Good Opening Sentence For College Essay

The introduction may have plenty of responsibility but that doesn’t mean you need to sweat writing it.

The introduction may have plenty of responsibility but that doesn’t mean you need to sweat writing it.

Take a look at some of these opening lines from college entrance essays submitted to Stanford University.

Summary of Your Topic, Ideas, or Argument Your opening paragraph should introduce the subject matter and the points you intend to make.

There are several different ways you can hook your reader's interest when writing your introduction.

Planting a hook at the beginning gives you a way to use a common narrative or return to your original ideas throughout the paper which can give the entire essay more flow as well as setting the stage for you to have a convenient way to bring it all together in the conclusion.

This is especially true with longer papers or essays that tackle complex ideas or subjects.

Running through the basic outline of your paper in the introduction offers readers a chance to preview what your paper is about and your stance on the issue or to evaluate how objective you'll be.Think of it as a brief roadmap that begins with an intriguing opening line, includes a quick summary of the topic and ideas you’ll present, and concludes with a thesis statement.Opening Hook It’s important to draw your reader in from the very first sentence.There's no rule that says you have to write that all important first sentence first.In fact, leaving that until later can be helpful since you may be knee deep in page 7 of your epic term paper when the perfect first sentence comes to you.If you're in the middle of dissecting the role of Anime in the evolution of Western cartoons when inspiration strikes, just type out that baby right where you are – you can always copy, paste and tweak it when you're done.When crafting or editing your first sentence, avoid some of the common clichés that can make a first sentence less than impressive.The first sentence is often the most difficult for any writer.Don't let that blinking cursor thwart your efforts, though.Whether you’re prepared or not, there comes a time when every student is faced with writing their first college essay.Even if you’re a natural writer, writing a college essay is still a daunting task.