universal statement for essay

What Is A Universal Statement In Writing? (Explained)

From high school essays to legal briefs, the humble universal statement forms the foundation of compelling arguments by making broad assertions applicable to multiple situations.

What is a universal statement in writing?

A universal statement in writing is a bold declaration claiming a truth true for all members of a group. These pronouncements paint broad strokes across ideas, demanding attention and inviting contemplation. They can act as powerful hooks, bolster arguments, or leave lasting impressions.

This guide is like a secret code to understanding these universal statements and how to use them.

Universal Statement Defined (Full Explanation)

Table of Contents

A universal statement in writing refers to a sweeping declaration that applies to an entire category or group of people, places, things, or ideas.

Universal statements make sweeping generalizations about all members of a class rather than referring to specific instances.

For example, “All mammals are warm-blooded creatures,” is a universal statement as it refers to all mammals rather than a particular mammal species.

Effective writers may utilize universal statements to make compelling arguments accessible to readers.

By presenting an overriding claim about a whole class of things up front, a writer can efficiently establish a forceful assertion before providing more specific evidence or analysis.

Universal statements present an opportunity to grab readers’ attention with a bold, ambitious declaration before zeroing in on details.

Consequently, such statements can lend confident foundations to essays, legal briefs, political speeches, and more in both written and verbal communication.

Here is a video that also answers the question, “What is a universal statement in writing?”

Types of Universal Statements in Writing

There are many types of universal statements that writers employ:

• Definitional statements set parameters by asserting an overarching definition for a class, such as “All quadrilaterals have four sides.”
• Categorical claims group members together, like “All mammals are warm-blooded animals.”
• Normative statements declare what’s normal for a group, as in “Book reviews typically assess strengths and weaknesses.”
• Quality statements describe a common trait, including “All metals conduct electricity.”
• Capability claims suggest potential, like “Any student can learn coding with practice.”
• Quantitative statements provide an overarching quantity, like “All nucleotides contain one phosphate group.”
• Causal statements imply causation, as in “Lack of sleep universally impacts focus.”
• Assertions make declarative truisms like “All mortal beings eventually die.”
• Assumptions articulate a premise, like “All socioeconomic classes include hard-working people.”
• Value statements assign worth, for instance “All human life has intrinsic value.”
• Instructive statements give directives, like “Always proofread writing for errors.”

What Are the Characteristics of a Universal Statement?

Universal statements have distinct characteristics that set them apart as building blocks of compelling written arguments.

Let’s look at the most important characteristics.

Makes Broad Declarations

Universal statements make wide-reaching assertions that cover entire groups.

For instance, claiming “All insects have six legs” is a broad declaration about all members of the insect category rather than a specific instance.

By establishing the ambitious scope of the claim upfront, universal statements lay foundations for forceful arguments.

Refer to Groups, Not Individuals

Unlike bounded claims about particular cases, universal statements concern whole groups.

“Dogs make loyal pets” is a universal statement about the behavioral tendencies of all dogs. Claims limited to individual instances like “My neighbor’s dog Pepper is loyal” lack the sweeping scope of universal statements.

This group-wide breadth lends authoritative weight when applied judiciously.

Typically Declarative Sentences

Sentences stating facts or positions are grammatically declarative.

Most universal claims make bold declarations like “All democracies hold elections.” Asking “Do all totalitarians seek control?” would not qualify.

The declarative certainty about entire categories gives universal statements their assertive power.

Universal Statement Vs. Targeted Statement: What’s the Difference?

Universal statements make sweeping claims encompassing entire groups, while targeted statements have a more limited scope focusing on particular cases.

Savvy writers combine both statement types fluidly.

There are key differences between these two types of statements:

Pros and Cons of Universal Statements

On the pro side, universals offer instant clarity and authority.

They condense complex ideas into easily digestible bite-sized truths, simplifying your argument and grabbing reader interest.

Additionally, a well-placed universal can imbue your writing with a sense of conviction and unwavering belief, lending persuasiveness to your cause.

However, universals are inherently fragile.

By claiming a truth holds for all, you risk inviting contradiction. A single exception can topple your carefully constructed statement, undermining your credibility and leaving readers skeptical.

Moreover, overreliance on universals can paint you as dogmatic and unwilling to acknowledge nuance or complexity.

This can alienate readers who value diverse perspectives and open-mindedness.

Therefore, use universals strategically, considering their potential drawbacks.

When employed judiciously, they can strengthen your writing. But remember, the truth rarely resides in absolutes.

Leave room for exceptions, embrace complexity, and let your writing breathe – after all, isn’t that what good writing is all about?

Examples of Universal Statements in Writing

One of the most helpful ways that I learned to use universal statements is to read lots of examples.

Browse through this section to find 50 good examples.

Definitional Statements

• All triangles have three sides and three angles.
• A haiku consists of seventeen syllables arranged in 5-7-5 rhythm.
• A chemical element is defined by its unique atomic number.
• All novels by Jane Austen feature witty social commentary.
• A pandemic necessitates widespread containment measures.

Categorical Claims

• All reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates with scales.
• Every continent except Antarctica has at least one active volcano.
• All nouns in the English language can be singular or plural.
• Every living organism needs water to survive.
• All planets in our solar system orbit the sun in an elliptical path.

Normative Statements

• Formal academic essays typically require a thesis statement.
• Handshakes are a common greeting in Western cultures.
• Wedding ceremonies traditionally involve vows exchanged between partners.
• Most countries have laws prohibiting murder and theft.
• Scientific research must follow rigorous methodologies to ensure accuracy.

Quality Statements

• All diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring mineral on Earth.
• Every atom carries a positive or negative electric charge.
• Photosynthesis requires sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.
• All muscles in the human body contract in response to nerve impulses.
• Laughter is a universal human expression of joy and amusement.

Capability Claims

• With dedication, anyone can cultivate a green thumb.
• With proper training, humans can learn to scuba dive in various conditions.
• Every language speaker can learn additional languages with effort.
• Through perseverance, artists can hone their skills and create masterpieces.
• By embracing curiosity, all individuals can expand their knowledge horizons.

Quantitative Statements

• All human adults have 23 pairs of chromosomes.
• Our amazing planet Earth spins around like a giant top, taking about 24 hours to complete one full turn.
• Each year, the Milky Way galaxy travels through space at 220 kilometers per second.
• No matter where you are in the universe, light always goes that same super-fast speed.
• All elements with even atomic numbers are typically non-metals.

Causal Statements

• Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation can lead to skin cancer.
• High levels of stress can weaken the immune system.
• As if governed by the cosmos’s own sense of fairness, for each push there is a pull, for each cause there is an effect – when one force acts, another force awakens to balance it out, keeping the grand kinetic dance of the universe flowing eternally onward.
• Regular physical activity promotes physical and mental well-being.
• A balanced diet containing essential nutrients is crucial for optimal health.
• When the thermometer hits the century mark in Celsius or the two-twelve benchmark in Fahrenheit, water reaches its boiling point if you’re at sea level.
• Time is a one-dimensional, irreversible phenomenon.
• All living things experience birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
• Out of the eight planets orbiting our Sun, Earth stands alone as the sole nurturer of life.
• Gravity exerts a constant downward pull on all objects with mass.

Assumptions

• Every society relies on some form of communication system.
• Education plays a crucial role in individual and societal development.
• Scientific progress requires open-mindedness and critical thinking.
• Creativity and innovation are vital drivers of human progress.
• Empathy and compassion are essential for building positive relationships.

Value Statements

• All individuals have the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
• Education is a fundamental human right for all.
• Environmental protection is a collective responsibility for the present and future generations.
• Artistic expression has the power to challenge perspectives and inspire action.
• Kindness and generosity are timeless virtues worth cultivating.

Instructive Statements

• Always prioritize safety when engaging in any physical activity.
• Respect diverse viewpoints and engage in constructive dialogue.
• Be mindful of your impact on the environment and make sustainable choices.
• Never underestimate the power of listening and offering support.
• Embrace lifelong learning and strive to continually expand your knowledge.

How to Use Universal Statements in Writing

Used strategically, these statements can become potent tools in your writing arsenal, shaping your message and captivating your audience.

Let’s explore five prime situations where universals shine:

Hooking Your Reader: The Captivating Opener

Universal statements can be like literary sirens, drawing readers in with their inherent intrigue.

Begin your piece with a thought-provoking absolute, a truth so undeniable it compels further exploration.

Imagine starting an essay on procrastination with, “All good intentions pave the road to eventual ‘meh.'”

Such a statement instantly sparks curiosity: will the writer dissect this universal truth? How will they challenge or support it?

This is the power of the opening universal – it sets the stage for a captivating journey.

The Sharpened Sword: Countering Opposing Views

Universals can be weapons in the intellectual joust, offering powerful rebuttals to opposing arguments.

When faced with dissent, consider deploying a well-placed universal that undermines your opponent’s claims.

For instance, in a debate about social media’s impact, countering “Social media fosters real connection” with the universal “All interactions, virtual or real, require genuine effort to build true connection” shifts the focus away from the platform and towards individual behavior.

This approach subtly weakens the opposing argument while subtly strengthening your own.

Leaving a Lasting Impression: The Memorable Conclusion

The final lines of your writing offer a chance to leave a lasting echo in your reader’s mind.

Consider ending with a universal statement that encapsulates the essence of your piece, offering a takeaway that resonates long after the final period. Did you write a poignant essay on resilience?

Conclude with, “Every storm eventually gives way to sunshine.”

This universal truth, while simple, reinforces the essay’s message of hope and leaves the reader with a sense of optimism.

Building Bridges: Fostering Shared Understanding

Universals have the power to transcend individual perspectives and connect us through shared truths.

By weaving universals about human nature, emotions, or experiences into your writing, you invite readers to recognize themselves and their world within your words.

A travelogue describing the awe-inspiring vastness of a desert could end with, “All hearts, no matter their origin, beat faster in the face of the sublime.”

This universal statement acknowledges the shared human experience of wonder.

It also fosters a sense of connection between writer and reader.

The Call to Action: Inspiring Change

Universals can be catalysts for change, igniting a spark of motivation within your audience.

Conclude your persuasive writing with a call to action bolstered by a universal statement.

Did you write an impassioned plea for environmental conservation?

End with, “Every small step, when taken by all, becomes a giant leap for our planet.”

This universal truth not only reinforces the importance of individual action but also inspires a sense of collective responsibility, prompting readers to join the movement for a better future.

Final Thoughts: What Is a Universal Statement in Writing?

The world of absolutes is a seductive siren song, but true mastery lies in wielding them like a double-edged sword.

So, challenge yourself – weave universals into your writing, but do so with purpose, with precision, and with a deep respect for the tapestry of perspectives that enrich our shared human story.

Read This Next:

• What Is A Cold Open In Writing? (Tips, Examples, Guide)
• Operative Words (Overview, Lists, And 100 Examples)
• 50 Best Counterclaim Transition Words (+ Examples)
• 100 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language

Writing Nestling

What Is A Universal Statement In Writing? (Types & Examples)

Table of Contents

What Is A Universal Statement In Writing?

What Is A Universal Statement In Writing ? In the realm of writing, a universal statement stands as a literary lodestar, guiding authors through the expansive seas of human expression.

It encapsulates ideas or themes that possess an enduring relevance, transcending the constraints of time, culture, and individual perspectives.

Akin to a literary North Star, a universal statement beckons readers from diverse backgrounds, inviting them to partake in a shared understanding that resonates across epochs.

Whether found in philosophy, literature, or scientific discourse, these statements navigate the delicate balance between generality and specificity, offering a gateway to narratives and insights that transcend the boundaries of individual tales.

In this exploration, we delve into the characteristics, types, and the profound importance of universal statements in the tapestry of human communication and storytelling.

A universal statement in writing is a broad, all-encompassing statement that applies to all members of a particular group or category.

It is a generalization that is meant to cover every instance or individual within the defined scope. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown on What Is A Universal Statement In Writing?

Identification of Group or Category

Begin by identifying the specific group or category to which the statement refers. This could be a group of people, objects, ideas, or any defined set.

Broad Scope

Ensure that the statement is broad and general, with the intention of encompassing every member of the identified group or category.

Absence of Exceptions

A universal statement typically lacks exceptions. It is formulated to be true for every case within the specified group, leaving no room for exceptions.

General Truth

The statement is crafted to express a general truth or characteristic that is believed to be universally applicable to all instances within the defined group.

Avoidance of Qualifiers

Universal statements often avoid the use of qualifiers or modifiers that might limit the scope or introduce exceptions. Words like “usually,” “sometimes,” or “in certain cases” are typically absent.

Clarity and Precision

Ensure that the statement is clear and precise in conveying the intended universal truth. Ambiguity or vagueness can undermine the strength of a universal statement.

Logical Consistency

Verify that the statement is logically consistent and does not contradict itself. A universal statement should hold true across all instances within the specified group without creating internal conflicts.

Examples or Evidence

Whenever possible, support the universal statement with examples or evidence that demonstrate its applicability across the entire group. This enhances the credibility and persuasiveness of the statement.

By following these steps , a writer can construct a universal statement that effectively communicates a broad, general truth applicable to all members of a particular group or category in their writing.

Characteristics of a Universal Statement

Universal statements possess an ethereal quality, weaving through the fabric of time and transcending the boundaries of cultural landscapes.

At their core, these statements embody the art of vagueness, gracefully avoiding the shackles of specificity while embracing the infinite.

Picture them as cosmic nomads, traversing the universality of human experience with a cloak of timelessness draped over their shoulders.

These statements, like ageless philosophers engaged in a celestial discourse, dance on the delicate balance between profound insight and enigmatic allure.

In essence, the characteristics of a universal statement are not mere strokes on the canvas of language; they are constellations that illuminate the collective imagination, sparking a cosmic resonance within the hearts and minds of all who dare to gaze upon them.

Generalization

Generalization, the masterful art of sweeping strokes in the canvas of thought, is the scribe’s inkwell of universality.

It is the alchemy that distills intricate complexities into distilled truths, reaching beyond the particulars to encapsulate the essence of a concept or idea.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of specifics, generalization transforms the mundane into the extraordinary, offering a panoramic view of shared experiences and overarching principles.

It is the literary conjurer’s wand, summoning universality from the depths of particularity, allowing ideas to transcend the boundaries of time and space.

However, this double-edged sword demands careful wielding, for in the pursuit of universality, the danger of oversimplification lurks.

A skilled artisan in the realm of language understands the delicate balance, harnessing the power of generalization to illuminate the broader tapestry of human understanding without sacrificing the nuance and richness found in the details.

Timelessness

Timelessness is the enchanting quality that bestows upon ideas an enduring relevance, rendering them impervious to the relentless march of time.

It is the philosopher’s stone in the alchemy of literature, transmuting words and concepts into eternal truths that resonate across generations.

Timelessness is the celestial thread that weaves through the fabric of enduring narratives, anchoring them in a continuum that stretches beyond the confines of a single era.

In literature, art, and philosophy, it is the beacon that beckons to future minds, inviting them to partake in a dialogue that defies the limitations of temporal context.

A timeless idea possesses the capacity to elude the grasp of obsolescence, perpetually echoing its significance through the corridors of human thought.

It stands as a testament to the enduring power of certain concepts, as they defy the ephemeral nature of passing years to emerge as perennial fixtures in the landscape of collective human understanding.

Cross-cultural relevance

Cross-cultural relevance is the radiant quality that allows ideas and expressions to transcend the confines of specific cultural contexts, resonating with diverse audiences across the globe.

It is the passport that grants entry into the vast and varied landscapes of human experience, fostering a universal understanding that traverses borders and bridges disparate worldviews.

In the realm of literature, cross-cultural relevance elevates narratives beyond parochial boundaries, creating stories that resonate with readers from different corners of the earth.

It is a harmonious melody composed of shared human emotions, aspirations, and struggles, capable of striking a chord with individuals regardless of their cultural origins.

A truly cross-culturally relevant work possesses the ability to build bridges, fostering connections between people who may be separated by oceans, languages, or traditions.

It embodies a recognition of our common humanity, embracing the beauty found in the mosaic of global perspectives while reinforcing the idea that, at our core, we are united by the threads of our shared human experience.

Types of Universal Statements

Embarking on the literary voyage of universal statements is akin to navigating a cosmic atlas, where the constellations of human thought take shape in distinct archetypes.

These celestial narratives unfold across philosophical, literary, and scientific realms, each bearing a unique stamp on the cosmic parchment of universal understanding.

Picture philosophical universals as the pulsars of eternal truths, emitting beams of wisdom that traverse the vastness of human existence.

In the literary cosmos, archetypal characters and timeless themes twirl like nebulous ballet dancers, capturing the essence of the human experience in a perpetual pirouette.

Meanwhile, the laws of science emerge as the cosmic laws of nature, etching equations into the cosmic fabric, a script that both the microcosmic and macrocosmic realms follow.

Thus, within the cosmic expanse of universal statements, each type becomes a celestial beacon, guiding explorers through the boundless reaches of knowledge and imagination.

Philosophical Universals

Philosophical universals are the ethereal specters that haunt the corridors of human thought, transcending the boundaries of time and culture.

They are the immutable truths, the bedrock principles upon which the grand edifice of philosophy stands. Like ancient philosophers engaged in a timeless dialogue, these universals delve into the very essence of existence, grappling with questions that echo through the ages.

Whether pondering the nature of reality, the purpose of life, or the intricacies of morality, philosophical universals serve as the guiding stars in the celestial expanse of intellectual exploration.

They are the cosmic constants that persist across diverse philosophical traditions, weaving a tapestry of wisdom that speaks to the universality of human introspection.

These universals, like philosophical deities, beckon seekers of truth to embark on a perpetual quest for understanding, forever reaching toward the nebulous realms of the metaphysical.

Literary Universals

Literary universals are the timeless echoes resonating through the corridors of storytelling, transcending epochs and cultural landscapes.

They are the archetypal figures, motifs, and narratives that thread their way through the rich tapestry of human literature, weaving a narrative fabric that stretches across generations.

Like ancient myths that whisper to the present, literary universals encapsulate universal themes that traverse the human experience: love, betrayal, heroism, and the perpetual dance between light and shadow.

These universals become the literary constellations, guiding both writers and readers through the boundless expanse of imaginative exploration. From the hero’s journey to the tragic flaw, literary universals serve as the North Stars, offering navigation through the vast sea of human narratives.

They bridge cultural gaps, connecting readers across time and space, inviting them to partake in a collective journey of the human spirit.

In the realm of literature, these universals are the immortal muses, inspiring storytellers to craft narratives that resonate with the enduring chords of the human soul.

Scientific Universals

Scientific universals are the bedrock principles that govern the cosmos, transcending the intricacies of human cultures and persisting as immutable laws of nature.

They are the guiding stars of empirical exploration, navigating the scientific community through the vast expanse of the unknown.

From the elegant equations of physics to the mathematical precision of the natural world, scientific universals encapsulate the fundamental truths that underpin our understanding of reality.

These universals stand as testaments to the impartiality of the scientific method, offering a shared language that unites minds across diverse backgrounds.

Whether exploring the cosmos or delving into the microcosmic realms, scientific universals serve as the unerring compass, directing inquiry toward a deeper comprehension of the universe’s intricacies.

They form the building blocks of scientific progress, creating bridges between disparate disciplines and fostering a collective pursuit of knowledge that transcends the temporal boundaries of scientific inquiry.

Importance of Universal Statements in Writing

In the vast literary cosmos, the importance of universal statements is akin to discovering a constellation that transcends the fleeting glow of passing trends.

These statements are the quills that inscribe narratives into the timeless annals of human thought, creating works that resonate with the beating heart of a global audience.

They serve as literary lighthouses, guiding readers through the tumultuous seas of diverse perspectives with a light that transcends cultural and temporal storms.

Universality in writing is the alchemy that transforms words into echoes, reverberating across ages and echoing in the minds of generations yet unborn.

It is the secret handshake between authors and readers, an unspoken pact that invites individuals to glimpse the universality within the particularity of a tale.

For writers, the craft lies not only in penning stories but in crafting narratives that become compass points in the vast expanse of human experience, where the importance of universal statements becomes the gravitational force that pulls readers into the orbit of a shared, enduring understanding.

Engaging a broad audience

Engaging a broad audience is the magical conjuration that transforms the act of writing into a cosmic dialogue with minds spanning diverse landscapes.

Like a symphony that resonates across varied frequencies, the art of universal engagement invites readers from different corners of the world to gather around the campfire of shared narratives.

It is a literary kaleidoscope that refracts stories into a spectrum of emotions, inviting individuals with varied experiences to find resonance in the words on the page.

Whether through relatable characters, universally relevant themes, or timeless messages, writing with broad engagement in mind transcends cultural and societal boundaries.

It is the author’s whisper echoing across the canyons of diverse perspectives, ensuring that every reader, regardless of background, can find a reflection of their own humanity in the mirror of the written word.

In the dance between specificity and universality, the ability to engage a broad audience becomes the writer’s gift, creating a tapestry of understanding that transcends the limitations of individual stories and binds readers together in the shared tapestry of the human experience.

Establishing credibility

Establishing credibility in writing is akin to laying the foundation for a grand literary cathedral. It is the art of forging an unshakeable bond between the author and the reader, rooted in trust and expertise.

Like a masterful conductor wielding a baton, a credible writer orchestrates their words with precision, showcasing a deep understanding of their subject matter.

Credibility emerges not merely from the abundance of information but from the meticulous sourcing, thorough research, and a commitment to accuracy.

It is the passport that grants the author entry into the reader’s realm of respect, signaling that the ideas presented are not just opinions but well-founded insights.

Readers, akin to discerning patrons, gravitate towards works where credibility is a beacon, guiding them through the intricate labyrinths of information with confidence and assurance.

In the literary symphony, establishing credibility is the resonant note that transforms mere words into a harmonious composition, fostering an unwavering trust between the writer and their audience.

Enduring impact

Enduring impact in writing is the indelible mark left on the sands of time, a literary legacy that withstands the erosive forces of passing years.

It is the echo that lingers, reverberating through the epochs and whispering to generations long after the ink has dried. Achieving enduring impact is the pinnacle for any writer, a feat that transcends the fleeting trends and ephemeral fashions of the literary world.

It is the resonance that springs from profound insights, timeless narratives, and universal truths, captivating the collective consciousness across cultures and epochs.

Authors who aspire to leave an enduring impact recognize that their words are not just fleeting echoes but seeds planted in the fertile soil of human thought.

Such impact is measured not by the immediate applause but by the sustained ripples of influence that continue to shape minds and perspectives over time, making the written work a timeless beacon in the vast ocean of human expression.

Examples of Universal Statements in Different Genres

In the kaleidoscopic realm of literature, universal statements gleam like rare gems, refracting their brilliance across diverse genres.

Shakespearean themes, like ancient constellations, continue to illuminate the dramatic skies of human emotion, their timeless tales of love, betrayal, and the human condition echoing through centuries.

Mythological narratives, whether from ancient Greece or distant cultures, serve as cultural Rosetta Stones, deciphering the universal language of archetypal heroes, gods, and epic quests.

In the philosophical cosmos, existential truths stand as cosmic constants, challenging thinkers across epochs to ponder the profound questions of existence and purpose.

Scientific universals, akin to cosmic equations, govern the narratives of the natural world, revealing the universal laws that bind the microcosmic and macrocosmic realms.

These examples form a celestial mosaic, showcasing the enduring power of universal statements to traverse the galaxies of human creativity, leaving an indelible mark on the ever-expanding tapestry of literature and thought.

Literature, the alchemy of words and imagination, is the kaleidoscopic mirror reflecting the diverse facets of the human experience. It is the timeless tapestry woven by storytellers, poets, and visionaries, capturing the fleeting emotions, aspirations, and struggles that define our existence.

In the vast expanse of literary landscapes, one discovers not merely narratives but portals into different worlds, each crafted with the meticulous strokes of literary artisans.

Literature serves as both a time machine and a compass, transporting readers to historical epochs, distant galaxies, or the recesses of the human psyche.

It is the shared language that binds cultures, allowing the collective voice of humanity to resonate through the ages.

From the grand epics of yore to the contemporary whispers of introspection, literature is the archive of human wisdom, a sanctuary where the echoes of profound thoughts reverberate and the echoes of myriad voices coalesce into a harmonious symphony.

Philosophy, the relentless quest for understanding, is the intellectual crucible where the crucible of human thought is refined and distilled.

It is the perennial dialogue that transcends the epochs, daring minds to ponder the fundamental questions of existence, consciousness, and morality.

Philosophy serves as the compass guiding seekers through the uncharted territories of knowledge, demanding a rigorous examination of assumptions and a fearless exploration of the unknown.

It is the art of wielding ideas like chisels, carving pathways to deeper comprehension and enlightenment. From the ancient musings of Socrates in the agora to the contemporary inquiries into the nature of artificial intelligence, philosophy weaves a seamless tapestry of inquiry that spans cultures, disciplines, and centuries.

It is not merely an abstract discourse but a living, breathing force that propels the human intellect to explore the profound mysteries of the universe and, in doing so, to unravel the mysteries of the self.

Science, the relentless pursuit of knowledge through observation, experimentation, and analysis, is the illuminating beacon that guides humanity through the labyrinth of the natural world.

It is the systematic unraveling of the cosmos’ secrets, a quest to decode the language of the universe written in the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology. Science transcends cultural boundaries, providing a shared methodology that bridges diverse perspectives.

It is the engine propelling technological advancements, medical breakthroughs, and a deeper understanding of our place in the cosmos.

From the microcosmic realms of subatomic particles to the macrocosmic expanses of galaxies, science is a universal language that speaks to the inherent curiosity of the human mind.

It transforms speculation into certainty, offering a methodical approach to unravel the mysteries of existence and empowering societies to make informed decisions based on evidence and reason.

Challenges in Crafting Effective Universal Statements

Crafting effective universal statements is akin to walking a tightrope suspended between the towers of clarity and overgeneralization, and skilled writers find themselves performing this literary high-wire act with precision.

The challenge lies in the delicate art of balancing generality and specificity, like a word-wielding acrobat dancing between the grandiosity of universal themes and the nuanced details that breathe life into a narrative.

Avoiding the pitfalls of overgeneralization becomes a labyrinthine puzzle, demanding a writer’s deft touch to distill profound insights without diluting the richness found in the specifics.

It’s a tightrope where cultural sensitivity serves as a safety net, preventing the plunge into the abyss of unintentional biases, and demanding an acrobat’s awareness to adapt universals to the diverse cultural tapestry.

In the grand carnival of language, crafting effective universal statements becomes a daring performance, where the writer navigates the complexities of language, culture, and nuance to present a narrative that resonates with a broad audience while avoiding the pitfalls that threaten to turn the literary spectacle into a chaotic jumble of missteps.

Avoiding overgeneralization

Avoiding overgeneralization in writing is the delicate art of steering clear from the perilous cliffs of oversimplification and embracing the nuanced terrain of specificity.

Like a tightrope walker navigating the thin line between breadth and depth, writers tread carefully to ensure their statements resonate universally without sacrificing the intricate details that lend authenticity to their work .

Overgeneralization can flatten the topography of ideas, obscuring the unique contours that distinguish one concept from another.

Skillful writers, aware of this precarious balance, strive to capture the universal essence of their themes while preserving the diversity found in the particulars.

It’s a dance with language, requiring a discerning choreography that avoids broad strokes while inviting readers into a rich landscape of nuanced understanding.

In the narrative tapestry, avoiding overgeneralization becomes the weaver’s task, threading a needle through the intricate fabric of diverse experiences to create a literary mosaic that captures the complexity of the human story.

Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural sensitivity is the compass that guides writers through the intricate terrain of diverse perspectives, urging them to navigate with respect, awareness, and a keen understanding of the myriad cultural nuances that shape human experience.

It is the acknowledgment that words wield immense power, capable of either fostering unity or perpetuating unintentional biases.

Cultivating cultural sensitivity in writing involves a mindful recognition of the rich tapestry of traditions, customs, and values that color the world.

Writers, as cultural artisans, strive to avoid stereotyping and misrepresentation, engaging in a continual process of learning and adapting their narratives to embrace the multiplicity of voices within the global community.

Cultural sensitivity is the lens through which writers view the world, ensuring that their words resonate harmoniously across diverse audiences while celebrating the rich diversity that makes every culture unique.

In the literary mosaic, cultural sensitivity becomes the brushstroke that paints narratives with the hues of inclusivity, fostering a shared understanding that transcends cultural borders.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about What Is A Universal Statement In Writing?

What exactly is a universal statement in writing.

A universal statement in writing encapsulates ideas or themes that possess enduring relevance, transcending the constraints of time, culture, and individual perspectives. It serves as a literary device that communicates universal truths or concepts applicable to a broad audience.

How does a universal statement differ from other types of statements in writing?

Unlike specific or culturally bound statements, a universal statement aims to communicate ideas that resonate across diverse audiences and stand the test of time. It is characterized by its broad applicability and timelessness.

Can you provide examples of universal statements in literature?

Certainly! Examples include archetypal characters, timeless themes, and philosophical insights found in works such as Shakespearean plays, mythological narratives, or existential philosophical treatises. These elements transcend cultural and temporal boundaries, making them universally resonant.

Why is crafting universal statements important in writing?

Crafting universal statements enhances the accessibility and appeal of a piece of writing to a broad audience. It establishes credibility, as it reflects a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, and it leaves an enduring impact, contributing to the legacy of literature and thought.

What challenges are associated with crafting effective universal statements?

Challenges include avoiding overgeneralization, striking the right balance between generality and specificity, and ensuring cultural sensitivity. Writers must navigate these challenges to create statements that are both universally applicable and respectful of diverse perspectives.

How can a writer maintain cultural sensitivity when incorporating universal statements?

Writers can maintain cultural sensitivity by acknowledging and respecting diverse traditions, avoiding stereotypes, and continually educating themselves about different cultures. Adapting universal statements to encompass a variety of perspectives is crucial in fostering inclusivity.

Are universal statements limited to specific genres or disciplines?

No, universal statements can be found across various genres and disciplines, including literature, philosophy, and science. Whether exploring timeless themes in fiction, existential truths in philosophy, or scientific principles, universal statements transcend the boundaries of specific genres.

How can a writer ensure that their universal statement leaves an enduring impact?

To leave an enduring impact, writers should focus on crafting statements with profound insights, timeless themes, and an engaging narrative. Ensuring the statement is both relevant and relatable to diverse audiences contributes to its lasting significance.

In the conclusion of What Is A Universal Statement In Writing, a universal statement emerges as a timeless melody, echoing through the corridors of human understanding.

It serves as a literary cornerstone, transcending temporal, cultural, and individual boundaries to create a shared resonance among diverse audiences.

From the enduring truths encapsulated in philosophical universals to the archetypal characters woven into literary narratives, the concept of a universal statement acts as a unifying force in the rich tapestry of human communication.

As writers navigate the challenges of crafting these statements with balance and cultural sensitivity, they unlock the potential to engage broad audiences, establish credibility, and leave an enduring impact on the literary landscape.

In essence, understanding and harnessing the power of universal statements in writing allows authors to contribute to a collective dialogue that spans generations, fostering a shared understanding that withstands the tests of time and cultural evolution.

Related Posts:

• How to Write a Book Report (A Guide For Beginners -2024)
• How To Write An Editorial (A Guide For Beginners- 2024)
• Why Does Academic Writing Require Strict Formatting?
• Writing A Letter To Someone Who Hurt You (Quotes,…
• What Does Freeform Mean In Fanfiction?
• How To Describe Teacher In Writing (For Beginners- 2024)

Similar Posts

What Is Creative Writing? (A Complete Guide- 2024)

What Is Creative Writing? What Is Creative Writing? Creative writing is the celestial dance of words, an art form that transcends the ordinary to forge literary constellations that illuminate the human experience. At its core, creative writing is a cosmic exploration of imagination, a journey into the uncharted realms where storytelling becomes a vehicle for…

How To Become An Alpha Reader (12 Best Ways)

How To Become An Alpha Reader How To Become An Alpha Reader: Embarking on the journey of becoming an Alpha Reader is akin to stepping into the hallowed halls of literary craftsmanship, where the written word transforms into a collaborative symphony of creativity. An Alpha Reader is not merely a passive consumer of narratives but…

Why Is My Writing Being Flagged As AI? (10 Reasons + Fixes)

Why Is My Writing Being Flagged As AI? Why Is My Writing Being Flagged As AI? In the ever-evolving landscape of digital creativity, the intersection between human-authored content and artificial intelligence prompts a perplexing question: “Why is my writing being flagged as AI?” At the forefront of this inquiry stands ChatGPT, a sophisticated language model…

How Much Is Sky Writing? (A Complete Guide- 2024)

How Much Is Sky Writing? How Much Is Sky Writing? Embarking on the ethereal journey of skywriting unveils a celestial tapestry where messages unfurl across the vast canvas of the open sky. However, the enchanting spectacle of transforming the heavens into a personalized billboard comes with a celestial price tag. “How much is skywriting?” becomes…

How To Describe Clouds In Writing (10 Important Tips)

How To Describe Clouds In Writing How To Describe Clouds In Writing: Embarking on the journey of describing clouds in writing is akin to stepping into a celestial realm where language becomes the brush and the sky transforms into an ever-shifting canvas of wonders. In this exploration, words transcend mere descriptors; they become the architects…

AI Story Writer ( A Complete Guide For Beginners- 2024)

How to Become an AI Story Writer How to Become an AI Story Writer: In the ever-changing world of technology, artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common in many industries, including creative writing. An Artificial Intelligence Story Writer: What Is It? An AI story writer can assist or completely automate the story creation process using AI….

• Writing for Success: Argument

This section will help you determine the purpose and structure of an argumentative essay.

The Purpose of Argument in Writing

The idea of an argument often conjures up images of two people yelling and screaming in anger. In writing, however, an argument is very different. An argument is a reasoned opinion supported and explained by evidence. To argue in writing is to advance knowledge and ideas in a positive way. Written arguments often fail when they employ ranting rather than reasoning.

The Structure of an Argumentative Essay

The following five features make up the structure of an argumentative essay:

• Introduction and thesis
• Opposing and qualifying ideas
• Strong evidence in support of claim
• Style and tone of language
• A compelling conclusion

Creating an Introduction and Thesis

The argumentative essay begins with an engaging introduction that presents the general topic. The thesis typically appears somewhere in the introduction and states the writer’s point of view.

Acknowledging Opposing Ideas and Limits to Your Argument

Because an argument implies differing points of view on the subject, you must be sure to acknowledge those opposing ideas. Avoiding ideas that conflict with your own gives the reader the impression that you may be uncertain, fearful, or unaware of opposing ideas. Thus it is essential that you not only address counterarguments but also do so respectfully.

Try to address opposing arguments earlier rather than later in your essay. Rhetorically speaking, ordering your positive arguments last allows you to better address ideas that conflict with your own, so you can spend the rest of the essay countering those arguments. This way, you leave your reader thinking about your argument rather than someone else’s. You have the last word.

Acknowledging points of view different from your own also has the effect of fostering more credibility between you and the audience. They know from the outset that you are aware of opposing ideas and that you are not afraid to give them space.

It is also helpful to establish the limits of your argument and what you are trying to accomplish. In effect, you are conceding early on that your argument is not the ultimate authority on a given topic. Such humility can go a long way toward earning credibility and trust with an audience. Audience members will know from the beginning that you are a reasonable writer, and audience members will trust your argument as a result. For example, in the following concessionary statement, the writer advocates for stricter gun control laws, but she admits it will not solve all of our problems with crime:

Such a concession will be welcome by those who might disagree with this writer’s argument in the first place. To effectively persuade their readers, writers need to be modest in their goals and humble in their approach to get readers to listen to the ideas. Certain  transitional words and phrases  aid in keeping the reader oriented in the sequencing of a story. Some of these phrases are listed here:

Phrases of Concession

Bias in Writing

Everyone has various biases on any number of topics. For example, you might have a bias toward wearing black instead of brightly colored clothes or wearing jeans rather than formal wear. You might have a bias toward working at night rather than in the morning, or working by deadlines rather than getting tasks done in advance. These examples identify minor biases, of course, but they still indicate preferences and opinions.

Handling bias in writing and in daily life can be a useful skill. It will allow you to articulate your own points of view while also defending yourself against unreasonable points of view. The ideal in persuasive writing is to let your reader know your bias, but do not let that bias blind you to the primary components of good argumentation: sound, thoughtful evidence and a respectful and reasonable address of opposing sides.

The strength of a personal bias is that it can motivate you to construct a strong argument. If you are invested in the topic, you are more likely to care about the piece of writing. Similarly, the more you care, the more time and effort you are apt to put forth and the better the final product will be.

The weakness of bias is when the bias begins to take over the essay—when, for example, you neglect opposing ideas, exaggerate your points, or repeatedly insert yourself ahead of the subject by using Itoo often. Being aware of all three of these pitfalls will help you avoid them.

The Use of  I  in Writing

The use of  I  in writing is often a topic of debate, and the acceptance of its usage varies from instructor to instructor. It is difficult to predict the preferences for all your present and future instructors, but consider the effects it can potentially have on your writing.

Be mindful of the use of  I  in your writing because it can make your argument sound overly biased. There are two primary reasons:

• Excessive repetition of any word will eventually catch the reader’s attention—and usually not in a good way. The use of  I  is no different.
• The insertion of  I  into a sentence alters not only the way a sentence might sound but also the composition of the sentence itself.  I  is often the subject of a sentence. If the subject of the essay is supposed to be, say, smoking, then by inserting yourself into the sentence, you are effectively displacing the subject of the essay into a secondary position. In the following example, the subject of the sentence is underlined:

Smoking  is bad. I  think smoking is bad.

In the first sentence, the rightful subject,  smoking , is in the subject position in the sentence. In the second sentence, the insertion of  I  and think replaces smoking as the subject, which draws attention to  I  and away from the topic that is supposed to be discussed. Remember to keep the message (the subject) and the messenger (the writer) separate.

Developing Sound Arguments

Use the following checklist to develop sound arguments in your essay:

• An engaging introduction
• A reasonable, specific thesis that is able to be supported by evidence
• A varied range of evidence from credible sources
• Respectful acknowledgement and explanation of opposing ideas
• A style and tone of language that is appropriate for the subject and audience
• Acknowledgement of the argument’s limits
• A conclusion that will adequately summarize the essay and reinforce the thesis

Fact and Opinion

Facts  are statements that can be definitely proven using objective data. The statement that is a fact is absolutely valid. In other words, the statement can be pronounced as true or false. For example, 2 + 2 = 4. This expression identifies a true statement, or a fact, because it can be proved with objective data.

Opinions  are personal views, or judgments. An opinion is what an individual believes about a particular subject. However, an opinion in argumentation must have legitimate backing; adequate evidence and credibility should support the opinion. Consider the credibility of expert opinions. Experts in a given field have the knowledge and credentials to make their opinion meaningful to a larger audience.

For example, you seek the opinion of your dentist when it comes to the health of your gums, and you seek the opinion of your mechanic when it comes to the maintenance of your car. Both have knowledge and credentials in those respective fields, which is why their opinions matter to you. But the authority of your dentist may be greatly diminished should he or she offer an opinion about your car, and vice versa.

In writing, you want to strike a balance between credible facts and authoritative opinions. Relying on one or the other will likely lose more of your audience than it gains.

The word prove is frequently used in the discussion of argumentative writing. Writers may claim that one piece of evidence or another proves the argument, but proving an argument is often not possible. No evidence proves a debatable topic one way or the other; that is why the topic is debatable. Facts can be proved, but opinions can only be supported, explained, and persuaded.

Using Visual Elements to Strengthen Arguments

Adding visual elements to a persuasive argument can often strengthen its persuasive effect. There are two main types of visual elements: quantitative visuals and qualitative visuals.

Quantitative visuals  present data graphically and visually. They allow the audience to see statistics spatially. The purpose of using quantitative visuals is to make logical appeals to the audience. For example, sometimes it is easier to understand the disparity in certain statistics if you can see how the disparity looks graphically. Bar graphs, pie charts, Venn diagrams, histograms, line graphs and infographics are all ways of presenting quantitative data in visual and/or spatial dimensions.

Qualitative visuals  present images that appeal to the audience’s emotions. Photographs and pictorial images are examples of qualitative visuals. Such images often try to convey a story, and seeing an actual example can carry more power than hearing or reading about the example. For example, one image of a child suffering from malnutrition will likely have more of an emotional impact than pages dedicated to describing that same condition in writing.

Writing an Argumentative Essay

Choose a topic that you feel passionate about. If your instructor requires you to write about a specific topic, approach the subject from an angle that interests you. Begin your essay with an engaging introduction. Your thesis should typically appear somewhere in your introduction.

Start by acknowledging and explaining points of view that may conflict with your own to build credibility and trust with your audience. Also state the limits of your argument. This too helps you sound more reasonable and honest to those who may naturally be inclined to disagree with your view. By respectfully acknowledging opposing arguments and conceding limitations to your own view, you set a measured and responsible tone for the essay.

Make your appeals in support of your thesis by using sound, credible evidence. Use a balance of facts and opinions from a wide range of sources, such as scientific studies, expert testimony, statistics, and personal anecdotes. Each piece of evidence should be fully explained and clearly stated.

Make sure that your style and tone are appropriate for your subject and audience. Tailor your language and word choice to these two factors, while still being true to your own voice.

Finally, write a conclusion that effectively summarizes the main argument and reinforces your thesis.

Argumentative Essay Example

Universal Health Care Coverage for the United States

By Scott McLean

The United States is the only modernized Western nation that does not offer publicly funded health care to all its citizens; the costs of health care for the uninsured in the United States are prohibitive, and the practices of insurance companies are often more interested in profit margins than providing health care. These conditions are incompatible with US ideals and standards, and it is time for the US government to provide universal health care coverage for all its citizens. Like education, health care should be considered a fundamental right of all US citizens, not simply a privilege for the upper and middle classes.

One of the most common arguments against providing universal health care coverage (UHC) is that it will cost too much money. In other words, UHC would raise taxes too much. While providing health care for all US citizens would cost a lot of money for every tax-paying citizen, citizens need to examine exactly how much money it would cost, and more important, how much money is “too much” when it comes to opening up health care for all. Those who have health insurance already pay too much money, and those without coverage are charged unfathomable amounts. The cost of publicly funded health care versus the cost of current insurance premiums is unclear. In fact, some Americans, especially those in lower income brackets, could stand to pay less than their current premiums.

However, even if UHC would cost Americans a bit more money each year, we ought to reflect on what type of country we would like to live in, and what types of morals we represent if we are more willing to deny health care to others on the basis of saving a couple hundred dollars per year. In a system that privileges capitalism and rugged individualism, little room remains for compassion and love. It is time that Americans realize the amorality of US hospitals forced to turn away the sick and poor. UHC is a health care system that aligns more closely with the core values that so many Americans espouse and respect, and it is time to realize its potential.

Another common argument against UHC in the United States is that other comparable national health care systems, like that of England, France, or Canada, are bankrupt or rife with problems. UHC opponents claim that sick patients in these countries often wait in long lines or long wait lists for basic health care. Opponents also commonly accuse these systems of being unable to pay for themselves, racking up huge deficits year after year. A fair amount of truth lies in these claims, but Americans must remember to put those problems in context with the problems of the current US system as well. It is true that people often wait to see a doctor in countries with UHC, but we in the United States wait as well, and we often schedule appointments weeks in advance, only to have onerous waits in the doctor’s “waiting rooms.”

Critical and urgent care abroad is always treated urgently, much the same as it is treated in the United States. The main difference there, however, is cost. Even health insurance policy holders are not safe from the costs of health care in the United States. Each day an American acquires a form of cancer, and the only effective treatment might be considered “experimental” by an insurance company and thus is not covered. Without medical coverage, the patient must pay for the treatment out of pocket. But these costs may be so prohibitive that the patient will either opt for a less effective, but covered, treatment; opt for no treatment at all; or attempt to pay the costs of treatment and experience unimaginable financial consequences. Medical bills in these cases can easily rise into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is enough to force even wealthy families out of their homes and into perpetual debt. Even though each American could someday face this unfortunate situation, many still choose to take the financial risk. Instead of gambling with health and financial welfare, US citizens should press their representatives to set up UHC, where their coverage will be guaranteed and affordable.

Despite the opponents’ claims against UHC, a universal system will save lives and encourage the health of all Americans. Why has public education been so easily accepted, but not public health care? It is time for Americans to start thinking socially about health in the same ways they think about education and police services: as rights of US citizens.

Key Takeaways

• The purpose of argument in writing is to convince or move readers toward a certain point of view, or opinion.
• An argument is a reasoned opinion supported and explained by evidence. To argue, in writing, is to advance knowledge and ideas in a positive way.
• A thesis that expresses the opinion of the writer in more specific terms is better than one that is vague.
• It is essential that you not only address counterarguments but also do so respectfully.
• It is also helpful to establish the limits of your argument and what you are trying to accomplish through a concession statement.
• To persuade a skeptical audience, you will need to use a wide range of evidence. Scientific studies, opinions from experts, historical precedent, statistics, personal anecdotes, and current events are all types of evidence that you might use in explaining your point.
• Make sure that your word choice and writing style is appropriate for both your subject and your audience.
• You should let your reader know your bias, but do not let that bias blind you to the primary components of good argumentation: sound, thoughtful evidence and respectfully and reasonably addressing opposing ideas.
• You should be mindful of the use of I in your writing because it can make your argument sound more biased than it needs to.
• Facts are statements that can be proven using objective data.
• Opinions are personal views, or judgments, that cannot be proven.
• In writing, you want to strike a balance between credible facts and authoritative opinions.
• Quantitative visuals present data graphically. The purpose of using quantitative visuals is to make logical appeals to the audience.
• Qualitative visuals present images that appeal to the audience’s emotions.
• Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : http://lumenlearning.com/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Successful Writing. Provided by : Anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/s14-09-persuasion.html . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Successful Writing. Authored by : Anonymous. Provided by : Anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Table of Contents

Instructor Resources (Access Requires Login)

• Overview of Instructor Resources

An Overview of the Writing Process

• Introduction to the Writing Process
• Introduction to Writing
• Your Role as a Learner
• What is an Essay?
• Reading to Write
• Defining the Writing Process
• Videos: Prewriting Techniques
• Thesis Statements
• Organizing an Essay
• Creating Paragraphs
• Conclusions
• Editing and Proofreading
• Matters of Grammar, Mechanics, and Style
• Peer Review Checklist
• Comparative Chart of Writing Strategies

Using Sources

• Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
• Formatting the Works Cited Page (MLA)
• Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA)
• APA Citation Style, 6th edition: General Style Guidelines

Definition Essay

• Definitional Argument Essay
• How to Write a Definition Essay
• Critical Thinking
• Video: Thesis Explained
• Effective Thesis Statements
• Student Sample: Definition Essay

Narrative Essay

• Introduction to Narrative Essay
• Student Sample: Narrative Essay
• "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
• "Sixty-nine Cents" by Gary Shteyngart
• Video: The Danger of a Single Story
• How to Write an Annotation
• How to Write a Summary
• Writing for Success: Narration

Illustration/Example Essay

• Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay
• "She's Your Basic L.O.L. in N.A.D" by Perri Klass
• "April & Paris" by David Sedaris
• Writing for Success: Illustration/Example
• Student Sample: Illustration/Example Essay

Compare/Contrast Essay

• Introduction to Compare/Contrast Essay
• "Disability" by Nancy Mairs
• "Friending, Ancient or Otherwise" by Alex Wright
• "A South African Storm" by Allison Howard
• Writing for Success: Compare/Contrast
• Student Sample: Compare/Contrast Essay

Cause-and-Effect Essay

• Introduction to Cause-and-Effect Essay
• "Cultural Baggage" by Barbara Ehrenreich
• "Women in Science" by K.C. Cole
• Writing for Success: Cause and Effect
• Student Sample: Cause-and-Effect Essay

Argument Essay

• Introduction to Argument Essay
• Rogerian Argument
• "The Case Against Torture," by Alisa Soloman
• "The Case for Torture" by Michael Levin
• How to Write a Summary by Paraphrasing Source Material
• Student Sample: Argument Essay
• Grammar/Mechanics Mini-lessons
• Mini-lesson: Subjects and Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Subject Verb Agreement
• Mini-lesson: Sentence Types
• Mini-lesson: Fragments I
• Mini-lesson: Run-ons and Comma Splices I
• Mini-lesson: Comma Usage
• Mini-lesson: Parallelism
• Mini-lesson: The Apostrophe
• Mini-lesson: Capital Letters
• Grammar Practice - Interactive Quizzes
• De Copia - Demonstration of the Variety of Language
• Style Exercise: Voice

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges

← What Is an Application Theme and Why Is It Important?

10 Personal Statement Examples That Work →

  Most of the college applications process is fairly cut and dry. You’ll submit information about your classes and grades, standardized test scores, and various other accomplishments and honors. On much of the application, your accomplishments must speak for themselves. 

The personal statement is different though, and it’s your chance to let your voice be heard. To learn more about the personal statement, how to choose a topic, and how to write one that wows colleges, don’t miss this post.

What is the Personal Statement?

Personal statements are used in both undergraduate and graduate admissions. For undergrad admissions, personal statements are any essays students must write to submit their main application. For example, the Common App Essay and Coalition Application Essay are examples of personal statements. Similarly, the ApplyTexas Essays and University of California Essays are also good examples .

Personal statements in college admissions are generally not school-specific (those are called “supplemental essays”). Instead, they’re sent to a wide range of schools, usually every school you apply to. 

What is the Purpose of the Personal Statement?

The personal statement is generally your opportunity to speak to your unique experiences, qualities, or beliefs that aren’t elsewhere represented on the application. It is a chance to break away from the data that defines you on paper, and provide a glimpse into who you really are. In short, it’s the admissions committee’s chance to get to know the real you.

So, what are colleges looking for in your personal statement? They are looking for something that sets you apart. They are asking themselves: do you write about something truly unique? Do you write about something common, in a new and interesting way? Do you write about an aspect of your application that needed further explanation? All of these are great ways to impress with your personal statement.

Beyond getting to know you, admissions committees are also evaluating your writing skills. Are you able to write clearly and succinctly? Can you tell an engaging story? Writing effectively is an important skill in both college and life, so be sure to also fine-tune your actual writing (grammar and syntax), not just the content of your essay.

Is your personal statement strong enough? Get a free review of your personal statement with CollegeVine’s Peer Essay Review.

How To a Choose A Topic For Your Personal Statement

Most of the time, you’re given a handful of prompts to choose from. Common personal statement prompts include:

• Central aspect of your identity (activity, interest, talent, background)
• Overcoming a failure
• Time you rose to a challenge or showed leadership
• Experience that changed your beliefs
• Problem you’d like to solve
• Subject or idea that captivates you

One of the questions that we hear most often about the personal statement is, “How do I choose what to write about?” For some students, the personal statement prompt triggers an immediate and strong idea. For many more, there is at least initially some uncertainty.

We often encourage students to think less about the exact prompt and more about what aspects of themselves they think are most worthy of highlighting. This is especially helpful if you’re offered a “topic of your choice” prompt, as the best essay topic for you might actually be one you make up!

For students with an interesting story or a defining background, these can serve as the perfect catalyst to shape your approach. For students with a unique voice or different perspective, simple topics written in a new way can be engaging and insightful.

Finally, you need to consider the rest of your application when you choose a topic for your personal statement. If you are returning from a gap year, failed a single class during sophomore year, or participated extensively in something you’re passionate about that isn’t elsewhere on your application, you might attempt to address one of these topics in your statement. After all, the admissions committee wants to get to know you and understand who you really are, and these are all things that will give them a deeper understanding of that.

Still, tons of students have a decent amount of writer’s block when it comes to choosing a topic. This is understandable since the personal statement tends to be considered rather high stakes. To help you get the ball rolling, we recommend the post What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?

Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for College

1. approach this as a creative writing assignment..

Personal statements are difficult for many students because they’ve never had to do this type of writing. High schoolers are used to writing academic reports or analytical papers, but not creative storytelling pieces.

The point of creative writing is to have fun with it, and to share a meaningful story. Choose a topic that inspires you so that you’ll enjoy writing your essay. It doesn’t have to be intellectual or impressive at all. You have your transcript and test scores to prove your academic skills, so the point of the personal statement is to give you free rein to showcase your personality. This will result in a more engaging essay and reading experience for admissions officers. 

As you’re writing, there’s no need to follow the traditional five-paragraph format with an explicit thesis. Your story should have an overarching message, but it doesn’t need to be explicitly stated—it should shine through organically. 

Your writing should also feel natural. While it will be more refined than a conversation with your best friend, it shouldn’t feel stuffy or contrived when it comes off your tongue. This balance can be difficult to strike, but a tone that would feel natural when talking with an admired teacher or a longtime mentor is usually a good fit.

2. Show, don’t tell.

One of the biggest mistakes students make is to simply state everything that happened, instead of actually bringing the reader to the moment it happened, and telling a story. It’s boring to read: “I was overjoyed and felt empowered when I finished my first half marathon.” It’s much more interesting when the writing actually shows you what happened and what the writer felt in that moment: “As I rounded the final bend before the finish line, my heart fluttered in excitement. The adrenaline drowned out my burning legs and gasping lungs. I was going to finish my first half marathon! This was almost incomprehensible to me, as someone who could barely run a mile just a year ago.”

If you find yourself starting to write your essay like a report, and are having trouble going beyond “telling,” envision yourself in the moment you want to write about. What did you feel, emotionally and physically? Why was this moment meaningful? What did you see or hear? What were your thoughts?

For inspiration, read some memoirs or personal essays, like The New York Times Modern Love Column . You could also listen to podcasts of personal stories, like The Moth . What do these writers and storytellers do that make their stories engaging? If you didn’t enjoy a particular story, what was it that you didn’t like? Analyzing real stories can help you identify techniques that you personally resonate with.

3. Use dialogue.

A great way to keep your writing engaging is to include some dialogue. Instead of writing: “My brothers taunted me,” consider sharing what they actually said. It’s more powerful to read something like:

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

Having dialogue can break up longer paragraphs of text, and bring some action and immediacy to your story. That being said, don’t overdo it. It’s important to strike a balance between relying too much on dialogue, and using it occasionally as an effective writing tool. You don’t want your essay to read like a script for a movie (unless, of course, that’s intentional and you want to showcase your screenwriting skills!).

Want free essay feedback? Submit your essay to CollegeVine’s Peer Essay Review and get fast, actionable edits on your essay. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Statements

1. giving a recap or report of all the events..

Your essay isn’t a play-by-play of everything that happened in that time frame. Only include relevant details that enrich the story, instead of making your personal statement a report of the events. Remember that the goal is to share your voice, what’s important to you, and who you are. 

2. Writing about too many events or experiences. 

Similarly, another common mistake is to make your personal statement a resume or recap of all your high school accomplishments. The Activities Section of the Common App is the place for listing out your achievements, not your personal statement. Focus on one specific experience or a few related experiences, and go into detail on those. 

3. Using cliche language.

Try to avoid overdone quotes from famous people like Gandhi or Thoreau. Better yet, try to avoid quotes from other people in general, unless it’s a message from someone you personally know. Adding these famous quotes won’t make your essay unique, and it takes up valuable space for you to share your voice.

You should also steer away from broad language or lavish claims like “It was the best day of my life.” Since they’re so cliche, these statements also obscure your message, and it’s hard to understand what you actually mean. If it was actually the best day of your life, show us why, rather than just telling us.

If you want to learn more about personal statements, see our post of 11 Common App Essay Examples .

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• Science & Math
• Sociology & Philosophy
• Law & Politics

How to Write a Formal Analytical Essay

• How to Write a Formal…

1.INTRODUCTION

3 Sentences (suggested minimum) The first sentence introduces the topic The second sentence identifies the author and novel The third sentence states the thesis 2.BODY

2 paragraphs (suggested minimum) Each paragraph based on one aspect of the thesis Paragraphs linked to one another with a connecting word or phrase (transition) Paragraphs are written in a formal analytical style Paragraphs follow the pattern:

Proof #1 -topic sentence -sentence of supporting detail -example from the novel -sentence of elaboration

Proof #2 -sentence of supporting detail -example from the novel -sentence of elaboration

Proof #3 -sentence of supporting detail -example from the novel -sentence of elaboration -concluding sentence 3.CONCLUSION

3 or 4 sentences (suggested minimum) The first sentence restates the thesis in an interesting and different fashion Second/third sentence(s) summarises the arguments The final sentence presents the writer’s final thoughts on the thesis

WRITING ESSAYS

INTRODUCTION The introduction of an essay begins with a universal or general statement about the broad topic that you will write about.  It does NOT contain ANY statement about the particular novel that you will write about.  The second sentence is a further development/explanation of this universal statement.  It narrows the idea of the universal statement into a specific novel. 

Thus, you should include the name of the novel and the name of the author in this sentence.  This may be more than one sentence.  The last sentence is called the THESIS.  It is the specific point that you want to prove.  It is in this sentence that you name the characters or specific idea of the novel that you will prove in the essay.  Your ENTIRE essay will be judged against this sentence and how well you prove the point.

Example: (Universal/General Statement)  Friendship is a wonderful part of life, but it can, unfortunately, be used as a tool of deception.  (Expansion of universal statement including author and title of work)  In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, there are characters who use flattery as a means of manipulating others.  (Thesis)  Both Brutus and Antony operate under the guise of friendship in order to betray and manipulate others for their own purposes.

Analysis of Introduction The universal topic is friendship.  The idea of friendship is developed in the second sentence by using the words “flattery” and “manipulating others”.  Notice that the title and author are included, by not any character’s name.  The thesis continues to narrow this topic by introducing specific characters.

To come up with a universal sentence, you may consider the answers to questions such as:

What is the definition of my topic? (e.g. friendship) When does it occur? How does it occur? Why does it occur?

A combination of these answers may help you develop a proper universal statement for your essay.

The body of your essay will consist of two analytical paragraphs.  Each paragraph will prove the point of the thesis.  Always begin the first paragraph with the first point/character mentioned in the thesis.  In this case, you should begin your paragraph with a discussion on BRUTUS because he is a) listed before Antony in the thesis, and b) the hero/protagonist.

Paragraph #1 of the BODY This paragraph must begin with a topic sentence related to the thesis and to Brutus.  It will show how Brutus uses flattery and friendship to betray/deceive others to his own end.  This idea will be expanded on by a detail from the play (or book), followed by an embedded quotation (with page number). This in turn will be followed by an explanation of the quotation. 

REPEAT this TWO more times.  After your third explanation, write a concluding sentence, to sum up this paragraph.  This means you must have a topic sentence, three details (proofs), three embedded quotations, three explanations of quotations, and a concluding sentence.  The concluding sentence must sum up the ideas in this paragraph, but also reflect the ideas of the thesis.

Paragraph #2 The topic sentence begins with a transitional word or phrase that connects par. 1 with par. 2.  The point of the second paragraph should be about how Antony also uses his friendships to betray or manipulate others.  Follow the same structure as par. 1.

Example: (Transitional word/phrase)  Similar to Brutus, Antony also uses his friendship with others as a tool of manipulation and deceit to further his own means. CONCLUSION The conclusion is written from the specific idea to the broad idea.  Start with a re-statement of the idea of the thesis and then expand more broadly to a general statement about the topic.

1.Begin with a transitional word/phrase and rewrite the idea of the thesis 2.BRIEFLY summarize your arguments (body par.) 3.End with a sentence that presents your final thoughts about the topic

________________________________________

REMINDERS!! Use transitional words/phrases in your writing (makes your writing smooth rather than choppy) ALWAYS embed your quotations (no floating quotations) The most important step is: edit, edit, edit, edit, edit, edit, edit, and edit again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Related Posts

• Literary Essay: Peer Editing Guidelines
• Tips for Essay Writing
• Essay Analysis Structure
• How to Write a Formal Laboratory Report
• How to Write a Good College Essay

Exactly what I needed!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Post comment

Still have questions? Leave a comment

Add Comment

Checklist: Dissertation Proposal

Enter your email id to get the downloadable right in your inbox!

Examples: Edited Papers

Need editing and proofreading services.

How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay (Examples Included!)

• Tags: Essay , Essay Writing

Condensing a 1,000-plus-word essay into a neat little bundle may seem like a Herculean task. You must summarize all your findings and justify their importance within a single paragraph. 

But, when you discover the formula for writing a conclusion paragraph, things get much simpler! 

But, how to write a conclusion paragraph for an essay, and more importantly, how to make it impactful enough? Through this article, we will walk you through the process of constructing a powerful conclusion that leaves a lingering impression on readers’ minds. We will also acquaint you with essay conclusion examples for different types of essays. 

Score high with our expert essay editing services! Get started

Let’s start from the beginning: How can you write a conclusion for an essay?

How to write a conclusion for an essay

In order to write an effective conclusion, you must first understand what is a conclusion in an essay. It is not just the summary of the main points of your essay. A well-written conclusion effectively ties together the main ideas of your essay and also pays heed to their broader implications. The objectives of your concluding paragraph are as follows:

• Highlight the significance of your essay topic
• Tie together the key points of your essay
• Leave the reader with something to ponder about

A good essay conclusion begins with a modified thesis statement that is altered on the basis of the information stated throughout the essay. It then ties together all the main points of the essay and ends with a clincher that highlights the broader implications of your thesis statement. 

Now that we’ve understood the basics of how to conclude an essay, let’s understand the key aspects of a good conclusion paragraph. 

1. Restating your thesis statement

If you want to understand how to start a conclusion, you must realize that involves more than just restating the thesis statement word for word. Your thesis statement needs to be updated and expanded upon as per the information provided in your essay. 

There are many ways to start a conclusion. One such method could be to start with the revised version of your thesis statement that hints to the significance of your argument. After this, your conclusion paragraph can organically move on to your arguments in the essay. 

Let’s take a look at an effective way of writing a conclusion for an essay:

If the following claim is your thesis statement:

Virtual reality (VR) is undeniably altering the perception of reality by revolutionizing various industries, reshaping human experiences, and challenging traditional notions of what is real.

The restated thesis statement will be as follows: 

Our analysis has substantiated the claim that virtual reality (VR) is significantly transforming the way we perceive reality. It has revolutionized industries, reshaped human experiences, and challenged traditional notions of reality.

2. Tying together the main points

Tying together all the main points of your essay does not mean simply summarizing them in an arbitrary manner. The key is to link each of your main essay points in a coherent structure. One point should follow the other in a logical format.

The goal is to establish how each of these points connects to the message of your essay as a whole. You can also take the help of powerful quotes or impactful reviews to shed a unique light on your essay. 

Let’s take a look at an example:

VR presents a new paradigm where the distinction between the real and the virtual becomes increasingly blurred. As users dive into immersive virtual worlds, they are confronted with questions about the nature of reality, perception, and the boundaries of human consciousness. 

3. Constructing an impactful conclusion

Most of us are confused about how to end an essay with a bang. The answer is quite simple! The final line of your essay should be impactful enough to create a lasting impression on the reader. More importantly, it should also highlight the significance of your essay topic. This could mean the broader implications of your topic, either in your field of study or in general.

Optionally, you could also try to end your essay on an optimistic note that motivates or encourages the reader. If your essay is about eradicating a problem in society, highlight the positive effects achieved by the eradication of that problem. 

Here’s an example of how to end an essay:

In a world where virtual boundaries dissolve, VR is the catalyst that reshapes our perception of reality, forever altering the landscape of the human experience.

Here’s a combined version of all three aspects:

Our analysis has substantiated the claim that Virtual Reality (VR) is significantly transforming how we perceive reality. It has revolutionized industries, reshaped human experiences, and challenged traditional notions of reality. It presents a new paradigm where the distinction between the real and the virtual becomes increasingly blurred. As users dive into immersive virtual worlds, they are confronted with questions about the nature of reality, perception, and the boundaries of human consciousness. In a world where virtual boundaries dissolve, it is the catalyst that reshapes our perception of reality, forever altering the landscape of the human experience.

Now that we’ve understood the structure of a concluding paragraph, let’s look at what to avoid while writing a conclusion. 

What to avoid in your conclusion paragraph

When learning how to write a conclusion for an essay, you must also know what to avoid. You want to strengthen your argument with the help of a compelling conclusion paragraph, and not undermine it by confusing the reader. 

Let’s take a look at a few strategies to avoid in your essay conclusion:

1. Avoid including new evidence

The conclusion should not introduce new information but rather strengthen the arguments that are already made. If you come across any unique piece of information regarding your essay topic, accommodate it into your body paragraphs rather than stuffing it into your conclusion.

Including new, contradictory information in the concluding paragraph not only confuses the reader but also weakens your argument. You may include a powerful quote that strengthens the message of your essay, or an example that sheds light on the importance of your argument. However, this does not include introducing a completely new argument or making a unique point.

2. Avoid the use of concluding phrases

Your conclusion should hint towards your essay coming to an end, instead of blatantly stating the obvious. Blatant concluding statements undermine the quality of your essay, making it clumsy and amateurish. They also significantly diminish the quality of your arguments. 

It is a good idea to avoid the following statements while concluding your essay:

• In conclusion,
• In summary,

While using these statements may not be incorrect per se, hinting towards a conclusion creates a better impression on the reader rather than blatantly stating it. 

Here are more effective statements you could use:

• Let this essay serve as a catalyst for…
• As we navigate the intricacies of this multifaceted topic, remember…
• As I bid farewell to this subject…

3. Don’t undermine your argument

Although there might be several points of view regarding your essay topic, it is crucial that you stick to your own. You may have stated and refuted other points of view in your body paragraphs. 

However, your conclusion is simply meant to strengthen your main argument. Mentioning other points of view in your essay conclusion, not only weakens your argument but also creates a poor impression of your essay.

Here are a few phrases you should avoid in your essay conclusion:

• There are several methods to approach this topic.
• There are plenty of good points for both sides of the argument.
• There is no clear solution to this problem.

Examples of essay conclusions

Different types of essays make use of different forms of conclusions. The critical question of “how to start a conclusion paragraph” has many different answers. To help you further, we’ve provided a few good conclusions for essays that are based on the four main essay types.

1. Narrative essay conclusion

The following essay conclusion example elaborates on the narrator’s unique experience with homeschooling.

• Restated thesis statement
• Body paragraph summary
• Closing statement

My experience with homeschooling has been a journey that has shaped me in profound ways. Through the challenges and triumphs, I have come to appreciate the unique advantages and personal growth that homeschooling can offer. As I reflect on my journey, I am reminded of the transformative power of this alternative education approach. It has empowered me to take ownership of my education, nurture my passions, and develop skills that extend far beyond the confines of academic achievement. Whether in traditional classrooms or homeschooling environments, it is through embracing and nurturing the unique potential within each of us that we can truly thrive and make a lasting impact on the world.

2. Descriptive essay conclusion

The following essay conclusion example elaborates on the narrator’s bond with their cat.

The enchanting presence that my cat has cannot be ignored, captivating my heart with her grace, charm, and unconditional love. Through the moments of playfulness, companionship, and affection, she has become an irreplaceable member of my family. As I continue to cherish the memories and lessons learned from her, I am reminded of the extraordinary power of the human-animal bond. In their company, we find solace, companionship, and a love that transcends words. In a world that can be challenging and tumultuous, never underestimate the profound impact that animals can have on our lives. In their presence, not only do we find love but also a profound sense of connection.

3. Argumentative essay conclusion

Here’s an essay conclusion example that elaborates on the marginalization of, and acute intolerance towards, LGBTQ+ individuals. 

The journey toward equality for LGBTQ+ individuals is an ongoing battle that demands our unwavering commitment to justice and inclusion. It is evident that while progress has been made, the journey toward equality for these individuals is far from complete. It demands our continued advocacy, activism, and support for legislative change, societal acceptance, and the creation of inclusive environments. The struggle for LGBTQ+ equality is a fight for the very essence of human dignity and the recognition of our shared humanity. It is a battle that requires our collective efforts, determination, and an unyielding belief in the fundamental principles of equality and justice.

4. Expository essay conclusion

This example of an essay conclusion revolves around a psychological phenomenon named the bandwagon effect and examines its potential ill effects on society:

The bandwagon effect in psychology is a fascinating phenomenon that sheds light on the powerful influence of social conformity on individual behavior and decision-making processes. This effect serves as a reminder of the inherently social nature of human beings and the power of social influence in shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. It underscores the importance of critical thinking, individual autonomy, and the ability to resist the pressure of conformity. By understanding its mechanisms and implications, we can guard against its potential pitfalls and actively foster independent thought and decision-making, also contributing to a more enlightened and progressive society.

Now that you’ve taken a closer look at different conclusions for essays, it’s time to put this knowledge to good use. If you need to take your essay up a notch and score high, professional essay editing services are your best bet.

Happy writing!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a good conclusion for an essay, what comes first in a conclusion, what is the best conclusion of an essay.

Found this article helpful?

Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Your vs. You’re: When to Use Your and You’re

Your Organization Needs a Technical Editor: Here’s Why

Your Guide to the Best eBook Readers in 2024

Writing for the Web: 7 Expert Tips for Web Content Writing

Subscribe to our Newsletter

How to Copyright Your Book?

If you’ve thought about copyrighting your book, you’re on the right path.

© 2024 All rights reserved

• Terms of service
• Privacy policy
• Self Publishing Guide
• Pre-Publishing Steps
• Fiction Writing Tips
• Traditional Publishing
• Additional Resources
• Dissertation Writing Guide
• Essay Writing Guide
• Academic Writing and Publishing
• Citation and Referencing
• Partner with us
• Annual report
• Website content
• Marketing material
• Job Applicant
• Cover letter
• Resource Center
• Case studies

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to write a thesis statement + examples

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

• Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
• Answer your project’s main research question.
• Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
• Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

• Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
• Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
• Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

• The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

Jimmie's Collage

lifestyle blog of a single mom who works from home

Foolproof Essay Conclusion Tricks

April 19, 2012 By Jimmie Quick 2 Comments

Writing compelling conclusions is very challenging. (I personally struggle with it — still!) But the good news is that a conclusion can follow a set pattern that is a meager three sentences. Just three sentences!

Start with a restatement of the thesis statement, in different words, of course. Then add at least two additional wrap up sentences, using the suggestions below.

There is overlap among these ideas, and that is deliberate. Different methods will work for different children and at different times for various topics. Having multiple tools at your disposal is to your benefit.

If you can answer the question “So What?” at the end of an essay, you will have a strong conclusion.

Now that the reader has read all of your ideas, “So What?” Why should he care? What difference does it make? How does it apply to him and to every person on the globe?

Conclusion Triangle

I like to think of a conclusion as triangle.

You start specific by restating the thesis statement for the essay and then make some general or universal statements related to your topic.  This transition is reflected in the shape of the triangle. It is narrow at the top and broadens to a wide base.

So think in categories. Take your essay topic, and mentally expand it, asking yourself what category it would fit into.  Then try to think of a universal statement about that general category.

Here are some examples of essay topics & broad categories that they fit into:

• essay topic:  the three best pets — broad category:  animals
• essay topic:  why children should have household chores — broad category:  the family
• essay topic:  the achievements of Marco Polo — broad category:  explorers
• essay topic:  paintings by Monet — broad category:  Impressionism

Thinking in terms of broad generalizations is difficult for many children and is not developmentally appropriate until later middle school or high school.

Revisit the Attention Grabber

What did you use for a hook in the introduction? Was it a startling fact, a question, or a story? Consider returning to that idea and wrapping it up in the conclusion.

Stories are perfect for this, especially if you can leave the story somewhat unfinished in the introduction. Now in the conclusion, you have a chance to revisit that story and neatly tie up any loose ends as you make some statements related to your essay topic.

Present a Call to Action

What do you expect or want the reader to do with what you’ve written? Is there an action the reader should take or a belief the reader should now have? Express that in a call to action at the close of your essay.

Free Printable Graphic Organizer

When drafting a conclusion paragraph, this graphic organizer can help students remember what it needs to include, how long it has to be, and some reminders about the foolproof endings.

This printable is part of my ebook Essay Tune Up .

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network , a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects.

Visit the other posts to be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

More You Will Like

April 19, 2012 at 4:22 pm

As always love your posts and love your freebies! XOXO

April 20, 2012 at 5:29 am

Thank you for this series. Very useful information and perfect timing for me with two high school teens this year. It is so practical and the boys have added the printables {love} to their writing notebooks.

I appreciate your hard work! Hugs

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

• Catch your reader’s attention.
• Give background on your topic.
• Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

• Braille was an extremely important invention.
• The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

• The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
• The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

• Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

• Historical, geographical, or social context
• An outline of the debate you’re addressing
• A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
• Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

• Argumentative
• Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, July 23). How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/introduction/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write a thesis statement | 4 steps & examples, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, how to conclude an essay | interactive example, get unlimited documents corrected.

✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
• makes a claim that others might dispute.
• is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

• Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to  be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

• Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

• Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

• Do I answer the question? Yes!
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

PHIL102: Introduction to Critical Thinking and Logic

Universal Statements and Existential Commitment

Read this section to learn about a potentially counter-intuitive relationship between universal and particular affirmatives – namely, one does not imply the other. This is because universal affirmatives do not contain an "existential commitment": a statement that there is anything in the category the universal affirmative references.

Complete the exercise, keeping in mind that universal affirmatives do not contain existential commitments. Check your validity answers against the key.

Universal statements and existential commitment

Consider the following inference:

• All S are P
• Therefore, some S are P

Is this inference valid or invalid? As it turns out, this is an issue on which there has been much philosophical debate. On the one hand, it seems that many

times when we make a universal statement, such as "all dogs are mammals," we imply that there are dogs - i.e., that dogs exist. Thus, if we assert that all dogs are mammals, that implies that some dogs are mammals (just as if I say that everyone at the party was drunk, this implies that at least someone at the party was drunk). In general, it may seem that "all" implies "some" (since some is encompassed by all). This reasoning would support the idea that the above inference is valid: universal statements imply certain particular statements. Thus, statements of the form "all S are P" would imply that statements of the form "some S are P". This is what is called " existential commitment ".

In contrast to the reasoning just laid out, modern logicians reject existential commitment; they do not take statements of the form "all S are P" to imply that there exists anything in the "S" category. Why would they think this? One way of understanding why universal statements are interpreted in this way in modern logic is by considering laws such as the following:

All trespassers will be fined.

All bodies that are not acted on by any force are at rest.

All passenger cars that can travel 770 mph are supersonic.

The "S" terms in the above categorical statements are "trespassers," "bodies that are not acted on by any force," and "passenger cars that can travel 770 mph". Now ask yourself: do these statements commit us to the existence of either trespassers or bodies not acted on by any force? No, they don't. Just because we assert the rule that all trespassers will be fined, we do not necessarily commit ourselves to the claim that there are trespassers. Rather, what we are saying is anything that is a trespasser will be fined. But this can be true, even if there are no trespassers! Likewise, when Isaac Newton asserted that all bodies that are not acted on by any force remain at rest, he was not committing himself to the existence of "bodies not acted on by any force". Rather, he was saying that anything that is a body not acted on by any force will remain in motion. But this can be true, even if there are no bodies not acted on by any force! (And there aren't any such bodies, since even things that are stationary like your house or your car parked in the driveway are still acted on by forces such as gravity and friction.) Finally, in asserting that all passenger cars that can travel 770 mph are supersonic, we are not committing ourselves to the existence of any such car. Rather, we are only saying that were there any such car, it would be supersonic (i.e., it would travel faster than the speed of sound).

For various reasons (that we will not discuss here), modern logic treats a universal categorical statement as a kind of conditional statement. Thus, a statement like,

All passenger cars that can travel 770 mph are supersonic

is interpreted as follows:

For any x, if x is a passenger car that can travel 770 mph then x is supersonic.

But since conditional statements do not assert either the antecedent or the consequent, the universal statement is not asserting the existence of passenger cars that can travel 770 mph. Rather, it is just saying that if there were passenger cars that could travel that fast, then those things would be supersonic.

We will follow modern logic in denying existential commitment. That is, we will not interpret universal affirmative statements of the form "All S are P" as implying particular affirmative statements of the form "some S are P". Likewise, we will not interpret universal negative statements of the form "no S are P" as implying particular negative statements of the form "some S are not P". Thus, when constructing Venn diagrams, you can always rely on the fact that if there is no particular represented in the premise Venn (i.e., there is no asterisk), then if the conclusion Venn represents a particular (i.e., there is an asterisk), the argument will be invalid. This is so since no universal statement logically implies the existence of any particular. Conversely, if the premise Venn does represent a particular statement (i.e., it contains an asterisk), then if the conclusion doesn't contain particular statement (i.e., doesn't contain an asterisk), the argument will be invalid.

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

How to Write a Perfect UC Essay for Every Prompt

College Essays

If you're applying to any University of California (UC) campus as an incoming first-year student , then you have a special challenge ahead of you. Applicants need to answer four UC personal insight questions, chosen from a pool of eight unique prompts different from those on the Common App. But not to worry! This article is here to help.

In this article, I'll dissect the eight UC essay prompts in detail. What are they asking you for? What do they want to know about you? What do UC admissions officers really care about? How do you avoid boring or repulsing them with your essay?

I'll break down all of these important questions for each prompt and discuss how to pick the four prompts that are perfect for you. I'll also give you examples of how to make sure your essay fully answers the question. Finally, I'll offer step-by-step instructions on how to come up with the best ideas for your UC personal statements.

Feature image credit: Boston Public Library /Flickr

What Are the UC Personal Insight Questions?

If you think about it, your college application is mostly made up of numbers: your GPA, your SAT scores, the number of AP classes you took, how many years you spent playing volleyball. But these numbers reveal only so much. The job of admissions officers is to put together a class of interesting, compelling individuals—but a cut-and-dried achievement list makes it very hard to assess whether someone is interesting or compelling. This is where the personal insight questions come in.

The UC application essays are your way to give admissions staff a sense of your personality, your perspective on the world, and some of the experiences that have made you into who you are. The idea is to share the kinds of things that don't end up on your transcript. It's helpful to remember that you are not writing this for you. You're writing for an audience of people who do not know you but are interested to learn about you. The essay is meant to be a revealing look inside your thoughts and feelings.

These short essays—each with a 350-word limit—are different from the essays you write in school, which tend to focus on analyzing someone else's work. Really, the application essays are much closer to a short story. They rely heavily on narratives of events from your life and on your descriptions of people, places, and feelings.

If you'd like more background on college essays, check out our explainer for a very detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application .

Now, let's dive into the eight University of California essay questions. First, I'll compare and contrast these prompts. Then I'll dig deep into each UC personal statement question individually, exploring what it's really trying to find out and how you can give the admissions officers what they're looking for.

Think of each personal insight essay as a brief story that reveals something about your personal values, interests, motivations, and goals.

Comparing the UC Essay Prompts

Before we can pull these prompts apart, let's first compare and contrast them with each other . Clearly, UC wants you to write four different essays, and they're asking you eight different questions. But what are the differences? And are there any similarities?

The 8 UC Essay Prompts

#1: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

#2: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

#3: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

#4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

#5: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

#6: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

#7: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

#8: Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

How to Tell the UC Essay Prompts Apart

• Topics 1 and 7 are about your engagement with the people, things, and ideas around you. Consider the impact of the outside world on you and how you handled that impact.
• Topics 2 and 6 are about your inner self, what defines you, and what makes you the person that you are. Consider your interior makeup—the characteristics of the inner you.
• Topics 3, 4, 5, and 8 are about your achievements. Consider what you've accomplished in life and what you are proud of doing.

These very broad categories will help when you're brainstorming ideas and life experiences to write about for your essay. Of course, it's true that many of the stories you think of can be shaped to fit each of these prompts. Still, think about what the experience most reveals about you .

If it's an experience that shows how you have handled the people and places around you, it'll work better for questions in the first group. If it's a description of how you express yourself, it's a good match for questions in group two. If it's an experience that tells how you acted or what you did, it's probably a better fit for questions in group three.

For more help, check out our article on coming up with great ideas for your essay topic .

Reflect carefully on the eight UC prompts to decide which four questions you'll respond to.

How Is This Guide Organized?

We analyze all eight UC prompts in this guide, and for each one, we give the following information:

• The prompt itself and any accompanying instructions
• What each part of the prompt is asking for
• Why UC is using this prompt and what they hope to learn from you
• All the key points you should cover in your response so you answer the complete prompt and give UC insight into who you are

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 1

The prompt and its instructions.

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking a lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about your accomplishments and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?

What's the Question Asking?

The prompt wants you to describe how you handled a specific kind of relationship with a group of people—a time when you took the reigns and the initiative. Your answer to this prompt will consist of two parts.

Part 1: Explain the Dilemma

Before you can tell your story of leading, brokering peace, or having a lasting impact on other people, you have to give your reader a frame of reference and a context for your actions .

First, describe the group of people you interacted with. Who were and what was their relationship to you? How long were you in each others' lives?

Second, explain the issue you eventually solved. What was going on before you stepped in? What was the immediate problem? Were there potential long-term repercussions?

Leadership isn't limited to officer roles in student organizations. Think about experiences in which you've taken charge, resolved conflicts, or taken care of loved ones.

Part 2: Describe Your Solution

This is where your essay will have to explicitly talk about your own actions .

Discuss what thought process led you to your course of action. Was it a last-ditch effort or a long-planned strategy? Did you think about what might happen if you didn't step in? Did you have to choose between several courses of action?

Explain how you took the bull by the horns. Did you step into the lead role willingly, or were you pushed despite some doubts? Did you replace or supersede a more obvious leader?

Describe your solution to the problem or your contribution to resolving the ongoing issue. What did you do? How did you do it? Did your plan succeed immediately or did it take some time?

Consider how this experience has shaped the person you have now become. Do you think back on this time fondly as being the origin of some personal quality or skill? Did it make you more likely to lead in other situations?

What's UC Hoping to Learn about You?

College will be an environment unlike any of the ones you've found yourself in up to now. Sure, you will have a framework for your curriculum, and you will have advisers available to help. But for the most part, you will be on your own to deal with the situations that will inevitably arise when you mix with your diverse peers . UC wants to make sure that

• you have the maturity to deal with groups of people,
• you can solve problems with your own ingenuity and resourcefulness, and
• you don't lose your head and panic at problems.

Demonstrating your problem-solving abilities in your UC college essay will make you a stronger candidate for admission.

How Can You Give Them What They Want?

So how can you make sure those qualities come through in your essay?

Pick Your Group

The prompt very specifically wants you to talk about an interaction with a group of people. Let's say a group has to be at least three people.

Raise the Stakes

Think of the way movies ratchet up the tension of the impending catastrophe before the hero swoops in and saves the day. Keeping an audience on tenterhooks is important—and distinguishes the hero for the job well done. Similarly, when reading your essay, the admissions staff has to fundamentally understand exactly what you and the group you ended up leading were facing. Why was this an important problem to solve?

Balance You versus Them

Personal statements need to showcase you above all things . Because this essay will necessarily have to spend some time on other people, you need to find a good proportion of them-time and me-time. In general, the first (setup) section of the essay should be shorter because it will not be focused on what you were doing. The second section should take the rest of the space. So, in a 350-word essay, maybe 100–125 words go to setup whereas 225–250 words should be devoted to your leadership and solution.

Find Your Arc

Not only do you need to show how your leadership helped you meet the challenge you faced, but you also have to show how the experience changed you . In other words, the outcome was double-sided: you affected the world, and the world affected you right back.

Give your response to question 1 a compelling arc that demonstrates your personal growth.

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 2

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career?

This question is trying to probe the way you express yourself. Its broad description of "creativity" gives you the opportunity to make almost anything you create that didn't exist before fit the topic. What this essay question is really asking you to do is to examine the role your brand of creativity plays in your sense of yourself . The essay will have three parts.

Part 1: Define Your Creativity

What exactly do you produce, make, craft, create, or generate? Of course, the most obvious answer would be visual art, performance art, or music. But in reality, there is creativity in all fields. Any time you come up with an idea, thought, concept, or theory that didn't exist before, you are being creative. So your job is to explain what you spend time creating.

Part 2: Connect Your Creative Drive to Your Overall Self

Why do you do what you do? Are you doing it for external reasons—to perform for others, to demonstrate your skill, to fulfill some need in the world? Or is your creativity private and for your own use—to unwind, to distract yourself from other parts of your life, to have personal satisfaction in learning a skill? Are you good at your creative endeavor, or do you struggle with it? If you struggle, why is it important to you to keep pursuing it?

Part 3: Connect Your Creative Drive With Your Future

The most basic way to do this is by envisioning yourself actually pursuing your creative endeavor professionally. But this doesn't have to be the only way you draw this link. What have you learned from what you've made? How has it changed how you interact with other objects or with people? Does it change your appreciation for the work of others or motivate you to improve upon it?

Connecting your current creative pursuits with your chosen major or career will help UC admissions staff understand your motivations and intentions.

Nothing characterizes higher education like the need for creative thinking, unorthodox ideas in response to old topics, and the ability to synthesize something new . That is what you are going to college to learn how to do better. UC's second personal insight essay wants to know whether this mindset of out-of-the-box-ness is something you are already comfortable with. They want to see that

• you have actually created something in your life or academic career,
• you consider this an important quality within yourself,
• you have cultivated your skills, and
• you can see and have considered the impact of your creativity on yourself or on the world around you.

College admissions counselors, professors, and employers all value the skill of thinking outside the box, so being able to demonstrate that skill is crucial.

How can you really show that you are committed to being a creative person?

Be Specific and Descriptive

It's not enough to vaguely gesture at your creative field. Instead, give a detailed and lively description of a specific thing or idea that you have created . For example, I could describe a Turner painting as "a seascape," or I could call it "an attempt to capture the breathtaking power and violence of an ocean storm as it overwhelms a ship." Which painting would you rather look at?

Give a Sense of History

The question wants a little narrative of your relationship to your creative outlet . How long have you been doing it? Did someone teach you or mentor you? Have you taught it to others? Where and when do you create?

Hit a Snag; Find the Success

Anything worth doing is worth doing despite setbacks, this question argues—and it wants you to narrate one such setback. So first, figure out something that interfered with your creative expression . Was it a lack of skill, time, or resources? Too much or not enough ambition in a project? Then, make sure this story has a happy ending that shows you off as the solver of your own problems: What did you do to fix the situation? How did you do it?

Show Insight

Your essay should include some thoughtful consideration of how this creative pursuit has shaped you , your thoughts, your opinions, your relationships with others, your understanding of creativity in general, or your dreams about your future. (Notice I said "or," not "and"—350 words is not enough to cover all of those things!)

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 3

What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

Things to consider: If there's a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it. You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule?

Basically, what's being asked for here is a beaming rave. Whatever you write about, picture yourself talking about it with a glowing smile on your face.

Part 1: Narrative

The first part of the question really comes down to this: Tell us a story about what's amazing about you. Have you done an outstanding thing? Do you have a mind-blowing ability? Describe a place, a time, or a situation in which you were a star.

A close reading of this first case of the prompt reveals that you don't need to stress if you don't have an obvious answer. Sure, if you're playing first chair violin in the symphony orchestra, that qualifies as both a "talent" and an "accomplishment." But the word "quality" really gives you the option of writing about any one of your most meaningful traits. And the words "contribution" and "experience" open up the range of possibilities that you could write about even further. A contribution could be anything from physically helping put something together to providing moral or emotional support at a critical moment.

But the key to the first part is the phrase "important to you." Once again, what you write about is not as important as how you write about it. Being able to demonstrate the importance of the event that you're describing reveals much more about you than the specific talent or characteristic ever could.

Part 2: Insight and Personal Development

The second part of the last essay asked you to look to the future. The second part of this essay wants you to look at the present instead. The general task is similar, however. Once again, you're being asked to make connections:  How do you fit this quality you have or this achievement you accomplished into the story of who you are?

A close reading of the second part of this prompt lands on the word "proud." This is a big clue that the revelation this essay is looking for should be a very positive one. In other words, this is probably not the time to write about getting arrested for vandalism. Instead, focus on a skill that you've carefully honed, and clarify how that practice and any achievements connected with your talent have earned you concrete opportunities or, more abstractly, personal growth.

Remember to connect the talent or skill you choose to write about with your sense of personal identity and development.

What's UC Hoping to Learn About You?

Admissions officers have a very straightforward interest in learning about your accomplishments. By the end of high school, many of the experiences that you are most proud of don't tend to be the kind of things that end up on your résumé .

They want to know what makes you proud of yourself. Is it something that relates to performance, to overcoming a difficult obstacle, to keeping a cool head in a crisis, to your ability to help others in need?

At the same time, they are looking for a sense of maturity. In order to be proud of an accomplishment, it's important to be able to understand your own values and ideals. This is your chance to show that you truly understand the qualities and experiences that make you a responsible and grown-up person, someone who will thrive in the independence of college life. In other words, although you might really be proud that you managed to tag 10 highway overpasses with graffiti, that's probably not the achievement to brag about here.

Unless you were hired by the city to paint the overpasses, in which case definitely brag about it.

The trick with this prompt is how to show a lot about yourself without listing accomplishments or devolving into cliche platitudes. Let's take it step by step.

Step #1: Explain Your Field

Make sure that somewhere in your narrative (preferably closer to the beginning), you let the reader know what makes your achievement an achievement . Not all interests are mainstream, so it helps your reader to understand what you're facing if you give a quick sketch of, for example, why it's challenging to build a battle bot that can defeat another fighting robot or how the difficulties of extemporaneous debate compare with debating about a prepared topic.

Keep in mind that for some things, the explanation might be obvious. For example, do you really need to explain why finishing a marathon is a hard task?

Step #2: Zoom in on a Specific Experience

Think about your talent, quality, or accomplishment in terms of experiences that showcase it. Conversely, think about your experiences in terms of the talent, quality, or accomplishment they demonstrate. Because you're once again going to be limited to 350 words, you won't be able to fit all the ways in which you exhibit your exemplary skill into this essay. This means that you'll need to figure out how to best demonstrate your ability through one event in which you displayed it . Or if you're writing about an experience you had or a contribution you made, you'll need to also point out what personality trait or characteristic it reveals.

Step #3: Find a Conflict or a Transition

The first question asked for a description, but this one wants a story—a narrative of how you pursue your special talent or how you accomplished the skill you were so great at. The main thing about stories is that they have to have the following:

• A beginning: This is the setup, when you weren't yet the star you are now.
• An obstacle or a transition: Sometimes, a story has a conflict that needs to be resolved: something that stood in your way, a challenge that you had to figure out a way around, a block that you powered through. Other times, a story is about a change or a transformation: you used to believe, think, or be one thing, and now you are different or better.
• A resolution: When your full power, self-knowledge, ability, or future goal is revealed.

If, for example, you taught yourself to become a gifted coder, how did you first learn this skill? What challenges did you overcome in your learning? What does this ability say about your character, motivations, or goals?

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 4

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you—just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who are you today?

Cue the swelling music because this essay is going to be all about your inspirational journey. You will either tell your story of overcoming adversity against all (or some) odds or of pursuing the chance of a lifetime.

If you write about triumphing over adversity, your essay will include the following:

A description of the setback that befell you: The prompt wants to know what you consider a challenge in your school life. And definitely note that this challenge should have in some significant way impacted your academics rather than your life overall.

The challenge can be a wide-reaching problem in your educational environment or something that happened specifically to you. The word "barrier" also shows that the challenge should be something that stood in your way: If only that thing weren't there, then you'd be sure to succeed.

An explanation of your success: Here, you'll talk about what you did when faced with this challenge. Notice that the prompt asks you to describe the "work" you put in to overcome the problem. So this piece of the essay should focus on your actions, thoughts, ideas, and strategies.

Although the essay doesn't specify it, this section should also at some point turn reflexive. How are you defined by this thing that happened? You could discuss the emotional fallout of having dramatically succeeded or how your maturity level, concrete skills, or understanding of the situation has increased now that you have dealt with it personally. Or you could talk about any beliefs or personal philosophy that you have had to reevaluate as a result of either the challenge itself or of the way that you had to go about solving it.

If you write about an educational opportunity, your essay will include the following:

A short, clear description of exactly what you got the chance to do: In your own words, explain what the opportunity was and why it's special.

Also, explain why you specifically got the chance to do it. Was it the culmination of years of study? An academic contest prize? An unexpected encounter that led to you seizing an unlooked-for opportunity?

How you made the best of it: It's one thing to get the opportunity to do something amazing, but it's another to really maximize what you get out of this chance for greatness. This is where you show just how much you understand the value of what you did and how you've changed and grown as a result of it.

Were you very challenged by this opportunity? Did your skills develop? Did you unearth talents you didn't know you had?

How does this impact your future academic ambitions or interests? Will you study this area further? Does this help you find your academic focus?

If writing about an educational obstacle you overcame, make sure to describe not just the challenge itself but also how you overcame it and how breaking down that barrier changed you for the better.

Of course, whatever you write about in this essay is probably already reflected on your résumé or in your transcript in some small way. But UC wants to go deeper, to find out how seriously you take your academic career, and to assess  how thoughtfully you've approached either its ups or its downs.

In college, there will be many amazing opportunities, but they aren't simply there for the taking. Instead, you will be responsible for seizing whatever chances will further your studies, interests, or skills.

Conversely, college will necessarily be more challenging, harder, and potentially much more full of academic obstacles than your academic experiences so far. UC wants to see that you are up to handling whatever setbacks may come your way with aplomb rather than panic.

Define the Problem or Opportunity

Not every challenge is automatically obvious. Sure, everyone can understand the drawbacks of having to miss a significant amount of school because of illness, but what if the obstacle you tackled is something a little more obscure? Likewise, winning the chance to travel to Italy to paint landscapes with a master is clearly rare and amazing, but some opportunities are more specialized and less obviously impressive. Make sure your essay explains everything the reader will need to know to understand what you were facing.

Watch Your Tone

An essay describing problems can easily slip into finger-pointing and self-pity. Make sure to avoid this by speaking positively or at least neutrally about what was wrong and what you faced . This goes double if you decide to explain who or what was at fault for creating this problem.

Likewise, an essay describing amazing opportunities can quickly become an exercise in unpleasant bragging and self-centeredness. Make sure you stay grounded: Rather than dwelling at length on your accomplishments, describe the specifics of what you learned and how.

Elaborating on how you conducted microbiology research during the summer before your senior year would make an appropriate topic for question 4.

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 5

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, "How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends, or with my family?"

It's time to draw back the curtains and expand our field of vision because this is going to be a two-part story of overcoming adversity against all (or some) odds.

Part 1: Facing a Challenge

The first part of this essay is about problem-solving. The prompt asks you to relate something that could have derailed you if not for your strength and skill. Not only will you describe the challenge itself, but you'll also talk about what you did when faced with it.

Part 2: Looking in the Mirror

The second part of question 5 asks you to consider how this challenge has echoed through your life—and, more specifically, how what happened to you affected your education.

In life, dealing with setbacks, defeats, barriers, and conflicts is not a bug—it's a feature. And colleges want to make sure that you can handle these upsetting events without losing your overall sense of self, without being totally demoralized, and without getting completely overwhelmed. In other words, they are looking for someone who is mature enough to do well on a college campus, where disappointing results and hard challenges will be par for the course.

They are also looking for your creativity and problem-solving skills. Are you good at tackling something that needs to be fixed? Can you keep a cool head in a crisis? Do you look for solutions outside the box? These are all markers of a successful student, so it's not surprising that admissions staff want you to demonstrate these qualities.

The challenge you write about for question 5 need not be an educational barrier, which is better suited for question 4. Think broadly about the obstacles you've overcome and how they've shaped your perspective and self-confidence.

Let's explore the best ways to show off your problem-solving side.

Show Your Work

It's one thing to be able to say what's wrong, but it's another thing entirely to demonstrate how you figured out how to fix it. Even more than knowing that you were able to fix the problem, colleges want to see how you approached the situation . This is why your essay needs to explain your problem-solving methodology. Basically, they need to see you in action. What did you think would work? What did you think would not work? Did you compare this to other problems you have faced and pass? Did you do research? Describe your process.

Make Sure That You Are the Hero

This essay is supposed to demonstrate your resourcefulness and creativity . And make sure that you had to be the person responsible for overcoming the obstacle, not someone else. Your story must clarify that without you and your special brand of XYZ , people would still be lamenting the issue today. Don't worry if the resource you used to bring about a solution was the knowledge and know-how that somebody else brought to the table. Just focus on explaining what made you think of this person as the one to go to, how you convinced them to participate, and how you explained to them how they would be helpful. This will shift the attention of the story back to you and your efforts.

Find the Suspenseful Moment

The most exciting part of this essay should be watching you struggle to find a solution just in the nick of time. Think every movie cliché ever about someone defusing a bomb: Even if you know 100% that the hero is going to save the day, the movie still ratchets up the tension to make it seem like, Well, maybe... You want to do the same thing here. Bring excitement and a feeling of uncertainty to your description of your process to really pull the reader in and make them root for you to succeed.

You're the superhero!

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 6

Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

Things to consider: Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom — such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs — and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

This question is really asking for a glimpse of your imagined possibilities .

For some students, this will be an extremely straightforward question. For example, say you've always loved science to the point that you've spent every summer taking biology and chemistry classes. Pick a few of the most gripping moments from these experiences and discuss the overall trajectory of your interests, and your essay will be a winner.

But what if you have many academic interests? Or what if you discovered your academic passion only at the very end of high school? Let's break down what the question is really asking into two parts.

Part 1: Picking a Favorite

At first glance, it sounds as if what you should write about is the class in which you have gotten the best grades or the subject that easily fits into what you see as your future college major or maybe even your eventual career goal. There is nothing wrong with this kind of pick—especially if you really are someone who tends to excel in those classes that are right up your interest alley.

But if we look closer, we see that there is nothing in the prompt that specifically demands that you write either about a particular class or an area of study in which you perform well.

Instead, you could take the phrase "academic subject" to mean a wide field of study and explore your fascination with the different types of learning to be found there. For example, if your chosen topic is the field of literature, you could discuss your experiences with different genres or with foreign writers.

You could also write about a course or area of study that has significantly challenged you and in which you have not been as stellar a student as you want. This could be a way to focus on your personal growth as a result of struggling through a difficult class or to represent how you've learned to handle or overcome your limitations.

Part 2: Relevance

The second part of this prompt , like the first, can also be taken in a literal and direct way . There is absolutely nothing wrong with explaining that because you love engineering and want to be an engineer, you have pursued all your school's STEM courses, are also involved in a robotics club, and have taught yourself to code in order to develop apps.

However, you could focus on the more abstract, values-driven goals we just talked about instead. Then, your explanation of how your academics will help you can be rooted not in the content of what you studied but in the life lessons you drew from it.

In other words, for example, your theater class may not have stimulated your ambition to be an actor, but working on plays with your peers may have shown you how highly you value collaboration, or perhaps the experience of designing sets was an exercise in problem-solving and ingenuity. These lessons would be useful in any field you pursue and could easily be said to help you achieve your lifetime goals.

If you are on a direct path to a specific field of study or career pursuit, admissions officers definitely want to know that. Having driven, goal-oriented, and passionate students is a huge plus for a university. So if this is you, be sure that your essay conveys not just your interest but also your deep and abiding love of the subject. Maybe even include any related clubs, activities, and hobbies that you've done during high school.

Of course, college is the place to find yourself and the things that you become passionate about. So if you're not already committed to a specific course of study, don't worry. Instead, you have to realize that in this essay, like in all the other essays, the how matters much more than the what. No matter where your eventual academic, career, or other pursuits may lie, every class that you have taken up to now has taught you something. You learned about things like work ethic, mastering a skill, practice, learning from a teacher, interacting with peers, dealing with setbacks, understanding your own learning style, and perseverance.

In other words, the admissions office wants to make sure that no matter what you study, you will draw meaningful conclusions from your experiences, whether those conclusions are about the content of what you learn or about a deeper understanding of yourself and others. They want to see that you're not simply floating through life on the surface  but that you are absorbing the qualities, skills, and know-how you will need to succeed in the world—no matter what that success looks like.

Focus on a telling detail. Because personal statements are short, you simply won't have time to explain everything you have loved about a particular subject in enough detail to make it count. Instead, pick one event that crystallized your passion for a subject   or one telling moment that revealed what your working style will be , and go deep into a discussion of what it meant to you in the past and how it will affect your future.

Don't overreach. It's fine to say that you have loved your German classes so much that you have begun exploring both modern and classic German-language writers, for example, but it's a little too self-aggrandizing to claim that your four years of German have made you basically bilingual and ready to teach the language to others. Make sure that whatever class achievements you describe don't come off as unnecessary bragging rather than simple pride .

Similarly, don't underreach. Make sure that you have actual accomplishments to describe in whatever subject you pick to write about. If your favorite class turned out to be the one you mostly skipped to hang out in the gym instead, this may not be the place to share that lifetime goal. After all, you always have to remember your audience. In this case, it's college admissions officers who want to find students who are eager to learn and be exposed to new thoughts and ideas.

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 7

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place— like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community?

This topic is trying to get at how you engage with your environment. It's looking for several things:

#1: Your Sense of Place and Connection

Because the term "community" is so broad and ambiguous, this is a good essay for explaining where you feel a sense of belonging and rootedness. What or who constitutes your community? Is your connection to a place, to a group of people, or to an organization? What makes you identify as part of this community—cultural background, a sense of shared purpose, or some other quality?

#2: Your Empathy and Ability to Look at the Big Picture

Before you can solve a problem, you have to realize that the problem exists. Before you can make your community a better place, you have to find the things that can be ameliorated. No matter what your contribution ended up being, you first have to show how you saw where your skills, talent, intelligence, or hard work could do the most good. Did you put yourself in the shoes of the other people in your community? Understand some fundamental inner working of a system you could fix? Knowingly put yourself in the right place at the right time?

#3: Your Problem-Solving Skills

How did you make the difference in your community? If you resolved a tangible issue, how did you come up with your solution? Did you examine several options or act from the gut? If you made your community better in a less direct way, how did you know where to apply yourself and how to have the most impact possible?

Clarify not just what the problem and solution was but also your process of getting involved and contributing specific skills, ideas, or efforts that made a positive difference.

Community is a very important thing to colleges. You'll be involved with and encounter lots of different communities in college, including the broader student body, your extracurriculars, your classes, and the community outside the university. UC wants to make sure that you can engage with the communities around you in a positive, meaningful way .

Make it personal. Before you can explain what you did in your community, you have to define and describe this community itself—and you can only do that by focusing on what it means to you. Don't speak in generalities; instead, show the bonds between you and the group you are a part of through colorful, idiosyncratic language. Sure, they might be "my water polo team," but maybe they are more specifically "the 12 people who have seen me at my most exhausted and my most exhilarated."

Feel all the feelings. This is a chance to move your readers. As you delve deep into what makes your community one of your emotional centers, and then as you describe how you were able to improve it in a meaningful and lasting way, you should keep the roller coaster of feelings front and center. Own how you felt at each step of the process: when you found your community, when you saw that you could make a difference, and when you realized that your actions resulted in a change for the better. Did you feel unprepared for the task you undertook? Nervous to potentially let down those around you? Thrilled to get a chance to display a hidden or underused talent?

To flesh out your essay, depict the emotions you felt while making your community contribution, from frustration or disappointment to joy and fulfillment. 

Dissecting Personal Insight Question 8

Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

Things to consider: If there's anything you want us to know about you, but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

If your particular experience doesn't quite fit under the rubrics of the other essay topics , or if there is something the admissions officers need to understand about your background in order to consider your application in the right context, then this is the essay for you.

Now, I'm going to say something a little counterintuitive here. The prompt for this essay clarifies that even if you don't have a "unique" story to tell, you should still feel free to pick this topic. But, honestly, I think you should  choose this topic only if you have an exceptional experience to share . Remember that E veryday challenges or successes of regular life could easily fit one of the other insight questions instead.

What this means is that evaluating whether your experiences qualify for this essay is a matter of degrees. For example, did you manage to thrive academically despite being raised by a hard-working single parent? That's a hardship that could easily be written about for Questions 1 or 5, depending on how you choose to frame what happened. Did you manage to earn a 3.7 GPA despite living in a succession of foster families only to age out of the system in the middle of your senior year of high school? That's a narrative of overcoming hardship that easily belongs to Question 8.

On the flip side, did you win a state-wide robotics competition? Well done, and feel free to tell your story under Question 4. Were you the youngest person to single-handedly win a season of BattleBots? Then feel free to write about it for Question 8.

This is pretty straightforward. They are trying to identify students that have unique and amazing stories to tell about who they are and where they come from. If you're a student like this, then the admissions people want to know the following:

• What happened to you?
• When and where did it happen?
• How did you participate, or how were you involved in the situation?
• How did it affect you as a person?
• How did it affect your schoolwork?
• How will the experience be reflected in the point of view you bring to campus?

The university wants this information because of the following:

• It gives context to applications that otherwise might seem mediocre or even subpar.
• It can help explain places in a transcript where grades significantly drop.
• It gives them the opportunity to build a lot of diversity into the incoming class.
• It's a way of finding unique talents and abilities that otherwise wouldn't show up on other application materials.

Let's run through a few tricks for making sure your essay makes the most of your particular distinctiveness.

Double-Check Your Uniqueness

Many experiences in our lives that make us feel elated, accomplished, and extremely competent are also near universal. This essay isn't trying to take the validity of your strong feelings away from you, but it would be best served by stories that are on a different scale . Wondering whether what you went through counts? This might be a good time to run your idea by a parent, school counselor, or trusted teacher. Do they think your experience is widespread? Or do they agree that you truly lived a life less ordinary?

Connect Outward

The vast majority of your answer to the prompt should be telling your story and its impact on you and your life. But the essay should also point toward how your particular experiences set you apart from your peers. One of the reasons that the admissions office wants to find out which of the applicants has been through something unlike most other people is that they are hoping to increase the number of points of view in the student body. Think about—and include in your essay—how you will impact campus life. This can be very literal: If you are a jazz singer who has released several songs on social media, then maybe you will perform on campus. Or it can be much more oblique: If you have a disability, then you will be able to offer a perspective that differs from the able-bodied majority.

Be Direct, Specific, and Honest

Nothing will make your voice sound more appealing than writing without embellishment or verbal flourishes. This is the one case in which how you're telling the story is just as—if not more—important than what you're telling . So the best strategy is to be as straightforward in your writing as possible. This means using description to situate your reader in a place, time, or experience that they would never get to see firsthand. You can do this by picking a specific moment during your accomplishment to narrate as a small short story and not shying away from explaining your emotions throughout the experience. Your goal is to make the extraordinary into something at least somewhat relatable, and the way you do that is by bringing your writing down to earth.

Your essays should feature relatable thoughts and emotions as well as insights into how you will contribute to the campus community.

Writing Advice for Making Your UC Personal Statements Shine

No matter what personal insight questions you end up choosing to write about, here are two tips for making your writing sparkle:

#1: Be Detailed and Descriptive

Have you ever heard the expression "show; don't tell"? It's usually given as creative writing advice, and it will be your best friend when you're writing college essays. It means that any time you want to describe a person or thing as having a particular quality, it's better to illustrate with an example than to just use vague adjectives . If you stick to giving examples that paint a picture, your focus will also become narrower and more specific. You'll end up concentrating on details and concrete events rather than not-particularly-telling generalizations.

Let's say, for instance, Adnan is writing about the house that he's been helping his dad fix up. Which of these do you think gives the reader a better sense of place?

My family bought an old house that was kind of run-down. My dad likes fixing it up on the weekends, and I like helping him. Now the house is much nicer than when we bought it, and I can see all our hard work when I look at it.

My dad grinned when he saw my shocked face. Our "new" house looked like a completely run-down shed: peeling paint, rust-covered railings, shutters that looked like the crooked teeth of a jack-o-lantern. I was still staring at the spider-web crack in one broken window when my dad handed me a pair of brand-new work gloves and a paint scraper. "Today, let's just do what we can with the front wall," he said. And then I smiled too, knowing that many of my weekends would be spent here with him, working side by side.

Both versions of this story focus on the house being dilapidated and how Adnan enjoyed helping his dad do repairs. But the second does this by:

painting a picture of what the house actually looked like by adding visual details ("peeling paint," "rust-covered railings," and "broken window") and through comparisons ("shutters like a jack-o-lantern" and "spider-web crack");

showing emotions by describing facial expressions ("my dad grinned," "my shocked face," and "I smiled"); and

using specific and descriptive action verbs ("grinned," "shocked," "staring," and "handed").

The essay would probably go on to describe one day of working with his dad or a time when a repair went horribly awry. Adnan would make sure to keep adding sensory details (what things looked, sounded, smelled, tasted, and felt like), using active verbs, and illustrating feelings with dialogue and facial expressions.

If you're having trouble checking whether your description is detailed enough, read your work to someone else . Then, ask that person to describe the scene back to you. Are they able to conjure up a picture from your words? If not, you need to beef up your details.

It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but it'll make a great college essay!

#2: Show Your Feelings

All good personal essays deal with emotions. And what marks great personal essays is the author's willingness to really dig into negative feelings as well as positive ones . As you write your UC application essays, keep asking yourself questions and probing your memory. How did you feel before it happened? How did you expect to feel after, and how did you actually feel after? How did the world that you are describing feel about what happened? How do you know how your world felt?

Then write about your feelings using mostly emotion words ("I was thrilled/disappointed/proud/scared"), some comparisons ("I felt like I'd never run again/like I'd just bitten into a sour apple/like the world's greatest explorer"), and a few bits of direct speech ("'How are we going to get away with this?' my brother asked").

What's Next?

This should give you a great starting point to address the UC essay prompts and consider how you'll write your own effective UC personal statements. The hard part starts here: work hard, brainstorm broadly, and use all my suggestions above to craft a great UC application essay.

Making your way through college applications? We have advice on how to find the right college for you , how to write about your extracurricular activities , and how to ask teachers for recommendations .

Interested in taking the SAT one more time? Check out our highly detailed explainer on studying for the SAT to learn how to prepare best.

Worried about how to pay for college after you get in? Read our description of how much college really costs , our comparison of subsidized and unsubsidized loans , and our lists of the top scholarships for high school seniors and juniors .

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Definition : Universal Statement

• 1.1 Bound Variable
• 2 Also known as

A universal statement is one which expresses the fact that all objects (in a particular universe of discourse ) have a particular property .

That is, a statement of the form:

Note that if there exist no $x$ in this particular universe , $\forall x: \map P x$ is always true : see vacuous truth .

Bound Variable

In the universal statement :

the symbol $x$ is a bound variable .

Thus, the meaning of $\forall x: \map P x$ does not change if $x$ is replaced by another symbol .

That is, $\forall x: \map P x$ means the same thing as $\forall y: \map P y$ or $\forall \alpha: \map P \alpha$.

Also known as

A universal statement can also be referred to as a universal sentence , or more wordily, a sentence of a universal character .

• Definition:Existential Statement
• Definition:Bound Variable
• 1946:  Alfred Tarski : Introduction to Logic and to the Methodology of Deductive Sciences  (2nd ed.)  ... (previous)  ... (next) : $\S 1.3$: Universal and Existential Sentences
• 1978:  Thomas A. Whitelaw : An Introduction to Abstract Algebra  ... (previous)  ... (next) : $\S 3$: Statements and conditions; quantifiers
• Definitions/Predicate Logic

Navigation menu

How To Tackle The Weirdest Supplemental Essay Prompts For This Application Cycle

Writing the college essay

How do you write a letter to a friend that shows you’re a good candidate for the University of Pennsylvania? What reading list will help the Columbia University admissions committee understand your interdisciplinary interests? How can you convey your desire to attend Yale by inventing a course description for a topic you’re interested in studying?

These are the challenges students must overcome when writing their supplemental essays . Supplemental essays are a critical component of college applications—like the personal statement, they provide students with the opportunity to showcase their authentic voice and perspective beyond the quantitative elements of their applications. However, unlike the personal essay, supplemental essays allow colleges to read students’ responses to targeted prompts and evaluate their candidacy for their specific institution. For this reason, supplemental essay prompts are often abstract, requiring students to get creative, read between the lines, and ditch the traditional essay-writing format when crafting their responses.

While many schools simply want to know “why do you want to attend our school?” others break the mold, inviting students to think outside of the box and answer prompts that are original, head-scratching, or downright weird. This year, the following five colleges pushed students to get creative—if you’re struggling to rise to the challenge, here are some tips for tackling their unique prompts:

University of Chicago

Prompt: We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026

What Makes it Unique: No discussion of unique supplemental essay prompts would be complete without mentioning the University of Chicago, a school notorious for its puzzling and original prompts (perhaps the most well-known of these has been the recurring prompt “Find x”). This prompt challenges you to invent a new color-based expression, encouraging both linguistic creativity and a deep dive into the emotional or cultural connotations of color. It’s a prompt that allows you to play with language, think abstractly, and show off your ability to forge connections between concepts that aren’t typically linked—all qualities that likewise demonstrate your preparedness for UChicago’s unique academic environment.

How to Answer it: While it may be easy to get distracted by the open-ended nature of the prompt, remember that both the substance and structure of your response should give some insight into your personality, perspective, and characteristics. With this in mind, begin by considering the emotions, experiences, or ideas that most resonate with you. Then, use your imagination to consider how a specific color could represent that feeling or concept. Remember that the prompt is ultimately an opportunity to showcase your creativity and original way of looking at the world, so your explanation does not need to be unnecessarily deep or complex—if you have a playful personality, convey your playfulness in your response; if you are known for your sarcasm, consider how you can weave in your biting wit; if you are an amateur poet, consider how you might take inspiration from poetry as you write, or offer a response in the form of a poem.

The goal is to take a familiar concept and turn it into something new and meaningful through a creative lens. Use this essay to showcase your ability to think inventively and to draw surprising connections between language and life.

Harvard University

Prompt: Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.

What Makes it Unique: This prompt is unique in both form and substance—first, you only have 150 words to write about all 3 things. Consider using a form other than a traditional essay or short answer response, such as a bullet list or short letter. Additionally, note that the things your roommate might like to learn about you do not necessarily overlap with the things you would traditionally share with an admissions committee. The aim of the prompt is to get to know your quirks and foibles—who are you as a person and a friend? What distinguishes you outside of academics and accolades?

How to Answer it: First and foremost, feel free to get creative with your response to this prompt. While you are producing a supplemental essay and thus a professional piece of writing, the prompt invites you to share more personal qualities, and you should aim to demonstrate your unique characteristics in your own voice. Consider things such as: How would your friends describe you? What funny stories do your parents and siblings share that encapsulate your personality? Or, consider what someone might want to know about living with you: do you snore? Do you have a collection of vintage posters? Are you particularly fastidious? While these may seem like trivial things to mention, the true creativity is in how you connect these qualities to deeper truths about yourself—perhaps your sleepwalking is consistent with your reputation for being the first to raise your hand in class or speak up about a cause you’re passionate about. Perhaps your living conditions are a metaphor for how your brain works—though it looks like a mess to everyone else, you have a place for everything and know exactly where to find it. Whatever qualities you choose, embrace the opportunity to think outside of the box and showcase something that admissions officers won’t learn about anywhere else on your application.

University of Pennsylvania

Prompt: Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge.

What Makes it Unique: Breaking from the traditional essay format, this supplement invites you to write directly to a third party in the form of a 150-200 word long letter. The challenge in answering this distinct prompt is to remember that your letter should say as much about you, your unique qualities and what you value as it does about the recipient—all while not seeming overly boastful or contrived.

How to Answer it: As you select a recipient, consider the relationships that have been most formative in your high school experience—writing to someone who has played a large part in your story will allow the admissions committee some insight into your development and the meaningful relationships that guided you on your journey. Once you’ve identified the person, craft a thank-you note that is specific and heartfelt—unlike other essays, this prompt invites you to be sentimental and emotional, as long as doing so would authentically convey your feelings of gratitude. Describe the impact they’ve had on you, what you’ve learned from them, and how their influence has shaped your path. For example, if you’re thanking a teacher, don’t just say they helped you become a better student—explain how their encouragement gave you the confidence to pursue your passions. Keep the tone sincere and personal, avoid clichés and focus on the unique role this person has played in your life.

University of Notre Dame

Prompt: What compliment are you most proud of receiving, and why does it mean so much to you?

What Makes it Unique: This prompt is unique in that it invites students to share something about themselves by reflecting on someone else’s words in 50-100 words.

How to Answer it: The key to answering this prompt is to avoid focusing too much on the complement itself and instead focus on your response to receiving it and why it was so important to you. Note that this prompt is not an opportunity to brag about your achievements, but instead to showcase what truly matters to you. Select a compliment that truly speaks to who you are and what you value. It could be related to your character, work ethic, kindness, creativity, or any other quality that you hold in high regard. The compliment doesn’t have to be grand or come from someone with authority—it could be something small but significant that left a lasting impression on you, or it could have particular meaning for you because it came from someone you didn’t expect it to come from. Be brief in setting the stage and explaining the context of the compliment—what is most important is your reflection on its significance and how it shaped your understanding of yourself.

Stanford University

Prompt: List five things that are important to you.

What Makes it Unique: This prompt’s simplicity is what makes it so challenging. Stanford asks for a list, not an essay, which means you have very limited space (50 words) to convey something meaningful about yourself. Additionally, the prompt does not specify what these “things” must be—they could be a physical item, an idea, a concept, or even a pastime. Whatever you choose, these five items should add depth to your identity, values, and priorities.

How to Answer it: Start by brainstorming what matters most to you—these could be values, activities, people, places, or even abstract concepts. The key is to choose items or concepts that, when considered together, provide a comprehensive snapshot of who you are. For example, you might select something tangible and specific such as “an antique telescope gifted by my grandfather” alongside something conceptual such as “the willingness to admit when you’re wrong.” The beauty of this prompt is that it doesn’t require complex sentences or elaborate explanations—just a clear and honest reflection of what you hold dear. Be thoughtful in your selections, and use this prompt to showcase your creativity and core values.

While the supplemental essays should convey something meaningful about you, your values, and your unique qualifications for the university to which you are applying, the best essays are those that are playful, original, and unexpected. By starting early and taking the time to draft and revise their ideas, students can showcase their authentic personalities and distinguish themselves from other applicants through their supplemental essays.

Stephanie Grisham, Trump's former press secretary, delivers speech in support of Harris at DNC

Grisham, trump's press secretary from july 2019 to april 2020, detailed her experience on jan. 6, 2021 in her remarks, by nbc chicago staff • published august 20, 2024 • updated 6 hours ago.

Stephanie Grisham, one of former President Donald Trump's former press secretaries, delivered a passionate speech in support of Vice President Kamala Harris during the second night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Grisham, who was Trump's press secretary from July 2019 to April 2020, said she was formerly a "true believer" in Trump, and referenced close ties to the Trump family and holidays spent at the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

📺 24/7 Chicago news stream: Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are

2024 DNC Chicago Night 2 Recap: Obamas blast Trump, DJ steals show in roll call

JFK's grandson, Jack, echoes ‘torch has been passed' call of his grandfather

The former press secretary said that Trump often disparaged his own supporters behind closed doors, calling them "basement-dwellers."

"When people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that cameras weren't watching him. He has no empathy. No morals. No fidelity to the truth," Grisham said to delegates and party members at the United Center.

Grisham then referenced a text message from former First Lady Melania Trump, which told Grisham "no" to a request to condemn political violence in an official statement following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"I became the first senior staffer to resign that day. I couldn't be part of the insanity any longer," Grisham said.

Grisham closed her remarks by saying she "loves my country more than my party."

"Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote," Grisham said.

Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter .

This article tagged under:

Disney Channel’s Skai Jackson arrested on suspicion of domestic battery at Universal Studios

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Disney Channel star Skai Jackson could be facing a misdemeanor after getting arrested last week at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

The “Jessie” and “Bunk’d” actor was arrested Aug. 9 on suspicion of domestic battery after security personnel noticed her and her boyfriend getting into a physical altercation at the theme park, which is adjacent to the Universal CityWalk dining and shopping district.

“[W]hile inside the Universal Studios Theme Park, a domestic incident occurred involving Skai Jackson,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday. “Based on the initial investigation, it was determined Ms. Jackson was the primary aggressor and was arrested for misdemeanor Spousal Battery.”

Jackson, 22, was then transported to the West Hollywood Station for booking.

On-site security called police after claiming to have seen Jackson push her boyfriend, according to Page Six and TMZ . Security personnel detained the couple until local authorities arrived and reviewed security footage, which allegedly showed that Jackson had pushed her boyfriend twice.

Entertainment & Arts

Miley Cyrus youngest ever honored as a Disney Legend, ‘No such thing as failure when you try’

Miley Cyrus was honored as one of the 2024 Disney Legends at this year’s D23 fan event. The former “Hannah Montana” star became the youngest person to receive the honor.

Aug. 13, 2024

Jackson was arrested at 5:50 p.m. and was booked at 6:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s jail records. Her bail was set for $20,000 and she was cited and released a few hours later.

The “Bubble Guppies” voice actor and her boyfriend reportedly both denied getting physical during the incident and Jackson allegedly claimed that they are happily engaged and expecting a baby together.

Hollywood Inc.

Disney television unit hit with 140 layoffs, including cuts at National Geographic

The cuts at Disney Entertainment Television will reportedly affect National Geographic, Freeform and local television stations, as well as marketing and publicity teams.

July 31, 2024

A representative for Jackson did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.

Sheriff’s officials said the investigation is ongoing and will be sent to the Van Nuys Superior Court for filing.

More to Read

‘NCIS’ actor Gabriel Olds charged with 7 felony sexual assault counts amid LAPD investigation

Aug. 8, 2024

Travis Scott charged with disorderly intoxication and trespassing after ‘misunderstanding’

June 20, 2024

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seen on video chasing, kicking, dragging then-girlfriend Cassie at L.A. hotel

May 17, 2024

The complete guide to home viewing

Get Screen Gab for everything about the TV shows and streaming movies everyone’s talking about.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Fast Break Desk at the Los Angeles Times. She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows.

More From the Los Angeles Times

The kidnapped heiress who became an ‘urban guerrilla’ and embraced her captors

A California hospital told her family she left. Her body was found in cold storage months later, lawsuit says

Tom Girardi’s underlings warned of likely criminal charges, federal agent testifies

Science & Medicine

See COVID’s toll on California’s life expectancy in new CDC longevity report

Advertisement

Trump Escalates Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric With ‘Poisoning the Blood’ Comment

When asked about immigration in a recent interview, the former president used language with echoes of white supremacy and Hitler.

• Share full article

By Trip Gabriel

• Oct. 5, 2023

Former President Donald J. Trump said undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” in a recent interview, language with echoes of white supremacy and the racial hatreds of Adolf Hitler.

Mr. Trump made the remark in a 37-minute video interview with The National Pulse, a right-leaning website, that was posted last week. It drew broader scrutiny on Wednesday after the liberal MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan surfaced the quote in a post on X.

Other commentators went on to point out that Mr. Trump’s attack invoked a theme of Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto “Mein Kampf,” in which the Nazi Party leader railed about what he claimed was the impurity of immigrants, Jews and interracial couples.

In the interview , Mr. Trump was asked about immigration and the Southern border.

He replied: “Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions and insane asylums. We know they’re terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country. It’s so bad, and people are coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have.”

At campaign rallies, Mr. Trump has repeated that leaders of unspecified South American countries were releasing patients from mental hospitals to send as migrants to the United States, but fact checkers have found no evidence for the claim .

Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, called Mr. Trump’s comments racist and xenophobic. “Insinuating that immigrants are ‘poisoning the blood of our country’ echoes nativist talking points and has the potential to cause real danger and violence,’’ Mr. Greenblatt said in a statement. “We have seen this kind of toxic rhetoric inspire real-world violence before in places like Pittsburgh and El Paso. It should have no place in our politics, period.”

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .