Who Am I Essay: How to Write It and More Helpful Tips

Have you ever asked yourself “Who am I’? We bet you have done it at least once in your life. And when it comes to writing an essay about yourself, answering that question with your name and surname is not the case. Such a brief description or information is not something that this type of essay requires.

Just think if you are on a date and your potential match asks you that question, we bet you will not reply briefly letting know your name. You will want to tell more about yourself to impress that person. And you should do the same when you are required to write a Who am I essay!

The Definition of a Who Am I Essay

In short, a who am I essay is an essay about yourself. You may need to write it in many cases, for example, when writing your biography and here you can do it however you wish, there are no certain rules.

However, when you are assigned such a task at high school or college, everything becomes more complicated. Yes, there are no strict requirements, as well but you have to impress your admission committee that you are the best candidate for them. The same concerns your essay about yourself when you apply for a job – you should show the best of your skills and convince the readers you are the best for them.

In other words, a Who am I essay is an essay about yourself aimed to show your best qualities, skills, and convince the reader you are the one they need. To find out how to write such an essay the best way and become successful when applying to college or for a job.

The structure

The structure of that essay is not that different from all the rest while like any other essay, it consists of an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Everything seems to be too easy but let us make sure you understand well what you should write in each of the parts.

Introduction

The first paragraph of your essay is the first thing your reader will see and pay attention to. So, first of all, it should not be too long, keep it as short as a couple of sentences. But the most important thing to remember is that people will not want to read the rest of your essay if the beginning is too boring.

So now your task is clear we hope – you should grab the attention of your reader with the introduction. Doing it is not that difficult if you use a special hook – an eye-catching sentence that will make everyone want to read till the very end and find out what’s next.

A hook can be anything – a rhetorical question, an anecdote, a quote, or just an interesting message related to your personal story.

Main body

This part should be much longer than your introduction and should contain the main message you are going to deliver to your reader. While the introduction is just to intrigue the reader, the main body is to let them know all the main information, make them acquainted with your personality, main skills, tell them your personal story that will reflect what kind of person you are now.

Conclusion

The conclusion cannot belong as well. You have already told a lot in the main body, so there is no need to add any more new information in your conclusion. This part is the last and it will remain in the memory of your reader or will not remain if it is not catching enough.

So, here you should just summarize everything you said already in a couple of eye-catching sentences. The shorter it is, the better. But avoid repeating the same words you used in your introduction. Make your conclusion precise, brief, and unique, so people could easily remember it.

Tips on writing a Who am I essay

For your reader, you are an open book and they have no idea about its content. So you should show them how rich and bright the content is. But without a good cover, it is impossible to do it. So your task is to create a good and bright cover that will attract your readers and make them fight for you as a candidate. So here are some helpful tips that will make that task easier for you:

1. Avoid being fake. The admission officers, as well as employers, read hundreds of such essays every day or week. And believe us, they will be able to realize you added some fake facts about you. yes, we understand you want to be outstanding but you should prove it only with true facts about yourself, otherwise, you will fail. So be honest in your essay no matter what.
2. Write only about what you like. Writing about something you don’t like or have no passion for is really a bad idea. You should choose a topic you are passionate about and write on it. It is always easier to describe things you like than those you don’t, thus, your essay will be more exciting and people will understand it much better.
3. Don’t boast. We are sure you are a great candidate but there is no need to boast. You should highlight your good qualities and advantages but by no means boast. Prove that you have been working hard for becoming who you are now instead of showing you are just a lucky person who is too talented.
4. Write about your potential. Talking about yourself is great but you should not forget that you are trying to prove you are the number-one candidate for a college or a company. And here you should write exactly why. And they will choose you not because you are such a great person and not for your achievements but for how useful you can be for them. So your task is to write about your potential and show them why you will be so necessary for their college or company. Show them what you can and are ready to do for that establishment and that without you, they will not be able to do it.

Who Am I essay topics

When it comes to the choice of the topic, every student is nearly lost because this is one of the most difficult and challenging tasks. You may think that there is nothing easier than choosing what to write about. But once you start thinking of it, you cannot come up with any ideas.

Remember that the topic is half your success. And the content of your essay and its success also depends on the theme you choose. So, here are some good ideas for you on what you can write about divided into different categories. We hope it will help you choose one perfect topic for you or come up with a good idea of your own.

Dramatic change

1. A life-changing journey to Asia.
2. From a book-keeper to a famous musician.
3. A trip that changed my life.
4. The loss made me the strongest person ever.
5. How I became a hard-rock fan.
6. A movie that made me love myself.
7. The song that drastically changed my attitude to life.
8. From a boy to a man.
9. How I won the math competition and failed my life exam.
10. No smoke without fire or a life-changing lesson from my dad.

Leadership experience and achievements

1. Climbing Mount Nuptse.
2. Conquering the world of bodybuilding.
3. My 10 winning rugby games.
4. Running my dad’s café.
5. How they have chosen me a standup comedy team leader.
6. From an athlete to coach.
7. My first gold medal in Olympic Games 2019.
8. A personal coach for my children.
9. Three qualities that helped me build my hockey team.
10. My first research work published in students’ magazines.

In fact, you can write about anything you wish but remember that stop-list:

• Never write about other people in your Who am I essay;
• Don’t go much into philosophy;
• Don’t write about sports victories if you are not a professional athlete;
• Avoid writing about politics and religion.

A Who Am I Essay Example

Introduction

When does a boy become a man? Is there a special moment when children leave their childhood behind? Maybe it happens at a different age for everyone but I can truly say I am a man and there is a good reason for that.

Main body

When I was 14, my dearly loved dad, who was the only provider of the family, passed away. My two younger sisters and I saw the sorrow of our mother who could not get back to life for many months after the tragic death of our father. 

And then, I decided that I am the only man in my family and I have to take care of all the three women – my mother and my two sisters. After school classes, I went to our local train station and helped the porters unload the freight trains. 

I bought a new dress for my mom and new shoes for my two sisters when I got my first salary. At that time, my mother realized I became an adult. When I turned 16, I already had my small fruit shop and could fully provide for my family.

Conclusion 

I am not the greatest businessman on Earth. I am just a boy whose biggest loss made him look at his life from a different perspective and turned him into a real man who was able to bear responsibility not only for himself but for his family. And now, I know I can be responsible for anyone I have to. 

Conclusion

We hope these tips and examples of a Who Am I essay will help you create one great work on your own. But if you have some problems with it, you can always apply to our professional writers.

There is nothing difficult in writing such an assignment, you just should bear in mind the main rules provided above. Good luck with your writing process!