Can anyone share tips or samples for starting a college essay?

Getting started is usually the hardest part, especially because there's so much pressure around grabbing the reader's attention from the very first line. The key is to make your opening personal, specific, and reflective of your unique personality or experience.

One effective strategy is to plunge the reader directly into a striking moment, conversation, or image from your life—a sort of 'in medias res' approach. For example, instead of starting with something broad like “I have always enjoyed science,” consider a vivid, concrete moment: "The smell of burnt sugar filled my room as my improvised experiment turned my kitchen into a mini chemistry lab." Notice how this pulls the reader into a real scene and sets up curiosity about what happened next.

Another approach is to open with an intriguing question or statement that gets the reader thinking. For example: "If a single post-it note could change the world, what would I write on it?" This technique can spark curiosity and introduce the theme of your essay.

Here's a student sample (with details changed):

"Three minutes stood between me and disaster. The Jenga tower by my elbow wobbled while the chess timer taunted me, and I had to decide: rescue my tower, or make my move. My grandmother, unfazed, sipped her tea and waited."

This kind of opening works because it shows a moment of tension, illustrates personality, and hints at deeper themes without explaining everything. As you brainstorm, think about a specific moment in your life that meant something to you—no matter how small—and zoom in on the details. Then, ask yourself, what does this moment say about who I am?

It can also help to free-write your first paragraph without worrying too much about polish. Often, your best opening will emerge after you've written a draft of the entire essay and see what themes or images naturally stand out. Later, come back and revise with a sharper hook in mind.

Feel free to share your attempts—sometimes just having feedback on your first couple of sentences can make a big difference!