morning after Christmas.

The second reason this investigation was doomed from the start is community. The Ramseys were well-recognized in their Boulder neighborhood and had many close friends come over the morning of Jonbenet’s disappearance. These neighbors helped search the house, also known as the crime scene. Jonbenet was found in the basement by her father before the cops had arrived at the scene. Not knowing what to do, her father carried her upstairs, tainting any evidence that was left with his deceased daughter.

Once a proper investigation was conducted, detectives were left with a minimal report by amateur investigators and an entirely contaminated crime scene, leaving this case as an enigma. The unsolved nature of this case has resulted in my fascination with criminology. 

At the South Carolina Honors College, I would like to research the inner workings of the criminal justice system and learn more about unsolved investigations similar to this case.

During high school, I attempted to explore criminal justice through several different facets. I conducted research about different types of true crime cases for my podcast, which expanded my knowledge of criminal investigations. Additionally, I attended a summer program at New York University that focused on criminal justice. While there, I took a college course that overviewed the different areas of the American criminal justice system. Despite these efforts, my morbid curiosity has not been diminished.

At the South Carolina Honors College, I hope to take several courses which go in-depth on different areas of criminology and public policy. I would also like to work to conduct further research in the field of criminology. Ultimately, I hope to continue exploring concepts of criminal justice while at the South Carolina Honors College.

What the Essay Did Well

This student’s thorough, immersive analysis of the Jonbenet Ramsey case is exactly the kind of thing they’ll be asked to do in Honors College classes, so the essay serves as indisputable evidence (no pun intended) that they have the genuine intellectual curiosity necessary to succeed in a more rigorous academic environment.

The structure of this essay is one thing we want to draw particular attention to, as in a long supplement, you want to be sure there aren’t any places along the way where your reader could potentially get lost. This writer starts by laying out the facts of the case, including what actually happened, the media impact, and the public’s theories, and then smoothly transitions into providing their own analysis, with the lines:

“I believe that if this case had been handled more professionally since the beginning of the investigation, it would be solved today.

There were two major reasons why this case was handled inappropriately: Christmas and community.”

They then go on to clearly and logically explain why these two factors contributed to the case’s lack of a resolution. Again, Honors College admissions officers are evaluating your ability to think critically about a complex topic, and this writer doesn’t just tell us about a time they did that–they actually show us, in this very essay. The proof is in the pudding, in other words (pun intended).

Additionally, the student’s personable writing style makes this essay feel almost like a conversation with a friend. Your essay is much more likely to stand out if admissions officers are genuinely invested in your story, and this writer actively draws readers in with lines like:

• “While I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media…”
• “I simply cannot comprehend how a case that gained sweeping media coverage and mesmerized the American public for decades has never been solved.”

These lines, along with creative phrasings like “a gaggle of rookie cops that didn’t get to sleep in the morning after Christmas” make us feel like the writer is speaking directly to us, which in turn makes us vicariously feel their excitement about this case. 

If you can get your reader genuinely excited about your story, they will remember that feeling of excitement as they’re deliberating about your application with their colleagues, and they will be more likely to advocate for your potential as an Honors College student.

What Could Be Improved

While the student’s detailed description of the Jonbenet Ramsey case grabs readers’ attention and doesn’t let go, so much of the essay is dedicated to describing the case that we almost forget this is a college essay. The point of the college essay is to teach admissions officers about who you are, and we come away from this essay knowing far more about Jonbenet Ramsey and her tragic death than about the author.

Of course, as noted above, the writer does illustrate certain key personality traits, like being attentive to detail and having a subtle sense of humor, in the way they tell the story. However, even though that sophisticated approach is effective, you don’t want almost 75% of your essay to be about something other than you, as the points that are directly about you then feel awkward and out of place–Jonbenet Ramsey seems to be missing from the last three paragraphs, even though this essay actually isn’t actually supposed to be about her.

Because of the imbalance in the essay content, the points the writer makes in response to the second part of the prompt, which is essentially a “Why School?” prompt, feel scattered. They don’t have the room to smoothly integrate them, and so we bounce around from their podcast to the summer class they took at NYU to a vague mention of courses they hope to take at UofSC.

Again, the writer’s enthusiasm about this case is genuinely infectious, but there are times in college essays where you need to “kill your darlings,” or cut content that you like for the sake of the essay as a whole. For example, take the lines:

“Over the years, this murder has had many circulating theories. Some speculate it was Jonbenet’s strangely behaved parents, while others suspect a stranger snuck in through the basement window to commit the crime. While I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media, there is one matter in this case that can simply not be ignored.”

In a true crime podcast, these lines add helpful context to the story. But in a college essay, they take up a lot of words to basically say “this isn’t my main point.” The writer could have cut the first two sentences, and instead had the following short, punchy second paragraph:

“I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media, as my personal belief is that if this case had been handled more professionally since the beginning of the investigation, it would be solved today.”

With this version, there’s still a smooth transition into the student’s personal views on this case, and the words saved could then be reallocated to the end of the essay, to build a more concrete connection between their interest in this case and their potential future at UofSC. In a “Why School?” essay, you want to be as precise as possible about why you’re applying to this specific institution , and right now this student only generally references “several courses which go in-depth on different areas of criminology and public policy” and “further research in the field of criminology.”

This last paragraph would be much stronger if the student instead cited specific Honors College courses that they’d like to take, such as “Critical Reading and Composition: The Making of Monsters,” which could teach them more about how a narrative can be constructed to skew perception. Their excitement about their future at UofSC would then be just as tangible as their excitement about the Jonbenet Ramsey case.

Prompt: We expect our students to integrate their learning with meaningful extracurricular experiences. Pick a beyond-the-classroom activity where you have taken initiative and tell us more about your involvement. Share what you have learned from your experience. How do you envision building upon this experience to contribute to UofSC and the South Carolina Honors Community?

There is truly nothing like taking the final bow. On stage, surrounded by these people that have been brought into your life by situation, but have managed to become your closest friends. Your thoughts are drowned out by the overwhelming sound of applause. While it may sound cliche, for a brief moment in time, you feel on top of the world. And, to think, it might almost not have happened this way.

At the beginning of eighth grade, a group of high school students came to my middle school cafeteria. They stood in a line, in front of a couple of hundred thirteen-year-olds, to pitch the different elective options available in high school. I listened through countless presentations, mostly bored until one pitch struck me. These two students began discussing the high school’s theater department. They were both involved with musical theater, and it reminded me of the performance I saw at the end of the previous year. The high school had just put on a production of Grease at the end of my seventh-grade year. It was my favorite musical, and probably the only musical I knew, at the time and I wanted to be a part of it so badly. So, I enrolled in the fundamentals of theater course. 

Flash-forward to the beginning of ninth grade. On my first day of school, my dream of being the queen of musical theater was crushed. My fundamentals of theater teacher…hated musicals. With a passion. At my school, the theater department divides into three separate sections after the initial fundamentals course. These sections included acting, tech, and musical theater. The teacher I had been assigned exclusively taught acting and despised musical theater. This challenge immediately diminished my hope. Every day, I was met with a teacher who would trash talk the elaborate musical productions. However, over time, I began to adore this teacher. She was passionate about theater and was genuinely invested in bettering the lives of her students. 

When it came time to pick classes for next year, I had to choose between pursuing acting or musical theater. The influence this teacher had on me was profound. I knew in my heart-of-hearts that I needed to continue with acting instead of musical theater. So, I did. However, in a strange turn of events, I also ended up taking the musical theater course during my sophomore year. So, my major theatrical decision was prolonged for another year. I continued with these courses, and at the end of the year, it was audition time. I was required to audition for both advanced acting and advanced musical theater, however, I would only be able to select one. At that point, I was doing online school, and my relationship with my acting teacher had been reduced to brief Google Meet interactions. So, when I considered my options, I chose to continue with advanced musical theater because it was my initial dream. This plan was all set by the end of my sophomore year. My junior year course requests were in, and there was supposedly no going back. But, then, everything changed.

In the last week of school, my acting teacher wanted to talk in private. She congratulated me on my acceptance to both advanced acting and musical theater and then asked me which one I was going to choose. I told her, with deep remorse, that I had selected musical theater. She nodded, but then told me how much she wished I would be in her advanced class the following year. She started to tell me all about the advanced acting course. They prepared and performed two productions each year, which involved both extracurricular and curricular involvement, and competed in a one-act play competition. As she described the exciting pursuits available in this course, I knew deep down that I had made the wrong choice. 

The second I got home that day, I sent an email to my counselor requesting my elective choice for the following year be changed. I knew I needed to be in advanced acting. And, ultimately, it all worked out. Junior year, I began the exceptional experience of being a part of the Advanced Acting Ensemble.

My first production was the one-act play, The 146 Point Flame. The entire process of production was immediately exciting. I auditioned and was cast in the role that I wanted! I committed a lot of time to this production. I was often staying after-school for rehearsals and asking my friends and family to run lines with me. This production was composed of a small group, which helped facilitate a strong bond between everyone involved. After performing one night in our school’s theater, we traveled about twenty minutes away to compete against other schools in the regional one-act play competition. The experience was thrilling. We were tasked with performing within a short amount of time, and we succeeded. After awaiting the results, the judges came on stage and announced our regional victory! We were overjoyed. At that exact moment, I knew I had made the right decision in choosing this class. 

In the spring, we began auditions for our next production. This time we would be performing the play She Kills Monsters. This show was extremely different from our prior production. It was composed of two acts, and we would be performing a total of five shows for a public audience. We began the production process again. Another serious round of auditions, memorizing lines, and rehearsals. By the end of our final performance, I felt the most extreme rush of emotions. This acting ensemble has given me many valuable things. My acting skills improved, but more importantly, I was given the opportunity to bond with some of the most amazing people that I may not have met had I chosen musical theater. Ultimately, my participation in high school theater has been irreplaceable, and I would love to continue with a similar extracurricular at the University of South Carolina. 

The most common mistake with this kind of “Extracurricular” prompt is that your response is only about the activity, and you don’t address “what you have learned from your experience” or “how do you envision building upon this experience to contribute to UofSC and the South Carolina Honors Community.” This student masterfully avoids that pitfall by describing not only their passion for theater, but also broader qualities and abilities such as adaptability, self-reflection, and a strong work ethic that will serve them well in any activity, course, or social group at UofSC.

The student also does an excellent job of following perhaps the #1 rule in college essays and showing , rather than merely telling, us how they developed these personality traits. We get to see how their initial interest in musical theater emerged, how they reacted when they were put in an acting class instead, and how they grappled with eventually choosing between musical theater and acting.

This detailed story arc, combined with the student’s friendly, personable writing style, make us feel like we’re along for the ride with them, just like in their previous essay. The point of the college essay is to explain who you are beyond your more objective academic and extracurricular achievements. But, as noted above, the very best essays go a step further and build a connection with admissions officers that gets them genuinely invested in your candidacy.

While admissions officers may seem like faceless strangers, locked in a room thousands of miles away, they were once high schoolers too, struggling to decide which path to follow as they entered young adulthood. Lines like the following openly discuss the uncertainty of adolescence, which is a universal experience that helps admissions officers relate to this student:

• “It was my favorite musical, and probably the only musical I knew, at the time and I wanted to be a part of it so badly.”
• “On my first day of school, my dream of being the queen of musical theater was crushed. My fundamentals of theater teacher…hated musicals. With a passion.”
• “The influence this teacher had on me was profound. I knew in my heart-of-hearts that I needed to continue with acting instead of musical theater.”
• “This plan was all set by the end of my sophomore year. My junior year course requests were in, and there was supposedly no going back. But, then, everything changed.”
• “As she described the exciting pursuits available in this course, I knew deep down that I had made the wrong choice.”

Being vulnerable with people you don’t know, who are much older than you and making a big decision about your future, is hard, and you definitely don’t have to bare your soul to write a strong college essay. But acknowledging there have been moments where you doubted yourself or your choices, and showing how you responded in those moments, can tell admissions officers a great deal about you.

While college applications can seem like they’re all about high grades and prestigious awards, schools know that you aren’t perfect. Reflecting honestly on the tougher parts of high school shows maturity, gives your achievements more weight by showing what you had to overcome to earn them, and proves to admissions officers that when you inevitably stumble in college, you’ll be able to pick yourself up and keep going.

There’s only one real issue with this essay. Although the author does an excellent job of showing us the intangible traits they’d bring to UofSC’s Honors College, ideally they would give more concrete examples of how they’d contribute to this community.

The line “Ultimately, my participation in high school theater has been irreplaceable, and I would love to continue with a similar extracurricular at the University of South Carolina” is generic enough that you could swap in any school’s name and still have it make sense. When you mention your excitement to attend a particular school, you always want your reasoning to be specific to that institution.

For example, this student could have mentioned their desire to take courses with Peter Duffy, a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance who does work on education in the arts, as they know firsthand the impact a teacher can have on a student’s creative pursuits. Or, they could have mentioned the student group Off Off Broadway as an opportunity for them to finally star in a musical theater production.

After all, just about every school has some sort of theater-related opportunity. This kind of added specificity goes a long way towards showing UofSC admissions officers not just that you want to do theater in college, but that you want to do theater at University of South Carolina specifically. 

Finally, on a more nitpicky, stylistic level, we do want to quickly address the use of the second person “you” in the first paragraph. This choice does create a feeling of universality, which, as noted above, is a good thing. However, remember that the college essay is ultimately about you. So, rather than speaking in general terms, take ownership of your story right away, by saying:

“There is truly nothing like taking the final bow. On stage, surrounded by these people that have been brought into my life by situation, but have managed to become my closest friends. My thoughts are drowned out by the overwhelming sound of applause. While it may sound cliche, for a brief moment in time, I feel on top of the world. And, to think, it might almost not have happened this way.”

Do you want feedback on your University of South Carolina essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. 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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Winner of Student Open Letter Contest

Every High School Student Can Save a Life

We are honoring the Top 9 winners of our Student Open Letter Contest by publishing their entries. This one is by Alexander Klee, age 16.

By The Learning Network

This letter, by Alexander Klee, 16, of Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, Conn. , is one of the Top 9 winners of The Learning Network’s Student Open Letter Contest , for which we received 8,065 entries. You can find the work of all the winners, as we publish them, here .

Dear Governor Lamont,

From cutting taxes for working families, to investing in clean energy, to leading our Covid-19 response, you have made lasting and positive change in Connecticut. This is not, however, a time to rest. You must take another look at the opioid overdose epidemic in our state.

While the judicial system has dealt with the Sacklers, the impact of opioids is still sending waves of loss through our communities. In 2022, 1,348 of your constituents died of an opioid overdose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System. With more potent opioids like fentanyl in our illegal drug supply, these accidental deaths could continue to happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

In your defense, Connecticut has done a lot to combat this public health epidemic, like developing the Naloxone + Opioid Response App and increasing access to fentanyl test strips. However, I firmly believe that your administration’s response efforts missed the mark by ignoring high school students.

In our current health curriculum, there is extensive education on illicit substances, their classifications and their impact on our bodies. The Connecticut General Statutes require the Department of Education to include these subjects in our curriculum, but they do not go as far as to mandate instruction on one of the greatest tools available to combat the opioid crisis: Naloxone.

Naloxone is a safe, effective and lifesaving medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose when given in time, per The New York Times. There is room in our health curriculum to teach students how to recognize and reverse an opioid overdose. If teachers are given appropriate materials and support, every high school student in Connecticut could learn these crucial skills.

I strongly urge you to submit a governor’s bill to the Connecticut General Assembly to mandate education in our public high schools on opioid overdose recognition and reversal.

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Dear Shannen Doherty: I’m sorry I bought the ‘I Hate Brenda’ newsletter in high school

Shannen Doherty, the Gen X icon who played Brenda Walsh on the original “Beverly Hills, 90210,”  passed away  on July 13, 2024, at the age of 53 after a long battle with breast cancer . It is never easy to hear about one of your teen icons dying young, but I felt an extra layer of dread wash over me when I heard the news.

Doherty and I had a history. She didn’t know about it and she didn’t know me, but I had been holding on to a terrible secret for 32 years. When I was 16 years old, spending weekends alone in my room listening to Morrissey, I saw an ad in the back of an issue of Sassy magazine for something called the “I Hate Brenda Newsletter.” And I bought it. 

“90210” was the most important show of my teenage years. My family didn’t have cable when it premiered in 1990, but my cool aunt in New York did. She would record a month’s worth of episodes on a VHS tape and then mail it to my sister and me so we could keep up. We rewatched the episodes over and over until the next month’s shipment.

I wanted Brenda Walsh’s life. I wanted to sneak into a bar with a fake ID and have a hot older guy buy me banana daiquiris. I wanted to live by the ocean and have a cool surfer boyfriend with a Porsche and a trust fund when the banana daiquiri guy didn’t work out. I wanted the most beautiful, popular girl in school to be my best friend and drive me around in her red BMW convertible. I wanted to lose my virginity in a fancy hotel room after the spring dance. 

I was incensed that a character like Brenda, some rando from Minnesota with cheesy bangs, an affected voice and an overly confident sense of fashion, got to live this life — even if it wasn’t real and even if Beverly Hills was nowhere near the ocean. Why did she get to love herself so much, when I hated myself so much? I hated Brenda.

Why did she get to love herself so much, when I hated myself so much?

I sent away a money order to a P.O. Box in Hollywood, which was wildly exciting in and of itself, and a few weeks later, I received the six-page mailer. I was elated. I remember hanging it on my wall for the remainder of high school and likely most of college.

As a social outcast myself, it felt good to pick on someone else, even from the confines of my bedroom. It made me feel how I assumed popular people felt: powerful, important and better than those around me who weren’t in on the joke. In a way, it helped me feel empowered against those who bullied me. I was lonely, unpopular and had a lazy eye. In ninth grade, boys in my homeroom class would salivate like wolves, waiting for me to sit down so they could share specific thoughts on how “butt-dog ugly” I looked that day. In 10th grade, when we were doing a science experiment with carrots, one of my classmates collected some extras and flung them at me repeatedly. When I told him to stop he said, “I’m just trying to help fix your eyes!” and laughed himself silly.

I was a desperate teenager at the time I bought the newsletter — trying to squeeze in at the end of the popular girls’ lunch table by offering to buy them desserts from the cafeteria and bags of presents at Christmas. They did not reciprocate. I don’t know if Brenda or Shannen would have either, but now I realize that in so many ways our collective feeling was: everyone for themselves.

A day after the news of Doherty’s death, I thought about the newsletter and dug through old boxes of treasures from my tween and teen years: an English paper on the Gary Hart scandal, pictures from junior and senior proms (unlike Donna Martin, I was blisteringly sober throughout both), and my college freshman year facebook. I found my “I Hate Brenda” newsletter sandwiched between a CD insert for Counting Crows’ “August and Everything After” and a junior high school diary about how sad I was. 

The newsletter was so much worse than I remembered.

It barely even touched on the character of Brenda Walsh. It was almost entirely focused on trashing Doherty in real life, calling her a “no-talent with a bad attitude” and a “one-dimensional woman.” It was basically a compendium of people calling her an obnoxious, ugly monster. My heart sank as I turned to page three and saw the headline, “Send Her to Slaughter.” It was an article about how Doherty had reportedly been obnoxious on the set of a video for the hair band Slaughter, but it was more than a play on words. It was hateful, just like the title of the newsletter promised. 

Doherty was 21 years old in 1992. Tabloids painted her as demanding, entitled, explosive and moody. And a few years after I bought the magazine and turned 21, I was exactly the same way. But I didn’t have the eyes of the whole world focused on me and my every move.

Since the birth of social media, I’ve been profoundly grateful that I got out of high school long before I could be cyberbullied. “Things are so much worse now than when I was in high school,” is the narrative I’ve told myself. The truth is teen bullying was always awful, but now it’s out of the shadows.

In some ways, the ’90s were an amazing and empowering time to be a teenage girl. There was the birth of Lilith Fair, “The Vagina Monologues” and “Thelma and Louise.” In other ways, it was a horror show, with ridicule of victims of sexual harassment and violence like Anita Hill and Monica Lewinsky . And of course, there was that ever-present feeling that we should all look like a Victoria’s Secret Angel. The ’90s weren’t fair to Shannen Doherty and I don’t know that the 2020s are much better for women in the spotlight, or women in general. A  2022 Pew Research  study showed that nearly half of U.S. teens have experienced cyberbullying, with older teen girls reporting the highest rates of bullying.

When I look at Doherty’s career now, as a grown-up who has lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years, I’m blown away. She was a working actress at age 10 in 1981, in an industry that has always been and continues to be predatory toward young women in particular. She starred in some of the most important films and series of a generation, like “Heathers” and “Charmed.”

I should have written this apology years ago, and now it’s too late. It doesn’t matter how you treat people when they’re gone. It matters what you say when they’re still here. But I needed to say this for me — and for the 16-year-old version of myself who thought treating others the way she was treated was the solution. I guess the best I could do at this point is create a time capsule filled with random stuff for her, like the gang did for Scott Scanlon after his accidental death in the Season 2 episode about gun control, but I sure wish I could take her out for a banana daiquiri instead and tell her I’m sorry.

Liz Brown is a writer and mother living in Los Angeles. You can see more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here .

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Elektrostal

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Elektrostal , city, Moscow oblast (province), western Russia . It lies 36 miles (58 km) east of Moscow city. The name, meaning “electric steel,” derives from the high-quality-steel industry established there soon after the October Revolution in 1917. During World War II , parts of the heavy-machine-building industry were relocated there from Ukraine, and Elektrostal is now a centre for the production of metallurgical equipment. Pop. (2006 est.) 146,189.