essay about famous person

15+ Examples of Descriptive Essays About a Person

Examples of Descriptive Essays About a Person – Descriptive essay is one type of essay that aims to describe a specific object (animal, person, or other thing) specifically. This text type has a slight difference with report text written based on common terms.

The following essays are some examples of descriptive essays about a person, family members, and famous people.

Table of Contents

Essay 1: My Best Friend Laura

Laura J. Bernal, whose nickname is Laura, is my best friend from my childhood. She has a small body and is quite slim. She has oval face with bright brown eyes and thin lips. Laura J. Bernal has long brown straight hair, but she usually makes her hair with horse ponytails. She looks very beautiful, especially when she smiles. She is always cheerful and looks in a good mood. She is a very positive person. We have almost the same hobby of singing. Sometimes our opinions are the same. She is always energetic and brings positive energy for everyone around her. She is like a part of my family. I trust her just as I trust members of my family. She is a very honest type of friend. She always speaks as she is even though it’s bad. Laura always says what she thinks. We are very close to each other. She can even know whether I lie to her or not. I’m very lucky to have a friend like her.

Essay 2: Larry Page

Lawrence “Larry” Page is one of the most influential people in the world. Page is an American computer scientist; he is also an Internet entrepreneur. He was a co-founder of Google with his friend, Sergey Brin, in 1998. Now, he plays a role as a chief executive officer (CEO) of Alphabets, Google’s parent company. Larry Page was born on 26 th  March 1973 in Michigan. By 2019, his age is 46 years old. His hair is dark brown while his skin is fair. About his family, a research scientist named Lucinda Southworth is his wife. Now, he is a father of two children.In November 2016, he becomes the 12th richest person. Larry’s last education background is a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Here, he met Sergey Brin. Then, they incorporated Google in order to make world’s information easy to access. This company makes him to be one of the successful people in the world.

Essay 3: My Father

My father’s name is David P. Kent. He is a hardworking man. He works as a government employee. His body is tall, like my youngest brother. His hair is black and straight, same as mine. He has brown complexion because he likes working under the Sun. I love talking to my father. He is a wise man who always gives me great advices. We learn about being a hard-worker from him. We love him very much. He is a great father for us.

Essay 4: Bill Gates

William Henry “Bill” Gates III is one of the richest & influential people. In 1975 together with his friend, Paul Allen, he co-founded Microsoft which became the world’s largest PC software company. That is why his name exists in the list of world’s wealthiest people by Forbes. Bill Gates or Trey as his nickname was born on 28 th  October 1955 in Seattle, Washington, USA. By 2019, he is 64 years old. His hair as well as eye color is same, light brown. Bill Gates’ weight is 64 kg with 5′ 9″ height. With his wife named Melinda Gates, they have three children. Besides being the best-known entrepreneur, Bill Gates is also known as a philanthropist. In 2000, he & his wife created Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It was identified as the world’s wealthiest charitable foundation in 2013. Through this foundation, Bill Gates donates large amounts of money to many charitable organizations and scientific research programs.

Essay 5: My Mother

This one is about my mother. Her name is Margaret N. Craft. She has brown complexion and blonde hair. Her height is as same as mine, 5′ 11″. My mother is a tailor. She sews some clothes for women such as shirt, jeans, and skirt. I learn many things about sewing from her. She is a great teacher for me. Every morning, she wakes up earlier than other members in my family. She prepares breakfast for us. She is a tough and patient mother. We love her very much.

Essay 6: Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer & internet entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of Facebook, a famous social media. His name was in the list of 100 wealthiest and most influential people since 2010 by Time Magazine. About his physical appearance, Mark’s body is 170 centimeters tall with 76 kg weight. His hair color is red while his eyes are blue. Mark Zuckerberg was born on 14 th  May 1984 in New York, USA. Therefore, he is 35 years old by 2019. Mark Zuckerberg has married to Priscilla Chan; they have one daughter named Maxima Chan Zuckerberg.

Essay 7: My Sister

My sister is four years older than me. Her name is Jennifer P. Todd. I usually call her Jennifer. She has the same hair like my mother, black and quite curly. My sister, mother and I have almost the same body tall. Her height is about 5′ 1″. Just like our father, she is a government employee. She wears glasses for helping her see clearly. She occasionally wears contact lenses. We fought a lot when we were kids. She is a kind sister though and I love her so much.

Essay 8: J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling is a British novelist who writes phenomenal fantasy book series of Harry Potter. The books have got worldwide attention. They have become the best selling book series in history. They were sold more than 400 million copies. Joanne Rowling was born on 31 th July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. So, she is 54 years old by 2019. About her physical appearance, her height is 5′ 5″, while her weight is 54 kg. She has blonde hair & blue eyes. She’s married two times; she’s got three children. JK. Rowling is a terrific & successful novelist that becomes the richest woman in England. In fact, once she had become unemployed with a destitute life. By writing Harry Potter books which are loaded with spectacular high imagination, she turns to be very famous and wealthy.

Essay 9: My Brother

My brother’s name is Charles O. Joy. I call him Charles. He is the youngest child in my family. He is five years younger than me. I can say that he has fair skin, round brown eyes and small lips. His hair is black and short like our father. He was graduated from English Education Department in University of Pennsylvania a year ago. He loves music very much. He is very good at playing a guitar. Together with his friends, he plays music and creates songs. I believe that he will be a successful artist in the future.

Essay 10: Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey is a great talk show host from America. Her well-known talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show was the highest-rated television program from 1986 to 2011. Because of this phenomenal talk show, she dubbed as the “Queen of All Media”. She has also been ranked the richest African-American and greatest black philanthropist in American history. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Mississippi, United States. By 2019, her age is 64 years old.  She has 5′ 7″ tall while her weight is 77 kg. During her career, she successfully lost her weight. But then, she gained much weight again. She has brown eyes & black hair. Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi. She was molested by her cousin, uncle, as well as a family friend when she was nine years old. At 14, she became pregnant but her son was born prematurely and died shortly after birth. Then, she moved to her father’s house and landed a job in radio. Her consistent efforts led her into the successful African-American.

Essay 11: Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S. He is now 54 years old. He started his career on movie in 1984. His first movie is A nightmare on Elm Street and his last movie is Untitled Fantastic Beast Sequel that would be released in 2018. A long his life, he had been an actor in 48 movies. It means that he had been playing more than 40 characters during his life. Thus, seeing his achievement, he is proper to be the winner of the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for the best actor. Before he became a famous actor, Depp was a musician. The first genre he played was rock music. He is good in playing guitar and writing songs. A long his life, he wrote so many songs for bands, solo vocalist or for movie such as Sweeney Todd.

Essay 12: My Grandmother

I have a grandmother, her name is Mary M. Lewis. I usually called her Granny Mary. Her hair isn’t gray like other grandmothers, but blonde. Her body is quite short, about 5′ 1″. She has brown and bit wrinkly skin. Granny Mary lives in a house with my uncle and aunt. I visit her twice a week. I think she is not that old, because she is 70 years old. However, she still looks fit and strong. She usually goes to the backyard to help my uncle. Sometimes, I go to the backyard with my brother as well and help her pick flowers. We love our grandmother so much.

Essay 13: Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer & song writer. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life. Her songs are very popular, namely Shake It Off, Blank Space, Bad Blood. Taylor Swift has appeared as one of the most influential and powerful women by Forbes as well as Time Magazines. By 2019, Taylor Swift’s age is 30 years old. She was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. This beautiful girl has 5′ 10″ tall & weighs 54 kg. Her hair is blonde while her eye color is blue. Her lips are usually red as she likes red color very much. Taylor Swift is a famous wealthy woman but her life was not always so sweet. She suffered bullying in Junior High School. She said that she got dumped by a group of popular girls in the school. They thought that she was weird because she liked country music. This changed after she moved to Nashville; she becomes a successful singer.

Essay 14: My Grandfather

This one is about my grandfather, my father’s dad. His name is Wayne D. Smith. I usually called him “Gran Wayne”. He lived in a house with my uncles and aunties. He has 10 children, including my father. That’s why we have a very big family. Gran Wayne used to jog every morning. When I was just a kid, I loved to wake up early and went to jog with him. After arriving in one small shop, he bought us a milk and an ice cream. We were so happy at that time. We love our grandfather so much.

Essay 15: A Stranger at Every Morning

I see that mysterious person at every morning walking in front of my home in this last two weeks. I never see him before. Perhaps he is a new comer in this village. He always walks slowly with his two big Doberman dogs as he seems like having a total control of his dogs. He is big and tall man with a long hair and full body tattoo on his skin. I think anybody will be afraid of him. He always uses single shirt and shorts and also black sports shoes when he is walking around with his dog. Usually, he is passing in front of my home around 6 in the morning. He always using headset and put his iPhone or something like MP3 players in his pocket shorts.

Essay 16: Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter that was classified as a post-impressionist painter. He was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands and died on 29 July in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. At his life time, he was stated as a stupid person who tried and failed to learn painting. Not only that, he was totally poor and suffered. At first, he failed in love and thus made him suffered in life. He failed to be anything like normal people. His failure in love broke his mental and confidence. Before he became a painter, or let say liked painting, he was a protestant missionary in Southern Belgium. His duty was in the coal mine and there he saw the truth about suffering and the truth about his own God. Seeing human suffer he also wanted to experience the same in the name of humanity. He lost his faith and started to paint. Traveling from one place to another, Van Gogh lived in poverty. His life was spent to paint even people said that his art work was a bad art. He also suffered from psychotic and delusion. At the last time of his life, he was at the mental hospital, Auvers-sur-Oise, France. He was depressed and finally shot himself and died two days after that. After his death and the popularity of the discourse on madness, especially the knowledge of the psychotic, his painting became popular and categorized as a high art of post-impressionist painting. Unfortunately, Van Gogh never knew that the prices of his painting are now billions.

These are the 15+ examples of descriptive essays about a person. If you’re looking for descriptive essay ideas about family members, friends, or famous people (such as CEO, writers, or celebrity), then you were coming to the right place.

We hope this helps and thanks for reading!

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

One thought on “ 15+ Examples of Descriptive Essays About a Person ”

i want to describe me.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Essay on A Famous Person You Admire

Students are often asked to write an essay on A Famous Person You Admire in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on A Famous Person You Admire

Introduction.

I admire many famous people, but the one I admire the most is Albert Einstein. He was a renowned physicist known for his theory of relativity.

Einstein was born in Germany in 1879. He showed a keen interest in mathematics and physics from a young age.

Achievements

Einstein is famous for his theory of relativity. His E=mc2 equation has significantly influenced modern physics.

Einstein was not just intelligent, but also kind-hearted. He fought for peace and civil rights, showing his admirable character.

Einstein’s intelligence, kindness, and achievements make him the person I most admire.

250 Words Essay on A Famous Person You Admire

Among the galaxy of great personalities, one person I deeply admire is the renowned physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking. His contributions to science and his indomitable spirit in the face of adversity have always been a source of inspiration for me.

Contribution to Science

Hawking’s groundbreaking work in the field of theoretical physics and cosmology has revolutionized our understanding of the universe. His research on black holes and the nature of time has had profound implications, challenging the established norms and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.

Overcoming Adversity

Diagnosed with a debilitating motor neuron disease at the age of 21, Hawking was given a mere two years to live. However, this did not deter him. Despite his physical limitations, he continued his scientific pursuits with relentless determination. This aspect of his life is a testament to his resilience and an example of how physical constraints can’t limit the power of the human mind.

Hawking’s legacy extends beyond his scientific contributions. He was an advocate for the importance of science education and made complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public through his bestselling book, “A Brief History of Time”. His life story, encapsulating his scientific achievements and personal struggles, continues to inspire millions around the world.

Stephen Hawking’s life and work embody the power of perseverance, the importance of curiosity, and the pursuit of knowledge. His story is a reminder that limitations are only as restricting as we allow them to be. To me, he is not just a famous scientist, but a symbol of resilience, making him a person I deeply admire.

500 Words Essay on A Famous Person You Admire

The world is filled with remarkable individuals who inspire us with their life journeys and accomplishments. Among such luminaries, the person I admire the most is Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Inc. His relentless pursuit of innovation, determination in the face of adversity, and vision for a sustainable future make him a role model for many.

Unyielding Pursuit of Innovation

Elon Musk’s unwavering commitment to innovation is nothing short of inspiring. He has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible, transforming science fiction into reality. His vision for SpaceX was met with skepticism, yet he persisted. Today, SpaceX is the first privately-funded company to not only send a spacecraft to the International Space Station but also develop a reusable rocket, drastically cutting the cost of space travel. Musk’s innovative spirit is also evident in Tesla Inc., where he revolutionized the auto industry by making electric vehicles a viable and desirable alternative to fossil fuel-powered cars.

Resilience in the Face of Adversity

Adversity is a common theme in Musk’s journey. He has faced numerous challenges, including near-bankruptcy of Tesla and multiple failed launches at SpaceX. However, Musk’s resilience in the face of adversity is commendable. He has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to rise from setbacks, turning failures into stepping stones towards success. His ability to maintain unwavering focus on his goals, despite the odds, is a testament to his strength of character and a source of inspiration.

Vision for a Sustainable Future

Perhaps the most admirable trait of Elon Musk is his vision for a sustainable future. He is not just a businessman but a visionary who is leveraging technology to address some of the most pressing issues of our time. Through Tesla, he is promoting a shift towards renewable energy, contributing significantly to the fight against climate change. With SpaceX, he envisions a future where humans become a multi-planetary species, thus safeguarding the survival of humanity.

In conclusion, Elon Musk’s relentless pursuit of innovation, resilience in the face of adversity, and vision for a sustainable future make him a person worthy of admiration. His life serves as a reminder that with determination, courage, and a clear vision, one can overcome any obstacle and make a significant impact on the world. His story inspires us to dream big, work hard, and never give up, no matter the odds.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Visit to a Science Fair
• Essay on Science Fair
• Essay on Book Fair

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

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

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Forums Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• Official Writing
• Report Writing

How to Write a Compelling & Accurate Report about a Famous Person

Last Updated: April 14, 2023 References

Researching Your Topic

Writing your report, revising your report.

This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA . Emily Listmann is a Private Tutor and Life Coach in Santa Cruz, California. In 2018, she founded Mindful & Well, a natural healing and wellness coaching service. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. Emily also received her Wellness Coach Certificate from Cornell University and completed the Mindfulness Training by Mindful Schools. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 255,643 times.

Are you stumped about how to write a report on a famous person? Many times, just starting a project like this is half the battle and once you begin all the pieces will fall into place. You will just need to do a bit of research, organize the information you learned into general categories, and then write about each of those categories. You can write a report about anyone or anything with just a bit of time, organization, and focus.

Things You Should Know

• Learn more about your subject by researching on the internet, checking out books at the library, and watching documentaries on the person.
• Find a focus to center your report around. Instead of writing about every detail of their life, choose something important that stands out to you, like their philanthropy efforts.
• Create an outline to get a rough idea of what your report should look like. Here, you can craft an intro, topic sentences for body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• If you must choose someone from a specific time period, search for historical figures from that era and read about them until you find one that interests you.
• You could also choose someone based on a topic. For instance, if you’re interested in electricity, you could pick Nikola Tesla, Michael Faraday, or James Prescott Joule.

• For most reports, this preliminary search won't give you sources that you want to cite in your paper. Instead, it'll give you the basic information you'll need to do a more in-depth search for credible sources. [1] X Research source
• Try not to cite sources in your paper that are created by non-experts or are sources that can be edited by anyone. However, these can be great jumping off points for further research.

• When researching the subject, be careful to evaluate the credibility of your sources . If possible, use a variety of reliable sources to get the best information about the subject. [2] X Research source
• As a general rule, you want information that has been created by experts on the person you are researching. [3] X Research source

• Write the name of the source, then list the pertinent information as you come across it. Be sure to note the page number(s) too.
• There are different ways to take notes, so you'll have to find one that suits you.
• Some people like to take notes on paper and some people like to type them in a computer. Do whichever you prefer.

• For example, if you're researching Eleanor Roosevelt, you'll want to know when she was born, who her parents and her husband were, and why she's famous. However, you'll also want to focus on one aspect of her life, such as her work for women's rights.
• Alternatively, pick the aspect that you relate to most. For example, if you're drawn to Elvis Presley because of his in the military, write your report about his time in the military.

• Ask your teacher if they want citations and how they'd like you to include them. There are different citation styles, so it's important to understand what your teacher expects.
• Your teacher may also want a bibliography. This is a specifically formatted list of all of the books or websites you used. It is sometimes called "Works Cited" or "Sources Cited."
• Make a list of all of your sources as you do your research. It will make the bibliography easier to write at the end.
• 1 Follow the assignment guidelines. In some cases, your teacher might want you to answer a specific question about the historical figure, create a claim or thesis that guides your research, or even explain how you view the person. Read through the assignment guidelines several times and make sure that your research and report follows the expected format.

• For example, if your main point about The Beatles is that they were the most popular band in the 1960s, say that in the introduction. The point of every following paragraph will support that assertion.
• The outline can be created in any form you like. Some people like to start listing the points they want to make, while others prefer to create a structured outline that lays out the organization of the paper in detail.
• You can also list an outline for the conclusion but the conclusion usually just reiterates the main point brought up in the introduction.

• You also need to introduce your main point. This should be a topic sentence that goes toward the end of the introduction.
• Include when and where this person was born in the introduction. Consider waiting until the end of your report to discuss when they died.
• Don't address the person by their first name. It sounds very unprofessional. You can call them by their full name in your introduction, but after that, use their last name.

• For example, if the point of one paragraph is that The Beatles sold more albums than other artists in the 1960s, state that as the topic sentence.
• Don't mince words about your point. State it clearly and strongly.
• Each paragraph needs to have a topic sentence. If you think your paragraph doesn't have one, then you need to do some editing. [5] X Research source

• Each example you give to prove the topic sentence should be in a separate sentence. This means that your paragraphs should be around 4 to 5 sentences long.
• Giving specific examples will help you prove the paragraph's point. Instead of giving your opinion, back up your points with facts.
• How many paragraphs you need for your report will vary. In most cases, 5 paragraphs will be ideal: 1 for the introduction, 3 for the body, and 1 for the conclusion. [7] X Research source
• If your teacher gives you a set word count or page count that you need to meet, you may have to increase or decrease the number of body paragraphs.

• Begin the concluding paragraph by rephrasing the main point and examples. For instance, in an essay on The Beatles' popularity, you could state, "Clearly, The Beatles staggering record sales, huge fan base, and enduring legacy illustrate the bands lasting importance."
• In some cases, the conclusion may remind the reader of your attention grabbing sentence used in the intro.
• Don't introduce new information in your conclusion. If you are tempted to, find a place to include it in the body of the essay instead.

• If you think you need to explain your subject more, take the time to do it. You've spent a lot of time on your report already, so it's worth a little more time to make it the best it can be.
• After you're done writing your paper, read it out loud to catch mistakes. This will help you to catch areas of your writing that are awkward or confusing. [9] X Research source

• For example, did you use the right version of the word "there" in your paper? A spell check program may not catch it if you used the wrong version of a word with multiple spellings.

• Don't take it personally if you get a lot of feedback. They're only trying to help make your report the best it can be.
• Consider having a parent or a classmate read over your report. If you have a classmate do it, offer to read over their paper in exchange for them reading over yours.

Community Q&A

• Be careful to not start every sentence with the person's name. To avoid this, use he/she or move around the subject in the sentence. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

• Never plagiarize your work. It's not worth the short cut and it is dishonest. In fact, your teacher can put anything from your paper into a search engine and find the website you stole it from. Always rephrase sentences when using them in your paper and cite the source you got the information from. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 5

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/02/
• ↑ http://www.pcc.edu/library/scripts/know-your-sources/index.html
• ↑ http://libguides.umflint.edu/research/citing
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/29/
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/724/02/
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/05/
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/editing_proofreading.php

About This Article

To write a report on a famous person, search online and check out books from your library to learn about their life. Be sure to keep track of what sources you used and take notes. Once you have your information, write an introduction that gives some background about the famous person and explains why they were famous. Then write body paragraphs that provide details and facts about their life. You should include a topic sentence in each paragraph and wrap up your report with a conclusion that restates your main idea. To learn from our Education reviewer how to write topic sentences, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

WaffleRifle

Sep 3, 2017

Did this article help you?

Daniel Ngai

Dec 27, 2017

Barbara Smith

Oct 2, 2021

Chicken Soup

Jun 3, 2020

Nov 21, 2018

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Develop the tech skills you need for work and life

• Resources ›
• For Students and Parents ›
• College Admissions ›
• Essay Samples & Tips ›

Tips for an Admissions Essay on an Influential Person

• Essay Samples & Tips
• College Admissions Process
• College Profiles
• College Rankings
• Choosing A College
• Application Tips
• Testing Graphs
• College Financial Aid
• Advanced Placement
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Life
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

It's not unusual for a college admissions essay to talk about a person who played an important role in your development. Whether this is a parent, a friend, a coach, or a teacher, such essays can be powerful if they avoid common pitfalls.

Key Takeaways: An Essay on an Influential Person

• Don't just describe a person you admire. Be analytical and reflective to explain why you admire them.
• Essays focused on parents or celebrities are common and often not the best choice for your focus.
• All good application essays are about you , even when you are writing about someone else, so make sure the admissions folks are getting to know you through your essay.

With the pre-2013 Common Application , one of the essay prompts stated, "Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence." While you won't find this question among the seven 2020-21 Common Application essay prompts , the current application still allows you to write about an influential person with the "topic of your choice" option . Some of the other prompts also leave the door open for writing about an influential person.

Do Much More than Describe the Influential Person

Any essay on an influential person needs to do much more than describe that person. The act of describing requires very little critical thought, and as a result, it doesn't demonstrate the kind of analytical, reflective, and thoughtful writing that will be required of you in college. Be sure to examine why the person was influential to you, and you should analyze the ways in which you have changed because of your relationship with the person.

Think Twice About Essays on Mom or Dad

There is nothing wrong with writing about one of your parents for this essay, but make sure your relationship with your parent is unusual and compelling in some way. The admissions folks get a lot of essays that focus on a parent, and your writing won't stand out if you simply make generic points about parenting. If you find yourself making points like "my Dad was a great role model" or "my mother always pushed me to do my best," rethink your approach to the question. Consider the millions of students who could write the exact same essay.

Don't Be Star Struck

In most cases, you should avoid writing an essay about the lead singer in your favorite band or the movie star who you idolize. Such essays can be okay if handled well, but often the writer ends up sounding like a pop culture junkie rather than a thoughtful independent thinker.

Obscure Subject Matter is Fine

Be sure to read Max's essay on an influential person. Max writes about a rather unremarkable junior high kid he encountered while teaching summer camp. The essay succeeds in part because the choice of subject matter is unusual and obscure. Among a million application essays, Max's will be the only one to focus on this young boy. Also, the boy isn't even a role model. Instead, he's an ordinary kid who inadvertently makes Max challenge his preconceptions.

The "Significant Influence" Need Not Be Positive

The majority of essays written about influential people focus on role models: "my Mom/Dad/brother/friend/teacher/neighbor/coach taught me to be a better person through his or her great example..." Such essays are often excellent, but they are also a bit predictable. Keep in mind that a person can have a significant influence without having an entirely "positive" influence. Jill's essay , for example, focuses on a woman with only a few positive qualities. You could even write about someone who is abusive or hateful. Evil can have as much "influence" on us as good.

You Are Also Writing About Yourself

When you choose to write about a person who has had an influence on you, you will be most successful if you are also reflective and introspective. Your essay will be partly about the influential person, but it is equally about you. To understand someone's influence on you, you need to understand yourself — your strengths, your short-comings, the areas where you still need to grow.

As with the college admissions essay, you need to make sure a response reveals your own interests, passions, personality, and character. The details of this essay need to reveal that you are the type of person who will contribute to the campus community in a positive way.

• Tips for the Pre-2013 Personal Essay Options on the Common Application
• Sample College Admissions Essay - Student Teacher
• 5 Tips for a College Admissions Essay on an Important Issue
• Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth
• How Long Should Your Common Application Short Answer Essay Be?
• "Handiwork" - Sample Common Application Essay for Option #1
• "Grandpa's Rubik's Cube"—Sample Common Application Essay, Option #4
• Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place
• Ideal College Application Essay Length
• Common Application Essay, Option 1: Share Your Story
• UC Personal Statement Prompt #1
• Addressing Diversity in a College Application Essay
• "Gym Class Hero" - a Common Application Essay Sample for Option #3
• Tips for Writing a Winning College Transfer Essay
• College Essay Style Tips
• Common Supplemental Essay Mistakes