Most often written by students majoring in Journalism, Political Science or Sociology, profile essays relate to descriptive style assignments. Structure of such papers usually includes interview of a person (usually professional in a certain area or an inspiring personality) with a following post-analysis. Researching a topic, an event or simply basing one's paper upon interview alone, writers provide profile that contains engaging information to keep an audience inspired. Think of newspaper reports or magazine style writing where authors turn to expert views by talking briefly of a person's profile. Even though writing must be kept well-structured, profile essay still has more flexibility, which allows freedom for careful wording. Always think of a good title and hook sentence before you start!
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The definition of this academic essay type will always depend on your course and the topic provided in your grading rubric. The general idea of a profile essay is to focus on a description of some personality, a place, an event that has taken place (a festival, a movie), or activity that has been taken (a demonstration or political elections). The ideas can vary, depending on what your objectives are. For example, profile essay topics for students majoring in Journalism will be writing about a single person in most cases, which is like creation of a profile and information that relates to a person’s social background, belief, achievements, and the actions taken. It should provide a plethora of interesting details and facts, which is why you must explore your topic first to achieve a required style of writing.
To start writing a profile essay effectively, follow these 5-7 key steps:
Remember to maintain objectivity, seek feedback, and thoroughly revise your essay for clarity and coherence.
Regarding your profile essay structure, it must include the following sections:
Introduction with the basic background information about the person, event, or activity that you describe.
The list of facts with the timeline if you are talking about a certain period.
A paragraph about the general social perception of your topic and the reasons why your subject is important.
Three to five body paragraphs that focus on important facts about your topic. The general idea is to use one fact per paragraph to keep things accurate and well-structured.
An analytical paragraph where you talk about your thoughts and the reasons why you have chosen certain facts and how they affected your studies, the society, or what importance is posed for your course.
A conclusion paragraph. This is where you sum your ideas up and focus on the key facts that have been mentioned.
References page. Since we are dealing with the facts that need evidence, the use of citations is paramount for a successful profile essay structure.
See our free profile essay example and don’t forget to check our profile essay checklist to ensure that nothing has been missed by accident:
Provide interesting details and facts.
Keep your style and tone neutral.
Use unique introduction with a hook sentence.
Check your facts and add quotes as the evidence.
Use only academic sources.
Neutral tone.
Opinions from more than one school of thought.
Working on your profile, always refer to your course specifics and discipline as it may introduce additional rules regarding your structure and information that must be included.
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A typical profile essay example is a creative description of a personality, an event, or an object that relates to a particular person. In some cases, you can choose topics or ideas that describe a celebrity or a scientist. It must deal with the facts and provide descriptions. The other profile essay topics may talk about a career, a defining moment with a teacher, or a profile on social media.
How to write profile essays?
As you will see with most examples of profile essays, they represent a collection of facts with a brief analysis. It is a narration that focuses on a person. However, it must not get boring and become a listing of already known facts. Provide analytical information, interesting data, and argumentation that tells why a certain profile matters to you or had an impact on society.