Growing Up Essay for College & School: Guide & Examples [2022] (2024)

4 min

Print

What does it mean to grow up? Essays on this topic might be entertaining yet challenging to write. Growing up is usually associated with something new and exciting. It’s a period of everything new and unknown.

Now, you’ve been assigned to write a growing up essay. You’re not a kid anymore, but not quite the adult. It would be interesting for your teacher to learn about your childhood memories or read what you think about the experience of growing up.

That’s why:

In this article, we will provide a guide on how to write an essay on growing up. Our team listed some topics to make your writing process more manageable.

  1. 📍 How to Write It

  2. 👩‍👦‍👦 6 Essay Topics

    1. 🏡 About Your Childhood

    2. 🧒 About Someone Else

📍 How to Write a Growing up Essay

Writing an essay about growing up can seem complicated, but it’s always easier to handle when you have a plan. In this section, we will talk more about how to write an essay on the topic.

  1. Pick a style. There are two main essay types used for growing up papers: reflective and narrative. Both types require a narrator, a clear structure, and a purpose.

    • Reflective essays focus on the author’s attitude towards individual experiences. This type is often required during the college admissions process. For instance, one may write about growing up in poverty and how it shaped his character.

    • Narrative essays focus on a specific event or sequence of events. For example, you might write about the most memorable trip from your childhood.

  2. Select your topic. You can choose to write about yourself or check with the instructor whether it is possible to write about other people.
    When selecting a topic for a reflective essay, you need to remember several things:

    • Choose the topic on the familiar subject. It will be easier to reflect on the issue when you have a lot of relevant experience.

    • Choose the topic of interest. Write about something that provokes a strong emotional reaction from you.

    • Show a unique vision on the topic. Try to approach writing college essays about growing up from a different perspective.
      When writing a narrative essay, you need to remember that your work should tell a story. Your essay topic about growing up needs to agree with the paper’s length and follow the essay structure. Focus on a specific point in your writing.

  1. Recall childhood memories. If you’re writing a narrative essay, you’ll surely need your childhood memories. But how do you come up with the right ones?
    There are several tips that you might consider when recalling them:

    • Think about the event in your life that provokes a strong emotional response;

    • Write what you have learned from the experience;

    • Consider writing about experiences with your friends or relatives. What those events taught you?

  2. Outline your paper. Organizing your paper beforehand will help you write your thoughts down more concisely. Narrative and reflective essays follow the same structure:

    • Introduction: Your growing up essay introduction is an opening paragraph of the work. It grabs a reader’s attention and contains a thesis statement.

    • Body Paragraphs: The childhood and growing up essay can contain three body paragraphs. In each one, provide an example of an event or situation that supports the general topic.

    • Conclusion: In your growing up essay, the conclusion is the final paragraph. It summarizes the main points and brings the paper to an end.

  3. Edit and polish it. When you create your first draft, you might want to revise and edit it.

    • Revise your draft a couple of days after writing it. That way, you will be able to notice mistakes or typos you missed.

    • Try to avoid passive voice. Rewrite the sentences in an active one, if possible.

    • Read your essay out loud. If it doesn’t meet the set criteria, keep revising it.

👩‍👦‍👦 6 Topics for Essays on Growing Up

You may not know what your essay on growing up should be devoted to. If it’s the case, look at this section. Earlier, we talked about how to write, but here we will tell you what to write about.

🏡 About Your Childhood

See the topics that can navigate an essay about your childhood experience:

  1. Your family values and how they have been shaping your personality. Engage in reflective writing to show how certain factors of growing up influenced your character. What do you think were the effects of your growing up period?

  2. What various roles have you had in your family? How and why did they change? As children are growing, the family adjusts accordingly. Remember your roles as a child, adolescent, and young adult. How did they change?

  3. Your personal changes in the course of growing up. Write an essay describing what developments happened to you. What caused those changes?

  4. Sudden adulthood. Write a growing up too fast essay. Reflect on your feelings and emotions about growing up so suddenly.

  5. Growing up with siblings. Write an essay about your childhood experience in a house where you weren’t the only child. Remember what it was like growing up with blood brothers and sisters? Or, maybe growing up with step-siblings? How did it influence you?

  6. A short memoir. You don’t need dramatic adolescence or an out-of-ordinary story to write about yourself. Share your most exciting stories from childhood.

In other words, try to focus on something that made your growing up experience memorable and tell about it.

🧒 About Someone Else

What if you do not feel like talking about your own experience in the essay on growing up? Do not worry. There are many other ways to complete your paper.

What follows next are additional ideas for you:

  1. Write essays on growing up based on a work of literature or some songs. Choose your favorite piece of literature or favorite song that talks about growing up. Write several paragraphs about the portrayal of the growing up period in music or literature.

  2. Write essays on growing up with a single parent. Write an essay about growing up without a father or mother. What is it like? What impact can it make on a person’s character?

  3. Write about growing up without parents, etc. A childhood spent in an orphanage or with distant relatives can have lasting consequences. Think about the effects it can have on a person’s character.

  4. Write an essay about growing up in a small town. Think about the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small town. Why do you think it’s good/bad to live in a small town?

  5. Write about youth growing up fast. Children become adults quite quickly. Discuss the possible reasons for children to grow up faster.

Thank you for reading this article! Hopefully, you found the information written here useful. If so, don’t forget to comment and share this article with your friends.

This might be interesting for you:

  • School Days Essay: How to Describe a Memorable Event

  • Childhood Memories Essay: Brilliant Writing Ideas

  • Writing Essay about Someone Who Has Made an Impact on Your Life

  • Excellent Remembering a Person Essay: Free Writing Guidelines

  • Life Experience Essay: How to Write a Brilliant Paper

🔗 References

About Author

This article was developed by the editorial team of Custom-Writing.org, a professional writing service with 3-hour delivery.

Growing Up Essay for College & School: Guide & Examples [2022] (2024)

FAQs

How do you write a 2022 essay? ›

  1. Planning Stage. Understand the Type of Essay Required. ...
  2. Determine Your Topic. The next stage involves the process of determining a topic to discuss in the body of the essay. ...
  3. Research Your Topic. ...
  4. Create an Outline. ...
  5. Make the Thesis Statement Explicit. ...
  6. Writing stage. ...
  7. Give a brief history of your topic. ...
  8. Write the body of the essay.
29 Mar 2022

How important is the college essay 2022? ›

Are college essays even important? Yes, college essays are actually very important. Having a perfect GPA and extracurriculars is great, but the truth is that many students have an impressive academic background. Your college essay is one of the things that can make you stand out from the crowd.

What is the Common App essay for 2022? ›

Common App has announced the 2022-2023 essay prompts.

Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking?

How do I start my college essay? ›

6 Steps to Start Your College Essay
  1. Review the essay prompt(s) Take 15 or 20 minutes to simply look at the essay prompts. ...
  2. Start brainstorming. ...
  3. Test drive a few topics. ...
  4. Write a (terrible) first draft or two. ...
  5. Get feedback from a teacher, counselor, or other people you trust. ...
  6. Write as many drafts as you need to.

What is a good essay for college application? ›

The traditional college application essay usually requires an open-ended personal statement in response to broad or general prompts that might have you share a story, reflect on an event, or discuss a topic.

How do you answer college essay prompts? ›

Here are some tips to help you ace your short answers:
  1. Don't repeat the question.
  2. Don't use unnecessarily large words. ...
  3. Answer honestly. ...
  4. Supplement your résumé. ...
  5. Always use details to bring even a short story to life.
  6. Don't be afraid of the word limit. ...
  7. Describe your personal growth. ...
  8. Be specific about each institution.

Do colleges read all essays? ›

Yes, every college essay is read if the college has asked for it (and often even if they did not ask for it). The number of readers depends on the college's review process. It will be anywhere from one reader to four readers.

What should you not talk about in a college essay? ›

College Essay Topics to Avoid
  • Controversial Topics. Controversial topics, such as current political hot buttons, should be avoided at all costs. ...
  • Highly Personal Topics. ...
  • Personal Achievements and Accomplishments. ...
  • Most Important Place or a Role Model. ...
  • Creative Writing. ...
  • Athletic Topics. ...
  • Humorous Topics or Jokes. ...
  • Tragic Events.
3 Sept 2020

How can I write an amazing essay? ›

Six top tips for writing a great essay
  1. Analyse the question.
  2. Define your argument.
  3. Use evidence, reasoning and scholarship.
  4. Organise a coherent essay.
  5. Write clearly.
  6. Cite sources and evidence.

How many words should a college essay be? ›

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words. You should aim to stay under the specified limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely.

When I grow up what do you want to be examples? ›

As children, we all dream of what we want to be when we grow up. Often, many young children will say that they want to be actors or singers, pop stars or models. Some will say that they want to become teachers, firefighters, police officers. Others want to be astronauts or scientists or explorers.

How do you describe growing up? ›

1a : to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity : to progress from childhood toward adulthood growing up intellectually grew up in the city also : to become an adult She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

What do you think the best part of being a grown up will be essay? ›

The best thing being a grown up is the freedom. When you grow up, you can move out of your parents' home and live on your own. You can do whatever you want to without your parents' supervision. You could travel around the world.

How do I start an essay about myself? ›

Let's start with some examples of personal essay prompts:
  1. Tell me about yourself.
  2. Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
  3. What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
  4. Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?
14 Jan 2020

What should my college essay be about? ›

Your college essay should reflect your opinions and experiences and display clear and critical thinking. It's more than a list of facts or a highlight reel of successes; it helps college admissions officers understand your character. So show them who you are.

How do you start a personal essay? ›

How to Start a Personal Essay. Start your paper with a statement about your story, while at the same time catching the reader's attention by making use of a hook sentence. It may be a suitable quotation, definition, fact or even an intriguing question.

How do I write an essay introduction? ›

An introduction should give the reader a glimpse into your thoughts on the essay topic or question.
...
You could briefly:
  1. introduce your main idea or key point.
  2. summarise your overall argument.
  3. give some brief background information on the text you are exploring and/or the author's possible purpose in writing the text.

How do you write a introduction paragraph for an essay? ›

The introductory paragraph of any paper, long or short, should start with a sentence that piques the interest of your readers. In a typical essay, that first sentence leads into two or three more sentences that provide details about your subject or your process. All of these sentences build up to your thesis statement.

What makes you a strong candidate for college essay? ›

Strong test scores (relative to what admitted students have) A specific, honest, and well-written personal statement. A unique extracurricular interest or passion (a "spike," as we like to call it) Volunteering experience with measurable impact.

How do you write a strong college essay? ›

Tips for a Stellar College Application Essay
  1. Write about something that's important to you. ...
  2. Don't just recount—reflect! ...
  3. Being funny is tough. ...
  4. Start early and write several drafts. ...
  5. No repeats. ...
  6. Answer the question being asked. ...
  7. Have at least one other person edit your essay.

How many paragraphs should a essay have? ›

No rule says an essay needs to have a certain number of paragraphs, but an essay must be at least three paragraphs. Many people say an essay should be five paragraphs, but it's an extremely limiting rule, and unless you've been instructed to write a five-paragraph essay, there's no reason to stick to it.

How do you write a short answer essay? ›

Write your answer as quickly and legibly as possible. Don't plan on rewriting your essay – there is rarely enough time to do anything but proof your answer. Start your answer by rewriting the question as a thesis statement. A well‐written thesis statement answers the question directly.

What is the best essay checker? ›

Top 10 Essay Checker And Corrector For Online Proofreading
  • Comparison Table Of The Best Writing Checker.
  • #1) ProWritingAid.
  • #2) EasyBib.
  • #3) Virtual Writing Tutor.
  • #4) Paper Rater.
  • #5) Scribens.
  • #6) My Assignment Help.
  • #7) Grammarly.
7 Aug 2022

What are colleges looking for in students? ›

Colleges today are looking for students whose strengths and experiences will be an asset to their school. Good grades, a challenging high school curriculum, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and a strong essay are a few key factors admissions officers assess.

Can a good essay get you into college? ›

The short answer here is: No, an essay won't get you into college on its own. Your acceptance at most universities is dictated primarily by your GPA, course-load (how hard your classes are) and, to varying degrees, your test scores, recommendations, and extracurriculars.

Who actually reads your college essay? ›

The person who reads your application in a college admissions office might be a dedicated admissions officer, a faculty member, or a student or part-time essay reader. They are reading your essay in the context of your application overall.

Can I write my college essay about anything? ›

The most general answer to that question is that your essay can be about almost anything, as long as it fits the prompt you've chosen or been given. In some sense, it's easier to say which topics you shouldn't use for your college application essay.

Can you include pictures in a college essay? ›

All images, photos, graphs, etc. that you use in your essays should be directly relevant to your argument. Don't just insert pretty pictures for the sake of it; select images that will: • Help your readers understand your point. Illustrate your ideas.

How do you show not tell in college essay? ›

What does it mean? “Show, don't tell” means you should use figurative language and strong word choice to create a visual in the mind of your reader. If you've ever read a book or short story where you feel like you disappear into that world, that author has mastered this practice.

What are the 5 parts of a essay? ›

As a result, such a paper has 5 parts of an essay: the introduction, writer's arguments, counter arguments, refutation, and conclusion.

What is the first step of writing a good essay response? ›

What is the first step of writing a good essay response? a. Writing down everything you know about the topic.

How many paragraphs should be in a college essay? ›

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay. College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count.

How long should paragraphs be in a college essay? ›

But a general guideline for the paragraphs in your college essays is that they should be about 1/3 to 1/2 of a page. Any longer, and chances are good that you have more than one main idea. In which case, you need to find the other secondary main ideas and give them their own paragraphs.

How long should it take to write a college essay? ›

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay, and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts.

When I grow up what do you want to answer? ›

Expert-verified answer

Some want to become a lawyer, teacher, or any other profession in their life. Let us discuss in detail regarding that. There are main ambitions which are there in the minds of the children. These ambitions come from any inspirations, he or she may be their parents or any other person.

What I want to be when I grow up short paragraph? ›

1) I want to chase my dream of becoming a social worker. 2) My interest in social work was from my childhood. 3) I want to do something good for the people of my country. 4) The great work of social activists attracted me to become a good person in life.

What do you want to be when you grow up write five sentences about it? ›

Explanation: i want to be a doctor when i grow up. I will help my patients and treat them nicely. I will gain their respect and love towards me. I will not discriminate and work hard to provide them comfort and ease.

Why is growing up important? ›

When you are young your mind is new, like a blank canvas, but as you grow you get to stretch it and use it in ways you never thought possible. Growing up gives you the chance to expand your thinking, to delve into the weird and the wonderful, and it will encourage you to create your own beliefs, opinions and values.

How do I start growing up? ›

13 Lessons On How To Be A Grown Up
  1. Learn about cause and effect. ...
  2. Learn the importance of hard work. ...
  3. Learn self-reliance. ...
  4. Learn emotional self-regulation. ...
  5. Learn to plan, organize, and prioritize. ...
  6. Learn to take responsibility for things. ...
  7. Learn to delay gratification and consider opportunity costs.
15 Mar 2021

What I want to be when I grow up 10 lines? ›

10 line essay on " What you want to become when you grow up." I want to become a pilot when I grow up. I want to fly the huge planes in the blue sky through the white clouds. I want to soar high above in the sky and see the world from there.

What to write about growing up? ›

See the topics that can navigate an essay about your childhood experience:
  • Your family values and how they have been shaping your personality. ...
  • What various roles have you had in your family? ...
  • Your personal changes in the course of growing up. ...
  • Sudden adulthood. ...
  • Growing up with siblings. ...
  • A short memoir.
28 Dec 2021

What's the best thing of growing up? ›

Sometimes the best part of being a grown up is actually just that: being an adult. It's the personal and financial success that comes from maturity, the freedom of adulthood, the respect you get from your peers and the joy of working hard to play hard.

How important is the college essay 2020? ›

Beyond this, it stands out as the most influential, non-quantitative aspect of a student's application. Thus, it has never been more important for applicants to put in the thinking, writing, and editing necessary to create their best narrative--one that demonstrates unique qualities through story and reflection.

How important are college supplemental essays? ›

They're your chance to demonstrate that you know what makes the school special and that you're excited to attend that particular institution. Good supplementary essays both highlight what a good fit you are for a college and flatter the college by discussing its unique strengths.

How important is the personal essay? ›

The importance of personal essays for Sanders is that they enable a person to work through an experience or emotion and come to terms with it during the process of writing. “What makes an essay personal,” Sanders explained. “Is that there is something at stake for the person telling you the story.”

How important is the common app essay? ›

How Important Is the Common App Essay? The Common App essay is a key part of your college application. According to a 2019 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 56.4% of colleges surveyed considered the personal statement moderately or considerably important.

What is the most common college essay topic? ›

Tackling the Common App Essay Prompts
  • Prompt #1: Share your story.
  • Prompt #2: Learning from obstacles.
  • Prompt #3: Challenging a belief.
  • Prompt #4: Solving a problem.
  • Prompt #5: Personal growth.
  • Prompt #6: What captivates you?
  • Prompt #7: Topic of your choice.
  • Describe a person you admire.

What should my college essay be about? ›

Your college essay should reflect your opinions and experiences and display clear and critical thinking. It's more than a list of facts or a highlight reel of successes; it helps college admissions officers understand your character. So show them who you are.

Can a good essay get you into college? ›

The short answer here is: No, an essay won't get you into college on its own. Your acceptance at most universities is dictated primarily by your GPA, course-load (how hard your classes are) and, to varying degrees, your test scores, recommendations, and extracurriculars.

How do I write a short college Supplement essay? ›

10 Tips for Writing Great Supplemental Essays for College Admissions
  1. Ascertain which of your college choices require supplements. ...
  2. Read the essay prompt carefully. ...
  3. Write about yourself. ...
  4. Do not repeat anything from the rest of your Common App or Coalition App. ...
  5. Do your homework. ...
  6. Recycle your essays the smart way.
26 Jun 2018

Can I reuse a supplemental essay? ›

Can You Reuse College Supplemental Essays Across Schools? Yes, but do it carefully! Reusing essays can save you time and energy. If you reuse material, make sure to do it strategically, and make sure what you're reusing fits the prompt.

Can I reuse my application essay? ›

You can't always reuse an essay.

Some colleges will ask for different prompts, in which case you'll just have to write another essay to submit. You want to make sure each essay you submit—even if you're reusing it—is tailor-made for the college you're applying to.

How do you start a personal essay? ›

How to Start a Personal Essay. Start your paper with a statement about your story, while at the same time catching the reader's attention by making use of a hook sentence. It may be a suitable quotation, definition, fact or even an intriguing question.

What should a personal essay for college look like? ›

Tips for a Stellar College Application Essay
  • Write about something that's important to you. ...
  • Don't just recount—reflect! ...
  • Being funny is tough. ...
  • Start early and write several drafts. ...
  • No repeats. ...
  • Answer the question being asked. ...
  • Have at least one other person edit your essay. ...
  • Test Your College Knowledge.

How can I write an amazing essay? ›

Six top tips for writing a great essay
  1. Analyse the question.
  2. Define your argument.
  3. Use evidence, reasoning and scholarship.
  4. Organise a coherent essay.
  5. Write clearly.
  6. Cite sources and evidence.

How many words should a college essay be? ›

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words. You should aim to stay under the specified limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Amb. Frankie Simonis

Last Updated:

Views: 5806

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (56 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Amb. Frankie Simonis

Birthday: 1998-02-19

Address: 64841 Delmar Isle, North Wiley, OR 74073

Phone: +17844167847676

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: LARPing, Kitesurfing, Sewing, Digital arts, Sand art, Gardening, Dance

Introduction: My name is Amb. Frankie Simonis, I am a hilarious, enchanting, energetic, cooperative, innocent, cute, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.