what am i good at essay

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8 Steps To Help You Answer The Question “What Am I Good At?”

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Asking yourself, “What am I good at?” is key to finding a career that fits your strengths and interests. However, it can be surprisingly difficult to identify what you are good at for yourself.

Whether you’re choosing an occupation for the first time or are considering a career change, keep reading. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to confidently answer, “What am I good at?” as well as how to use that information to find the right job for you.

Key Takeaways:

Understanding the skills that help you thrive and feel empowered is key to knowing what you are good at.

Keep an open mind when thinking about your strengths because sometimes they may be skills you have never considered before.

Knowing what you are good at is different than what you are passionate about because your passions are not necessarily something you have skills in.

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How to answer the question “What am I good at?”

“what are you good at” examples, why knowing your strengths is important, what you’re good at vs. what you’re passionate about, “what am i good at” faq, final thoughts, ask the experts.

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To answer the question, “What am I good at?” you need to think about what tasks you’ve succeeded at doing, what comes naturally to you, and what others compliment you for. A big part of identifying what you are good at doing is thinking about it from different angles and keeping an open mind.

Think about what skills have helped you thrive. Think about your past work, volunteer , and education experiences . What tasks did you do well, and which ones did you enjoy the most? Think about situations that challenged you — which ones were you able to get through that made you feel the most accomplished or earned you recognition?

If there’s a common thread between any of these tasks or skills, you might consider pursuing them and finding an industry or position those skills are suited for.

For example, if you feel particularly energized by participating in fundraisers and you just happen to be a natural leader , perhaps you would have a fantastic career working as a fundraising coordinator .

Consider which activities or skills make you feel empowered. Sometimes our strengths do exactly what they’re meant to do — they make us feel strong and help us succeed. Think about what tasks you do when you feel stressed or overwhelmed and you just want to feel like you’re in control again.

Try to take notice of the times when you feel invigorated or successful — those moments might be the product of you putting your natural talents to use.

What comes to you naturally? It’s easy to overlook our natural talents, especially if you think that everyone can do them or if you just shrug it off as something you’ve always been able to do — just because something comes naturally to you doesn’t mean it comes easy to others, or that your talents aren’t valuable.

When you naturally do something well, it’s easy to unintentionally ignore it. Keep your ears open for compliments that you usually deflect — they may be the key to finding out what your underlying superpowers are.

Notice how you spend your free time. Thinking about your hobbies and the activities you naturally find yourself doing is a great way to figure out your natural strengths and skills.

Over the course of a week, think about five things that you enjoy doing and think about why you like them. Write them down and take note of specific tasks and why they’re fulfilling for you.

For example, if you set aside time every week to write for an hour , and you have a blog that you regularly update with your creative writing and op-ed pieces, then perhaps your natural talents are your abilities to prioritize your time, tap into your creativity , and work autonomously.

What were you good at as a child? Think about activities and hobbies you enjoyed when you were younger that came to you easily — they may reveal an innate talent.

For example, did you enjoy writing one-act plays and performing them in front of your first-grade class? If so, then maybe you should pursue a career in playwriting, stage direction, or acting.

Ask others what you are good at. A great way to figure out your natural strengths is to ask others. Ask people who know you well and who you trust what they think you’re good at.

Talk to friends, family members, coworkers, and former supervisors or professors. Ask them about what they think your strengths are, when they’ve seen you thriving, and which careers they think would fit your personality and natural talents and why.

It can be hard to step back and take an objective assessment of ourselves; an outside opinion might help you start looking at yourself a little differently.

Look for patterns. When asking others about what they think are your strong suits and taking note of what skills you use in your spare time, pay attention to any characteristics or strengths that are mentioned frequently by others or that you notice you spend a lot of time doing.

The skills and hobbies that come up the most frequently are probably your strongest areas. Some of these strengths may be related — if so, try to think of jobs in which these skills could work together.

For example, if a lot of your friends say that you have a keen eye for detail and you notice that you spend a lot of time organizing things in your room, perhaps you could have a fulfilling career as an art curator or designer .

Keep an open mind. Some of the feedback you hear from the people you ask about your strengths might surprise you, and that’s okay. Don’t dismiss aspects of your personality that you had never considered to be strengths before — these unexpected qualities could help you succeed in a job or industry that you’ve never even considered exploring.

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Sometimes it can be difficult to identify things you are good at. When you have a set of skills your whole life, you may not realize that they don’t come as easily to other people. So, here are a few examples of answers to the question, “What are some things I do well?”

What are you good at?” answer examples

Leading others Organizing information Cooking Organizing items Researching Finding efficient ways to do things Teaching others how to do something new Solving problems and puzzles Asking good questions Calming people down Budgeting Painting/drawing/molding Negotiating Grammar Coming up with stories Telling stories Math Reading Taking care of kids Keeping track of details Communicating with many different types of people Understanding contracts Vizualizing future projects Graphs and charts Hospitality Coming up with creative ideas Adapting to new situations Physical strength Building things Designing spaces Empathy Writing Persuading people Being trustworthy Making good decisions under pressure Managing money

It’s important to know your strengths because when you’re naturally good at something, there’s a higher chance you’ll enjoy doing it. While a successful career requires a good deal of perseverance no matter what your strengths are, natural aptitude can make the road to the top much easier.

Of course, it also helps if you’re passionate about your field and your role. But when it’s easier to succeed on a daily basis, you’ll have an easier time staying motivated — hopefully, passion or the drive to improve upon your natural strengths carries you from there.

The things you’re good at may not immediately seem to be relevant to a profession. But with a closer look, you’ll find that seemingly irrelevant skills and talents can be significant in developing as a professional.

In a perfect world, what we’re good at and what we’re passionate about would always align perfectly, but they don’t.

While a good amount of overlap typically exists between the two, it’s important to differentiate the meanings. This is so that you avoid entering a career field that you’re very passionate about, only to discover that your talents don’t really thrive there, and vice versa.

Here are some ways to tell the difference between what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about:

What you’re good at

Natural ability. Whether you like doing it or not, there is some area where you’re naturally efficient or effective at performing certain tasks, handling situations, or applying knowledge. While you’ll still struggle sometimes, you’ll generally improve at a faster pace than others.

Knowledge-based. Most knowledge is learned, but if you’re good at something, you’ll be able to educate yourself on that subject relatively easily. You’ll also be able to easily build on that knowledge with your own ideas.

You’re recognized for it. If you’re applying your skills, you won’t be able to hide your natural talent. People will recognize, appreciate, and comment on things you’re good at without you bringing it up. Don’t feel bad about this; it’s not arrogance to accept praise and lean into your strengths.

What you’re passionate about

Skill level is unimportant. Your passions aren’t necessarily things you’re proficient in. You can be passionate about basketball, for example, without knowing how to play. That’s why following your passion alone isn’t the best recipe for choosing a career path — you need to take your talents into consideration as well.

Interest-based. When you’re passionate about a topic or activity, you’ll naturally want to spend time learning about it or participating it. You find it interesting and enjoyable, even if you don’t necessarily have a lot of experience in it.

Intrinsically motivated. You’ll be happy to do something you’re passionate about whether you’re recognized for it or not. The enjoyment you get from performing a certain task is worth more than any external reward, whether that’s a paycheck or praise.

What if I’m not good at anything?

If you do not feel like you are good at anything, first change your mindset. It is likely that your perspective of yourself is distorted, which is normal.

Many people struggle to self-reflect and be objective about themselves. Try to reframe certain habits to see if you can discover skills within them. Also, it can help to ask others to get an outside perspective.

What if I am not passionate about anything?

Sometimes passions first come from being good at something, so you may need to work at developing your skills. Instead of focusing on current passions, realize that it takes effort to become good at something.

Once you become good at something, then you might start to enjoy it more, which in turn makes you pursue it more, making you even better and even more passionate. In short, you can start a feedback loop with hard work can come skills that can lead to passions.

Is it better to be good or passionate about something?

It would be great to be both good and passionate about something. However, this is not always the case. In this situation, you need to consider your values. Are you willing to struggle at something because you are passionate, or would you prefer to do something that is easier for you?

If you want to improve your situation, work to improve your skills at your passion, but also understand your limitations.

What should I be good at?

What you should be good at depends on your needs. If you have financial needs, then you will want to be good at something that can make you money. However, you may have other needs, such as social or emotional needs, in which case you will want to focus on skills and experiences that can help you in these realms.

How can I find out what I am good at?

You can find out what you’re good at by asking others, noticing what comes easily to you, and taking personality or aptitude tests. Ask those close to you what they believe your strengths are, as they might recognize talents that you overlooked.

In addition, think through what comes easily to you — you might be surprised at how many skills you’ve taken for granted that others struggle with. Finally, take an aptitude or personality test. Don’t take their word on everything, but these tests can help you identify strengths you might be overlooking.

If you’re trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life, figuring out what it is that you’re good at is a great place to start.

You might find that your hobbies are actually valuable strengths that you can use to start a career path, or you might learn that you have a talent you never even noticed before.

Once you’ve determined what your strengths are, look at the required skill section on job listings that you think may interest you. If you find that your strengths align with the needs of a job that appeals to you, you may just find your future dream job .

Tips From An Expert To Answer The Question “What Am I Good At?”

Elisabeth Donatella Certified Coaching Practitioner

Consider what your “anchoring belief” is–the way I define an “anchoring belief”: a belief you hold about yourself and your abilities that you know with certainty to be true. For example: let’s say that you believe you are good at writing. You know this, without a shadow of a doubt, because you’ve written several articles in the past that have received lots of positive attention from people in your life, been featured in a publication, or maybe they just conveyed exactly what you were thinking and what message you wanted to get across that you felt so proud of them. When you believe something this strongly, the belief is unshakable–no matter how many people tell you, “your writing isn’t good,” it won’t matter, because you don’t believe them. You KNOW that you’re a talented writer . Remember, it’s a very normal, human response to feel an immediate sense of panic, confusion, frustration, or anxiety when we’re asked deeper questions that really get us to think. Considering our “anchoring belief” will help ground us and will help point us in the right direction.

Consider the things you enjoyed doing in previous jobs. If you haven’t had a job yet, that’s OK! You can still consider the things you enjoyed doing in school, in an internship , or even with your friends. Are you the extroverted friend in your group who loves planning all of your outings? You might want to consider looking into Event Planning. Did you really enjoy making sense of the spreadsheets on your team? You might want to consider a job in accounting or finance.

What’s something you can’t stop talking about? If you find yourself able to talk for hours about a specific topic, that may be a great indicator for a career path! Let’s say that you already know a lot about health and nutrition and find yourself talking with your friends and family about the ways in which they can improve their quality of life through a nutrition plan or workout program. You might want to consider a job in the health and wellness space!

Take a look at your resume . Are there any themes in the previous jobs you’ve had? Are there things that stick out to you very clearly that you could group into a list of “I-don’t-ever-want-to-do-that-again”? Remember that honestly identifying things that you don’t like is just as important as identifying the things that you do like.

Harvard Business Review – Know Your Strengths

University of Illinois – Assess Your Values, Interests, and Skills

Winona State University – Develop Your Strengths

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Maddie Lloyd was a writer for the Zippia Advice blog focused on researching tips for interview, resume, and cover letter preparation. She's currently a graduate student at North Carolina State University's department of English concentrating in Film and Media Studies.

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• What Am I Good At

The New York Times

The learning network | what are you good at.

What Are You Good At?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

• See all Student Opinion »

A teenager in Connecticut has come to be in high demand as an interior decorator and is regarded as something of a “rising star,” according to a profile in the Times’s Home and Garden section. What are your talents and skills? What products or services might you be able to provide, either free of charge, or for a fee?

The article “Sam Allen, Teenage Decorator” by Steven Kurutz looks at the 19-year-old’s career and how he got his start:

Mr. Allen landed his first real client two years ago, when his father, Lloyd, who runs a farmstand in Westport, overheard a customer saying she wanted to turn a nanny suite into a playroom for her daughters. “I go over, meet the woman, she tells me her wants and needs, and I tell her my vision,” Mr. Allen recalled. “I was hired on the spot.” He turned the nanny’s drab kitchenette into a candy station with a hot-pink mini-fridge, he said, and added bunk beds and a zebra-stripe rug. By charging less than other designers (his initial rate was $20 an hour, though he now charges $100) and posting photos of his work on Facebook, Mr. Allen secured more jobs. In the beginning, most of them involved decorating children’s rooms.

Students: Tell us what you are good at. How and when did you first realize you had this aptitude or knack? How do you use your skills and talents? How have your peers and adults reacted to your abilities? Are you passionate about the things you are good at? Can you put your skills in service of others, either on a volunteer basis or to build a business, as Mr. Allen has?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

I am good at graphic design and motion design. I am very passionate about this and noticed I was good at it when I was 12. I want to be an animator some day.

I am good at the computer. I first realized this when I was in third grade. I use my talents to make PowerPoint’s for school stuff and help the teachers out when I can. I think that my friends respect my ability because they always ask me to help them.

I think I would have to say I am good at is basketball. I have played sience I was 6 and it has been my passion ever sience. Basketball has always took a place in my heart and never left. When ever I am on the court, I feel like I’m in my own world and it’s just amazing. The reson I’m good at is tho, is because when I play, I always strive the extra mile, and good for me, is never good enough.

I really don’t know in what I’m good at yet, I like to do a lot of things and one of them can be sewing. I am really passionate about what I do and i know I’m really good at it too.

Im good at drawing and socializing I first relized it when I started drawing when I was almost 8 I think and I realized that im good at socializing when people tell me I talk alot. I used my drawing skill for my enjoyment and socializing skills help me meet new people and make new friends. My peers have told me im good at both of them and that I do them very often. Im passionate about them because I enjoy them alot and it helps me think. If I put them to use I could draw portraits of people or I can help talk and debate with my socializing skills.

In my opinion, I am good at playing the guitar. I think this because when i started playing, it came natural to me. I learned how to play my first song within a week of playing. I am passionate about the guitar because I think that it is one of the most fun instruments to play and not many people can play it. I think that it is a great skill to have and is a fun one at that!

I am good at a few different things but, I would like to overall talk about how I’m good at sports. I first realized that I was good at sports when my friends and coaches told me I was good. I am very passionate about the sports i play and I’m very competitive and when I’m playing sports I don’t think about anything else.

I think one of the things I’m good at is being very organized and clean. I realized this when I used to share a room with my sister I couldn’t sleep until my room was spotless and clean. I use my skills I guess you would say, to keep my room clean. My mom is happy because she doesn’t have to worry about my room or the house being messy most of the time because I’m home most of the time. I like being organized because it makes me and my house not look like a mess. Well, if I really wanted to, I could make a cleaning business.

I am a extremely good game rand I realized this when i got my first xbox and started to play several diffrent types of games.sometimes I just use these talents to play some tournaments or to just simply have fun.I wouldnt say im really passionate about my skills but I do like how im good at alot of games.My friends did not really react to it nor did my parents.

I’m good at a lot of things (with the “a lot” italicized). I play 4 instruments very well. I am the best golfer in my school and have excelled in math. I also started swimming recently and am very good at it too. I realized these talents around the time between 6th and 7th grade. I am very passionate of my talents and my peers encourages me to do what I want and use my talents everyday.

I am an avid musician. I started taking piano, violin lessons since I was five years old or so but I learned to play guitar by myself as I found the lesson by experts useless. I am exuberant most when I play Taylor Swift’s songs both on piano and guitar in my leisure time.

Moreover, I am an ardent artist as well. When I joined drama club, I realized that I was truly passionate about performing whether it is in front of the class or on the stage. I love every aspects relating to performing from writing the play to participating in the musicals although it means more responsibility, dedication and less hanging out, less TV.

To put my skills in service of others, my friends and I are making a plan to organize Christmas party for the orphans and disadvantaged children. We will be playing music, performing a short play relating to Christmas and organizing some activities and games for the children.

I have become really good at math. I use to have trouble with math, I could never understand what to do, now though I can do really complicated problems with extreme ease.

I think I’m good at procrastinating. I found out I was good at this because of school. I use them to forget about homework and do it at the last minute or not at all. They have been angry. I am very passionate about it. No, I cannot use this skill to help others.

i good at mma

I am good with cars because they are my passion. I can name any car that drives by me on the road. I can also build cars from the ground up, I know all about engines, paint, and body work.

the one thing im good at is makeing friends i am very socale person.i first relized this in first grade whe i became friends with eveyone in my class.

I feel that I am great at soccer. I have played the sport ever since I was five years old and have played it every year of my life. I am 18 years old right now and continue to play. I played in the senior all-star game this year and even ended making first team. I am hoping to play club soccer at college next year. I think what makes me really good at the sport though is that I played it and excelled in it within a football-dominated community. It’s not an easy thing to do. The town I come from is football crazy. Just about everyone here has played or is playing football. Every single one of my friends that plays a fall sport plays football. I am the one of the very few kids who hasn’t played a single year of football and instead has played soccer every single year of his life. The community I live in and the surrounding communities offer very little for soccer players. I don’t get a lot of recognition for what I do and it really bothers me because a great athlete who plays football will receive tons of recognition and respect while I don’t receive nearly the same amount of recognition and respect even though I am just as good of an athlete as they are. I think that I am great at soccer because I have played it for as long as I have and have gotten extremely good at it with little support. It’s one of those things that not many people can do.

I try to find something im really good at but i think im just to young to find my true calling.

What I am good at. I was fighting Mixed Martial Arts for 3 years but i recently had to stop due to my knees.

I am good at many things. One thing that I am good at is organizing events. Last year I was in a club that wanted to do fund raising. I knew exactly what we were going to do. When we had the event It was terrific and we made alot of money.

I am good at softball. I realize that i was good at this sport is when i was playing tee ball. How i realized that was when my coach told me that i could hurt someone really bad with my throw. Which made me sad but then he said i have a strong throw and i could throw to first base from the outfield. I use this skill when i am playing with my friends or when the season begins each spring, winter and winter clinics.

I am good at football, basketball, baseball, video games, and making friends.

I am good at playing video games reading books and runing out side with my friends.

Im good at a few weird thing. i like to be unique so i do not try the things other people do. Im good at balancing on my head. im good at burping really loud. I dont know what else to say. so yeah.

im good at boxing

What's Next

9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts  can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped.  So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
• What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
• Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.  

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question. 

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

• What is your background? Family, finances, school.
• What was challenging about that background?
• What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers.  Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

• Intro to main essay prompt.
• Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
• Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

 You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths.  Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too.  You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this. 

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

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College admissions

Course: college admissions   >   unit 4.

• Writing a strong college admissions essay
• Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes
• Brainstorming tips for your college essay
• How formal should the tone of your college essay be?
• Taking your college essay to the next level
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Writing tips and techniques for your college essay

Pose a question the reader wants answered, don't focus exclusively on the past, experiment with the unexpected, don't summarize, want to join the conversation.

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• What is an essay? 

What makes a good essay?

Typical essay structure, 7 steps to writing a good essay, a step-by-step guide to writing a good essay.

Whether you are gearing up for your GCSE coursework submissions or looking to brush up on your A-level writing skills, we have the perfect essay-writing guide for you. 💯

Staring at a blank page before writing an essay can feel a little daunting . Where do you start? What should your introduction say? And how should you structure your arguments? They are all fair questions and we have the answers! Take the stress out of essay writing with this step-by-step guide – you’ll be typing away in no time. 👩‍💻

What is an essay?

Generally speaking, an essay designates a literary work in which the author defends a point of view or a personal conviction, using logical arguments and literary devices in order to inform and convince the reader.

So – although essays can be broadly split into four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive – an essay can simply be described as a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. 🤔

The purpose of an essay is to present a coherent argument in response to a stimulus or question and to persuade the reader that your position is credible, believable and reasonable. 👌

So, a ‘good’ essay relies on a confident writing style – it’s clear, well-substantiated, focussed, explanatory and descriptive . The structure follows a logical progression and above all, the body of the essay clearly correlates to the tile – answering the question where one has been posed. 

But, how do you go about making sure that you tick all these boxes and keep within a specified word count? Read on for the answer as well as an example essay structure to follow and a handy step-by-step guide to writing the perfect essay – hooray. 🙌

Sometimes, it is helpful to think about your essay like it is a well-balanced argument or a speech – it needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question in a coherent manner. ⚖️

Of course, essays can vary significantly in length but besides that, they all follow a fairly strict pattern or structure made up of three sections. Lean into this predictability because it will keep you on track and help you make your point clearly. Let’s take a look at the typical essay structure:  

#1 Introduction

Start your introduction with the central claim of your essay. Let the reader know exactly what you intend to say with this essay. Communicate what you’re going to argue, and in what order. The final part of your introduction should also say what conclusions you’re going to draw – it sounds counter-intuitive but it’s not – more on that below. 1️⃣

Make your point, evidence it and explain it. This part of the essay – generally made up of three or more paragraphs depending on the length of your essay – is where you present your argument. The first sentence of each paragraph – much like an introduction to an essay – should summarise what your paragraph intends to explain in more detail. 2️⃣

#3 Conclusion

This is where you affirm your argument – remind the reader what you just proved in your essay and how you did it. This section will sound quite similar to your introduction but – having written the essay – you’ll be summarising rather than setting out your stall. 3️⃣

No essay is the same but your approach to writing them can be. As well as some best practice tips, we have gathered our favourite advice from expert essay-writers and compiled the following 7-step guide to writing a good essay every time. 👍

#1 Make sure you understand the question

#2 complete background reading.

#3 Make a detailed plan 

#4 Write your opening sentences 

#5 flesh out your essay in a rough draft, #6 evidence your opinion, #7 final proofread and edit.

Now that you have familiarised yourself with the 7 steps standing between you and the perfect essay, let’s take a closer look at each of those stages so that you can get on with crafting your written arguments with confidence . 

This is the most crucial stage in essay writing – r ead the essay prompt carefully and understand the question. Highlight the keywords – like ‘compare,’ ‘contrast’ ‘discuss,’ ‘explain’ or ‘evaluate’ – and let it sink in before your mind starts racing . There is nothing worse than writing 500 words before realising you have entirely missed the brief . 🧐

Unless you are writing under exam conditions , you will most likely have been working towards this essay for some time, by doing thorough background reading. Re-read relevant chapters and sections, highlight pertinent material and maybe even stray outside the designated reading list, this shows genuine interest and extended knowledge. 📚

#3 Make a detailed plan

Following the handy structure we shared with you above, now is the time to create the ‘skeleton structure’ or essay plan. Working from your essay title, plot out what you want your paragraphs to cover and how that information is going to flow. You don’t need to start writing any full sentences yet but it might be useful to think about the various quotes you plan to use to substantiate each section. 📝

Having mapped out the overall trajectory of your essay, you can start to drill down into the detail. First, write the opening sentence for each of the paragraphs in the body section of your essay. Remember – each paragraph is like a mini-essay – the opening sentence should summarise what the paragraph will then go on to explain in more detail. 🖊️

Next, it's time to write the bulk of your words and flesh out your arguments. Follow the ‘point, evidence, explain’ method. The opening sentences – already written – should introduce your ‘points’, so now you need to ‘evidence’ them with corroborating research and ‘explain’ how the evidence you’ve presented proves the point you’re trying to make. ✍️

With a rough draft in front of you, you can take a moment to read what you have written so far. Are there any sections that require further substantiation? Have you managed to include the most relevant material you originally highlighted in your background reading? Now is the time to make sure you have evidenced all your opinions and claims with the strongest quotes, citations and material. 📗

This is your final chance to re-read your essay and go over it with a fine-toothed comb before pressing ‘submit’. We highly recommend leaving a day or two between finishing your essay and the final proofread if possible – you’ll be amazed at the difference this makes, allowing you to return with a fresh pair of eyes and a more discerning judgment. 🤓

If you are looking for advice and support with your own essay-writing adventures, why not t ry a free trial lesson with GoStudent? Our tutors are experts at boosting academic success and having fun along the way. Get in touch and see how it can work for you today. 🎒

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How to Write the Perfect Essay

06 Feb, 2024 | Blog Articles , English Language Articles , Get the Edge , Humanities Articles , Writing Articles

You can keep adding to this plan, crossing bits out and linking the different bubbles when you spot connections between them. Even though you won’t have time to make a detailed plan under exam conditions, it can be helpful to draft a brief one, including a few key words, so that you don’t panic and go off topic when writing your essay.

If you don’t like the mind map format, there are plenty of others to choose from: you could make a table, a flowchart, or simply a list of bullet points.

Discover More

Thanks for signing up, step 2: have a clear structure.

Think about this while you’re planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question.

Start with the basics! It’s best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs. Three main paragraphs is a good number for an exam essay, since you’ll be under time pressure. 

If you agree with the question overall, it can be helpful to organise your points in the following pattern:

• YES (agreement with the question)
• AND (another YES point)
• BUT (disagreement or complication)

If you disagree with the question overall, try:

• AND (another BUT point)

For example, you could structure the Of Mice and Men sample question, “To what extent is Curley’s wife portrayed as a victim in Of Mice and Men ?”, as follows:

• YES (descriptions of her appearance)
• AND (other people’s attitudes towards her)
• BUT (her position as the only woman on the ranch gives her power as she uses her femininity to her advantage)

If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could include additional paragraphs under the YES/AND categories, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curley’s wife reveals her vulnerability and insecurities, and shares her dreams with the other characters. Alternatively, you could also lengthen your essay by including another BUT paragraph about her cruel and manipulative streak.

Of course, this is not necessarily the only right way to answer this essay question – as long as you back up your points with evidence from the text, you can take any standpoint that makes sense.

Step 3: Back up your points with well-analysed quotations

You wouldn’t write a scientific report without including evidence to support your findings, so why should it be any different with an essay? Even though you aren’t strictly required to substantiate every single point you make with a quotation, there’s no harm in trying.

A close reading of your quotations can enrich your appreciation of the question and will be sure to impress examiners. When selecting the best quotations to use in your essay, keep an eye out for specific literary techniques. For example, you could highlight Curley’s wife’s use of a rhetorical question when she says, a”n’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs.” This might look like:

The rhetorical question “an’ what am I doin’?” signifies that Curley’s wife is very insecure; she seems to be questioning her own life choices. Moreover, she does not expect anyone to respond to her question, highlighting her loneliness and isolation on the ranch.

Other literary techniques to look out for include:

• Tricolon – a group of three words or phrases placed close together for emphasis
• Tautology – using different words that mean the same thing: e.g. “frightening” and “terrifying”
• Parallelism – ABAB structure, often signifying movement from one concept to another
• Chiasmus – ABBA structure, drawing attention to a phrase
• Polysyndeton – many conjunctions in a sentence
• Asyndeton – lack of conjunctions, which can speed up the pace of a sentence
• Polyptoton – using the same word in different forms for emphasis: e.g. “done” and “doing”
• Alliteration – repetition of the same sound, including assonance (similar vowel sounds), plosive alliteration (“b”, “d” and “p” sounds) and sibilance (“s” sounds)
• Anaphora – repetition of words, often used to emphasise a particular point

Don’t worry if you can’t locate all of these literary devices in the work you’re analysing. You can also discuss more obvious techniques, like metaphor, simile and onomatopoeia. It’s not a problem if you can’t remember all the long names; it’s far more important to be able to confidently explain the effects of each technique and highlight its relevance to the question.

Step 4: Be creative and original throughout

Anyone can write an essay using the tips above, but the thing that really makes it “perfect” is your own unique take on the topic. If you’ve noticed something intriguing or unusual in your reading, point it out – if you find it interesting, chances are the examiner will too!

Creative writing and essay writing are more closely linked than you might imagine. Keep the idea that you’re writing a speech or argument in mind, and you’re guaranteed to grab your reader’s attention.

It’s important to set out your line of argument in your introduction, introducing your main points and the general direction your essay will take, but don’t forget to keep something back for the conclusion, too. Yes, you need to summarise your main points, but if you’re just repeating the things you said in your introduction, the body of the essay is rendered pointless.

Think of your conclusion as the climax of your speech, the bit everything else has been leading up to, rather than the boring plenary at the end of the interesting stuff.

To return to Of Mice and Men once more, here’s an example of the ideal difference between an introduction and a conclusion:

Introduction

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men , Curley’s wife is portrayed as an ambiguous character. She could be viewed either as a cruel, seductive temptress or a lonely woman who is a victim of her society’s attitudes. Though she does seem to wield a form of sexual power, it is clear that Curley’s wife is largely a victim. This interpretation is supported by Steinbeck’s description of her appearance, other people’s attitudes, her dreams, and her evident loneliness and insecurity.

Overall, it is clear that Curley’s wife is a victim and is portrayed as such throughout the novel in the descriptions of her appearance, her dreams, other people’s judgemental attitudes, and her loneliness and insecurities. However, a character who was a victim and nothing else would be one-dimensional and Curley’s wife is not. Although she suffers in many ways, she is shown to assert herself through the manipulation of her femininity – a small rebellion against the victimisation she experiences.

Both refer back consistently to the question and summarise the essay’s main points. However, the conclusion adds something new which has been established in the main body of the essay and complicates the simple summary which is found in the introduction.

Hannah is an undergraduate English student at Somerville College, University of Oxford, and has a particular interest in postcolonial literature and the Gothic. She thinks literature is a crucial way of developing empathy and learning about the wider world. When she isn’t writing about 17th-century court masques, she enjoys acting, travelling and creative writing. 

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Things I’m Good at

The author of this piece expresses their love for cooking and the satisfaction they feel when their loved ones enjoy their meals. They believe that cooking can be therapeutic and encourages using all five senses while preparing dishes. Following recipes can be helpful but ultimately, cooking with instinct and love is key. The author has been cooking since they were 16 and have learned different dishes and techniques to improve their skills. Cooking for family creates a special bond and the author believes love is the best ingredient for cooking.

There are lots of things that I can say I’m good at like swimming or painting but what I really love is cooking. Coking is my talent. I love to cook for my family and love ones.

It feels good when I see them satisfied and happy in what I cook for them. I think that’s the best part of all, they say it’s hard to mess up with kitchen but when you see people smile after they eat it’s really feels good and all the sweat and preparations is worth it. You just have to feel passionate about it, and don’t just cook to feed yourself, cook as a therapeutic activity, cooking can de-stress. Best way to be a good cook is to use all five of your senses – touch what u are making with clean hands of course, knead the dough don’t use a machine, our hands give out body heat and that actually works with the dough, smell the lovely aromas, see the ingredients turning into a meal, hear the spices crackling, and lastly taste the wonders u have created.

Furthermore, following recipes makes me feel like I am making a medicine or something, try a recipe from a book once, after that use the book for ingredients and go by instinct on the seasonings etc. I have cooked with my heart since I was 16 and now I think I am pretty good at it and learned different dishes and techniques to improve my cooking skills. I think one of the reasons why I love cooking is that it gives extra fulfillment for me. Knowing your family appreciates what you do and love is overwhelming.

Also, for me I think the best ingredient for cooking is love. Everything that you do no matter what it is will turn out great if you really love it. In addition, cooking for your family will create extra bond and special instead of eating in a restaurant or elsewhere. They say “the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” and I think it really works.

• Be good at something, Retrieved on December 08, 2006 at http://www.43things.com/things/view/66873

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• How to Improve Your Essay Writing Quickly: A Step-by-Step Guide

About the Author Stephanie Allen read Classics and English at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, and is currently researching a PhD in Early Modern Academic Drama at the University of Fribourg.

Whatever your brand of brilliance – whether you’re a physics genius, a sporting hero or (like me) a blinky, bookish type – there comes a point in most students’ academic careers when being good at life means being good at essays.

You should also read…

• Focus and Precision: How to Write Essays That Answer the Question
• How to Conquer Your Nightmare Subjects

As the subjects you study get more advanced and complex, you’re increasingly asked to think, evaluate, and have opinions where you once might have simply made calculations or learned definitions. In general, the further you progress through your education, the more rote learning will be replaced by the kind of analysis usually best demonstrated by essays. If by some miraculous feat you manage to avoid writing anything substantial at high school, it’s something you’ll almost certainly have to face at university – yes, even if you’re studying a science subject (although the essays won’t usually be quite as long). One way or another, essay writing comes to us all.

The likelihood is that at some point in the not-too-distant future (unless you are both incredibly reluctant and startlingly resourceful) you will have to write an essay, either in exam conditions or in your own time, that will count towards a final grade in some way. If this is a scary prospect for you, there’s good news and bad news. The bad thing about essay writing is that it’s not something – like French verbs, or the ability to run long distances – that miraculously gets better on its own if you just keep having a go. To improve at essay writing, students often need a paradigm shift: to figure out exactly what isn’t working, and why, and to learn and apply a new way of doing things. The good news, on the other hand, is that the individual skills required to write a strong essay are things you can learn, practise and improve in. This article is all about pinpointing what those skills might be, and giving you some suggestions as to how you might develop them. Not all these tips will work for all of you, but being good at essay writing, like being good at any other school-related discipline, is all about trying different things, and devising your own way of doing things.

Getting organised

Before you even start planning an essay, I’d recommend you sit down and have a quick think about how you want to do it. First, what resources will you need? The internet, or library books? This might affect where and how you decide to work: I have wasted a huge amount of time trying to find versions of articles on the internet that I knew were in books at the library, or procrastinating because I wanted to work at home rather than leaving the house. I would recommend taking yourself to a library ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Secondly, if you’re working from books or downloadable articles, can you afford to work somewhere without the internet? The absence of Facebook and Instagram will guarantee your concentration will be about a hundred times better, which will show in the quality of your work. Next, make a little timeline for your essay. Make a list of everything you want to read and try to get hold of all your material before you start. Think about how long you’re going to spend reading and researching, planning, and writing – leaving a day or two before the deadline to make any significant changes, or just in case things don’t go to plan. I’d recommend allotting 3 hours to read a 20-page article, and about a day to write 2000 words. This might sound like a silly amount of planning, but the point of it is this: hundreds of all-nighters have taught me that essay-writing becomes incredibly stressful and painful when you’re up against the clock, and a reader can tell immediately if something is rushed or dashed off at 2am on the day of the deadline. What’s more, you simply won’t have your best creative ideas under pressure. If you’ve got time, have a look at this – comically eighties and slightly cringey – video about creativity . A lot of what the speaker says about thinking and playfulness is, in my opinion, directly applicable to essay-writing.

Gathering information

Some teachers set reading lists for essays, or make suggestions about where students should look for information; others ask you to find sources yourself. Even if your teacher does prescribe reading, it’s always worth seeing whether you can find something extra that will add breadth, depth or a fresh perspective to your argument. However, it’s important to think carefully about whether a source is reliable and valuable.

What sort of sources should I use?

The most appropriate sources will vary from subject to subject. Here are some common ones: – Academic articles: These are essays by scholars at universities, and usually published in journals or as books. They are always useful, and can be found by looking in the library (ask your teacher for recommendations!), having a poke around Google Scholar, or, if your school has a subscription, on the website JSTOR.org. Search for key words and phrases and see what comes up. – Newspaper articles: might be useful evidence for an essay in History, but may not be detailed or scholarly enough for Biology. If you use a newspaper article or opinion piece, think about the factors that might bias it and include your thinking in your essay! – Wikipedia: a very useful starting-point, and an increasingly reliable resource. However, avoid referencing it: a teacher or examiner might not like it and may take against your essay. Instead, look at the reference section at the bottom of the article and see where the writer has gathered their information from. – Online blogs: in general, stay away from these, as you don’t know who’s written them and how valuable their opinion is, or how reliable their facts. The exceptions are blogs by well-known experts.

How should I take notes?

It might feel like the world’s greatest faff, but taking good notes from your sources will save you a huge amount of time when you come to plan and write your essay: – Type out notes as you read, rather than simply underlining or highlighting – thus you’ll have a summary of the most important chunks of essays ready to use when you plan, rather than having to trawl through whole documents again looking for quotations. – For this reason, if you think you might want to quote something, copy it out in the exact wording of the writer. – Type notes in a different colour for each new source you read. In order to engage intelligently with what you’ve read, you’ve got to remember who said what, what they meant by it, who they were fighting against and whether you agreed with them or not. Colours are a really helpful visual aid to doing this. – At the end of each new essay or article, write a few lines summarising the author’s main points, and whether or not you agree with them. N.B. Your critical engagement with the scholars and authors whose work you’ve read will count for a huge chunk of marks. This does not mean listing a load of names and rehearsing their arguments; nor does it mean disagreeing with everyone for the sake of it. Instead, think about whether or not what they’re arguing holds true in your experience – or compare them to each other.

Planning is the single most important step in writing a good essay, and, frustratingly, also the step that’s most often rushed or neglected by students. If your essays often get criticised for having poor structure or unclear lines of argument, chances are you need to practise your planning. I use the following step-by-step process to turn my notes into a good plan; you can try it too, and see if it works for you. 1) Re-read your notes a couple of times, and underline anything you think is particularly important, interesting, or relevant to the area of the topic you want to discuss. As far as possible, try and organise your thoughts into sections, and see if you can link ideas together. Tip: It might be that you’ve got two or three different ideas for a topic, and you’re not sure which to go with: in this case, you can use a couple of different spider diagrams to see which works best. Where do the ideas link together most easily, or fall together into neat sections? Which question would you be able to answer most fully? 2) Sit back and look at your diagram(s), perhaps alongside your notes, and work out the main ‘point’ or conclusion you want to make in your essay. The best essays are characterised by a clear line of argument throughout – I don’t really buy the idea that essays should present both sides of a question. I always decide what I’m trying to say ; the point I want to conclude with, before I start. Now, the job you’ve got in writing the essay is to set this conclusion up. 3) Work backwards, using the links you’ve made on your spider diagram: what do you need to argue or show to make your point? Jot these ‘points’ down in a couple of words each. This forms the beginnings of a skeleton for your essay. 4) Start to fill out your skeleton with information from your notes, and any extra ideas you might have. If you’re writing a literature essay, it’s CRUCIAL that you include some close analysis of passages to support your argument. Jot down the sentences that link these in to the greater structure. 5) Fill out your skeleton more and more, until it’s essentially a rough draft in bullet points. Every twist or nuance of your argument should be in there; every introductory and concluding sentence for every paragraph, making it explicit how this paragraph answers your question.

6) At this point, it’s very helpful if you can get someone (a friend or a parent will do) to read over your plan and see if it makes sense. Does everything follow? Is it all relevant? Your plan should be so complete that the person who reads it will immediately be able to spot any flaws. Move things around, add or delete to incorporate their criticism: it’s much easier to change something in bullet-point format than when it’s all written out properly. Don’t expect this process to be quick or easy. For a 1500-word essay, I usually write a plan of about three sides, and spend at least three hours making sure that before I put pen to paper, every kink in my argument is ironed out. The pay-off of doing it this way is that the writing process is short and easy – a case of joining up the dots, polishing bullet-points into sentences – much better than coming up with ideas and organising thoughts at the same time as finding the words to express them. Get better and better: If you struggle with structure or clarity, practise your planning! Give yourself a limited amount of time (say, two hours), pick three previous essay questions from an exam or coursework paper, and plan your answers as thoroughly as possible. Get your teacher to look over your plans when you’re done.

The ‘actual writing’-bit can be the most daunting and stressful part of the essay process, and is where most students get stuck. Here are some tried-and-tested solutions to common writing problems:

I can’t get started

It’s quite common to want your first sentence to be arresting, paradigm-shifting, to propel your reader headlong into your essay. However, this desire can be paralysing: one of the most stressful feelings in the world is that of staring at a blank page, thinking about the number of words you’ll need to fill it all up. The key to getting started is to just write something . Don’t worry about how good it is – get it down, and move on, and come back and change it when you’re well into your flow.

Writers’ block

Go back to your plan and make sure you know what you’re arguing. If you still can’t get the words out, try and write down what you want to say as simply as possible. Then move on to an easier section of the essay. Alternatively, you can try going for a walk, making a cup of tea or having a break.

It all feels a bit wrong…

Sometimes, in the process of writing, you’ll realise that you entirely disagree with two-days-ago you, and you don’t really believe in the argument you’re trying to make. If it is the case, go back to the drawing board. Don’t plough on regardless – a lack of conviction will show in your essay. Return to your plan, and see if you can use similar material but change the emphasis, and perhaps the odd bit of evidence, to produce a different argument.

Everyone has their own individual writing style: your might be as purple and flowery, or scientific and direct as you like (within reason). However you write, to get top marks, it’s crucial that you learn to be precise .

Style-wise, there are two poles of wrongness: vagueness, and over-complication. Of course, every subject has its particular vocabulary, and learning this will be crucial, and sharpen your analysis; but remember that little words are your friends too! Make sure that you know the exact meaning of each word you use. Crucially, make sure you know exactly what each word you’re using means, and think carefully about whether you’re applying it in the right context – remember that whoever is reading your essay will know better than you the meanings of zeugma, stagflation or symbiosis. Finally, don’t hide behind subject-specific vocabulary: make sure that you’re using terms to contribute to and develop your essay, and nothing of the flow is lost.

The boring stuff

– Get good at conventions like footnoting, and writing bibliographies. Examiners really do check these! – When you’ve finished, leave the essay for a day or two, and then re-read it. If possible, get someone to proofread for you. This way, you’ll avoid making lots of silly mistakes that threaten the clarity and flow of your essay.

Image credits: banner ; runner ; old library ; new library ; pens ; map ; parent ; tapping pencil ; egg . 

Essay Writing Tips: 10 Steps to Writing a Great Essay (And Have Fun Doing It!)

by Joe Bunting | 118 comments

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Do you dread essay writing? Are you looking for some essay tips that will help you write an amazing essay—and have fun doing it?

Lots of students, young and old, dread essay writing. It's a daunting assignment, one that takes research, time, and concentration.

It's also an assignment that you can break up into simple steps that make writing an essay manageable and, yes, even enjoyable.

These ten essay tips completely changed my writing process—and I hope that they can do the same for you.

Essay Writing Can Be Fun

Honestly, throughout most of high school and college, I was a mediocre essay writer.

Every once in a while, I would write a really good essay, but mostly I skated by with B's and A-minuses.

I know personally how boring writing an essay can be, and also, how hard it can be to write a good one.

However, toward the end of my time as a student, I made a breakthrough. I figured out how to not only write a great essay, I learned how to have fun while doing it . 

And since then, I've become a professional writer and have written more than a dozen books. I'm not saying that these essay writing tips are going to magically turn you into a writer, but at least they can help you enjoy the process more.

I'm excited to share these ten essay writing tips with you today! But first, we need to talk about why writing an essay is so hard.

Why Writing an Essay Is So Hard

When it comes to essay writing, a lot of students find a reason to put it off. And when they tackle it, they find it difficult to string sentences together that sound like a decent stance on the assigned subject.

Here are a few reasons why essay writing is hard:

• You'd rather be scrolling through Facebook
• You're trying to write something your teacher or professor will like
• You're trying to get an A instead of writing something that's actually good
• You want to do the least amount of work possible

The biggest reason writing an essay is so hard is because we mostly focus on those external  rewards like getting a passing grade, winning our teacher's approval, or just avoiding accusations of plagiarism.

The problem is that when you focus on external approval it not only makes writing much less fun, it also makes it significantly harder.

Because when you focus on external approval, you shut down your subconscious, and the subconscious is the source of your creativity.

The subconscious is the source of your creativity.

What this means practically is that when you're trying to write that perfect, A-plus-worthy sentence, you're turning off most of your best resources and writing skills.

So stop. Stop trying to write a good essay (or even a “good-enough” essay). Instead, write an interesting  essay, write an essay you think is fascinating. And when you're finished, go back and edit it until it's “good” according to your teacher's standards.

Yes, you need to follow the guidelines in your assignment. If your teacher tells you to write a five-paragraph essay, then write a five-paragraph essay! If your teacher asks for a specific type of essay, like an analysis, argument, or research essay, then make sure you write that type of essay!

However, within those guidelines, find room to express something that is uniquely you .

I can't guarantee you'll get a higher grade (although, you almost certainly will), but I can absolutely promise you'll have a lot more fun writing.

The Step-by-Step Process to Writing a Great Essay: Your 10 Essay Writing Tips

Ready to get writing? You can read my ten best tips for having fun while writing an essay that earns you the top grade, or check out this presentation designed by our friends at Canva Presentations .

1. Remember your essay is just a story.

Every story is about conflict and change, and the truth is that essays are about conflict and change, too! The difference is that in an essay, the conflict is between different ideas , and the change is in the way we should perceive those ideas.

That means that the best essays are about surprise: “You probably think it's one way, but in reality, you should think of it this other way.” See tip #3 for more on this.

How do you know what story you're telling? The prompt should tell you.

Any list of essay prompts includes various topics and tasks associated with them. Within those topics are characters (historical, fictional, or topical) faced with difficult choices. Your job is to work with those choices, usually by analyzing them, arguing about them, researching them, or describing them in detail.

2. Before you start writing, ask yourself, “How can I have the most fun writing this?”

It's normal to feel unmotivated when writing an academic essay. I'm a writer, and honestly, I feel unmotivated to write all the time. But I have a super-ninja, judo-mind trick I like to use to help motivate myself.

Here's the secret trick: One of the interesting things about your subconscious is that it will answer any question you ask yourself. So whenever you feel unmotivated to write your essay, ask yourself the following question:

“How much fun can I have writing this?”

Your subconscious will immediately start thinking of strategies to make the writing process more fun.

The best time to have your fun is the first draft. Since you're just brainstorming within the topic, and exploring the possible ways of approaching it, the first draft is the perfect place to get creative and even a little scandalous. Here are some wild suggestions to make your next essay a load of fun:

• Research the most surprising or outrageous fact about the topic and use it as your hook.
• Use a thesaurus to research the topic's key words. Get crazy with your vocabulary as you write, working in each key word synonym as much as possible.
• Play devil's advocate and take the opposing or immoral side of the issue. See where the discussion takes you as you write.

3. As you research, ask yourself, “What surprises me about this subject?”

The temptation, when you're writing an essay, is to write what you think your teacher or professor wants to read.

Don't do this .

Instead, ask yourself, “What do I find interesting about this subject? What surprises me?”

If you can't think of anything that surprises you, anything you find interesting, then you're not searching well enough, because history, science, and literature are all brimming   over with surprises. When you look at how great ideas actually happen, the story is always, “We used  to think the world was this way. We found out we were completely wrong, and that the world is actually quite different from what we thought.”

These pieces of surprising information often make for the best topic sentences as well. Use them to outline your essay and build your body paragraphs off of each unique fact or idea. These will function as excellent hooks for your reader as you transition from one topic to the next.

(By the way, what sources should you use for research? Check out tip #10 below.)

4. Overwhelmed? Write five original sentences.

The standard three-point essay is really made up of just five original sentences surrounded by supporting paragraphs that back up those five sentences. If you're feeling overwhelmed, just write five sentences covering your most basic main points.

Here's what they might look like for this article:

• Introductory Paragraph:  While most students consider writing an essay a boring task, with the right mindset, it can actually be an enjoyable experience.
• Body #1: Most students think writing an essay is tedious because they focus on external rewards.
• Body #2: Students should instead focus on internal fulfillment when writing an essay.
• Body #3: Not only will focusing on internal fulfillment allow students to have more fun, it will also result in better essays.
• Conclusion: Writing an essay doesn't have to be simply a way to earn a good grade. Instead, it can be a means of finding fulfillment.

After you write your five sentences, it's easy to fill in the paragraphs for each one.

Now, you give it a shot!

5. Be “source heavy.”

In college, I discovered a trick that helped me go from a B-average student to an A-student, but before I explain how it works, let me warn you. This technique is powerful , but it might not work for all teachers or professors. Use with caution.

As I was writing a paper for a literature class, I realized that the articles and books I was reading said what I was trying to say much better than I ever could. So what did I do? I quoted them liberally throughout my paper. When I wasn't quoting, I re-phrased what they said in my own words, giving proper credit, of course. I found that not only did this formula create a well-written essay, it took about half the time to write.

It's good to keep in mind that using anyone else's words, even when morphed into your own phrasing, requires citation. While the definition of plagiarism is shifting with the rise of online collaboration and cooperative learning environments, always  err on the side of excessive citation to be safe.

When I used this technique, my professors sometimes mentioned that my papers were very “source” heavy. However, at the same time, they always gave me A's.

To keep yourself safe, I recommend using a 60/40 approach with your body paragraphs: Make sure 60% of the words are your own analysis and argumentation, while 40% can be quoted (or text you paraphrase) from your sources.

Like the five sentence trick, this technique makes the writing process simpler. Instead of putting the main focus on writing well, it instead forces you to research  well, which some students find easier.

6. Write the body first, the introduction second, and the conclusion last.

Introductions are often the hardest part to write because you're trying to summarize your entire essay before you've even written it yet. Instead, try writing your introduction last, giving yourself the body of the paper to figure out the main point of your essay.

This is especially important with an essay topic you are not personally interested in. I definitely recommend this in classes you either don't excel in or care much for. Take plenty of time to draft and revise your body paragraphs before  attempting to craft a meaningful introductory paragraph.

Otherwise your opening may sound awkward, wooden, and bland.

7. Most essays answer the question, “What?” Good essays answer the “Why?” The best essays answer the “How?”

If you get stuck trying to make your argument, or you're struggling to reach the required word count, try focusing on the question, “How?”

For example:

• How did J.D. Salinger convey the theme of inauthenticity in  The Catcher In the Rye ?
• How did Napoleon restore stability in France after the French Revolution?
• How does the research prove girls really do rule and boys really do drool?

If you focus on how, you'll always have enough to write about.

8. Don't be afraid to jump around.

Essay writing can be a dance. You don't have to stay in one place and write from beginning to end.

For the same reasons listed in point #6, give yourself the freedom to write as if you're circling around your topic rather than making a single, straightforward argument. Then, when you edit and proofread, you can make sure everything lines up correctly.

In fact, now is the perfect time to mention that proofreading your essay isn't just about spelling and commas.

It's about making sure your analysis or argument flows smoothly from one idea to another. (Okay, technically this comprises editing, but most students writing a high school or college essay don't take the time to complete every step of the writing process. Let's be honest.)

So as you clean up your mechanics and sentence structure, make sure your ideas flow smoothly, logically, and naturally from one to the next as you finish proofreading.

9. Here are some words and phrases you don't want to use.

• You  (You'll notice I use a lot of you's, which is great for a blog post. However, in an academic essay, it's better to omit the second-person.)
• To Be verbs (is, are, was, were, am)

Don't have time to edit? Here's a lightning-quick editing technique .

A note about “I”: Some teachers say you shouldn't use “I” statements in your writing, but the truth is that professional, academic papers often use phrases like “I believe” and “in my opinion,” especially in their introductions.

10. It's okay to use Wikipedia, if…

Wikipedia is one of the top five websites in the world for a reason: it can be a great tool for research. However, most teachers and professors don't consider Wikipedia a valid source for use in essays.

Don't totally discount it, though! Here are two ways you can use Wikipedia in your essay writing:

• Background research. If you don't know enough about your topic, Wikipedia can be a great resource to quickly learn everything you need to know to get started.
• Find sources . Check the reference section of Wikipedia's articles on your topic. While you may not be able to cite Wikipedia itself, you can often find those original sources and cite them . You can locate the links to primary and secondary sources at the bottom of any Wikipedia page under the headings “Further Reading” and “References.”

You Can Enjoy Essay Writing

The thing I regret most about high school and college is that I treated it like something I had  to do rather than something I wanted  to do.

The truth is, education is an opportunity many people in the world don't have access to.

It's a gift, not just something that makes your life more difficult. I don't want you to make the mistake of just “getting by” through school, waiting desperately for summer breaks and, eventually, graduation.

How would your life be better if you actively enjoyed writing an essay? What would school look like if you wanted to suck it dry of all the gifts it has to give you?

All I'm saying is, don't miss out!

Looking for More Essay Writing Tips?

Looking for more essay tips to strengthen your essay writing? Try some of these resources:

• 7 Tips on Writing an Effective Essay
• Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

How about you? Do you have any tips for writing an essay?  Let us know in the  comments .

Need more grammar help?  My favorite tool that helps find grammar problems and even generates reports to help improve my writing is ProWritingAid . Works with Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, and web browsers. Also, be sure to use my coupon code to get 20 percent off: WritePractice20

Coupon Code:WritePractice20 »

Ready to try out these ten essay tips to make your essay assignment fun? Spend fifteen minutes using tip #4 and write five original sentences that could be turned into an essay.

When you're finished, share your five sentences in the comments section. And don't forget to give feedback to your fellow writers!

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Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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What am I good at? 25 valuable skills 🤩

• by thegrownupschool

What am I good at? 25 valuable skills –

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.  Here’s how it works .

What we're covering..

Introduction 👋

It can be difficult to talk about what you’re good at, and situations like job interviews can make it worse!

We’ve put together a list of 25 valuable skills that anyone can have.

Knowing what skills you have can help you to:

• Sell yourself in a job interview
• Build confidence
• Create a “ wall of wins “
• Answer skills questions in a job interview
• Decide what career path could be a good match for you
• Write an amazing CV
• Impress your colleagues/boss at work

Here are 25 valuable skills that anyone can have , for you to talk about in your next interview!

The best thing about it? These are transferable skills – so you can use them in any kind of situation!

Which of these skills are you the best at?

1. Teamwork 🤽‍♀️

Do you love being around other people ? Do you love making new friends ?

You might be great at teamwork –

Teamwork is everywhere – you can see teamwork in your everyday life, in all sorts of ways!

There are teams that play sports together .

There are people who work together in an office .

Even when you’re playing computer games with your friends , there’s teamwork involved!

Some people think teamwork is boring or too hard because they have to cooperate with other people who have different personalities or opinions than them.

This is why employers are soo desperate for people who can work successfully in a team !

2. Organisation 📆

Are you that person who is always on time for things?

Do you love planning things , and making “to do” lists ?

You might have great organisation skills –

Organisation is useful for every day life and it can be applied to any part of your life !

It’s not just keeping your desk clean and tidy-

Being organised doesn’t just help you – it can actually help other people too. Being an organised person can make things really straightforward for other people , and make their lives easier because you’ve got great attention to detail.

3. Presenting 💃

Can you speak confidently in front of a group of people?

Do you love being in the spotlight?

You might have great presenting skills ! –

The days of presenting from a printed paper are over .

No longer can you just stand in front of a group of people and read off your presentation. Even if you did, only about 20% of the people would remember what you said.

People have short attention spans nowadays and do not want to listen to someone reading off of a page.

If you’re a great presenter – confident, funny, engaging, and memorable – people will want to listen to you, which can benefit employers massively. This makes presenting skills really valuable to have!

4. Aiming high 🏔️

Are you the kind of person who always goes the extra mile ?

Do you have big goals/dreams/ambitions ?

Do you have a plan to reach those goals ?

You might be great at aiming high.

In life, if we don’t aim high and try to go the extra mile, how will we know what our full capabilities are ?

Have you ever tried something that terrified you at first , but then you did it and it turned out just fine? That is aiming high.        

Aiming high is a great skill to have, because it helps you to achieve more !

5. Problem solving 🕵️‍♀️💭

Do you love puzzles and challenges ?

Do you love helping other people ?

Are you the person everyone runs to when they need help with a problem ?

You might be great at problem solving!

Why is problem solving important? Because it improves our lives !

The world is full of problems , and very often the most successful people are the ones who are the best at solving them.

If you look at big businesses , they make a lot of money because they solve problems for people .

Businesses and workplaces are desperate to hire people who are brilliant at solving problems – because it will help them to solve problems for customers , and make money .

6. Communication 💬😎

Do you love talking to other people ?

Do you feel comfortable talking to anyone and everyone ?

You might be great at communication –

Communication skills are one of the most important tools in being successful at work.

Without them, relationships can be really difficult.

Being a good communicator can make you better at being:

• a team member
• friends with others
• a family member

7. Creativity 🎨

Do you love coming up with new ideas ?

Are you someone who “ thinks outside of the box ” and has a unique personality ?

You might be great at being creative –

We live in a world where creativity is needed more than ever.

The world and businesses are constantly changing , and to be able to adapt to change, you need to be creative .

Many people claim they aren’t creative because they don’t like drawing or painting . -Creativity isn’t limited to drawing and painting!

Creativity can be seen in any activity; from cooking , coming up with new ideas , building things, playing sports , and problem solving .

For people looking to develop their creativity, there are plenty of apps and websites that offer creative skills courses. For example. Skillshare offers hands-on courses to help you explore creativity through things like writing, music, drawing, painting, marketing, animation, social media, graphic design, and crafts.

8. Maths skills 👩‍🔬

Do you love numbers ?

Do you love spreadsheets and logic ?

In today’s society maths skills are SO valuable – they open the door to a lot of in-demand jobs, things like:

• engineering,
• software development,
• accounting , and finance .

Not only do maths skills offer great work opportunities – they can also help you manage your money!

9. Money management 💸

Money management skills have the potential to bring money into your pocket.

If you’re the kind of person who’s really good at:

• thinking before acting
• knowing where your money goes
• saving like crazy
• making money

then you’re in a great position to use those skills to benefit yourself and others.

If you master money management skills, you might be able to:

• Become more valuable to your employer
• Make money easily
• Avoid money problems
• Increase your chances of getting paid well
• Feel less stressed by avoiding money issues

10. Staying positive ☀️

There are soo many benefits to staying positive and seeing the good in every situation.

It is important to be able to find the silver lining when life throws you a curveball, because it can have a long-term impact on your mental health.

Being able to stay positive also makes you a great colleague, friend, and family member to be around.

Even if staying positive seems hard, there are ways that anybody can learn how to stay positive , even when faced with adversity.

If you struggle to feel positive, speaking to your doctor can help you find ways to feel better.

Apps like Headspace can give you tools like meditation, sleep stories, positive music, and exercise ideas to help you reduce stress, and feel more positive.

11. Decision making 🤔

You may not realize it, but decision making is also a really valuable skill to have.

We make decisions all the time, sometimes even without thinking! – A decision can be as simple as deciding what colour shirt to put on in the morning, or as complex as whether you should quit your job and start a business.

All these decisions are part of an interconnected web of decision-making, that ultimately contributes to how you spend your time.

A lot of people struggle with decisions, taking a lot of of time to make them.

If you’re someone who makes decisions easily – you’ll waste less time trying to figure out what to do, and spend more time achieving goals!

No matter how big or small – decision-making skills will benefit you, and help you navigate through life more easily.

12. Leadership 👩‍💼

One of the most important skills is leadership.

Leadership is where one person influences others, encouraging them to work as a group.

Leadership comes in different forms – you don’t need a leadership title, such as manager or CEO , to have leadership skills.

Leaders can come from any position within an organization – even those who don’t manage others.

If you have leadership skills, you can:

• encourage people to work better together
• influence people to support your aims
• create teams to reach goals

13. Analysis 🧐

Analysis skills are where you can take information, interpret it, and decide what to do with it.

Having analysis skills gives us an ability to work faster, more efficiently, and to produce better results.

Whether it’s analysis of how much money you’re spending – or helping your boss to analyse a business deal – having analysis skills means you can take advantage of opportunities, and avoid pitfalls before they arise.

With analysis skills, you’re able to make great decisions, and adapt as the world changes around you.

14. Resilience (overcoming challenges easily) 🧗‍♀️

It is important to be able to overcome challenges, and be a “resilient person”.

In both work and home life, lots and lots of challenges will get thrown at you.

Facing lots of challenges can be really overwhelming, and impact how you feel.

Being a resilient person means that no matter what gets thrown at you – you won’t let it affect you, and are determined to overcome the challenge.

Resilient people are more likely to achieve goals, because they don’t let challenges and difficult situations get in their way!

16. Innovation (making creative ideas happen!) 💭👩‍🎨

Being innovative means that not only do you find and come up with great ideas, you make them happen.

People want to work with innovators because they’re:

• not afraid to try new things
• have the drive to make exciting change happen
• good at improving things
• fantastic at having lots of great ideas

17. Persuasion 😏

Whether it’s persuading an interviewer to  give you a job , your boss to  give you a pay rise , or convincing your mates to  watch your favourite film  tonight – persuasion skills are  essential  to getting what you want out of life.

If you can convince other people to work with you or help you, it can make it a lot easier to achieve your goals!

18. Negotiation 🤝

Whether it’s negotiating for a pay rise, selling your car to someone, or even asking for a donation from someone you know – having negotiation skills can help you get what you want.

Negotiation skills can also be really helpful in team work or other problem solving scenarios. – Struggling to reach an agreement in a team?

Using your negotiation skills can help you to smooth over problems and build stronger connections with the people you work with.

19. Reading 📖

Reading is such an important skill because it helps you to learn!

These days, a LOT of information is written down. If you can read quickly and understand what you are reading, you can become a very quick learner.

If reading is something that you find difficult, audio book apps like Audible mean that you can still learn on-the-go, by having the books read to you!

20. Writing ✍️

Writing is such an important skill because it helps you to communicate!

These days, a LOT of information is written down.

If you can write quickly and clearly, you can build successful relationships online more easily.

21. Honesty 💖

Honesty is a valuable skill that we could all use to make our lives better.

This can be as simple as telling the truth when you’ve made a mistake, or as complicated as saying difficult things that other people need to hear.

In a world where honesty is not always encouraged, being an honest and reliable person can make you stand out from the crowd.

One of the biggest benefits of honesty is that it can help you build strong relationships with other people. If you give others your honest opinion in the right way, it can help people to respect you, and encourage them come to you for advice.

22. Researching 🔎

Are you the kind of person that loves googling things? Reading articles and studies?

Being a good researcher is great for finding useful information and learning things in an in-depth way.

If you’re someone who is good at researching, you might be:

• better at making decisions, because you research different points of view
• good at becoming an expert on topics, because you research things in an in-depth way
• great at finding useful information, or know places to get good information

23. Planning 📝

Planning skills are important because they make life more straight forward.

If you have a plan of action then you know exactly what you’re going to be doing and when you’re going to do it.

This can help get rid of stress and anxiety – if things are going wrong or getting out of hand, planning ahead will allow you to have solutions ready! – This saves time and stress.

24. Computer skills 💻

Computer skills are valuable because you can use them in almost any career.

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, computer skills are becoming more important.

If you have good computer skills, it could improve your employment opportunities, organise your home life, or even help you start your own business online!

Websites like Codeacademy can help you to develop your computer skills, by teaching you how to code for free!

25. Confidence 🕺

Whether it’s asking for a date or giving a presentation – being a confident person helps you to achieve goals more easily.

If you’re confident,  you’re more likely to :

• Try new things
• Reach your goals
• Try again when you fail
• Feel happy/satisfied

Some people can be naturally confident – but confidence is also a skill that can be learned. If you put some time and effort in – you can learn how to build confidence .

Conclusion 👍

So there are 25 valuable skills that anyone can be good at.

Take a look to see which ones you’re best at! Talking about what skills you can offer will put you in a great position for your career.

Similar articles to “What am I good at? 25 valuable skills” ⬇️

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How to find your dream job 🦸‍♀️

Interview questions to ask your interviewer – top 10 🎤

How to write an amazing CV/resume (with template!) 📜

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Privacy overview.

Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principle tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write a perfect "why this college" essay.

College Essays

Did you think you were all done pouring out your blood, sweat, and tears in written form for your personal statement , only to be faced with the "why this college?" supplemental essay? This question might seem simple but is in fact a crucial and potentially tricky part of many college applications. What exactly is the "why us?" essay trying to understand about you? And how do you answer this question without falling into its many pitfalls or making any rookie mistakes?

In this article, I'll explain why colleges want you to be able to explain why you are applying. I'll also discuss how to generate and brainstorm topics for this question and how to make yourself sound sincere and committed. Finally, we'll go over some "why this school?" essay do s and don't s.

This article is pretty detailed, so here's a brief overview of what we'll be covering:

Why Do Colleges Want You to Write a "Why Us?" Essay?

Two types of "why this college" essay prompts, step 1: research the school, step 2: brainstorm potential essay topics, step 3: nail the execution, example of a great "why this college" essay.

College admissions officers have to read an incredible amount of student work to put together a winning class, so trust me when I say that everything they ask you to write is meaningful and important .

The purpose of the "why us?" essay goes two ways. On one hand, seeing how you answer this question gives admissions officers a sense of whether you know and value their school .

On the other hand, having to verbalize why you are applying gives you the chance to think about what you want to get out of your college experience  and whether your target schools fit your goals and aspirations.

What Colleges Get Out Of Reading Your "Why This College?" Essay

Colleges want to check three things when they read this essay.

First, they want to see that you have a sense of what makes this college different and special.

• Do you know something about the school's mission, history, or values?
• Have you thought about the school's specific approach to learning?
• Are you comfortable with the school's traditions and the overall feel of student life here?

Second, they want proof that you will be a good fit for the school.

• Where do your interests lie? Do they correspond to this school's strengths?
• Is there something about you that meshes well with some aspect of the school?
• How will you contribute to college life? How will you make your mark on campus?

And third, they want to see that this school will, in turn, be a good fit for you.

• What do you want to get out of college? Will this college be able to provide that? Will this school contribute to your future success?
• What will you take advantage of on campus (e.g., academic programs, volunteer or travel opportunities, internships, or student organizations)?
• Will you succeed academically? Does this school provide the right rigor and pace for your ideal learning environment?

What You Get Out Of Writing Your "Why This College?" Essay

Throughout this process of articulating your answers to the questions above, you will also benefit in a couple of key ways:

It Lets You Build Excitement about the School

Finding specific programs and opportunities at schools you are already happy about will give you a grounded sense of direction for when you start school . At the same time, by describing what is great about schools that are low on your list, you'll likely boost your enthusiasm for these colleges and keep yourself from feeling that they're nothing more than lackluster fallbacks.

It Helps You Ensure That You're Making the Right Choice

Writing the "why us?" essay can act as a moment of clarity. It's possible that you won't be able to come up with any reasons for applying to a particular school. If further research fails to reveal any appealing characteristics that fit with your goals and interests, this school is likely not for you.

At the end of your four years, you want to feel like this, so take your "Why This College?" essay to heart.

The "why this college?" essay is best thought of as a back-and-forth between you and the college . This means that your essay will really be answering two separate, albeit related, questions:

• "Why us?": This is where you explain what makes the school special in your eyes, what attracted you to it, and what you think you'll get out of your experience there.
• "Why you?": This is the part where you talk about why you'll fit in at the school; what qualities, skills, talents, or abilities you'll contribute to student life; and how your future will be impacted by the school and its opportunities.

Colleges usually use one of these approaches to frame this essay , meaning that your essay will lean heavier toward whichever question is favored in the prompt. For example, if the prompt is all about "why us?" you'll want to put your main focus on praising the school. If the prompt instead is mostly configured as "why you?" you'll want to dwell at length on your fit and potential.

It's good to remember that these two prompts are simply two sides of the same coin. Your reasons for wanting to apply to a particular school can be made to fit either of these questions.

For instance, say you really want the chance to learn from the world-famous Professor X. A "why us?" essay might dwell on how amazing an opportunity studying with him would be for you, and how he anchors the Telepathy department.

Meanwhile, a "why you?" essay would point out that your own academic telepathy credentials and future career goals make you an ideal student to learn from Professor X, a renowned master of the field.

Next up, I'll show you some real-life examples of what these two different approaches to the same prompt look like.

Clarifying why you want to study with a particular professor in a specific department can demonstrate to college admissions staff that you've done your research on the school.

"Why Us?" Prompts

• Why [this college]?
• Why are you interested in [this college]?
• Why is [this college] a good choice for you?
• What do you like best about [this college]?
• Why do you want to attend [this college]?

Below are some examples of actual "why us?" college essay prompts:

• Colorado College : "Describe how your personal experiences with a particular community make you a student who would benefit from Colorado College’s Block Plan."
• Tufts University : " I am applying to Tufts because… "
• Tulane University : "Describe why you are interested in joining the Tulane community. Consider your experiences, talents, and values to illustrate what you would contribute to the Tulane community if admitted." (via the Common App )
• University of Michigan : "Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests?"
• Wellesley College : " When choosing a college, you are choosing an intellectual community and a place where you believe that you can live, learn, and flourish. We know that there are more than 100 reasons to choose Wellesley, but it's a good place to start. Visit the Wellesley 100 and select two items that attract, inspire, or celebrate what you would bring to our community. Have fun! Use this opportunity to reflect personally on what items appeal to you most and why. "

In a "why us?" essay, focus on the specific aspects of the school that appeal to you and how you will flourish because of those offerings.

"Why You?" Prompts

• Why are you a good match or fit for us?
• What are your interests, and how will you pursue them at [this college]?
• What do you want to study, and how will that correspond to our program?
• What or how will you contribute?
• Why you at [this college]?
• Why are you applying to [this college]?

Here are some examples of the "why you?" version of the college essay:

• Babson College : " A defining element of the Babson experience is learning and thriving in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives and interests. Please share something about your background, lived experiences, or viewpoint(s) that speaks to how you will contribute to and learn from Babson's collaborative community. "
• Bowdoin College : "Generations of students have found connection and meaning in Bowdoin's 'The Offer of the College.' ... Which line from the Offer resonates most with you? Optional: The Offer represents Bowdoin's values. Please reflect on the line you selected and how it has meaning to you." (via the Common App )

In a "why you?" essay, focus on how your values, interests, and motivations align with the school's offerings and how you'll contribute to campus life.

No matter how the prompt is worded, this essay is a give-and-take of what you and the college have to offer each other. Your job is to quickly zoom in on your main points and use both precision and detail to sound sincere, excited, and authentic.

How do you effectively explain the benefits you see this particular school providing for you and the contributions you will bring to the table as a student there? And how can you do this best using the small amount of space that you have (usually just one to two paragraphs)?

In this section, we'll go through the process of writing the "Why This College?" essay, step-by-step. First, I'll talk about the prep work you'll need to do. Next, we'll go through how to brainstorm good topics (and touch on what topics to avoid). I'll give you some tips on transforming your ideas and research into an actual essay. Finally, I'll take apart an actual "why us?" essay to show you why and how it works.

Before you can write about a school, you'll need to know specific things that make it stand out and appeal to you and your interests . So where do you look for these? And how do you find the details that will speak to you? Here are some ways you can learn more about a school.

In-Person Campus Visits

If you're going on college tours , you've got the perfect opportunity to gather information about the school. Bring a notepad and write down the following:

• Your tour guide's name
• One to two funny, surprising, or enthusiastic things your guide said about the school
• Any unusual features of the campus, such as buildings, sculptures, layout, history, or traditions

Try to also connect with students or faculty while you're there. If you visit a class, note which class it is and who teaches it. See whether you can briefly chat with a student (e.g., in the class you visit, around campus, or in a dining hall), and ask what they like most about the school or what has been most surprising about being there.

Don't forget to write down the answer! Trust me, you'll forget it otherwise—especially if you do this on multiple college visits.

Virtual Campus Visits

If you can't visit a campus in person, the next best thing is an online tour , either from the school's own website or from other websites, such as YOUniversityTV , CampusTours , or YouTube (search "[School Name] + tour").

You can also connect with students without visiting the campus in person . Some admissions websites list contact information for currently enrolled students you can email to ask one or two questions about what their experience of the school has been like.

Or if you know what department, sport, or activity you're interested in, you can ask the admissions office to put you in touch with a student who is involved with that particular interest.

If you can't visit a campus in person, request a video chat with admissions staff, a current student, or a faculty member to get a better sense of specific topics you might write about in your essay.

Alumni Interview

If you have an interview , ask your interviewer questions about their experience at the school and about what going to that school has done for them since graduation. As always, take notes!

College Fairs

If you have a chance to go to a college fair where your ideal college has representatives, don't just attend and pick up a brochure. Instead, e ngage the representatives in conversation, and ask them about what they think makes the school unique .  Jot down notes on any interesting details they tell you.

The College's Own Materials

Colleges publish lots and lots of different admissions materials—and all of these will be useful for your research. Here are some suggestions for what you can use. (You should be able to find all of the following resources online.)

Brochures and Course Catalogs

Read the mission statement of the school; does its educational philosophy align with yours? You should also read through its catalogs. Are there any programs, classes, departments, or activities that seem tailor-made for you in some way?

Pro Tip: These interesting features you find should be unusual in some way or different from what other schools offer. For example, being fascinated with the English department isn't going to cut it unless you can discuss its unusual focus, its world-renowned professors, or the different way it structures the major that appeals to you specifically.

Alumni Magazine

Are any professors highlighted? Does their research speak to you or connect with a project you did in high school or for an extracurricular?

Sometimes alumni magazines will highlight a college's new focus or new expansion. Does the construction of a new engineering school relate to your intended major? There might also be some columns or letters written by alumni who talk about what going to this particular school has meant to them. What stands out about their experiences?

School or Campus Newspaper

Students write about the hot issues of the day, which means that the articles will be about the best and worst things on campus . It'll also give you insight into student life, opportunities that are available to students, activities you can do off campus, and so on.

The College's Social Media

Your ideal school is most likely on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and other social media. Follow the school to see what it's posting about.  Are there any exciting new campus developments? Professors in the news? Interesting events, clubs, or activities?

The Internet

Wikipedia is a great resource for learning basic details about a college's history, traditions, and values. I also recommend looking for forums on College Confidential that specifically deal with the school you're researching.

Another option is to search on Google for interesting phrases, such as "What students really think about [School Name]" or "[School Name] student forum." This will help you get detailed points of view, comments about specific programs or courses, and insight into real student life.

So what should you do now that you've completed a bunch of research? Answer: use it to develop connection points between you and your dream school. These connections will be the skeleton of your "why this college?" essay.

Find the Gems in Your Research

You have on hand all kinds of information, from your own personal experiences on campus and your conversations with people affiliated with your ideal school to what you've learned from campus publications and tidbits gleaned from the web.

Now, it's time to sift through all of your notes to find the three to five things that really speak to you. Link what you've learned about the school to how you can plug into this school's life, approach, and environment. That way, no matter whether your school's prompt is more heavily focused on the "why us?" or "why you?" part of the give-and-take, you'll have an entry point into the essay.

But what should these three to five things be? What should you keep in mind when you're looking for the gem that will become your topic?

Here are some words of wisdom from Calvin Wise , director of recruitment and former associate director of admissions at Johns Hopkins University (emphasis mine):

" Focus on what makes us unique and why that interests you. Do your research, and articulate a multidimensional connection to the specific college or university. We do not want broad statements (the brick pathways and historic buildings are beautiful) or a rehash of the information on our website (College X offers a strong liberal arts curriculum). All institutions have similarities. We want you to talk about our differences. "

Time to find that diamond, amethyst, opal, tourmaline, or amber in the rough.

Check Your Gems for Color and Clarity

When I say "check your gems," I mean make sure that each of the three to five things you've found is something your ideal school has that other schools don't have.

This something should be seen from your own perspective. The point isn't to generically praise the school but instead to go into detail about why it's so great for you that they have this thing.

This something you find should be meaningful to the school and specific to you. For example, if you focus on academics (e.g., courses, instructors, opportunities, or educational philosophy), find a way to link them either to your previous work or to your future aspirations.

This something should not be shallow and nonspecific. Want to live in a city? Every city has more than one college in it. Find a way to explain why this specific college in this specific city calls to you. Like pretty architecture? Many schools are beautiful, so dwell on why this particular place feels unlike any other. Like good weather, beach, skiing, or some other geographical attribute? There are many schools located near these places, and they know that people enjoy sunbathing. Either build a deeper connection or skip these as reasons.

Convert Your Gems into Essay Topics

Every "why this college?" essay is going to answer both the "why us?" and the "why you?" parts of the back-and-forth equation. But depending on which way your target school has worded its prompt, you'll lean more heavily on that part . This is why I'm going to split this brainstorming into two parts—to go with the "why us?" and "why you?" types of questions.

Of course, since they are both sides of the same coin, you can always easily flip each of these ideas around to have it work well for the other type of prompt . For example, a "why us?" essay might talk about how interesting the XYZ interdisciplinary project is and how it fits well with your senior project.

By contrast, a "why you?" essay would take the same idea but flip it to say that you've learned through your senior project how you deeply value an interdisciplinary approach to academics, making you a great fit for this school and its commitment to such work, as evidenced by project XYZ.

Describing how project XYZ demonstrates your investment in a particular course of study that then happens to align with a specific program at the university is an effective approach to the "why you?" essay.

Possible "Why Us?" Topics

• How a particular program of study, internship requirement, or volunteer connection will help further your specific career goals .
• The school's interesting approach to your future major (if you know what that will be) or a major that combines several disciplines that appeal to you and fit with your current academic work and interests.
• How the school handles financial aid and the infrastructure setup for low-income students and what that means for you in terms of opening doors.
• A story about how you became interested in the school (if you learned about it in an interesting way). For example, did the institution host a high school contest you took part in? Did you attend an art exhibit or stage performance there that you enjoyed and that your own artistic work aligns with?
• How you overcame an initial disinterest in the school (be sure to minimize this first negative impression). Did you do more research? Interact with someone on campus? Learn about the school's commitment to the community? Learn about interesting research being done there?
• A positive interaction you had with current students, faculty, or staff, as long as this is more than just, "Everyone I met was really nice."
• An experience you had while on a campus tour. Was there a super-passionate tour guide? Any information that surprised you? Did something happen to transform your idea about the school or campus life (in a good way)?
• Interesting interdisciplinary work going on at the university and how that connects with your academic interests, career goals, or previous high school work.
• The history of the school —but only if it's meaningful to you in some way. Has the school always been committed to fostering minority, first-generation, or immigrant students? Was it founded by someone you admire? Did it take an unpopular (but, to you, morally correct) stance at some crucial moment in history?
• An amazing professor you can't wait to learn from. Is there a chemistry professor whose current research meshes with a science fair project you did? A professor who's a renowned scholar on your favorite literary or artistic period or genre? A professor whose book on economics finally made you understand the most recent financial crisis?
• A class that sounds fascinating , especially if it's in a field you want to major in.
• A facility or piece of equipment you can't wait to work in or with  and that doesn't exist in many other places. Is there a specialty library with rare medieval manuscripts? Is there an observatory?
• A required curriculum that appeals to you because it provides a solid grounding in the classics, shakes up the traditional canon, connects all the students on campus in one intellectual project, or is taught in a unique way.

If the school can boast a cutting-edge laboratory where you dream of conducting research, that would be a strong focus for a "Why Us?" essay.

Possible "Why You?" Topics

• Do you want to continue a project you worked on in high school? Talk about how or where in the current course, club, and program offerings this work would fit in. Why will you be a good addition to the team?
• Have you always been involved in a community service project that's already being done on campus? Write about integrating life on campus with events in the surrounding community.
• Do you plan to keep performing in the arts, playing music, working on the newspaper, or engaging in something else you were seriously committed to in high school? Discuss how excited you are to join that existing organization.
• Are you the perfect person to take advantage of an internship program (e.g., because you have already worked in this field, were exposed to it through your parents, or have completed academic work that gives you some experience with it)?
• Are you the ideal candidate for a study abroad opportunity (e.g., because you can speak the language of the country, it's a place where you've worked or studied before, or your career goals are international in some respect)?
• Are you a stand-out match for an undergraduate research project (e.g., because you'll major in this field, you've always wanted to work with this professor, or you want to pursue research as a career option)?
• Is there something you were deeply involved with that doesn't currently exist on campus? Offer to start a club for it. And I mean a club; you aren't going to magically create a new academic department or even a new academic course, so don't try offering that. If you do write about this, make double (and even triple) sure that the school doesn't already have a club, course, or program for this interest.
• What are some of the programs or activities you plan to get involved with on campus , and what unique qualities will you bring to them?
• Make this a mini version of a personal statement you never wrote.  Use this essay as another chance to show a few more of the skills, talents, or passions that don't appear in your actual college essay. What's the runner-up interest that you didn't write about? What opportunity, program, or offering at the school lines up with it?

One way to impress admissions staff in a "Why You?" essay is to discuss your fascination with a particular topic in a specific discipline, such as kinetic sculpture, and how you want to pursue that passion (e.g., as a studio art major).

Possible Topics for a College That's Not Your First Choice

• If you're writing about a school you're not completely psyched about, one way to sidestep the issue is to focus on what getting this degree will do for you in the future . How do you see yourself changing existing systems, helping others, or otherwise succeeding?
• Alternatively, discuss what the school values academically, socially, environmentally, or philosophically and how this connects with what you also care about . Does it have a vegan, organic, and cruelty-free cafeteria? A relationship with a local farm or garden? De-emphasized fraternity involvement? Strong commitment to environmental issues? Lots of opportunities to contribute to the community surrounding the school? Active inclusion and a sense of belonging for various underrepresented groups?
• Try to find at least one or two features you're excited about for each of the schools on your list. If you can't think of a single reason why this would be a good place for you to go, maybe you shouldn't be applying there!

Topics to Avoid in Your Essay

• Don't write about general characteristics, such as a school's location (or the weather in that location), reputation, or student body size. For example, anyone applying to the Webb Institute , which has just about 100 students , should by all means talk about having a preference for tiny, close-knit communities. By contrast, schools in sunny climates know that people enjoy good weather, but if you can't connect the outdoors with the college itself, think of something else to say.
• Don't talk about your sports fandom. Saying, "I can see myself in crimson and white/blue and orange/[some color] and [some other color]" is both overused and not a persuasive reason for wanting to go to a particular college. After all, you could cheer for a team without going to the school! Unless you're an athlete, you're an aspiring mascot performer, or you have a truly one-of-a-kind story to tell about your link to the team, opt for a different track.
• Don't copy descriptions from the college's website to tell admissions officers how great their institution is. They don't want to hear praise; they want to hear how you connect with their school. So if something on the college brochure speaks to you, explain why this specific detail matters to you and how your past experiences, academic work, extracurricular interests, or hobbies relate to that detail.
• Don't use college rankings as a reason you want to go to a school. Of course prestige matters, but schools that are ranked right next to each other on the list are at about the same level of prestige. What makes you choose one over the other?
• If you decide to write about a future major, don't just talk about what you want to study and why . Make sure that you also explain why you want to study this thing at this particular school . What do they do differently from other colleges?
• Don't wax poetic about the school's pretty campus. "From the moment I stepped on your campus, I knew it was the place for me" is another cliché—and another way to say basically nothing about why you actually want to go to this particular school. Lots of schools are pretty, and many are pretty in the exact same way.

Pop quiz: This pretty gothic building is on what college campus? Yes, that's right—it could be anywhere.

When you've put together the ideas that will make up your answer to the "why us?" question, it's time to build them into a memorable essay. Here are some tips for doing that successfully:

• Jump right in. The essay is short, so there's no need for an introduction or conclusion. Spend the first paragraph delving into your best one or two reasons for applying. Then, use the second paragraph to go into slightly less detail about reasons 2 (or 3) through 5.
• To thine own self be true. Write in your own voice, and be sincere about what you're saying. Believe me—the reader can tell when you mean it and when you're just blathering!
• Details, details, details. Show the school that you've done your research. Are there any classes, professors, clubs, or activities you're excited about at the school? Be specific (e.g., "I'm fascinated by the work Dr. Jenny Johnson has done with interactive sound installations").
• If you plan on attending if admitted, say so. Colleges care about the numbers of acceptances deeply, so it might help to know you're a sure thing. But don't write this if you don't mean it!
• Don't cut and paste the same essay for every school. At least once, you'll most likely forget to change the school name or some other telling detail. You also don't want to have too much vague, cookie-cutter reasoning, or else you'll start to sound bland and forgettable.

For more tips, check out our step-by-step essay-writing advice .

Avoid cookie-cutter responses to "why this college?" essay prompts. Instead, provide an essay that's personalized to that particular institution.

At this point, it'll be helpful to take a look at a "why us?" essay that works and figure out what the author did to create a meaningful answer to this challenging question.

Here is a "Why Tufts?" essay from James Gregoire '19 for Tufts University :

It was on my official visit with the cross country team that I realized Tufts was the perfect school for me. Our topics of conversation ranged from Asian geography to efficient movement patterns, and everyone spoke enthusiastically about what they were involved in on campus. I really related with the guys I met, and I think they represent the passion that Tufts' students have. I can pursue my dream of being a successful entrepreneur by joining the Tufts Entrepreneurs Society, pursuing an Entrepreneurial Leadership minor, and taking part in an up-and-coming computer science program.

Here are some of the main reasons this essay is so effective:

• Interaction with current students. James writes about hanging out with the cross-country team and sounds excited about meeting them.
• "I'm a great fit." He uses the conversation with the cross-country team members to talk about his own good fit here ("I really related with the guys I met").
• Why the school is special. James also uses the conversation as a way to show that he enjoys the variety of opportunities Tufts offers (their fun conversation covers Asian geography, movement patterns, and other things they "were involved with on campus").
• Taking advantage of this specialness. James doesn't just list things Tufts offers but also explains which of them are of specific value to him. He's interested in being an entrepreneur, so the Tufts Entrepreneurs Society and the Entrepreneurial Leadership courses appeal to him.
• Awareness of what the school is up to. Finally, James shows that he's aware of the latest Tufts developments when he mentions the new computer science program.

The Bottom Line: Writing a Great "Why This College?" Essay

• Proof that you understand what makes this college different and special
• Evidence that you'll be a good fit at this school
• Evidence that this college will, in turn, be a good fit for you

The prompt may be phrased in one of two ways: "Why us?" or "Why you?" But these are sides of the same coin and will be addressed in your essay regardless of the prompt style.

Writing the perfect "why this school?" essay requires you to first research the specific qualities and characteristics of this school that appeal to you. You can find this information by doing any or all of the following:

• Visiting campuses in person or virtually to interact with current students and faculty
• Posing questions to your college interviewer or to representatives at college fairs
• Reading the college's own materials , such as its brochures, official website, alumni magazine, campus newspaper, and social media
• Looking at other websites that talk about the school

To find a topic to write about for your essay, find the three to five things that really speak to you about the school , and then link each of them to yourself, your interests, your goals, or your strengths.

Avoid using clichés that could be true for any school, such as architecture, geography, weather, or sports fandom. Instead, focus on the details that differentiate your intended school from all the others .

What's Next?

Are you also working on your personal statement? If you're using the Common App, check out our complete breakdown of the Common App prompts and learn how to pick the best prompt for you .

If you're applying to a University of California school, we've got an in-depth article on how to write effective UC personal statements .

And if you're submitting ApplyTexas applications, read our helpful guide on how to approach the many different ApplyTexas essay prompts .

Struggling with the college application process as a whole? Our expert guides teach you how to ask for recommendations , how to write about extracurriculars , and how to research colleges .

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.

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Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

What Makes a Good Essay?

By stephanie whetstone.

The deadline for this year’s Princeton Writes Prize Staff Essay Contest has been set (March 1, 2020)! We hope you are already hard at work polishing your prose, but in case you are struggling to get started, let’s consider what makes a “good” essay.

Dictionary.com defines the essay as “a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.” This leaves a lot of room for creativity. For a personal essay, focus on the personal part. Why are you writing about this subject? Why now? How does your experience connect with your audience’s? A personal essay is not self-indulgent; rather, it is a means of connecting with others through the common experience of being human.

The winners of the Princeton Writes Prize have written about New South, travels in Japan, a timeworn stone step, and a dining room table. None of these subjects is inherently gripping, but they became so when connected to the writer’s thoughtful, heartfelt experience.

Write as specifically as you can about what is important to you, what excites you, what connects you to the world, or what you can’t seem to get off your mind. So how do you start? Think about your purpose: is it to entertain, to explain, to argue, to compare, or to reveal? It can also be a combination of these things.

At Princeton, we are lucky to have one of the great essay writers of our time, John McPhee, on faculty. In his wonderful essay, “Searching for Marvin Gardens,” McPhee has a few stories going at once: the “real time” experience of playing monopoly with a friend, his walk through the streets of Atlantic City, the history of the creation of the game of Monopoly, and a commentary about the economic and social realities of the time in which the essay was written. It begins:

“Go. I roll the dice—a six and a two. Through the air I move my token, the flatiron, to Vermont Avenue, where dog packs range.

“The dogs are moving (some are limping) through ruins, rubble, fire dam­age, open garbage. Doorways are gone. Lath is visible in the crumbling walls of the buildings. The street sparkles with shattered glass. I have never seen, anywhere, so many broken windows. A sign—”Slow, Children at Play”—has been bent backward by an automobile. At the farmhouse, the dogs turn up Pacific and disappear.”

The primary action puts the reader immediately into the world the writer has created and follows “characters” through a plot. The connecting paragraphs provide context and place the experience in the broader world. You may want to tell your story straight through or, like McPhee, stray from a linear structure—not just beginning, middle, end—moving back and forth in time.

Begin your story at the last possible moment you can without losing important information. If you are writing about the birth of a child, for example, you might want to start in the hospital in the midst of labor, rather than months before.

To shift in time, make sure you have an object or experience to “trigger” the shift, such as McPhee’s dogs. You need not be as accomplished as he to write your own essay, but reading his work and the work of other writers can provide guidance and inspiration.

Remember that an essay is a story, so even though it is nonfiction, it will benefit from the elements of a story: characters, plot, setting, dialogue, point of view, and tone. Is your story funny, sad, contemplative, nostalgic, magical, or a combination of these?

Your job as a writer is to help the reader imagine what you see in your mind’s eye. That requires sensory detail. Be sure to write about sounds, sights, smells, textures, and tastes. Remember, too, that your work will be read by a wide audience, so you need to determine how much of yourself and your intimate experience you are comfortable sharing.

Another great Princeton writer, Joyce Carol Oates, writes with exquisite sensory detail in her essay, “They All Just Went Away.”

“To push open a door into such silence: the absolute emptiness of a house whose occupants have departed. Often, the crack of broken glass underfoot. A startled buzzing of flies, hornets. The slithering, ticklish sensation of a garter snake crawling across floorboards.

“Left behind, as if in haste, were remnants of a lost household. A broken toy on the floor, a baby’s bottle. A rain-soaked sofa, looking as if it had been gutted with a hunter’s skilled knife. Strips of wallpaper like shredded skin. Smashed crockery, piles of tin cans; soda, beer, whiskey bottles. An icebox, its door yawning open. Once, on a counter, a dirt-stiffened rag that, unfolded like precious cloth, revealed itself to be a woman’s cheaply glamorous “see-through” blouse, threaded with glitter-strips of gold.”

No matter what you choose to write about, forgive your first draft if it’s terrible. You will improve it in the editing. And finally, read each draft aloud: tell the story first to yourself.

Happy writing!

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Should I Use “I”?

What this handout is about.

This handout is about determining when to use first person pronouns (“I”, “we,” “me,” “us,” “my,” and “our”) and personal experience in academic writing. “First person” and “personal experience” might sound like two ways of saying the same thing, but first person and personal experience can work in very different ways in your writing. You might choose to use “I” but not make any reference to your individual experiences in a particular paper. Or you might include a brief description of an experience that could help illustrate a point you’re making without ever using the word “I.” So whether or not you should use first person and personal experience are really two separate questions, both of which this handout addresses. It also offers some alternatives if you decide that either “I” or personal experience isn’t appropriate for your project. If you’ve decided that you do want to use one of them, this handout offers some ideas about how to do so effectively, because in many cases using one or the other might strengthen your writing.

Expectations about academic writing

Students often arrive at college with strict lists of writing rules in mind. Often these are rather strict lists of absolutes, including rules both stated and unstated:

• Each essay should have exactly five paragraphs.
• Don’t begin a sentence with “and” or “because.”
• Never include personal opinion.
• Never use “I” in essays.

We get these ideas primarily from teachers and other students. Often these ideas are derived from good advice but have been turned into unnecessarily strict rules in our minds. The problem is that overly strict rules about writing can prevent us, as writers, from being flexible enough to learn to adapt to the writing styles of different fields, ranging from the sciences to the humanities, and different kinds of writing projects, ranging from reviews to research.

So when it suits your purpose as a scholar, you will probably need to break some of the old rules, particularly the rules that prohibit first person pronouns and personal experience. Although there are certainly some instructors who think that these rules should be followed (so it is a good idea to ask directly), many instructors in all kinds of fields are finding reason to depart from these rules. Avoiding “I” can lead to awkwardness and vagueness, whereas using it in your writing can improve style and clarity. Using personal experience, when relevant, can add concreteness and even authority to writing that might otherwise be vague and impersonal. Because college writing situations vary widely in terms of stylistic conventions, tone, audience, and purpose, the trick is deciphering the conventions of your writing context and determining how your purpose and audience affect the way you write. The rest of this handout is devoted to strategies for figuring out when to use “I” and personal experience.

Effective uses of “I”:

In many cases, using the first person pronoun can improve your writing, by offering the following benefits:

• Assertiveness: In some cases you might wish to emphasize agency (who is doing what), as for instance if you need to point out how valuable your particular project is to an academic discipline or to claim your unique perspective or argument.
• Clarity: Because trying to avoid the first person can lead to awkward constructions and vagueness, using the first person can improve your writing style.
• Positioning yourself in the essay: In some projects, you need to explain how your research or ideas build on or depart from the work of others, in which case you’ll need to say “I,” “we,” “my,” or “our”; if you wish to claim some kind of authority on the topic, first person may help you do so.

Deciding whether “I” will help your style

Here is an example of how using the first person can make the writing clearer and more assertive:

Original example:

In studying American popular culture of the 1980s, the question of to what degree materialism was a major characteristic of the cultural milieu was explored.

Better example using first person:

In our study of American popular culture of the 1980s, we explored the degree to which materialism characterized the cultural milieu.

The original example sounds less emphatic and direct than the revised version; using “I” allows the writers to avoid the convoluted construction of the original and clarifies who did what.

Here is an example in which alternatives to the first person would be more appropriate:

As I observed the communication styles of first-year Carolina women, I noticed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

Better example:

A study of the communication styles of first-year Carolina women revealed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

In the original example, using the first person grounds the experience heavily in the writer’s subjective, individual perspective, but the writer’s purpose is to describe a phenomenon that is in fact objective or independent of that perspective. Avoiding the first person here creates the desired impression of an observed phenomenon that could be reproduced and also creates a stronger, clearer statement.

Here’s another example in which an alternative to first person works better:

As I was reading this study of medieval village life, I noticed that social class tended to be clearly defined.

This study of medieval village life reveals that social class tended to be clearly defined.

Although you may run across instructors who find the casual style of the original example refreshing, they are probably rare. The revised version sounds more academic and renders the statement more assertive and direct.

Here’s a final example:

I think that Aristotle’s ethical arguments are logical and readily applicable to contemporary cases, or at least it seems that way to me.

Better example

Aristotle’s ethical arguments are logical and readily applicable to contemporary cases.

In this example, there is no real need to announce that that statement about Aristotle is your thought; this is your paper, so readers will assume that the ideas in it are yours.

Determining whether to use “I” according to the conventions of the academic field

Which fields allow “I”?

The rules for this are changing, so it’s always best to ask your instructor if you’re not sure about using first person. But here are some general guidelines.

Sciences: In the past, scientific writers avoided the use of “I” because scientists often view the first person as interfering with the impression of objectivity and impersonality they are seeking to create. But conventions seem to be changing in some cases—for instance, when a scientific writer is describing a project she is working on or positioning that project within the existing research on the topic. Check with your science instructor to find out whether it’s o.k. to use “I” in their class.

Social Sciences: Some social scientists try to avoid “I” for the same reasons that other scientists do. But first person is becoming more commonly accepted, especially when the writer is describing their project or perspective.

Humanities: Ask your instructor whether you should use “I.” The purpose of writing in the humanities is generally to offer your own analysis of language, ideas, or a work of art. Writers in these fields tend to value assertiveness and to emphasize agency (who’s doing what), so the first person is often—but not always—appropriate. Sometimes writers use the first person in a less effective way, preceding an assertion with “I think,” “I feel,” or “I believe” as if such a phrase could replace a real defense of an argument. While your audience is generally interested in your perspective in the humanities fields, readers do expect you to fully argue, support, and illustrate your assertions. Personal belief or opinion is generally not sufficient in itself; you will need evidence of some kind to convince your reader.

Other writing situations: If you’re writing a speech, use of the first and even the second person (“you”) is generally encouraged because these personal pronouns can create a desirable sense of connection between speaker and listener and can contribute to the sense that the speaker is sincere and involved in the issue. If you’re writing a resume, though, avoid the first person; describe your experience, education, and skills without using a personal pronoun (for example, under “Experience” you might write “Volunteered as a peer counselor”).

A note on the second person “you”:

In situations where your intention is to sound conversational and friendly because it suits your purpose, as it does in this handout intended to offer helpful advice, or in a letter or speech, “you” might help to create just the sense of familiarity you’re after. But in most academic writing situations, “you” sounds overly conversational, as for instance in a claim like “when you read the poem ‘The Wasteland,’ you feel a sense of emptiness.” In this case, the “you” sounds overly conversational. The statement would read better as “The poem ‘The Wasteland’ creates a sense of emptiness.” Academic writers almost always use alternatives to the second person pronoun, such as “one,” “the reader,” or “people.”

Personal experience in academic writing

The question of whether personal experience has a place in academic writing depends on context and purpose. In papers that seek to analyze an objective principle or data as in science papers, or in papers for a field that explicitly tries to minimize the effect of the researcher’s presence such as anthropology, personal experience would probably distract from your purpose. But sometimes you might need to explicitly situate your position as researcher in relation to your subject of study. Or if your purpose is to present your individual response to a work of art, to offer examples of how an idea or theory might apply to life, or to use experience as evidence or a demonstration of an abstract principle, personal experience might have a legitimate role to play in your academic writing. Using personal experience effectively usually means keeping it in the service of your argument, as opposed to letting it become an end in itself or take over the paper.

It’s also usually best to keep your real or hypothetical stories brief, but they can strengthen arguments in need of concrete illustrations or even just a little more vitality.

Here are some examples of effective ways to incorporate personal experience in academic writing:

• Anecdotes: In some cases, brief examples of experiences you’ve had or witnessed may serve as useful illustrations of a point you’re arguing or a theory you’re evaluating. For instance, in philosophical arguments, writers often use a real or hypothetical situation to illustrate abstract ideas and principles.
• References to your own experience can explain your interest in an issue or even help to establish your authority on a topic.
• Some specific writing situations, such as application essays, explicitly call for discussion of personal experience.

Here are some suggestions about including personal experience in writing for specific fields:

Philosophy: In philosophical writing, your purpose is generally to reconstruct or evaluate an existing argument, and/or to generate your own. Sometimes, doing this effectively may involve offering a hypothetical example or an illustration. In these cases, you might find that inventing or recounting a scenario that you’ve experienced or witnessed could help demonstrate your point. Personal experience can play a very useful role in your philosophy papers, as long as you always explain to the reader how the experience is related to your argument. (See our handout on writing in philosophy for more information.)

Religion: Religion courses might seem like a place where personal experience would be welcomed. But most religion courses take a cultural, historical, or textual approach, and these generally require objectivity and impersonality. So although you probably have very strong beliefs or powerful experiences in this area that might motivate your interest in the field, they shouldn’t supplant scholarly analysis. But ask your instructor, as it is possible that they are interested in your personal experiences with religion, especially in less formal assignments such as response papers. (See our handout on writing in religious studies for more information.)

Literature, Music, Fine Arts, and Film: Writing projects in these fields can sometimes benefit from the inclusion of personal experience, as long as it isn’t tangential. For instance, your annoyance over your roommate’s habits might not add much to an analysis of “Citizen Kane.” However, if you’re writing about Ridley Scott’s treatment of relationships between women in the movie “Thelma and Louise,” some reference your own observations about these relationships might be relevant if it adds to your analysis of the film. Personal experience can be especially appropriate in a response paper, or in any kind of assignment that asks about your experience of the work as a reader or viewer. Some film and literature scholars are interested in how a film or literary text is received by different audiences, so a discussion of how a particular viewer or reader experiences or identifies with the piece would probably be appropriate. (See our handouts on writing about fiction , art history , and drama for more information.)

Women’s Studies: Women’s Studies classes tend to be taught from a feminist perspective, a perspective which is generally interested in the ways in which individuals experience gender roles. So personal experience can often serve as evidence for your analytical and argumentative papers in this field. This field is also one in which you might be asked to keep a journal, a kind of writing that requires you to apply theoretical concepts to your experiences.

History: If you’re analyzing a historical period or issue, personal experience is less likely to advance your purpose of objectivity. However, some kinds of historical scholarship do involve the exploration of personal histories. So although you might not be referencing your own experience, you might very well be discussing other people’s experiences as illustrations of their historical contexts. (See our handout on writing in history for more information.)

Sciences: Because the primary purpose is to study data and fixed principles in an objective way, personal experience is less likely to have a place in this kind of writing. Often, as in a lab report, your goal is to describe observations in such a way that a reader could duplicate the experiment, so the less extra information, the better. Of course, if you’re working in the social sciences, case studies—accounts of the personal experiences of other people—are a crucial part of your scholarship. (See our handout on  writing in the sciences for more information.)

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

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Am I a good puppet? A review essay of Escaping Paternalism: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy

• Open access
• Published: 12 April 2024

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• André Quintas   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0007-0579-9877 1  

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What would it truly mean to treat individuals “as real people” when designing public policies? This paper addresses this question by critically assessing the arguments put forth by Mario Rizzo and Glen Whitman’s Escaping Paternalism: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy (2019). Rizzo and Whitman argue that the endeavor of Behavioral Economics to reintroduce psychology into economics and to critique the narrow concept of homo economicus used by neoclassical economics was commendable. However, Behavioral Economics failed to deliver the theoretical breakaway from Neoclassical Economics that it promised. They argue that while Behavioral Economics rejects neoclassical rationality descriptively, it still adheres to it normatively, a move the authors find unjustified. The authors critique libertarian paternalism, a normative branch of Behavioral Economics, for its narrow concept of rationality, emphasizing the ambiguity in determining decision failures and true preferences. Moreover, even when it is apparent that agents are behaving erroneously, implementing policy measures to rectify the situation would be an almost impossible task or, in a worst-case scenario, could have unintended negative consequences. Overall, the book excels in scrutinizing the methodological foundations of libertarian paternalism. Building on their critique, in the final chapter of the book, the authors endeavor to outline their vision for the future of behavioral public policy. They advocate for treating humans as intricate beings rather than mere marionettes.

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Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, not to hate them, but to understand them. Baruch Spinoza, Tractatus Politicus, 1677, ch. 1, sect. 4 (A3011)

1 Introduction

To live is to choose. Along with the big decisions in life, our profession, whom to marry, and how many kids we should have, we engage in more mundane decisions: what to eat, what to wear, and what movie to watch. We are what we choose. Sometimes we are happy with what we picked; other times we regret it and wish we had done it differently. This does not happen with ECONS Footnote 1 (or homo economicus), the theoretical agent that populates neoclassical economics. He is all-knowledgeable, has God-like calculation capacities, and never succumbs to temptation. He does not misbehave (Thaler, 2015a ). But you and I are not like ECONS, are we? Nor are behavioral economists, who are like us, and fully reject this description of human behavior. We value the present too much, we get lost in our hopes, fears, and dreams. We procrastinate and we sometimes eat more than we should, just to promise not to do the same anymore. We are HUMANS. Behavioral economics findings were a welcome achievement as they improved our understanding of how real, fallible human beings operate in real life. But something went wrong along the way.

While behavioral economics began as an attempt to understand real human behavior, it took a normative turn, most notably with the “libertarian paternalism” approach popularized by Sunstein and Thaler’s book, Nudge (2008). Contrary to older notions of paternalism, which claimed special wisdom and tried to steer people away from immoral impulses and towards what they saw as “the good life” regardless of what individual preferences were, “libertarian paternalism” claims to make people better off, in terms of their own welfare . Moreover, libertarian paternalism aims to make people choose what they would have chosen “if they had complete information, unlimited cognitive abilities, and no lack of willpower” (Sunstein & Thaler, 2003 , p.175). In other words, you’re a HUMAN, but you should be an ECON. And it is against this trend, and not the overall behavioral economics research program, that Mario Rizzo and Glen Whitman’s book, Escaping Paternalism: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy (2019), argue against. For them, behavioral economics performed an incomplete revolution. For the authors, for this revolution to be complete, behavioral economics should also depart from neoclassical economics on their normative view.

The argumentative strategy of the book starts first by questioning the concept of rationality used as a benchmark (homo economicus), what Rizzo and Whitman coined as “Puppet Rationality”, Footnote 2 just to conclude that it is far from evident that this should be the criteria for evaluating our actions and calling for a broader, more context-dependent concept of rationality: “inclusive rationality” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 17). Rizzo and Whitman discuss behavioral economics’s findings on cognitive biases and question how these biases might divert us from our true desires. They argue that the evidence for bias is not as clear as portrayed by behavioral paternalists. Moreover, even if bias and mistakes can occur, it is different to recognize their existence in the abstract than to specify a specific instance. In addition, evidence for cognitive biases downplay the overall utility derived from “biased” human choices (assuming they are biased in the first place) in our general behavior. Rizzo and Whitman then adopt an “if-then” approach to address the following questions: If we can identify when individuals act contrary to their true preferences, how can policies be crafted to guide them closer to their genuine desires? How do we implement policies that account for self-debiasing? How do we bear in mind the interactions of bias? Given individual heterogeneity, how do we define an overarching policy capable of accommodating these differences and being just enough to correct the behavior of a particular individual? Such questions have not only philosophical and methodological implications, but also policy-relevant implications. Lastly, Rizzo and Whitman point out to the public choice problems of implementing these measures. Who can guarantee that “the man on the spot” is going to use the insights of behavioral economics for the common good and not for his own sake? How do we make sure incentives are not distorted? This review essay will follow the argumentative exposition of the book.

2 I might be irrational, but I am not a fool

Because the path of our lives is determined by our choices, human beings always wanted to understand how we make choices. It comes as no surprise that economics, for some the science of choice, is particularly interested in understanding human behavior and rationality. As economics became more formal and its reliance on mathematics increased, neoclassical economics brought a figure of human beings to prominence: homo economicus. Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, prominent behavioral economists, have initiated a substantial challenge, driven by their skepticism toward this theoretical figure. As they put it, “[i]f you look at economics textbooks, you will learn that homo economicus can think like Albert Einstein, store as much memory as IBM’s Big Blue, and exercise the willpower of Mahatma Gandhi. Really. But the folks that we know are not like that. Real people have trouble with long division if they don’t have a calculator, sometimes forget their spouse’s birthday, and have a hangover on New Year’s Day. They are not homo economicus; they are homo sapiens” (Sunstein and Thaler, 2008 , p.6). The “folks we know” are HUMANS. While it may seem evident, the reminder that we are not all like Einstein and the effort to genuinely understand human behavior was a refreshing theoretical innovation brought forth by behavioral economics. However, with the insights from behavioral economics, a normative branch known as “Libertarian Paternalism” emerged. This branch aims to correct individuals and prevent them from making mistakes to which they are predisposed. And it is this rash move, that is, this urge to correct alleged decision failures, that Rizzo and Whitman strongly oppose. The reason? It is not that clear that people are being irrational, after all. As they put it “despite having rejected rationality as a model of how people do behave, the behavioral paternalists still accept rationality as a model of how people ought to behave” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 16). But Rizzo and Whitman pose the question: Why should we compare individuals to a pristine intellect like Einstein and label everything that doesn’t meet this standard as irrational? After all, what truly defines rationality? And why should puppet rationality be the benchmark against which we evaluate our actions? For the authors the concept of rationality should be broader, what they called “inclusive rationality”. This way of envisaging rationality acknowledges that human decision-making entails deliberate actions directed toward a given goal, while simultaneously acknowledging the practical constraints of our understanding and cognitive capacities. Rizzo and Whitman posit that when confronted with intricate decisions, the utilization of heuristics can prove cognitively efficient and advantageous.

The book offers a compelling argument against using neoclassical rationality as the benchmark for evaluating our actions. Rather than focusing in on when decisions go wrong, it’s crucial to understand that individuals make choices based on their unique contexts. In short, we need to seek to understand economic choices as if the chooser were humans (Boettke & Candela, 2017 ). In essence, decision-making should be viewed as a dynamic, ever-evolving journey, not just a single, static moment. In a sense the concept of inclusive rationality follows from a long tradition in economics that goes “from Adam Smith to Vernon Smith” (Boettke & Candela, 2017 , p.5). This is a tradition that “that is grounded in the decision calculus of individuals, but requires neither the heroic assumptions of omniscience, nor that the individuals are interacting with others in frictionless environments” (Boettke & Candela, 2017 , p.6).

Hence, the concept of inclusive rationality, while rejecting the standard neoclassical homo economicus, is still consistent with the rational choice model. Elinor Ostrom captured quite well how this way of envisaging rationality distinguish itself from the neoclassical rationality. As Ostrom posits, “consistent with all models of rational choice is a general theory a theory of human behavior that views all humans as complex, fallible learners who seek to do as well as they can given the constraints that they face and who are able to learn heuristics, norms, rules, and how to craft rules to improve achieved outcomes” (Ostrom, 1998 , p. 9). Learning, self-discovery, and even mistakes are essential parts of this process. Consequently, Rizzo and Whitman acknowledge human beings make mistakes and errors, but they argue that would be very difficult for an external observer to pinpoint when one is happening. As they put it, “[w]e do not, however, claim that everyone is always fully rational. We are happy to concede that they are not. But it is one thing to say people make mistakes; it is another to identify which actions clearly and definitively are, in fact, mistakes. In the rush to characterize certain “anomalies of choice” as violations of rationality, behavioral paternalists have been insufficiently subjectivist.” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 17). While they rightly criticize libertarian paternalism for not considering subjectivism enough, one might fear that the inclusive rationality concept swings the pendulum too far, toward a radical subjectivism approach. In fact, Dekker and Remic ( 2024 ) argue this lowers the threshold for rationality so far that nearly all actual choices are subjectively rational, what they call the “subjectivist retreat.” This, for Rizzo and Whitman, should not, however, be seen as a shortcoming of the book. Rather, this might indeed be what Rizzo and Whitman intended in the first place: shift the focus of discussion to broader definitions of rationality, taking subjectivism seriously, and disregarding the quixotic quest of identifying irrationality in our actions.

2.1 Do I know what I want?

The whole endeavor of libertarian paternalism boils down to helping people make the decisions they would do if they were not affected by bias and impulses. In short, the goal of libertarian paternalism is to make people act according to their own, true preferences. In more detail, neoclassical models of choice rely on the assumptions that the (1) agent’s preferences are well-defined, meaning they adhere to the principles of completeness and transitivity, (2) the agent’s preferences remain consistent and unchanged over time, and (3) the agent consistently acts in accordance with her established preferences. This notion of rational choice implies that the agent’s decisions and actions align with her preferences consistently and without deviation (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p.79). Grocery purchases are easy for ECONS: they know exactly what to buy, not only today but for all eternity. They know, even if they never tried, that they prefer a Kitkat over a Snickers (and all other existent chocolates). But are real preferences like this? Rizzo and Whitman answered in the negative. First, preferences need to be discovered. Do you know a friend of yours that says, “How do you know you don’t like this food if you never tried”? He is onto something. In other words, it is through experimentation that one learns what he likes or dislikes. Hence, it should not be considered irrational, as in the case of neoclassical rationality, to not have “their minds fully made up on the first day about the relative desirability of all alternatives in all states of the world at all points in time” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p.57). Second, and following Buchanan ( 1979 ), they argue that preferences do not exist independent of the act of choice. Buchanan ( 1979 , p.111) posited that “[i]ndividuals do not act so as to maximize utilities described in independently existing functions. They confront genuine choices”, highlighting the dynamic and, most importantly, emergent nature of preferences in the moment of choice itself. Put in other words, preferences are formed in the moment of choice and not merely discovered. He further argues that “[t]he sequence of decisions taken may be conceptualized, ex post, in terms of ‘as if’ functions that are maximized.” These ‘as if’ functions, however, “are, themselves, generated in the choosing process, not separately from such process.” Taking this insight to its conclusion, Buchanan challenges the notion of an omniscient designer being able to mimic what true preferences would be: “There is no means by which even the most idealized omniscient designer could duplicate the results of voluntary interchange.” Both aspects rob the “Archimedean point” that behavioral economists use to judge their outcomes. After all, if preferences do not exist independent of our choices, and arise only when interact with other agents, how can we judge a given behavior? If the individual does not know what their own preferences are, how can you nudge him to make him choose according to something that is not even there? Rizzo and Whitman go further and argue that even if “deep down” real preference did exist, we should not expect human beings to always act according to them. Why? We have better things to do with our time than to “consider (possibly hypothetical) pairs of options, settling on preferences over them, and making sure that all such preferences are mutually consistent” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p.59). If you see a Snickers good enough on the shelf of the supermarket, why bother if this is the best possible chocolate you can pick and if last week you picked up a KitKat instead? How terrible would life be if the only chocolate you tried was a Kitkat? And, indeed, how irrational that would be?

2.2 What do you mean I am biased?

The discoveries made by behavioral economists draw attention to the existence of some alleged biases in our behavior: the tendency to overvalue the present moment (“present bias”) that leads us to spend more money than we should, eat more than we need and procrastinate; the tendency to devalue statistics and overestimate our chances of success (“optimism bias”); a greater preference for something just because we already have it (“endowment effect”); or even the “availability bias”, that is, our tendency to overestimate the frequency of a given event just because it is fresher in our memory (for example, greater reluctance to fly after hearing news of a crash). All of this, upon reflection, is quite appealing and something we all experience. Is this irrational? And if so, by what criterion? Consider the following example: an individual who spends most of his income during an early phase of his life and reaches retirement age with very little money. To an external observer, this person overvalued the present moment and therefore did not save enough (suffered from “present bias”). Next, the analyst would say that mechanisms should be created to make this person save more. However, it is quite possible to imagine that this person has a greater preference for enjoying his money when he is younger than in old age (greater utility). How do we decide which of the two is correct? Is it a preference or a bias? Aren’t we being normative? This example demonstrates that behavioral economics, while challenging the neoclassical standard of rationality by highlighting systematic deviations from the model, is still adhering to it on normative grounds. In short, behavioral economics faces a critical tension: it acknowledges that individuals frequently depart from the description of the homo economicus in predictable ways, yet it often prescribes corrective measures that implicitly endorse that standard of rationality. It is this latter move that Rizzo and Whitman consider unwarranted.

Furthermore, some economists argue that some biases can have a positive effect on our behavior. A classic example is the aforementioned “optimism bias”, where there is some evidence that individuals more prone to this bias end up effectively having greater professional success. Moreover, it is possible to argue that people who suffer more from this bias are happier. Isn’t it good to be optimistic? The essential point is not to deny the existence of biases (although some are debatable), but to highlight that it is not possible to understand how these affect our behaviors when analyzed holistically and thus demonstrate that these biases should always be “corrected.” It is also important to consider that most of the biases studied by behavioral economics are done in isolation. However, several biases may be “acting” together, possibly reinforcing or contradicting each other. Imagine that John has to study for an exam. On the one hand, he is very impatient and overvalues the present, which makes him want to have fun with friends and not study (“present bias”); on the other hand, he has great confidence in the potential benefits that a good result in this exam may have (“optimism bias”), which makes him study more. Which of the two biases is stronger? Do they cancel each other out? Should we try to change the way John acts and, if so, how? The answer is anything but obvious. Lastly, let’s consider, for instance, the famous endowment effect and the so-called loss aversion bias. Every bookworm understands that the value of a book goes beyond its market price. A book can transport its reader to a specific time, evoking memories and emotions. In essence, there’s a profound emotional bond between a reader and a book. So, regardless of the book’s market price, many might find it impossible to put a monetary value on such a cherished item. While most people naturally exhibit this behavior, behavioral economics sees it as a sign of irrationality. The individual, in this context, is succumbing to the “endowment effect,” which suggests they value something more because they already possess it. This effect is closely tied to loss aversion, a psychological phenomenon where people feel more pain from losing an item than the joy they experience from acquiring it. Once we own something—like the cherished book—our fear of the loss that comes with parting from it heightens its perceived value. This explains why readers might assign an “irrationally” high value to a book they own, even if its market value is significantly lower. In the neoclassical framework, for any given object or service, the willingness to accept (WTA) and the willingness to pay (WTP) should be identical. Using our example, if you were willing to buy a particular book for 20 dollars, you should also be willing to sell that same book for 20 dollars. However, as we’ve observed, this is often not the case. An individual might demand “more to give up a benefit they already possess than they would pay to acquire it: WTA is higher than WTP” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p.106). But as Rizzo and Whitman note, “it’s hard to see, however, what is irrational… there are two valuations, but they are not, strictly speaking, inconsistent because the circumstances under which each valuation is expressed differ.” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p.106). According to the authors, behavioral economists overlook this context. With neoclassical theory in mind, they perceive this as suboptimal behavior. Furthermore, Rizzo and Whitman concede that ignoring loss aversion might be justifiable in situations of intense market pressure. For instance, if someone were starving, it’s plausible that even their most treasured book would be exchanged for food. But in the absence of such conditions, they argue that it’s unclear why valuing things we already own should be considered irrational. In sum, Rizzo and Whitman contend that the evidence of bias isn’t as definitive as behavioral paternalists suggest and that even if biases exist, identifying them in theory is different from pinpointing a specific occurrence of it. Crucially, they argue that the potential benefits or usefulness of such biases in our overall behavior are often understated.

3 Slippery slope

Rizzo and Whitman argue that not only might behavioral paternalist policies restrict freedom when they are enacted, but they also have the potential to gradually shrink it over time, leading to more interventions in the future. As they put it, “accepting behavioral paternalist policies creates a risk of accepting, in the long run, greater restrictions on individual autonomy” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 350). In short, behavioral paternalism is prone to slippery slope dynamics. In one of the best chapters of the book, “Slippery Slopes in Paternalist Policymaking,” Rizzo and Whitman excel in demonstrating why this is the case.

The first factor to consider when evaluating paternalistic policies is the inevitability of change over time, both in the policymakers who design and implement these policies and in the target groups affected by them. This raises a crucial question: How can we ensure that a policy, designed at a specific moment with certain groups in mind, remains suitable as time changes? What mechanisms for feedback are in place to evaluate and adapt the policy’s effectiveness? Additionally, how can we prevent that what begins as a minor regulation, established by one set of policymakers and readily accepted by the target group, is deemed too lenient by subsequent policymakers?

Another problem arises as consequence of the way behavioral paternalists regard their policies. Sunstein and Thaler position their approach to paternalism as being more flexible and less coercive compared to non-libertarian paternalism. They maintain that “[t]he libertarian paternalist insists on preserving choice, whereas the non-libertarian paternalist is willing to foreclose choice. But in all cases, a real question is the cost of exercising choice, and here there is a continuum rather than a sharp dichotomy” (Sunstein & Thaler, 2003 , p. 1185). Paradoxically, it’s this very ambiguity that makes their approach more vulnerable to slippery slope risks. Rizzo and Whitman explore how the inherent ambiguity is problematic. They discuss, for instance, the strategy of nudging people by using risk narratives, appealing to people’s emotions. The logic behind this is to counteract people’s tendency toward optimism bias, which can lead them to underestimate, for example, the risks of behaviors like smoking on their life expectancy. To fight this, risk narratives and strong and impactful images are employed to trigger an emotional response. You might ask what is problematic with this approach. After all, if the intended goal is achieved, the policy is being used to the better. Rizzo and Whitman clearly demonstrate the problem: “For risk narratives to be effective, they must be sufficiently frightening or visceral. And therein lies the problem: there is no objective line between ‘not frightening enough’ and ‘too frightening’” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 364). Because of this “line-drawing problem,” it is not clear what is a clear rational action or decision in the face of some existent (or perceived) risk. While it’s widely accepted that not smoking is healthier than smoking, the rationality (or lack of) of smoking becomes less clear-cut when considering the risk involved in smoking a low number of cigarettes daily. The distinction between smoking, say, 2, 4, or 6 cigarettes a day becomes increasingly ambiguous, illustrating the complexity of determining harm and rational behavior in the context of such risks.

Another aspect to consider when analyzing the slippery slope dynamics of behavioral policies arises because of the unintended or unexpected changes in the behavior of target agents in response to the policies. This unpredictability not only arises from the interactions of biases discussed earlier but also from the possibility that such policies may reduce individuals’ inclination to self-regulate their own behavior. When biases interact and individuals become less inclined to self-regulate, it is probable that new problems will emerge, and existing problems may worsen. This scenario sets the stage for slippery slopes, as “policymakers will have incentives to engage in further interventions” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 365). Consider the example of fat taxes, discussed in the book (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 365–366), which are based on the straightforward economic principle that increasing prices should lead to reduced consumption. However, the availability of credit complicates this story. If people can access credit, they may not reduce their consumption levels; instead, they might resort to borrowing money, thereby saving less. Consequently, not only does the policy fail to decrease fat consumption, but it also leads to reduced savings among the population. In turn, this outcome could prompt policymakers to develop new strategies to encourage people to save more, illustrating how one intervention can lead to another to address unforeseen consequences arising from the initial policy.

The first half of that chapter shows how slippery slopes are likely to follow even in the presence of rational (in the neoclassical sense) policymakers. In the second half, Rizzo and Whitman explore the effects if the rationality assumption is abandoned and it is assumed that the same biases affecting individuals also influence policymakers. In other words, what is the impact of these biases on the slippery slope dynamics? As Rizzo and Whitman show, they are likely to significantly increase it. They discuss some biases, but four biases are especially relevant for the slippery slope argument: action bias, overconfidence, confirmation bias, and present bias. The impact of action bias is almost self-explanatory: policymakers have a propensity to act, leading them not only to devise policies initially but also to further their interventions once they start. As for the overconfidence bias, it allows policymakers to be overly optimistic about their ability to gather all relevant information and in their capacity to craft adequate policies. Moreover, this confidence also prevents them from interpreting unintended results as failures. These tendencies are going to be reinforced by the confirmation bias: if a policy fails to achieve the intended goal, this is taken as further proof they were right. The takeaway? It is necessary to double down and devise more aggressive interventions. But the most important bias when it comes to enhancing slippery slope dynamics is the present bias. To recapitulate, present bias is the tendency to overvalue the present moment in comparison to the future. In the context of policymaking, this can drive policymakers to prioritize the short-term advantages of a policy while overlooking its potential long-term costs. Hence, the incentives are to reap the benefits of a policy while burdening future policymakers with its costs. However, the future always arrives, and with that, these new policymakers now must deal with the problem. This is particularly the case if we also consider that policymakers discount the future in a hyperbolic fashion. As Rizzo and Whitman stated, “[h]yperbolic discounting implies that when policymakers are faced with a policy proposal that is appealing in the present but which creates a danger of bad policies being adopted further down the line, they will be inclined to focus on the former at the expense of the latter” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 383).

Sunstein and Thaler ( 2008 ) contend that debates over slippery slopes often miss the central issue regarding the efficacy of behavioral interventions. They argue the focus should primarily be on the extent to which these interventions achieve their intended objectives, rather than on whether they might necessitate additional policies. However, this perspective does not directly address the slippery slope concerns raised by Rizzo and Whitman. They do not claim that slippery slopes are the sole issue with behavioral paternalism. Indeed, in their book, they present numerous arguments to address “the question of whether our proposals (Sunstein and Thaler) have merit in and of themselves” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 393). Thus, the slippery slope argument is just one of many reasons to tread carefully within this research program. Furthermore, Sunstein and Thaler’s call to evaluate the merit of their proposals and to consider ways of avoiding slippery slope risks is untenable, as discussed in this section and as the authors elaborate in their book. As Rizzo and Whitman argue, this framing is merely a variation of the notion of “do the right thing now, and resist doing the wrong thing later” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 394). However, “if the slippery slope argument is correct, there is a causal (albeit probabilistic) connection between initial interventions and subsequent ones” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 394). The authors conclude brilliantly that “The slope risk must be counted among the costs of the initial intervention” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 394). Rizzo and Whitman present in this chapter another reason to be wary of behavioral interventions, demonstrating the essence of the slippery slope in policymaking.

4 Do you really want to help me? Public choice problems of behavioral interventions

Take as given that people make mistakes and imagine for a moment that all methodological and epistemological issues raised by Rizzo and Whitman are overcome and that behavioral economists really know how to design policies that make people better off according to their own standards. How can we be sure that policies are going to be implemented with that end in mind? We cannot, Rizzo and Whitman argue.

First, fully rational policymakers might “face incentives to adopt undesirable paternalist policies” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 310). Second, policymakers have to deal with the same bias that behavioral economics tries to highlight. In their view, we are committing once again what Harold Demsetz named “the Nirvana Fallacy”: comparing less-than-ideal individual decision makers to flawless and all-known public decision makers that can correct these failures (Demsetz, 1969 ). However, this need not be the case, and “however bad the status quo may be, the intervention could be worse” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 310). This is especially the case if we take the public choice problems raised in the book seriously.

Public choice literature invites us to envisage policy design and implementation without romance (Buchanan, 2003 ), considering the incentives and epistemological issues at place. When analyzing the policies in a realistic way, often we find that policymakers usually fail to fulfill the general public interest, rather being influenced by interest groups or by their own private interests. All public policy is vulnerable to this problem but Rizzo and Whitman argue that behavioral paternalism policies are especially so. For one, consider the different consequences of mistakes: policymakers seldom face significant personal costs from flawed legislation affecting the targeted groups, whereas individuals directly suffer from their own poor decisions. This difference in the consequences of choices prompts individuals to gather information more carefully before acting than policymakers. Additionally, policymakers are unlikely to stay for long periods of time, as discussed in the previous sections. Hence, incentives exist to implement policies that have large benefits upfront, even if the long-run costs outweigh the present benefits. Once again, the incentives are not necessarily aligned with the public interest.

One of the seminal insights from public choice literature is the phenomenon of rational ignorance among voters. This concept posits that voters may choose not to be informed on policy issues when the costs of doing so outweigh the perceived benefits. How does that relate to the public choice problems that beset behavioral policies? Simply because this ignorance from the citizens gives them more room to implement policies.

However, the issue of rational ignorance is compounded by another finding from public choice theory: not all groups are equally uninformed. Certain groups, particularly those that stand to gain or lose significantly from behavioral policies, become highly informed and well-organized. Their aim is to influence legislation in a way that favors their specific interests.

When we combine the rational ignorance from most people with influence exerted by these special groups, we have the dynamics of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs, highlighted by Mancur Olson. (Olson, 1965 ; Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 310). Hence, yet again, we can see how likely it is that, while rhetorically aiming at increasing public welfare, these policies are likely to work in favor of a particular special group. The motivations behind pressure groups aren’t solely financial; some are propelled by ideological or moral reasons. This distinction is captured in Bruce Yandle’s concept of “Baptists and Bootleggers.” (Yandle, 1983 ) Here, “Baptists” represent those driven by ideology, while “Bootleggers” are motivated by financial gains. It is interesting to note that, despite the fact that this dynamic can occur in any particular regulation, Yandle made this distinction when discussing a paternalist one - the banning of selling alcohol on Sundays (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 319). But Rizzo and Whitman point out that a new group of Baptists, in contrast from the religiously or morally driven groups, exist: the ones advocating policies from behavioral insights. Hence, we can expect “coalitions of both old paternalists (coming from a religious or moral perspective) and new paternalists (coming from a behavioral perspective), as well as the usual financially motivated special interests” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 320). Because the support for these policies is coming from different sources and pressure groups, they would likely be longer and prone to expansion.

5 The future of behavioral economics

The biggest achievement of the book, not always recognized by economists, at least explicitly, is to highlight the tension between behavioral economics and welfare economics. While behavioral economics is under some criticism in the book, it is not seriously challenged, and I dare to say is even welcomed by the authors. The main “fire” of the book is turned towards the “libertarian paternalism” project, making salient its flawed normative foundations and their shaky methodological assumptions. As Fred McChesney has written: “All economics is behavioral–it is a social science, about how people behave when acting and interacting” ( 2013 , p. 44). But while studying human action is worthwhile and necessary, contrasting real actions against the benchmark of homo economicus and deeming everything that falls short from it irrational, might not be. This is especially the case when the criteria to assess rational action is far from clear.

As the authors show in the book, evidence from bias is not as definitive as otherwise thought. They argue that distinguishing between bias and preference in specific actions or decisions is challenging, both philosophically and methodologically. This complexity has significant implications for policymaking. Even if we assume the existence of “true preferences,” designing policies that accurately reflect individuals’ actual desires is problematic. Moreover, Rizzo and Whitman demonstrated how these so-called biases interact with each other, increasing our difficulty in understanding human action even further. Furthermore, some of those tendencies might have positive impacts on our overall well-being.

How do we account for this complexity? If people engage in “self-debiasing”, how do we consider that in designing policies? And, acknowledging the diversity among individuals, how can we craft policies that are sufficiently adaptable to correct specific behaviors of heterogeneous agents? Lastly, the authors also point out the public choice problems of this research program. Who can guarantee that the policymaker is going to use the insights of behavioral economics to do “the right thing”? Moreover, given the slippery slope dynamics, how can we ensure that this does not lead to a progressive loss of liberty?

As a result of all these tensions, the authors advocate for a broader conception of rationality, one that embraces subjectivism and recognizes the limits of our understanding and reasoning capabilities, an approach they term “inclusive rationality”. This perspective seeks to broaden our understanding of rational behavior by acknowledging and integrating the complexity of human decision-making processes and the diverse contexts in which they occur.

In recent years, and to a great extent as a result of the critique in this book, we have witnessed a burgeoning literature challenging the welfare implications of behavioral economics, and one of its main offshoots: libertarian paternalism. Despite the apparent lack of consensus, we should not despair and the lively and insightful discussion that we are witnessing is the main proof of how profound this book is and how you cannot pass without it if you are interested in behavioral economics, its normative aspect, and the policy implications that ensue from it.

The term ECONS was coined by the behavioral economists Richard Thaller and Cass Sunstein. The term refers to “highly intelligent beings that are capable of making the most complex of calculations but are totally lacking in emotions” (Thaler, 2015b ).

The authors introduce the concept of “puppet rationality” as synonymous with “neoclassical rationality.” They state, “[w]e call this kind of rationality neoclassical rationality. But we also call it puppet rationality, as it describes agents who always conform to a specified model of behavior; they do only what they are programmed to do.” (Rizzo & Whitman, 2019 , p. 25). In this article, I will use “neoclassical rationality” and “puppet rationality” interchangeably, following the authors’ definition.

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Quintas, A. Am I a good puppet? A review essay of Escaping Paternalism: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy . Rev Austrian Econ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11138-024-00645-3

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The most successful people never use these 5 toxic phrases when talking to themselves, says psychologist at Yale

As a faculty member at Yale, I teach hundreds of people every year. I've observed that although all of my students have extraordinary qualities , only some of them go on to live extraordinary lives.

What makes them so special? They have a healthy relationship with themselves. 

Most people, however, have the opposite: a toxic relationship with themselves. They're highly self-critical — which psychology categorizes as self-loathing. 

If you find yourself saying or thinking these five phrases on a regular basis, your self-criticism could be holding you back. But you can replace these phrases with healthier expressions and actions that will help you reach your greatest potential.

1. 'I'm not good enough'

This is a viral program running in most people's heads. 

Our brains focus more on the negative than the positive. The well-known negativity bias explains why, if you get nine compliments and one piece of criticism, you focus on the criticism, dragging your spirits to the ground. 

"I am not good enough" is destructive. It can leave you feeling anxious and depressed , research shows. 

What to try instead

Ask yourself, "What's good for me right now?" You might need a break, a meal, or a walk outside. Something to help you feel better. You'll come back to any situation stronger and in better spirits. 

Self-compassion , research shows, makes you feel more energetic, alive and optimistic.

2. 'I'll never be able to get this. Why bother?'

This one's not only demoralizing, it's scientifically incorrect. The brain is malleable and can continue to change and develop until old age — a phenomenon neuroscientists call neuroplasticity . 

You can change careers at 50 and you can start playing the piano at 80. You can learn new things at any point and, with practice, you can get better at almost anything. 

"I need more practice."

Think of something you do regularly with relative ease — whether it's running team meetings at work, making dinner, or reading a book. Then think back to the first time you tried to do that thing.

See how far you've come? The same will be true of the thing you attempted for the first time today — if you keep trying. 

3. 'I'm such a failure'

Here's another soul-sucking and destructive belief. You take "I failed at X this time" and twist it into "I am a failure," equating something you experienced momentarily with who you are. 

This idea can't possibly be true. Even if you haven't achieved specific goals in certain areas of your life, it doesn't mean you've failed at everything. Nor does it mean that you'll inevitably fail in the future. Or that you yourself are a failure. 

Oftentimes, failures are opportunities to grow and necessary stepping stones on your way to success. 

"I've learned a lot." And you have. Your life experiences have made you wiser and more aware.

4. 'I can't believe I did that, I am so stupid'

It's hurtful when someone calls you stupid — including when that someone is you. It's draining and demeaning. And it can make you stop trying. 

It's also not true. (Noticing a pattern here?) The only way anyone learns — whether they're a genius or a baby — is by letting themselves try and making mistakes. One study found, for example, that mistakes students make while studying can help them learn better .

Toddlers learning to walk fall down every couple of steps. You don't call them stupid or judge them for it. Instead, you cheer them on until they can take a few steps in a row, and then a few more. 

Plus, research has found that people aren't judging you as harshly as you think when you make an embarrassing blunder. 

Give yourself the same grace and encouragement you'd give that toddler when you're ruminating on something that didn't go perfectly. 

"Nobody's perfect" and "everyone makes mistakes" are universal truths. By reminding yourself of those facts — and the likelihood that you're judging yourself more ruthlessly than others are — you can relax, take a breath, and move forward. 

Lord's Day Reflection: '‘I am the Good Shepherd’

By Fr. Edmund Power, OSB

The fourth Sunday of Eastertide is traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because in each of the three years of the cycle the gospel is taken from John 10 in which Jesus develops an extended metaphor of the shepherd and the sheep.

In the opening words of today's Gospel, he proclaims: "I am the good shepherd."

The adjective “good” in the Greek text is curious: its original meaning was "beautiful,” and from there it expanded in a personal/moral direction.

Beauty, at whatever level we consider it, attracts us. “You hold out a green twig to a sheep, and you draw it,” says St Augustine. It is the beauty of the Lord that draws the sheep to follow Him.

The application of the gospel image is clear: we, his followers, are the sheep. It may not be very attractive to be thought of as sheep, but the central proclamation today is that the Lord is entirely dedicated to us and will do anything for our good—an embracing and encouraging message in an age of bewilderment.

Looking more closely at the text, we notice two pairs of contrasts: the first is between the shepherd and the hireling; the second is between the sheep and the wolf.

The hireling may well be efficient, but at the first sign of danger, he leaves the sheep and flees, driven by the selfish dominance of the ego.

The shepherd, on the other hand, knows his sheep and plainly loves them: the phrase lays down his life is repeated in various ways four times in the text. The motive in this case is self-sacrificing love that almost recklessly fails to count the cost.

The sheep are passive and “gregarious”; we may think of them as unintelligent, but they have two inspired qualities: they respond to the “beauty” of the shepherd with recognition and trust, and they heed his voice.

The wolf is the bestial counterpart of the hireling and symbolizes greed (snatches them) and division (scatters them). We may remember that the Greek verb that generated our “diabolic” originally meant to set at variance or divide.

Let’s not be ingenuous: none of us is fully on the part of the shepherd/sheep, and in everyone there are traces of the hireling/wolf.

The gospel, while proclaiming the paschal compassion of Jesus, sets us, indirectly, a moral challenge. The dying to self so as to live with Christ, which is the core of our baptism, implies a constant commitment to extirpate the mercenary and the wolfish within us. This task will not end until the end.

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NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns after bombshell expose reveals network’s pervasive left-wing bias

U ri Berliner, the veteran editor and reporter for National Public Radio who was suspended without pay after publishing a lengthy essay denouncing the outlet’s liberal bias, has resigned from the broadcaster.

“I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years,” Berliner wrote on his X social media account on Wednesday.

“I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism.”

Berliner wrote that he “cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay.”

Berliner was referring to Katherine Maher, the chief executive at NPR who has come under fire for a series of “woke” social media posts in which she criticized Hillary Clinton for using the term “boy” and “girl” because it was “erasing language for non-binary people.”

Maher also appeared to justify looting In 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests, saying it was “hard to be mad” about the destruction. In 2018, she wrote a post denouncing then-President Donald Trump as a “racist” before deleting it.

On Tuesday, NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara said in a statement that Maher “was not working in journalism at the time and was exercising her First Amendment right to express herself like any other American citizen.”

Berliner, a Peabody Award-winning journalist, called out journalistic blind spots around major news events, including the origins of COVID-19, the war in Gaza and the Hunter Biden laptop, in an essay published last Tuesday on Bari Weiss’ online news site the Free Press.

In Berliner’s essay — titled “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust” — Berliner said that among editorial staff at NPR’s Washington, DC, headquarters,  he counted 87 registered Democrats and no Republicans.

He wrote that he presented these findings to his colleagues at a May 2021 all-hands editorial staff meeting.

“When I suggested we had a diversity problem with a score of 87 Democrats and zero Republicans, the response wasn’t hostile,” Berliner wrote. “It was worse. It was met with profound indifference.”

Maher, who took up the role as CEO of NPR in late March, responded to Berliner’s essay by claiming that the veteran journalist was being “profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning” to his colleagues.

She accused Berliner of “questioning whether our people are serving our mission with integrity … based on little more than the recognition of their identity.”

Berliner also called out his bosses at NPR for their refusal to seriously cover the laptop story — which was exclusively broken by The Post.

The laptop contained emails showing that the son of President Biden was engaged in influence-peddling overseas — though NPR and other media outlets declined to aggressively cover the story in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

According to Berliner, senior editors at NPR feared that devoting airtime to the story would help Trump’s re-election chances just weeks before voters cast their ballots.

Berliner wrote that NPR had deteriorated into “an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience.”

“The laptop was newsworthy,” Berliner wrote. “But the timeless journalistic instinct of following a hot story lead was being squelched.”

Berliner also accused NPR of giving disproportionately more attention to allegations that Trump was colluding with the Russian government to win the 2016 presidential election — only to devote far less resources to Robert Mueller’s findings that there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges.

After the contents of the laptop proved to be authentic, NPR “could have fessed up to our misjudgment,” Berliner wrote.

“But, like Russia collusion [allegations against Trump that were debunked], we didn’t make the hard choice of transparency.”

Berliner also called out NPR for pushing other left-leaning causes, such as subjecting staffers to “unconscious bias training sessions” in the wake of the May 2020 death of George Floyd.

Employees were ordered to “start talking about race,” he said.

NPR journalists were also told to “keep up to date with current language and style guidance from journalism affinity groups” that were based on racial and ethnic identity, including “Marginalized Genders and Intersex People of Color” (MGIPOC), “NPR Noir” (black employees at NPR) and “Women, Gender-Expansive, and Transgender People in Technology Throughout Public Media.”

According to Berliner, if an NPR journalist’s language “differs from the diktats of those groups,” a “DEI Accountability Committee” would settle the dispute.

Watch CBS News

NPR suspends Uri Berliner, editor who accused the network of liberal bias

By Aimee Picchi

Edited By Alain Sherter

April 17, 2024 / 8:18 AM EDT / CBS News

National Public Radio has suspended Uri Berliner, a senior editor who earlier this month claimed in an essay that the network had "lost America's trust" by pushing progressive views in its coverage while suppressing dissenting opinions.

Berliner's suspension was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik, who said that the senior editor was suspended for five days without pay starting on Friday. A formal rebuke from NPR said Berliner had violated its policy of securing prior approval to write for other news outlets, and warned that he would be fired if he breached those guidelines in future, Folkenflik reported.

NPR declined to comment to CBS News. "NPR does not comment on individual personnel matters, including discipline," a spokesperson said. 

Berliner's  essay  in the Free Press caused a firestorm of debate, with some conservatives, including former President Donald Trump, calling on the government to "defund" the organization. Some of Berliner's NPR colleagues also took issue with the essay, with "Morning Edition" host Steve Inskeep writing on his Substack that the article was "filled with errors and omissions."

"The errors do make NPR look bad, because it's embarrassing that an NPR journalist would make so many," Inskeep wrote.

In the essay, Berliner wrote that NPR has always had a liberal bent, but that for most of his 25 year tenure it had retained an open-minded, curious culture. "In recent years, however, that has changed," he wrote. "Today, those who listen to NPR or read its coverage online find something different: the distilled worldview of a very small segment of the U.S. population."

Berliner added, "[W]hat's notable is the extent to which people at every level of NPR have comfortably coalesced around the progressive worldview. The "absence of viewpoint diversity" is "is the most damaging development at NPR," he wrote. 

After the essay's publication, NPR's top editor, Edith Chapin, said she strongly disagrees with Berliner's conclusions and is proud to stand behind NPR's work.

COVID coverage, DEI initiatives

Berliner criticized coverage of major events at NPR, singling out its reporting on COVID and Hunter Biden as problematic. With the first topic, he wrote that the network didn't cover a theory that COVID-19 had been created in a Chinese lab, a theory he claimed NPR staffers "dismissed as racist or a right-wing conspiracy."

He also took NPR for task for what he said was failing to report developments related to  Hunter Biden's laptop . "With the election only weeks away, NPR turned a blind eye," Berliner wrote. 

Berliner also criticized NPR for its internal management, citing what he claims is a growing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI.

"Race and identity became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace," Berliner wrote. "A growing DEI staff offered regular meetings imploring us to 'start talking about race'."

Inskeep said Berliner's essay left out the context that many other news organizations didn't report on Hunter Biden's laptop over questions about its authenticity. He also disputed Berliner's characterization that NPR editors and reporters don't debate story ideas. 

"The story is written in a way that is probably satisfying to the people who already believe it, and unpersuasive to anyone else — a mirror image of his critique of NPR," Inskeep wrote.

—With reporting by the Associated Press.

Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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The New Movie ‘Civil War’ Matters for Reasons Different Than You Think

By Stephen Marche

Mr. Marche is the author of “The Next Civil War.”

“Not one man in America wanted the Civil War, or expected or intended it,” Henry Adams, grandson of John Quincy Adams, declared at the beginning of the 20th century. What may seem inevitable to us in hindsight — the horrifying consequences of a country in political turmoil, given to violence and rived by slavery — came as a shock to many of the people living through it. Even those who anticipated it hardly seemed prepared for its violent magnitude. In this respect at least, the current division that afflicts the United States seems different from the Civil War. If there ever is a second civil war, it won’t be for lack of imagining it.

The most prominent example arrives this week in the form of an action blockbuster titled “Civil War.” The film, written and directed by Alex Garland, presents a scenario in which the government is at war with breakaway states and the president has been, in the eyes of part of the country, delegitimized. Some critics have denounced the project, arguing that releasing the film in this particular election year is downright dangerous. They assume that even just talking about a future national conflict could make it a reality, and that the film risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is wrong.

Not only does this criticism vastly overrate the power of the written word or the moving image, but it looks past the real forces sending the United States toward ever-deeper division: inequality; a hyperpartisan duopoly; and an antiquated and increasingly dysfunctional Constitution. Mere stories are not powerful enough to change those realities. But these stories can wake us up to the threats we are facing. The greatest political danger in America isn’t fascism, and it isn’t wokeness. It’s inertia. America needs a warning.

The reason for a surge in anxiety over a civil war is obvious. The Republican National Committee, now under the control of the presumptive nominee, has asked job candidates if they believe the 2020 election was stolen — an obvious litmus test. Extremism has migrated into mainstream politics, and certain fanciful fictions have migrated with it. In 1997, a group of Texas separatists were largely considered terrorist thugs and their movement, if it deserved that title, fizzled out after a weeklong standoff with the police. Just a few months ago, Texas took the federal government to court over control of the border. Armed militias have camped out along the border. That’s not a movie trailer. That’s happening.

But politicians, pundits and many voters seem not to be taking the risk of violence seriously enough. There is an ingrained assumption, resulting from the country’s recent history of global dominance coupled with a kind of organic national optimism, that in the United States everything ultimately works out. While right-wing journalists and fiction writers have been predicting a violent end to the Republic for generations — one of the foundational documents of neo-Nazism and white supremacy is “The Turner Diaries” from 1978, a novel that imagines an American revolution that leads to a race war — their writings seem more like wish fulfillment than like warnings.

When I attended prepper conventions as research for my book, I found their visions of a collapsed American Republic suspiciously attractive: It’s a world where everybody grows his own food, gathers with family by candlelight, defends his property against various unpredictable threats and relies on his wits. Their preferred scenario resembled, more than anything, a sort of postapocalyptic “Little House on the Prairie.”

We’ve seen more recent attempts to grapple with the possibility of domestic conflict in the form of sober-minded political analysis. Now the vision of a civil war has come to movie screens. We’re no longer just contemplating a political collapse, we’re seeing its consequences unfold in IMAX.

“Civil War” doesn’t dwell on the causes of the schism. Its central characters are journalists and the plot dramatizes the reality of the conflict they’re covering: the fear, violence and instability that a civil war would inflict on the lives of everyday Americans.

That’s a good thing. Early on when I was promoting my book, I remember an interviewer asking me whether a civil war wouldn’t be that terrible an option; whether it would help clear the air. The naïveté was shocking and, to me, sickening. America lost roughly 2 percent of its population in the Civil War. Contemplating the horrors of a civil war — whether as a thought experiment or in a theatrical blockbuster — helps counteract a reflexive sense of American exceptionalism. It can happen here. In fact, it already has.

One of the first people to predict the collapse of the Republic was none other than George Washington. “I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations,” he warned in his Farewell Address. “This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature.” This founder of the country devoted much of one of his most important addresses, at the apex of his popularity, to warning about the exact situation the United States today finds itself in: a hyper-partisanship that puts party over country and risks political collapse. Washington knew what civil war looked like.

For those Americans of the 1850s who couldn’t imagine a protracted, bloody civil war, the reason is simple enough: They couldn’t bear to. They refused to see the future they were part of building. The future came anyway.

The Americans of 2024 can easily imagine a civil war. The populace faces a different question and a different crisis: Can we forestall the future we have foreseen? No matter the likelihood of that future, the first step in its prevention is imagining how it might come to pass, and agreeing that it would be a catastrophe.

Stephen Marche is the author of “The Next Civil War.”

Source photographs by Yasuhide Fumoto, Richard Nowitz and stilllifephotographer, via Getty Images.

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NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO

David Folkenflik

Uri Berliner resigned from NPR on Wednesday saying he could not work under the new CEO Katherine Maher. He cautioned that he did not support calls to defund NPR. Uri Berliner hide caption

Uri Berliner resigned from NPR on Wednesday saying he could not work under the new CEO Katherine Maher. He cautioned that he did not support calls to defund NPR.

NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned this morning, citing the response of the network's chief executive to his outside essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust.

"I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years," Berliner wrote in an email to CEO Katherine Maher. "I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay."

NPR and Maher declined to comment on his resignation.

The Free Press, an online site embraced by journalists who believe that the mainstream media has become too liberal, published Berliner's piece last Tuesday. In it, he argued that NPR's coverage has increasingly reflected a rigid progressive ideology. And he argued that the network's quest for greater diversity in its workforce — a priority under prior chief executive John Lansing – has not been accompanied by a diversity of viewpoints presented in NPR shows, podcasts or online coverage.

Later that same day, NPR pushed back against Berliner's critique.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories," NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff . "We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world."

Yet Berliner's commentary has been embraced by conservative and partisan Republican critics of the network, including former President Donald Trump and the activist Christopher Rufo.

Rufo is posting a parade of old social media posts from Maher, who took over NPR last month. In two examples, she called Trump a racist and also seemed to minimize the effects of rioting in 2020. Rufo is using those to rally public pressure for Maher's ouster, as he did for former Harvard University President Claudine Gay .

Others have used the moment to call for the elimination of federal funding for NPR – less than one percent of its roughly $300 million annual budget – and local public radio stations, which derive more of their funding from the government.

NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era

Berliner reiterated in his resignation letter that he does not support such calls.

In a brief interview, he condemned a statement Maher issued Friday in which she suggested that he had questioned "whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity." She called that "profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning."

Berliner subsequently exchanged emails with Maher, but she did not address those comments.

"It's been building up," Berliner said of his decision to resign, "and it became clear it was on today."

For publishing his essay in The Free Press and appearing on its podcast, NPR had suspended Berliner for five days without pay. Its formal rebuke noted he had done work outside NPR without its permission, as is required, and shared proprietary information.

(Disclosure: Like Berliner, I am part of NPR's Business Desk. He has edited many of my past stories. But he did not see any version of this article or participate in its preparation before it was posted publicly.)

Earlier in the day, Berliner forwarded to NPR editors and other colleagues a note saying he had "never questioned" their integrity and had been trying to raise these issues within the newsroom for more than seven years.

What followed was an email he had sent to newsroom leaders after Trump's 2016 win. He wrote then: "Primarily for the sake of our journalism, we can't align ourselves with a tribe. So we don't exist in a cocoon that blinds us to the views and experience of tens of millions of our fellow citizens."

Berliner's critique has inspired anger and dismay within the network. Some colleagues said they could no longer trust him after he chose to publicize such concerns rather than pursue them as part of ongoing newsroom debates, as is customary. Many signed a letter to Maher and Edith Chapin, NPR's chief news executive. They asked for clarity on, among other things, how Berliner's essay and the resulting public controversy would affect news coverage.

Yet some colleagues privately said Berliner's critique carried some truth. Chapin also announced monthly reviews of the network's coverage for fairness and diversity - including diversity of viewpoint.

She said in a text message earlier this week that that initiative had been discussed long before Berliner's essay, but "Now seemed [the] time to deliver if we were going to do it."

She added, "Healthy discussion is something we need more of."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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