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How to Write a Profile Essay on a Place

December 27, 2023

Choosing a Place

Selecting the right place for your profile essay is crucial as it sets the foundation for everything that follows. When deciding on a place, consider your familiarity with it and the level of access you have to relevant information. Opt for a location that holds personal significance to you or one that you find intriguing, as it will make the writing process more engaging. Additionally, make sure the place is unique and has distinct features or qualities that can be explored in detail. Researching potential places will help you assess their suitability and determine if there is enough material to write a comprehensive profile. Whether it’s a bustling city, a serene natural setting, or a historic landmark, choose a place that you can authentically connect with and that will captivate your readers.

Gathering Information

Before you start writing your profile essay, it is crucial to gather as much information as possible about the chosen place. Begin by conducting thorough research using reliable sources such as books, articles, and websites. Look for historical facts, background information, and any notable events or developments related to the place. Take time to visit the location in person and observe its surroundings, paying attention to sensory details and the overall atmosphere. Engage with locals or experts who have knowledge about the place and can provide unique insights. Conduct interviews, take notes, and record important details that will add depth to your essay. Utilize photographs or visual aids to complement your written descriptions and evoke a sense of place for your readers. The more information you gather, the more comprehensive and captivating your profile essay will be.

Structuring the Profile Essay

Once you have gathered all the necessary information, it’s time to structure your profile essay on a place. A well-organized structure will make your writing clear, coherent, and engaging for your readers. Consider the following steps:

Introduction : Begin with an attention-grabbing opening sentence or anecdote that introduces the place and sets the tone for your essay. Provide a brief overview of the place and its significance.

Body Paragraphs : Divide the body of your essay into several paragraphs, each focusing on a different aspect of the place. Here are some possible ideas for organizing your paragraphs:

• Physical description: Describe the location, its surroundings, and any unique architectural or natural features.
• Historical context: Provide historical background or significant events related to the place.
• Cultural significance: Explore the cultural aspects, traditions, or local customs that define the place.
• Personal experiences: Share your own experiences or anecdotes that showcase your connection to the place.
• Interviews: Incorporate insights from locals or experts to provide diverse perspectives and enrich your narrative.

Conclusion : Summarize your main points and leave the reader with a lasting impression. Reflect on the significance of the place and its impact on you and others.

Remember to use transition words and phrases to smoothly connect your paragraphs, and use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture of the place.

Writing the Introduction

The introduction of your profile essay on a place is crucial in capturing your readers’ attention and setting the tone for the rest of the piece. Here are some key elements to consider when crafting an effective introduction:

• Hook: Begin with an engaging and compelling opening sentence or an intriguing anecdote that instantly grabs the reader’s attention. This could be a vivid description, a thought-provoking question, or a surprising fact about the place.
• Background Information: Provide some background information about the place to give context to your readers. This can include its geographical location, historical significance, or any unique features that make it worth profiling.
• Thesis Statement: Clearly state the purpose of your essay and the main idea or argument that you will be exploring. This acts as a roadmap for your readers and helps them understand what to expect from your essay.
• Scope: Set the scope of your essay by briefly mentioning the aspects or angles you will be focusing on. This helps create anticipation and gives readers a sense of what to anticipate in the upcoming paragraphs.

Remember to keep your introduction concise and captivating to make a strong first impression. By hooking your readers and providing a clear direction, you can entice them to delve deeper into your profile essay on the chosen place.

Describing the Place

One of the key elements of a profile essay on a place is a detailed and nuanced description of the location. This requires using descriptive language to convey visual, auditory, and sensory details that capture the essence of the place. Here are some tips to help you describe the place in your essay:

• Use Vivid Adjectives: Use descriptive adjectives to create a sense of place and bring the location to life for your readers. This can include words that describe the colors, textures, shapes, or landscapes of the place.
• Appeal to the Senses: Engage the reader’s senses by describing the smells, sounds, and sights that define the place. This helps the readers envision the place in their minds.
• Be Specific: Use specific examples from your observations and research to provide concrete details about the place, making your profile essay more credible and authoritative.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Use descriptive language to show the reader what is happening rather than simply telling them. This will allow the readers to create their own mental image of the place and make the essay more immersive.

Remember to focus on the details that make the place unique and noteworthy, which will make your essay more appealing to readers. A well-crafted description of the place can transport your readers to the location and inspire them to want to visit it someday.

Capturing the Atmosphere

To create a compelling profile essay on a place, it is essential to capture the atmosphere and convey the overall mood of the location. The atmosphere sets the tone for the reader’s experience and helps them immerse themselves in the place. Here are some tips to effectively capture the atmosphere:

• Observe and Experience: Spend time in the place and experience it firsthand. Take note of the sounds, smells, and feelings that permeate the air. Pay attention to the energy and emotions of the people frequenting the place.
• Descriptive Language: Use descriptive language to evoke the atmosphere. Choose words that reflect the mood, such as vibrant, tranquil, bustling, or serene. Paint a vivid picture using adjectives and vivid imagery to allow readers to feel like they are there.
• Engage the Senses: Describe the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures that contribute to the atmosphere. This sensory imagery creates a more immersive experience for the reader.
• Show Context: Provide context to help readers understand the atmosphere. Explain any cultural or historical factors that contribute to the mood, ensuring the reader can fully appreciate the ambiance of the place.

By effectively capturing the atmosphere, you can transport readers to the location and offer them an immersive experience through your profile essay.

Highlighting Significant Features

In a profile essay on a place, it is crucial to highlight the significant features that set the location apart. These features can include physical landmarks, historical sites, cultural traditions, or even unique geographical characteristics. Here are some strategies to effectively highlight the significant features:

• Thorough Research: Conduct in-depth research to identify the noteworthy features of the place. This can involve studying its history, interviewing locals, or exploring its cultural significance.
• Contextualize Importance: Provide context for the significance of the features. Explain their historical, cultural, or social relevance and how they contribute to the identity of the place.
• Engaging Descriptions: Use descriptive language to vividly portray these significant features. Paint a picture with words, capturing their visual appeal and conveying their impact.
• Illustrative Examples: Support your descriptions with concrete examples or compelling narratives that highlight the significance of these features. This allows readers to better understand and appreciate their importance.

By effectively highlighting the significant features, your profile essay can truly showcase what makes the place distinctive and compel readers to explore and experience it for themselves.

Sharing Personal Experiences

One effective way to add depth and authenticity to a profile essay on a place is by sharing personal experiences. By weaving your own encounters, emotions, and reflections into the narrative, you create a connection with the reader and provide a unique perspective on the place. Here are some tips for sharing personal experiences in your essay:

• Reflect on Your Visits: Recount your visits to the place and describe the impact it had on you. Share your initial impressions, the emotions you felt, and any memorable moments or interactions.
• Use Narrative Techniques: Employ storytelling techniques to engage the reader. Build a narrative around your experiences, utilizing vivid descriptions, dialogue, and a clear chronology.
• Share Insights and Discoveries: Discuss any insights or discoveries you made during your time in the place. This can involve personal realizations, cultural observations, or newfound knowledge.
• Be Honest and Reflective: Be open and honest about your experiences. Reflect on what the place taught you, how it challenged your preconceptions, or how it changed your perspective.

By sharing your personal experiences, you bring a unique voice to the essay and add a personal and relatable touch that enriches the overall profile of the place.

Interviewing Locals or Experts

To gather valuable insights and firsthand knowledge for your profile essay on a place, consider interviewing locals or experts who have a deep connection to the area. Their perspectives can provide a deeper understanding of the place’s culture, history, and significance. Here are some tips for conducting interviews:

• Identify Key Individuals: Determine who the key individuals are in relation to the place. These can be longtime residents, historians, community leaders, or experts in relevant fields.
• Prepare Thoughtful Questions: Develop a list of questions that delve into the unique aspects of the place. Ask about local customs, traditions, historical events, or landmarks to capture their perspectives and insights.
• Active Listening: During the interview, actively listen and engage with the interviewee. Allow them to share their stories, experiences, and knowledge while taking notes for reference.
• Incorporate Quotes and Anecdotes: Incorporate direct quotes and anecdotes from the interviews into your essay. This adds authenticity and credibility, allowing the voices of the locals or experts to shine through the narrative.

By interviewing locals or experts, you can provide a well-rounded and authentic portrayal of the place, giving readers a deeper understanding and appreciation for its unique qualities.

Organizing the Body Paragraphs

When writing a profile essay on a place, organizing the body paragraphs is essential to present a coherent and logical flow of information. Here are some tips to help you effectively organize the body paragraphs:

• Start with an Introduction: Begin the body paragraphs with an introduction that sets the stage for the specific feature or aspect you will be discussing. This can include a brief overview, historical context, or an interesting anecdote related to the place.
• Use a Topic-Based Approach: Consider organizing the body paragraphs around different topics or themes related to the place. Each paragraph can focus on a specific feature, such as landmarks, cultural traditions, historical events, or natural beauty.
• Chronological Order: Another approach is to organize the paragraphs in chronological order to showcase the historical evolution or development of the place. This can be particularly effective when discussing the transformation of a place over time.
• Spatial Organization: If the place has distinct physical areas or neighborhoods, you can organize the paragraphs based on spatial divisions. This approach allows readers to explore different aspects or characteristics of the place systematically.
• Supporting Evidence and Examples: Within each paragraph, provide supporting evidence and examples to enhance the reader’s understanding. Include interesting facts, statistics, relevant quotes, or engaging anecdotes that highlight the significance of each feature.

Remember, the key is to maintain a logical and coherent structure that guides the reader through an engaging exploration of the place while effectively highlighting its unique features and characteristics.

Writing a Strong Conclusion

A strong conclusion can leave a lasting impression on your readers and tie together the key elements of your profile essay on a place. It should provide a sense of closure while reinforcing the significance of the place. Here are some tips for writing a strong conclusion:

• Summarize Key Points: Briefly summarize the main features, themes, or insights discussed in the body paragraphs. This helps reinforce the central message of your essay.
• Emphasize Significance: Remind readers of the overall significance of the place. Highlight how its unique features contribute to its identity, cultural heritage, or impact on the surrounding community.
• Leave a Lasting Impression: Conclude with a memorable statement, vivid image, or thought-provoking question that lingers in the reader’s mind. This can evoke emotions or spark further exploration and reflection.
• Reflect on Personal Experience: Share a brief reflection on your personal experience of the place and how it has impacted you. This adds a personal touch and helps establish a connection with the readers.
• Call to Action: Encourage readers to visit the place or engage in further research or exploration. Invite them to experience its beauty, explore its history, or immerse themselves in its culture.

By crafting a strong conclusion, you can leave a lasting impression and inspire readers to engage with the place beyond the confines of your essay.

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Home ➔ How to Write an Essay ➔ Profile Essay

Profile Essay Guide

A profile essay is a type of essay that centers on one person, place, or event. One of the most common profile essay assignments is one in which the author “profiles” a certain person, offering information about who that person is and why they are important, so it is similar to an informative essay in its goals.

Main characteristics and purpose

The main purpose of a profile essay is to present an objective profile of a person, group, or basically anything in a way that readers find interesting and informative. The profile essay can be either factual, presenting information based on direct observation and research, or it can be fictional, presenting information based on the author’s imagination.

When you write a profile essay, present the subject in a manner that is both objective and subjective. Objective information presents the facts without any type of interpretation, while subjective information presents the facts with some type of interpretation.

The characteristics that make a good profile essay:

• Focusing on a single individual, group, or place
• Including a detailed description and explanations
• Offering insight into the subject’s importance, meaning, or significance
• Utilizing a variety of research methods (interviews, surveys, observation, etc.)
• Showing behind-the-scenes information that others may not be aware of

If you want to find out more about essays in general, check our or other guide: Academic Essay Definition

How to write a profile essay

There are a few things to keep in mind when writing a profile essay. First, choose a subject that is interesting to you and that you have some knowledge about. It is also important to make sure that the subject is someone or something that can be adequately described in a short essay .

Next, you will need to do some research on your subject. This can be done through interviews, observation, or surveys. Once you have gathered your information, you will need to organize it in a way that makes sense and is easy for readers to follow.

Note: If you want to know how to write an essay in general, we suggest checking out our corresponding guide: How to Write an Essay .

Choosing a topic and developing a thesis statement

When writing a profile essay, you can choose not only a person as your profiling subject but also a place or an event. Profiling a place can be especially interesting, as it will allow you to explore the history and culture of the area. If you are profiling a person, you will want to focus on their personality, accomplishments, and any other unique characteristics that make them interesting.

However, before deciding on the final subject, consider if you have the time and resources to do the necessary research. You will need to have access to the subject in order to interview them and observe their behavior. In addition, you will need to be able to find enough information on the subject to write a comprehensive essay.

Ideas for profiling people:

• A person with an unusual job (e.g., a professional clown, a pet psychic, etc.)
• A person who has overcome adversity (e.g., a homeless person, a person with a disability, etc.)
• A person with an interesting hobby or talent (e.g., a competitive eater, a quilter, etc.)
• A prominent person in your community (e.g., the mayor, a police chief, etc.)

Ideas for profiling places:

• A local business (e.g., a family-owned restaurant, a mom-and-pop shop, etc.)
• A historical landmark in your town or city
• A local festival or fair
• A commonly unpleasant place (e.g., the DMV, the dentist’s office, etc.)
• A rarely visited place in your town or city (e.g., an abandoned building, a remote park, etc.)
• A place you like to go to (e.g., your favorite store, your grandmother’s house, etc.)

Ideas for profiling events and activities:

• A sporting event (e.g., a marathon, a football game, etc.)
• A musical performance (e.g., a concert, a school play, etc.)
• A community service project (e.g., a food drive, a park clean-up, etc.)
• A volunteer event (e.g., working at a soup kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, etc.)
• An annual event in your town or city (e.g., a parade, a festival, etc.)

Various Essay Topics – here, you will find a list of different essay topics divided by essay type and educational level.

Once you have decided on a subject, you will need to develop a thesis statement . Your thesis statement should briefly summarize the main points you will be making in your essay. This should be a brief sentence that sums up the main point of your essay. For example, your thesis might be “John Doe is an interesting person because of his work in the community and his dedication to his family.”

Keep in mind that your goal is to provide an accurate and insightful portrayal of your subject. Avoid writing a paper that is purely flattering or one that only focuses on the negative aspects of your subject. Instead, strive to provide a balanced and fair portrayal to come up with a successful profile essay.

Creating an outline of the essay

Once you have decided on a topic and developed a thesis statement, you will need to create an outline for your essay . This will help you determine the main points that you want to include in your paper. An outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Here’s an example of a simple but detailed outline of a profile essay about a person:

Subject: A profile of my high-school History teacher, Mr. Smith.

• A. Hook: Describing how Mr. Smith has impacted my life in a positive way.
• B. Background information: When I first met Mr. Smith, I was a sophomore in high school. He was my History teacher, and I quickly developed a respect for him as an educator and a person.
• C. Thesis statement: Through his teaching, mentorship, and personal example, Mr. Smith has instilled in me a love of learning and a desire to make a difference in the world.
• A. Topic sentence : Mr. Smith’s dedication to his students is evident in the way he teaches.
• B. Supporting details: He makes sure that we understand the material, but he also challenges us to think critically about the world around us.
• C. Topic sentence: Mr. Smith is more than just a teacher; he is also a mentor.
• D. Supporting details: He has taken an interest in my personal life and career goals, and he has helped me to stay on track when I’ve faced challenges.
• E. Topic sentence: Mr. Smith is a role model to me in the way he lives his life.
• F. Supporting details: He is a man of integrity who treats others with respect, and I strive to emulate his example in my own life.
• A. Restating the thesis: I am grateful to have had Mr. Smith as a teacher and mentor, and I know that his influence will continue to be a positive force in my life.
• B. Closing thoughts: Mr. Smith has made a lasting impact on me, and I will always remember the lessons he taught me both in and out of the classroom.

Writing the profile essay

The outline example above shows a simple essay structure consisting of five parts (an intro, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion). However, a profile essay can be written in a more free model of organization, which makes it somewhat similar to narrative or descriptive essays in this regard.

The main difference is that while narrative and descriptive essays are typically written in the first person, a profile essay is usually written in the third person. This is because you want to maintain an objective, unbiased perspective when describing your subject. However, if you are a part of the story, it is okay to write in the first person to show that you were involved in the scene.

Point-by-point approach:

Some profile essays will take the form of a point-by-point list of facts about the person, also known as a topical approach. This might be appropriate if you are writing about someone who has many different facets to their life (for example, a celebrity or public figure). The outline we presented earlier is an example of such an approach.

Narrative approach:

Another common way to structure a profile essay is to write it in the form of a story. This might be appropriate if you are writing about someone who has done something newsworthy or has an interesting backstory. In this approach, you will typically start with a brief introduction of the subject, followed by a series of events or anecdotes that illustrate its different aspects.

For example, if you are profiling an event, you might choose to write in chronological order, starting with the preparations and leading up to the event itself.

Or, if you are profiling a person, you might start with their childhood and then move on to their adult life.

In a profile essay about places, you can either write about different parts of the place in separate paragraphs (for example, the history, geography, and culture), or you can choose to write about the place as a whole.

Note: The number of body paragraphs is usually higher than three in such essays due to the narrative writing nature.

Introduction

The introduction of a successful profile essay should give the reader an idea of who you are writing about. You will need to provide basic background information about your subject, as well as any significant facts that will help to introduce it. You can also start with a hook , a good way to keep the readers interested in your essay.

Introduction example of a profile essay about a local Hippotherapy center:

Did you know that horses can help people with physical, emotional, and mental health problems? That’s what Hippotherapy is – using horses to help people heal. And there’s a place right here in our town where you can experience it. The Harmony Horse Center is a non-profit organization that provides Hippotherapy services to people of all ages. Founded in 2006, the center has helped countless people in our community improve their physical, emotional, and mental health.

Body paragraphs

Your body paragraphs will be the meat of your profile essay, so you will need to choose the most interesting and relevant facts about your subject. These should be arranged in a logical order – for example, if you are writing about someone’s life, you might start with their childhood and move on to their adulthood. Or, if you are writing about a place, you might start with its history and then move on to its present-day features.

Here’s what the first body paragraph of that Hippotherapy profile essay may look like:

If you’ve never heard of Hippotherapy, you’re not alone. I hadn’t either until I started researching for this profile and went to the center myself. Once it was in view, I saw the barn and the arena and knew exactly what it was. As I approached, I could hear the horses neighing and the sound of hooves against the ground. I walked in and was immediately greeted by the staff. They were all so friendly and welcoming, and they answered all of my questions about Hippotherapy.

To end a profile essay, write a conclusion that ties all of the different elements of your essay together and leaves the reader with a strong impression of your subject. You might want to reiterate and rephrase some of the key points that you made in your body paragraphs, or you might want to briefly describe what your subject’s life is like now. You might also want to include a call to action – for example, if you are writing about a cause that you care about, you might encourage the reader to get involved.

The conclusion of that Hippotherapy profile essay might look like this:

Hippotherapy is an incredible experience, and the Harmony Horse Center is a wonderful place to try it. I highly encourage anyone who is interested in Hippotherapy or who is looking for an alternative form of therapy to check out the center. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming, and the horses are absolutely gorgeous.

Key Takeaways

When writing a profile essay, remember to:

• Choose an interesting subject: Your subject should be someone you’re curious about and want to learn more about.
• Stick to a clear organizational pattern: The introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion should all serve a specific purpose and support your topic.
• Show your role as a writer from the start: You should either write in the first person and show your direct participation or write in the third person to maintain a more objective perspective throughout the essay.
• Interweave quotations and evidence with your narrative: Strengthening your argument with direct quotes from your subject or secondary sources will make your essay more convincing.
• Conduct research: You will need to do some research on your subject in order to write a well-rounded essay. This can include interviews, observation, and secondary sources.
• Create an outline: As with any type of essay, you will need to create an outline of your thoughts before you start writing. This will help you to organize your ideas and ensure that your essay flows smoothly.
• Use details and sensory language: A profile essay should be written with plenty of detail and usage of descriptive and sensory language. This will help to paint a picture of your subject for the reader.
• Reveal the significance of your subject: In addition to providing information about your subject, you should also explain why they are important or interesting.
• Have a clear angle: Your profile essay should have a clear angle or focus so that it is not just a general overview of your subject. Analyzing what most people think about your subject will help you pick a good angle.
• Cite your sources: Be sure to cite any interviews, observations, or secondary sources that you use in your essay, following the conventions of the situation style in the assignment.
• Edit and proofread: As with any type of writing, be sure to edit and proofread your essay before you submit it. This will help to ensure that there are no errors and that your essay is well-written.
• Anoka Ramsey Community College – Portfolio #1: Profile Essay
• Washtenaw Community College – Profile Essay (Assignment Sheet)
• Ohio State University – ENGL 1113 Essay 2: Profile (Assignment Sheet)

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How to Write a Profile Essay: Comprehensive Guide

Table of contents

• 1 What is a Profile Essay?
• 2 The Purpose of a Profile Essay
• 3 Difference Between Profile Papers and Other Essays
• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 Body Paragraphs
• 4.3 Conclusion
• 5 Tips to Write an Outstanding Profile Essay
• 6.1.1 Early Childhood
• 6.1.2 Olympic Fame
• 6.1.3 Fighting for a Social Cause

Over their high school and college years, students have to write various essays on different subject matters. While some are narrative and literary, others are more technical and detail-oriented. However, be they persuasive, expository, or argumentative, papers follow specific rules of academic writing.

Among other types, profile essays are some of the most common that professors assign. These assignments come in almost all disciplines, so it’s vital to understand the basics of the writing process.

What is a profile essay, and what features does it cover? Why is it critical to observe and discuss various individuals, events, or places? How do these literary works differ from other essay types ?

This guide will help you grasp the fundamentals of profile essay writing and deconstruct its content with a clear overview of what each part contains. It will also highlight essential hacks you should consider when writing, plus a qualitative example.

What is a Profile Essay?

In short, writing profile essays focuses on a narrow-scoped description of a famous individual, location, event, or activity. Your work should profile the topic you selected and provide qualitative information about the importance of the subject. Therefore, the writer must present vivid descriptions and thorough explanations through various methods.

You may choose to interview your subject to collect the necessary data. Alternatively, you can survey or research the topic to gather relevant insight if the person you’re discussing died. Observing a fair or visiting a town and then writing about it is also viable. Another unusual aspect of a profile assignment is that you can include objective facts and subjective or interpreted ideas.

In most cases, the essay will be factual. It will introduce valid and relevant questions and answers. For example, you may write about a distinguished USA president, civil rights activist, or athlete. Similarly, you can depict an ancient city, historical landmark, or high-rated festival. Last, consider dedicating your work to a local business, musical performance, or community service project.

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The Purpose of a Profile Essay

This essay type aims to offer the audience a comprehensive perspective of a particular topic and help them understand the concept. Hence, all data must be well-structured and presentable not to confuse the reader and raise doubts.

Moreover, anyone reading your work must be able to make informed judgments on the theme. In many cases, writing a short essay is a wise idea to portray the case or individual you’re discussing. Besides your writing skills, you will also showcase your organization and presentation abilities.

Difference Between Profile Papers and Other Essays

Most importantly, writing a profile essay will rely on valid and accurate facts. In short, focus on using first-hand information by conducting an interview, survey, or personal observation and involvement. Presenting amusing and authentic ideas will urge your target audience to enjoy your piece.

Unlike other essay types, these avoid using a secondary source. For instance, while writing a good opinion essay will involve your standpoints on a topic, the profile paper will concentrate on genuine insight supported by evidence. However, biographies and studies written by others are helpful when verifying the facts you collected yourself.

Overall, finding secondary sources is less demanding and time-consuming than establishing your pool of bibliographical information. Still, primary materials are ideal for writing a profile essay. Also, you must draft it in the third person to maintain an unbiased perspective of your subject.

Comprehensive Profile Essay Structure

You probably wonder how to start a profile essay and keep your thoughts and ideas streamlined and concise. And while you can find online essay help , we prepared a detailed overview of the layout you should follow. Here are the roles of each part.

Introduction

Undoubtedly, the first section of your work will be the opening which typically consists of a single segment. Its primary role is to lay the foundations of the subject and hook the readers to explore until the end. Hence, share intriguing background details such as a quote or anecdote.

Moreover, the excellent thesis statement must reflect the subject you will write about later in your manuscript. It should be well-thought and concise. The introductory part shouldn’t exceed 15% of the entire essay length. Also, ensure you avoid in-text citations except to begin the introduction with a direct quotation.

Body Paragraphs

This part presents the main idea and answers the most important interview questions. It is also the most substantial segment in terms of word count. According to the PapersOwl writing service , the body section should consist of at least two paragraphs. The number of paragraphs will depend on the distinct points the essay writers plan to cover.

Also, there is no specific length for body paragraphs , but you should avoid walls of text. Another guideline for a successful piece is to write at least four sentences in each body segment.

The closing paragraph offers a concise overview of the body paragraphs. It will focus on restating your thesis statement in a final attempt to emphasize the role and value of the selected subject.

The ending should also revisit the topic sentences and demonstrate the impact on our society. Therefore, don’t write about something not mentioned before. This section takes about 10% of the total word count and can contain an in-text citation as a call to action.

Tips to Write an Outstanding Profile Essay

Below, we share a thorough list of advice to teach you how to write a profile essay worth your professor’s attention.

• Read a few essays. You can look for quality articles in popular magazines that regularly publish interviews. A narrative essay might also prove helpful if you need to adjust your tone and language.
• Ensure the subject of interest is easy to reach. If you get stuck with an unreachable goal, PapersOwl can write your essay for money in the shortest timeframe possible.
• Study the topic by analyzing the background of your subject and focus on what makes their lives so unique. If it’s a place or activity, learn about its past and future.
• The most impactful way is to write in simple language. Steer away from jargon or idiomatic phrases to avoid misunderstandings, particularly in the thesis.
• Use vivid adjectives and transitions to convey your central point.
• Each body paragraph shouldn’t exceed 150 words.
• Keep your facts in check and avoid sharing your personal opinion unless based on authentic data.
• Engage all senses by visualizing events, telling jokes, or describing sounds.
• Follow a pre-defined structure where each body paragraph tackles a different point.
• Proofread your work for grammar errors and typos.
• Run your essay through an online plagiarism checker to avoid copied content.
• Ensure your ideas are concise and clear and split run-on sentences.

Crafting a profile essay requires an in-depth understanding of the chosen topic, whether it’s a person, place, or thing. The writer must be able to convey clear and engaging information that fully describes and explains the subject. It’s essential to have a writing style that can capture the reader’s interest and keep them engaged throughout the essay. To make the process easier, working with a quick essay writer can be helpful, as they can provide the necessary expertise and experience to create a high-quality profile essay that stands out.

Your Qualitative Profile Essay Example

The best approach is to go with the standard 5-paragraph structure. Here’s an excellent profile sample.

The Incredible Story of Wilma Rudolf

“My doctors told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.” This famous quote by Wilma Rudolph, an African American athlete, tells tales about her life journey. She made history in the Olympic Games in Rome, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals and break three world records. Her life, full of obstacles and hardship, took her to the throne of athletics and the heart of burning social issues.

Early Childhood

Born on June 23, 1940, in Tennessee, Wilma had 21 siblings. While she had the support and care from her extended family, it was challenging for the family to make ends meet. Things worsened when Rudolph contracted polio, double pneumonia, and scarlet fever. Though she survived the severe bouts, her illness left her paralyzed, and Wilma had to wear a leg brace. The doctor’s prognosis was grim, but with her family’s help, Rudolph started to hop on one leg in two years. Soon, she began to move, and by 12, Vilma regained her walking ability and took up basketball. She soon proved a natural athlete, challenging every boy in the neighborhood at running.

Olympic Fame

The Olympic Games were a pipe dream to young Rudolph. Yet, she caught steam and never lost a race in all high school track meets. At 16, Vilma brought a bronze medal from the Summer Olympics in Melbourne. In 1960 she participated in the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, and won three gold medals. A striking fact about this triple victory is that in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, Wilma finished three yards before the closest contestant. In addition, her relay team won the 400-meter race thanks to her exceptional performance. Vilma attracted the world’s attention; the crowds cheered her and called her “La Gazelle.” However, she decided not to participate in the next Olympic Games, fearing that she won’t duplicate her success.

Fighting for a Social Cause

Rudolph dedicated the rest of her life to teaching the lessons she learned the hard way. She was particularly keen on coaching underprivileged children. Wilma even wrote her autobiography and worked in several community sports centers. She also gave numerous motivational speeches and founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics. Wilma died in 1994 of a brain tumor. Survived by two daughters and two sons, Rudolph has left a remarkable inspirational legacy.

Wilma played a critical role in the way we see sports today. Her poor health as a child instilled the “never give up” attitude in her mindset. Learning to overcome fear and weakness gave Rudolph the courage to aim high. Vilma’s personality proves that a strong will and perseverance can take you to stardom.

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How To Write A Profile Essay Like A Professional Writer

Welcome to our blog, where we embark on a journey to master the art of writing profiles essays. Whether you’re a high school or college student, understanding the critical components of a profile essay is essential for academic success. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the definition of a profile essay and provide practical tips, example of a profile essay, and expert advice to help you excel in this form of writing.

A profile essay is a captivating narrative that enables students to explore the lives and experiences of individuals. Through vivid descriptions and engaging storytelling, these essays offer readers a glimpse into the unique qualities and perspectives of the profiled subjects. By mastering the fundamentals of this writing style, you can effectively communicate your observations and insights, creating compelling and informative profiles.

In our blog, we will discuss the essential elements of a profile essay and emphasize the importance of high-quality writing and the benefits of expert guidance. Whether you’re a student aiming to improve your writing skills or a teacher seeking to enhance your students’ abilities, this guide is designed to provide you with the necessary tools and techniques to create exceptional profiles.

Join us on this enriching journey, where we share valuable knowledge, practical profile essay examples, and insider tips, empowering you to produce outstanding profile essays. Let’s unlock the secrets of this unique form of writing and achieve fast, awesome results together.

Table of Contents

What is a profile essay, how to start a profile essay, profile essay structure guides, key considerations for writing engaging profile essays, crafting an outstanding profile essay: essential tips, profile essays in academic settings.

A profile essay is not just a collection of facts and figures; it is a powerful literary piece that delves deep into the essence of a person, place, or event. This form of writing goes beyond surface-level descriptions to create a vivid and engaging portrayal that captivates readers emotionally.

When crafting a profile essay outline, the writer aims to explore a specific individual’s life, personality, experiences, achievements, or unique qualities of a place or event. It seeks to paint a comprehensive picture, offering readers a window into the subject’s world and allowing them to connect with it on a deeper level.

A well-written profile essay immerses the reader in the subject’s experiences, thoughts, and emotions by employing descriptive language, storytelling techniques, and insightful observations. It evokes empathy and understanding, enabling readers to forge a connection and gain a deeper appreciation for the person, place, or event being portrayed.

In summary, a profile essay is a literary work that aims to go beyond superficial details and statistics. It is a means of conveying the essence of a subject through engaging storytelling, providing readers with a rich and immersive experience that leaves a lasting impact.

The beginning of a profile essay is vital in capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the rest of the piece. It requires careful consideration and strategic planning to ensure a strong start. Here are a few practical ways how to write a good profile essay:

• Look for unique qualities: Seek out subjects with unique backgrounds, experiences, or achievements. These aspects can add depth and intrigue to your profile essay.
• Consider relevance: Choose a subject relevant to your intended audience or the purpose of the assignment. This will help create a stronger connection and interest among your readers.
• Interview your subject: Reach out to the individual you are profiling and request an interview. Prepare a thoughtful question list about their life, experiences, and perspectives. These interviews will provide invaluable insights and personal anecdotes that can enhance the depth of your essay.
• Read articles and books: Explore articles, books, and other publications related to your subject. This will provide a broader context and enable you to include relevant background information in your profile essay.
• Explore online sources: Utilize reputable online sources such as websites, blogs, and academic databases to gather additional information and perspectives on your subject. Be critical of your authorities and ensure they are credible and reliable.
• Be concise and specific: State your main argument or the central theme of your profile essay clearly and concisely.
• Make it captivating: Use language that captures the reader’s attention and creates intrigue. A compelling thesis statement will generate interest and encourage readers to continue reading.
• Provide a roadmap: Your thesis statement should act as a roadmap for your essay, indicating the main points or areas of focus you will cover. This helps readers understand the structure and flow of your essay.

Starting a profile essay requires careful consideration of the subject, thorough research, and a well-crafted thesis statement. Choosing an intriguing topic, conducting a comprehensive analysis, and formulating a solid thesis statement can captivate your readers and set the stage for a compelling and informative profile essay. Remember, the start of your essay sets the tone for the entire piece, so invest time and effort into crafting a high quality and strong opening that engages and intrigues your readers.

Writing a profile essay requires a structured approach combining storytelling and factual information. Follow these steps to create a well-crafted profile essay:

• Introduction: Begin your essay with a compelling opening sentence that hooks the reader. Provide some background information about the subject and introduce the main thesis statement.
• Body Paragraphs: Divide your essay into multiple paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect or theme related to the topic. Use a mix of narrative storytelling and factual information to engage the reader. Include anecdotes, quotes, and descriptions to bring your subject to life.
• Organization and Flow: Ensure a logical progression from one paragraph to another. Use transitional phrases to maintain the coherence of your essay. Consider arranging your sections thematically or chronologically, depending on what suits your subject best.
• Descriptive Language: Incorporate vivid and descriptive language to create a sensory experience for the reader. Use specific details and imagery to make your subject come alive.
• Conclusion: Summarize the main points discussed in your essay and leave the reader with a lasting impression. Reflect on the significance of your topic and its impact on the reader.

A profile essay offers a comprehensive portrayal of a person or place, providing readers with a detailed understanding of the subject. Whether it’s about a place or a person, crafting an engaging profile essay requires careful planning and effective storytelling. Here are some key steps to consider:

How to Write a Profile Essay on a Place:

Choose an intriguing place: Select a location that is unique and holds significance for the readers. Observe and research: Immerse yourself in the place, exploring its history, culture, and physical aspects. Structure your essay: Begin with an engaging introduction, describe the place vividly, and provide personal insights. Incorporate sensory details: Utilize descriptive language to appeal to the readers’ senses. Conclude with a reflection: Share your overall impression and highlight the significance of the place.

How to Write a Profile Essay on a Person:

Select a captivating individual: Find someone with an interesting background, achievements, or experiences. Conduct interviews: Engage in in-depth conversations to gather firsthand information about the person. Organize your essay: Begin with an attention-grabbing introduction, present the person’s background and accomplishments, and delve into their personality traits and influences. Use anecdotes and examples: Illustrate the person’s characteristics through real-life stories and specific instances. Wrap up with a reflection: Offer your personal insights, reflect on the person’s impact, and conclude with a memorable ending.

Remember, in both types of profile essays, it is crucial to maintain a balanced blend of factual information and compelling storytelling to engage readers and leave a lasting impression.

When writing a profile essay, it’s essential to remember key elements that will enhance the quality of your work. Here are some essential tips to help you craft an outstanding profile essay:

• Choose an Engaging Format: While there is no strict format for a profile essay, you can structure it to suit your subject and the narrative you want to create. You can opt for a chronological structure, a thematic approach, or a combination of both.
• Conduct Thorough Interviews: Interviews are crucial in gathering firsthand information about your subject. Prepare a list of relevant questions and conduct interviews with the subject and individuals associated with them. These interviews will enrich your profile essay with unique insights and personal anecdotes.
• Focus on Descriptive Details: Pay attention to descriptive details to bring your subject to life. Use sensory language to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Describe the subject’s appearance, gestures, and mannerisms. Include details about the environment, sounds, and smells to transport the reader to the scene.
• Utilize Direct Quotes: Direct quotes from your subject and others you interview add authenticity and credibility to your profile essay. Use quotes to highlight important points or capture the subject’s voice and perspective.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Rather than simply stating facts, show the reader the subject’s personality, values, and experiences through storytelling. Engage the reader’s emotions by narrating impactful moments or sharing significant events that shaped the subject’s life.
• Revise and Edit: Once you have completed your profile essay’s first draft, revise and edit it. Check for clarity, coherence, and grammar errors. Trim unnecessary information and ensure a smooth flow of ideas. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors to gain valuable insights.

Profile essays are commonly assigned in various academic settings, including high school, college, and university. These assignments allow students to develop their research, writing, and storytelling skills while exploring diverse subjects and honing their analytical thinking.

Following Guidelines:

When working on a profile essay for school or college, it’s crucial to follow the guidelines provided by your instructor. This ensures that you stay on track and meet the assignment requirements. Consider the following points:

• Pay attention to specific requirements: Your instructor may provide instructions regarding length, formatting, citation style, and other essential details. Make sure to adhere to these guidelines to avoid any penalties.
• Understand the objectives: Familiarize yourself with the purposes of the assignment. This will help you shape your essay and focus on the key aspects your instructor wants you to explore.
• Align with learning outcomes: Consider how the profile essay fits into the broader learning outcomes of the course. This will enable you to approach the assignment with a clear understanding of its purpose and relevance.

Seeking Assistance:

If you struggle with the assignment or need extra support, online essay assignment help and custom writing services are available. These services offer expert guidance and assistance, ensuring you receive high-quality, well-crafted profile essays that meet your academic requirements. Here are some key points to consider:

• Online homework helpers: These platforms connect you with knowledgeable tutors who can guide and answer your questions about profile essay writing. They can offer valuable insights and help you overcome challenges you may encounter.
• Custom writing services: If you feel overwhelmed or lack time to complete the assignment, custom writing services can be a viable option. These services employ professional writers who can create custom profile essays tailored to your needs and requirements. However, it’s essential to choose a reputable and trustworthy service to ensure the quality and originality of the work.

Profile essays in academic settings offer students a valuable opportunity to develop their research, writing, and storytelling skills. By following the guidelines provided by your instructor and seeking assistance when needed, you can ensure that your profile essays meet the objectives of the assignment and align with the course’s learning outcomes. Remember, practice and persistence are crucial to mastering the art of writing compelling and informative profile essays.

Get Profile Essay Writing Help Today!

Mastering the art of writing a profile essay requires a combination of skill, guidance, and support. By following the guidelines and tips provided by experts, you can create captivating profiles that engage and resonate with your readers. Along the way, it’s essential to seek assistance when needed, and fortunately, there are affordable options available that provide class-leading customer support.

When embarking on the journey of writing a profile essay, remember to choose an intriguing subject and conduct thorough research to ensure the accuracy and depth of your piece. Craft a strong thesis statement that serves as a roadmap for your essay, guiding your readers through the main aspects you’ll be exploring.

In the process, it’s reassuring to know that expert guidance and support are accessible. Whether you require assistance structuring your essay, some college assignment help , or understanding the nuances of profile essay writing, affordable online platforms provide the expertise you need. These platforms offer friendly customer support to address your queries and provide valuable insights, ensuring you receive the guidance necessary to excel in your writing endeavors.

By availing yourself of these resources, you can enhance your profile essay writing skills, boost your confidence, and achieve outstanding results. So, embrace the art of writing profiles backed by expert guidance, affordable options, class-leading support, and friendly assistance. Let your words paint vivid portraits and create lasting connections with your readers through the power of the profile essay.

What is a profile essay, and what is its purpose?

A profile essay is a type of academic or journalistic writing that aims to provide a detailed description and analysis of a particular person, place, event, or organization. Its purpose is to present a comprehensive and engaging portrayal of the subject, highlighting its unique qualities, experiences, and significance.

How do I choose a suitable subject for my profile essay?

When selecting a subject for your profile essay, consider individuals, places, or events that possess distinct characteristics, have a compelling story, or hold relevance in a specific context. It could be a notable figure in your community, a memorable travel destination, or an event with cultural significance. The key is to choose a subject that allows for rich exploration and offers an opportunity to captivate your readers.

What are the essential elements to include in a profile essay?

A profile essay typically includes several key elements to portray the subject comprehensively. These elements may include a vivid and engaging introduction, background information, descriptive details, anecdotes, quotes, and personal observations. It is important to capture the subject’s personality, experiences, and significance through a well-structured narrative that keeps the reader engaged.

How can I ensure the accuracy and credibility of the information in my profile essay?

To maintain accuracy and credibility in your profile essay, conducting thorough research and gathering information from reliable sources is crucial. This can involve interviewing the subject, conducting background research, and seeking multiple perspectives. Always verify the information you gather and cross-reference it with trustworthy sources to ensure the accuracy of your content. Remember to attribute any quotes or specific details to their respective sources.

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How to Write a Stellar Profile Essay?

09 February, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

A profile essay, or article, is a piece of journalistic-cum-literary writing. The aim is to present factual information on a given topic (person, place, animal, or event) while writing with an individual tone and style. In this article, we will expand on the concept of a profile essay. We will also tackle what a profile is and what purpose profiles serve. Finally, we will present strategies for preparing your research and strengthening your writing technique, as well as offer tips on structure and potential topics.

What Is a Profile Essay?

A profile essay can be considered a literary piece of writing, in which the writer mainly delivers a descriptive account of a person, place, or event. The goal of the profile essay is to be informative. It usually conforms to standards found in journalism – that is to say, using facts and offering impartial reportage – while conveying this information in a literary style.

Literary style means offering more to the reader than a revised press release or stenographed interview. Offer insight and immersion to the reader, show them the layers of character and environment, and run these underlying factual happenings through your individual interpretation of it all. 

The Purpose of Profile Essays

The purpose of a profile essay is to be read and well-received by an audience. It is not an obscure technical writing piece, although it may cover obscure figures or events. In general, profile essays appear in magazines and newspapers – in either their print or digital formats. They also appear in scholarly or trade journals, usually covering rising or established people within these niches.

For the writer, a profile essay is a piece of writing aimed at joining the journalistic and literary style. As mentioned in the previous section, journalistic writing must be factual and rigorously checked for errors. Literary writing has some joy involved in its reading; in what way that joy comes out in ‘writing style’ is up to you.

Ultimately, with those two concepts in mind, the purpose of a profile essay is to get you, the writer, some more work. Profiles are highly prevalent and serve as a fantastic way of adding more pieces to your portfolio, whether you’re a new essay writer or a seasoned pro.

Prepare for your essay

Preparing for a profile depends on how close you are to starting writing. Writers coming to this article with a stretch of time ahead of them have the luxury of doing some background reading that is not directly related to the matter at hand. Finding a good profile essay example has the hidden benefit of looking like a lazy weekend afternoon; get a stack of magazines and read.

Some of the most common places to find quality profiles are The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, the London Review of Books, Esquire, or National Geographic. Another perspective is to look for writers, head to your bookshelf or local book store, and do some digging. Again, read and make some notes on the qualities you enjoy and dislike in a range of profiles.

Lastly, in terms of reading, examine the differences between an essay or article profiling a person and one that profiles an event.

That form of preparation is more akin to education. It is needed to bolster your understanding of the broad picture and what is essentially the marketplace for your piece of work. 

Preparing for your actual essay, not the skill of writing an ambiguous profile essay, is another matter. The research and reading that are highly relevant to your subject matter will make or break your profile essay. 

To begin with, you must find all profiles of your subject that are in existence and don’t require a transatlantic flight to a dusty library archive – in this instance, simply email the library and ask if they’ve considered digitizing their collection, starting with your desired piece. 

One of the most surefire organization tactics for research is timelining. Start at the beginning; be sure to go into ‘negative digits’ and look at the parent’s history or the town’s history, or anything else that emerges in your research.

After ‘time’ as a category of thinking comes ‘significance.’ What were the defining features of this person’s life, and to what sort of ‘movement’ might they belong? Add this into your timeline research and press on.

Have you selected a person or place that is feasible to contact and ask for a quote or interview? You may also want to reach out to other players in the story you’re telling and see what they have to say on things.

Preparing all this research can get messy and cluttered. The best way to solve this problem is to  follow a system from the start, as mentioned above; time is a great organizer. Also, keep a running bibliography in a separate file on your computer. Keep tabs on everything you’ve read, and be as forensic as possible with maintaining records. Who knows what might happen in the future regarding the focus of your essay? They might run for president, or they might fade into obscurity. 

Profile Essay Outline

As a profile essay combines qualities of journalism and literary writing, the ideal outline doesn’t exist. Literary writing can take the reader on a journey; in fact, the only requirement of the structure is to guide this journey as magnificently as possible.

Were we to suggest a general profile essay outline, it would contain these sections and ingredients. The order is flexible to an extent. It depends on the content of your profile. Have you got an interview to draw upon, or are you using your storytelling powers to deduct and infer from other sources?

In your introduction, if you’ve conducted an interview, use a quote for your lede. A good quote is an excellent way to set the tone and give an impression of your subject to the reader. Those without an interview might consider a bold statement; be sure that you use something here to act as a powerful lede and bring the reader on board. 

Alluring mysteries are one thing; though the crunch point for this gambit is to make the pay-off worthwhile. Else, the cliff-edge and the tension you create will be for nothing in the end. 

There will be time to provide things like background and biography in the main body of a profile essay. These tend to follow the lede as they’re a nice cool-down; they give the reader a chance to build knowledge on an obscure topic. Whereas for the writer, both the background and biography offer an opportunity to peg in some facts, figures, and breadcrumbs to draw upon later.

The body of a profile essay is tricky. You, first of all, need to engagingly tell your readers the story in it. Remember to build tension and really ‘let go’ when it comes to releasing that tension. Tell it to a friend, read it aloud. Move around the paragraphs. Remember that the profile is following an arc and in your conclusions, hook back in the initial qualities of the opening part. This technique is like cadence in music, and it will please your audience as long as it isn’t too trite. 

Profile Essay Topics

A suitable subject or topic depends on your qualities as a writer and the desired outcome of writing such a profile essay. Now, it does not have to include an interview, but many profile essays do include them. Some profile essay topics may be inanimate objects or complex emergences of human life (events). If this is the case, you can still interview 

For interviews, considering you’re likely a lowly reporter on a college paper, getting an interview with a high-flying sportsperson, politician, or musician is unlikely. In any event, the lower-flying specimens of these species could make a good target. 

The most important thing to consider when choosing the topic or subject is to work with your gut and instinct. If you’re interested in the story, you’re going to have much more to put into it, and your excitement and verve will show through in writing. It may also make it easier to stomach the long hours of tedious research that can emerge when trying to prove or disprove an obscurity of some kind. 

If you haven’t decided on the topic, there’s still room for maneuver. You can look at the subject matter and present your perspective on the case; that’s the subjective element of a profile, your view.

This perspective of yours can focus on just one specific aspect of a person or event. By removing the duller or more well-trodden elements of a character, you open up the chance to explore a new side of a topic. It’s also a fantastic skill for writers to be able to recap well-known things or facts quickly. Writing in this style for a very general audience should be a skill in any writer’s arsenal. 

Profile Essay Examples 

Properly digesting the advice and points made in this article can be aided by reading some profile essay examples. Look for examples given out in your class, or search around using the main keyword – profile essay examples. 

Here are a few examples for you to get a catch on how to write profile essays excellently:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/profiles

https://longreads.com/2019/12/17/longreads-best-of-2019-profiles/

https://longreads.com/2017/12/18/longreads-best-of-2017-profile-writing/

Writing Tips for a Profile Essay

How to write a profile essay in three steps; pick a subject, do your research, and start writing. Remember that a profile essay is a literary and a journalistic piece of writing. It’s non-fiction, so your facts and figures must be accurate, and any discrepancies or controversies surrounding your data can form a part of your analysis.

Always write with your reader at the forefront of your mind. Visualize your reader, even if it’s a college essay, and think of how you could pitch your piece to a publication. The natural home of a profile is in the media, not in the college textbook. So write the essay with publication in mind. 

 Here are some essential tips for a profile essay composition:

• Conduct thorough research on your topic, look for potential interviews or aspects not covered in previous profiles if they exist. Also, make sure you’ve read all of the profiles on or related to your subject matter; a profile is an evolving topic, and new facts can emerge.
• Profile examples are available online, as well as those posted by educational institutes, and of course, those featured in the media. Reading these serves as excellent preparation and inspiration.
• The structure and overall outline of a profile essay is something with a degree of flexibility. While the introduction and rounding off of the essay will look familiar, tracking a person’s profile or event can involve highly unique pieces of information. Unlike many other papers, profiles don’t have to strictly conform to the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis structure. However, this familiar form of writing still works in part when writing a profile. 

Write a Profile Essay with HandmadeWriting

HandmadeWriting can help with the development, construction, and polishing of a profile essay. As an organization, we draw on academics and writers’ expertise from across the spectrum of the written word. 

Getting started can be difficult, but consulting with HandmadeWriting offers a way to get the ball rolling. The writers at HandmadeWriting are used to working on a countless number of topics and essay styles. The staff is also familiar with working under a tight deadline, not to mention those tasks where the endpoint is less defined. 

HandmadeWriting makes composing an essay or profile piece simple. Talk with a skilled writer and editor today on your topic, and you can make a start immediately.

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How to Write a Profile Essay on a Person or a Place

So, you’ve got confused by that assignment, haven’t you? A profile essay. What’s that? Students frequently fail to understand this essay type correctly from the first try. However, there is some good news, too. A profile essay turns into a piece of cake after you find out how to write it well.

That type of academic assignment wants a student to describe a place, a person, an event, or anything else that has details one could mention if they would like to. So, it is a paper with a descriptive purpose that is built around the chosen subject one has to disassemble into lesser details thoroughly and attentively.

Essays of that type are usually the featured assignments for future journalists. In fact, writing high-quality profile essays is one of the pillars of every journalist’s job, as the process requires them to research a lot regarding the event, place, or person that is the core of their paper.

The Goal of a Profile Essay

Before we proceed with the explanation about how to write a profile essay on a person or a subject, one might want to find out about the goal of profile essays in detail. Simply put, a profile essay is an assignment that supposes a student to describe the chosen subject completely. The more details you include in the writing, the better. However, professionals also recommend doing whatever you can to keep the reader (for college, university, and high school students, it’s their professor) interested and willing to continue reading.

So, everything starts with the topic. A new and original topic of a profile essay will bring you some additional points and benefits even before your professor actually starts reading its contents. And yes, though a prof may seem to know everything, it will be great if you’ll be able to provide them with some facts that are new for them.

Now, let’s discuss the preparation process. Stay alert: it is as important as writing itself.  

How to Start a Profile Essay: Preparation

The pre-production stage is a vital part of any project. Academic papers become much easier to complete when you invest enough time and effort in their preparation.

Here below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide on preparation and writing your profile essay. Try not to miss too many details. That’s how you increase your chance to get the highest grade possible. Your academic success is surely worth a couple of hours spent to prepare, isn’t it?

Determine Subject

Don’t underestimate the critical meaning of this very first stage of profile essay writing . Of course, some professors prefer their students to work on previously assigned topics. In that case, your subject does not depend on you, and you work with what you’ve got.

On the other hand, there are more liberal professors who offer students to choose the topic they like the most on their own. Obviously, the latter gives you more opportunities, though you may feel lost among the varieties of possible topics to pick.

So, in case there is the possibility for you to come up with a free topic, make sure that your topic is interesting to you, first of all. Another key feature of a suitable profile essay subject is its searchability. Before you approve the topic you like, check if you can find enough reference materials to craft a detailed paper . If you have doubts after that, you might want to go in for another subject concept.

How to Write a Profile Essay: Tone and Style

A profile essay is an academic paper at its core. However, the style you can use here is a bit different. It’s more flexible in terms of formalities and literary devices used.

A profile essay supposes students to write in the first person when their profile essay is anyone’s personal interview. Your professor will expect to see how you describe your chosen subject, so the manner of your writing should correlate with the rest of the essay.

The first-person writing suits here better than that of the second-person solution due to the nature of profile essays’ contents. Still, try not to overuse it unless you want to make a paper less effective. Don’t focus on yourself too much to avoid distracting the professor from the topic.

It will be useful to find a profile essay example for college students online to check here. That visual demonstration would be the perfect way for you to understand the point.

Proceed With Profile Essay Writing

Now, when you know enough about the purpose of profile essays and also found out how to prepare for writing them, it is time to switch to the main academic process. Of course, it’s writing.

Essay Structure

As it was mentioned above more than once already, a profile essay has a lot in common with other essay types. In Particular, its structure is typical. Just like an average academic essay , a profile paper consists of three blocks:

• introduction;
• conclusion.

Below we’ve shown how to write a profile essay on a place or a person in detail. See what should be included in every block of your future paper and how to make the final draft be worth the highest grade.

In an introduction, your main mission is to keep and boost the attention of your professor about the paper. It is something likely to be a preview. Here, you should let them know more about the topic and things they are going to find further in an essay body.

The introduction should reveal some basic information and contain slight descriptions of a person, a place, or an event that is the current paper’s subject. Additionally, a good intro paragraph is the one able to hook the reader, to get them interested and involved in the reading process.

Many students make the same mistake here. It’s simple. They think their professor just can’t get interested in their papers because the prof knows everything about the topics they discuss. That is not true, and you can use the advantages of your topic to intrigue the professor (who is your main reader here) in the intro. 

Your prof will be excited enough to find out an uncommon fact about the person or a less famous detail about the event you are writing your profile essay on. Don’t miss the opportunity to give them that intriguing hint in your paper’s intro.

And of course, the last but not least important element of an introduction is the thesis statement. Usually, it is the final sentence of the paragraph explaining the reason and/or the goal that you had in mind while picking the topic and crafting the essay .

As always, the main body is the place to present the core information that makes your profile essay exist. Regarding the introduction, your reader would expect to read more about the person, event, or anything that you marked as your paper’s subject in the topic and the intro.

The main essay body should be possible to read it smoothly with no interruptions or difficulties of any kind. What’s important here, too, is that the paper should not be a source of boredom. Make sure it is not dull or secondary regarding the existing materials and references you used.

Feel free to go in for small and interesting details, less common facts, and, possibly, answers that the person provided you with during a private interview (this works for profile essays on a person only, of course).

Simply put, an essay body is like a picture. When you write someone’s personal profile, that’s all about portraying their biography, achievements, traits, lifestyle, etc. If your subject is an event, then describe it chronologically and add comments proving your thesis statement.

The point is that you can be creative while illustrating the subject for readers, but the proper balance between your imagination and private comments and the actual situation or personality should be kept perfectly.

Finally, while working on the essay body, make it simple for the reader to understand what is written. Avoid using the info that can provide uncertainty, break the chain of real events, or make the professor confused due to the use of unchecked facts and random, unintentional delusions.

Explain each question, focal point, or the fact you insert in the essay’s body as long as you find it necessary to exclude any inconveniences, even the slightest ones. The professor should have a clear view of what you wanted to say by the last paragraph of your paper.

A conclusion is a must-be part of any academic essay, including profile papers. A summary paragraph reflects the facts and comments you brought up for discussion previously in the main body. Mostly, the best way to write a suitable conclusion and finish an essay strongly is to logically tie the info from the body paragraphs to a thesis statement displayed in an intro.

Please note that the final part of the essay is not a place for new facts or concepts. You can only restate what was already mentioned. Don’t confuse your professor if you want to get the top grade.

As you can see, profile essays are not too difficult to complete. You should choose the topic attentively, take time to do preliminary preparations, and keep up with the common essay structure . Usually, that’s more than enough to craft a worthy academic paper of any type.

However, if you don’t feel confident enough, you can ask for expert help online. Professionals will provide you with profile writing tips and recommendations. If necessary, they can assist you with writing, too. Don’t lose control over your academic success: use any opportunity to get the highest grade possible.

How to Write a Profile Essay (+ Examples to Check)

In the article, you’ll find the profile essay definition and structure. Several examples are also here to help you see how to create a brilliant one.

What is a Profile Essay?

Such papers have two primary goals:

•  Stay informative
•  Provide as many exciting details about the subject as possible

Another essential detail is that you shouldn’t stray from the topic. Mention only the relevant things, and don’t be afraid to keep the focus as narrow as possible.

That’s the point of any profile essay.

Profile Essay Example

Profile essays look personal, but their style is matter-of-fact and academic. It seems challenging, but you can do that with appropriate examples at hand.

There are two common types of such papers: on a person and a place . Since each has its specifics, let’s jump right into the samples!

Profile essay example on a person 

Lucky you are when a professor assigns an essay about yourself. After all, it’s a person you know best, right? When writing about someone else, the key is to treat them how you’d treat yourself if you wrote your story.

Here’s an example of a profile essay on a person :

Profile essay example on a place  

Another profile paper is the one describing a specific location. It can include its history, spots, and the famous people who visited it. 

Choose the places you find exciting, but consider how much information you can dig up. Remember that a stellar profile essay must be informative. Put your emotions about what you’re describing aside.  Example:

How to Write a Profile Essay: Outline and Tips

One of the profile essay challenges is making it long enough  to meet the word count.

You can do it through research and adding extra info during the writing process. Imagine you’re a detective compiling a case file!

More details:

Craft a profile essay outline before writing. It’s a plan for an intro, a body, and a conclusion [1]. Important: Outline the thesis and topic sentences for each paragraph. That way, you’ll get a template for your essay to fill in with relevant information.

How to start a profile essay

The best way to start your essay is a so-called attention grabber. Tell the most intriguing fact about your topic and elaborate on it in the following sentence.

As a finishing touch, focus on a thesis statement. That last sentence reveals all the details you’ll discuss in the upcoming paragraphs.

Body paragraphs

You need several main points, whether writing about a personality or describing a location. Derive topic sentences (your paragraphs’ first sentences) from research and make them informative.

The last sentence of each section should be a transition to the next one. It will make your essay easy to read.

Writing a profile essay conclusion

Unlike an interview or expository essay , your conclusion restates the thesis and summarizes the core info from your paper.

While it sounds simple, this part of your paper is the most significant. Ensure you end it with a relevant sum-up.

Practical tips on writing profile papers  

Profile papers are all about research and editing your essay to perfection. Below are three fruitful tips [2] on how to do that.

• Use a reference finder . This tool works like a filter, removing all irrelevant sources from your search. It will help you invest less time in finding the materials you need.
• Spend several hours resting before editing your paper . If you look for mistakes in your essay right after you’ve finished the draft, you’re likely to miss them. Give your brain time to refocus, and you’ll find more typos and inconsistencies.
• Ask parents or friends how informative it is . If unsure about how your paper turned out, ask someone who doesn’t know much about the topic. If they find your draft engaging, it’s a success.

Bonus: Profile Essay Topics Ideas  

If a tutor doesn’t provide a specific topic for your profile essay and you struggle to find one, try any of these:

•   My Hometown’s History: The Hero of People
•   The Writer Who Shaped My View of Life
•   The Best Five-Star Hotel In Our Country
•   An Unusual Millionaire With a Kind Heart
•   A Touching Story of a Famous Animal
•   My Favorite Painter: A Biography
•   My Favorite Touristic Location
•   The Spookiest Location I’ve Ever Visited
•   The Teacher Who Was My Role Model
•   The Landmark I’ll Never Forget
•   My Pet Animal: Facts and Stories
•   My Hero: The Person I Want to Become
•   The Most Impressive Water Body I’ve Seen
•   The Place I Dream to Visit
•   The Fictional Character I Learned Most From

Profile essays can be challenging. Yet, they’re great for training your writing and research skills. You pay attention to details so that a text flows and presents information logically.

It’s okay if you don’t create a masterpiece on your first try. Just remember to have fun in the process.

References:

• https://www.adelaide.edu.au/english-for-uni/essay-writing
• https://www.wccnet.edu/webfiles/writing-center/web/essay-structures/ProfileEssay.pdf
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How to Write a Profile Essay from start to end like a pro

Many people do not realize that a biography is a profile essay, but it is. It is a profile essay because it is essentially the profile or the detailed description of a person.

You can be assigned to write an informative essay where you describe a person, place, event, or whatever subject. If that is the case, you should write a profile essay. A profile essay is basically a descriptive essay.

It is a common assignment in college for journalism and media studies courses. However, students pursuing other courses can also be assigned to write a profile essay. Although writing one can be challenging, we will show you in a bit how it can be enjoyable and what steps you need to take.

In this post, you will learn everything you need to know to write the perfect profile essay. Oh! You can buy a profile essay from us and have it customized to your instructions or rubric. Otherwise, let’s begin.

What is a Profile Essay?

The hallmark of writing a staller profile essay is knowing what it means.

In the academic context, a profile essay is basically a descriptive essay or informative essay about a person, place, location, activity, item, institution, organization, or event. Within the journalism context, profile essays refer to compositions about a person.

It is an essay that provides a detailed description of someone or something. The essay is usually between 600 and 850 words long and can be longer than 1000 words. The best way to write it is in such a way that it gives the reader a complete picture of the subject.

For example, if you are asked to write a profile essay on your best friend, you should write it so that when someone reads it, they will quickly gain a comprehensive understanding of your best friend.

There are two basic types of profile essays – descriptive profile essays and analytical profile essays .

Descriptive profile essays offer a comprehensive description of someone or something, while analytical ones provide in-depth analysis/evaluation of someone or something while describing it. The most common type of profile essay is the descriptive one. You can be asked to write a descriptive profile essay on a movie character, a story character, a politician, a celebrity, or someone you know personally. You can also be asked to write one on a location, an event, or even an idea.

What Is the Purpose of a Profile Essay?

The purpose of a profile essay is to provide a comprehensive view of a subject. The subject could be virtually anything.

When you are asked to write a profile essay, you should try to write it so that it leaves no important information.

For example, if you choose to write an essay on Barrack Obama, it should describe everything about the man from his origin to his Harvard experience, his senatorial experience, and finally, his presidency. This will help the reader to know everything crucial they need to know about Obama, including his life before the presidency.

When writing a profile essay, you should try as hard as possible to make it as interesting and informative as possible. Because profile essays that are not interesting tend to have too boring and too dull to read. So if you want the reader to read your essay from the first word in the introduction to the last word in the conclusion paragraph, ensure it is an exciting read.

The 6 main steps for writing a Perfect Profile Essay

Writing a successful, stellar, and grade-worthy profile essay needs some quality work. Here are some insights from our top profile essay writers who have completed many profile essays for clients. These essay writers are widely experienced in writing such essays and use these steps to produce the best profile essays. 

When assigned to write a profile essay for your class assignment, follow these six steps: (1) get inspired by professionally done examples, (2) choose a topic and a subject of focus, (3) research, (4) plan your essay, (5) write the essay, and (6) edit and proofread the essay before submitting.

Now let’s expound on each point to make it further easier for you to write a profile essay that attracts the best grades/score.

1. Get inspired by Examples

You need to research, plan, and write it better to ensure that it has no flaws. To write better, you can get inspiration through reading professional profile essay examples . These professionally written profile compositions are common in magazines such as The New York Times, Esquire, Washington Post, and The Guardian, among others.

While reading these examples, note how the details are presented, the ordering technique used, the use of transitions, hooks, and other aspects of formal writing, formatting, paragraphing approach, and the general choice of words.

You could read as many examples of profile essays as you can. However, be keen on selecting the best to benchmark as you write your profile essay based on the prompt from your professor.

2. Choose a topic and the subject

When asked to write a profile essay, you will most probably be asked to choose a topic by your professor. If this is the case, you should choose a topic that is interesting to you. Sometimes you are given a topic and told to write about it.

Because by choosing an interesting story, you get a chance to tell this story in your essay.

Of course, telling an interesting story is something you should be greatly interested in doing because interesting profile essays are almost always excellent profile essays.

After selecting the topic, ensure that you also choose a subject (the person, place, activity, or event of interest). The subject you choose to write about in your essay can either make or break your profile writing.

3. Gather information about the subject

Once you have chosen a topic for your profile essay, the next thing you need to do is to gather information about the subject.

For example, if the subject is a person, you should research information about them online at this stage. Gather as many important details about the person as you can. These details will be useful in the next step. In some cases, if you have access to the person you want to write an essay on, you can organize an interview with the person to find out more about them directly from them.

If you are writing a profile essay based on an interview, be sure to capture some of the responses the subject gave. It would be best to have open-ended questions on the interview plan to find as much valid information as possible. You need to corroborate the information using information available from credible sources.

4. Create an outline

Although sometimes an outline is not mandatory for an essay, you need to have a quick outline to arrange the ideas and thoughts and define the structure of your paper. Stick to a specific outline format for your essay.

If you feel you have gathered as many details about the subject as possible, you should create a profile essay outline. The outline should highlight what you want to write in each essay section. It should be as comprehensive as possible to make the next step easier. There is a profile essay outline example later in this post. You should use its structure to create your own outline.

5. Write the first draft of your essay

With the nice profile essay outline, the next thing you need to do is to start writing your profile essay. You can do this easily by following your outline like a map.

You see, if you did your outline correctly, it should contain sentences or instructions on how to start each paragraph in your essay and what to include in the paragraph.

When writing the first draft, follow your outline to start writing your essay and write all the paragraphs. As you are writing, remember this is a profile essay. You should try to keep the tone conversational and be as descriptive, informative, or vivid as you can. Write first and edit later.

As long as the ideas are flowing, keep on writing.

6. Edit and Proofread your Essay

After you are done writing your essay, the next thing you need to do is to proofread and edit it. We always advise taking a break to cool off from writing, develop an objective mind, and be ready to self-critique as you edit.

When proofreading, read it twice or thrice to identify and edit errors, mistakes, and weak statements or arguments. Once you have edited your essay to the level where you feel it is perfect, send it to a friend to read it one more time and catch the mistakes you might have missed.

Ask them to highlight any mistakes or errors they see. When you get your essay back, edit it one more time to eliminate the mistakes and errors identified. You can also hire a professional proofreader  if you need it done first and professionally.

After you are done editing as detailed above, your profile essay should be ready for submission.

The Structure and Format of a Profile Essay

You now know exactly what to do to write a profile essay. You know all the steps you need to take to write a good profile essay. In case you did not know the structure, it is presented below with its three key parts – the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

1. Introduction Paragraph

Like every other essay, the profile essay has an introduction. In the introduction part of the essay, you must present what you will talk about in the body part. And you must do it in a summarized manner. Two statements are very important when writing the introduction paragraph – the hook statement and the thesis statement .

The hook statement is the opening statement. It should be interesting to grab the reader's attention and make them want to read your essay. And the thesis statement should be the last statement in your introduction paragraph. It should contain your main argument or the position you support in your essay.

2. Body Paragraphs

The body part of the profile essay is usually made of three or more body paragraphs.

When writing body paragraphs in your profile essay, you should ensure each body paragraph describes or analyzes a different part or aspect of the subject of your essay.

Furthermore, you should ensure a good flow between your body paragraphs and the sentences that make them up.  

The most important thing to remember when writing this part of your profile essay is to present your ideas chronologically. This will make this part of your essay easy to understand. Use sensory details to relate to your readers' senses and create a vivid picture.

3. Conclusion Paragraph

At the end of the profile essay, there is a conclusion paragraph . The purpose of this part of the essay is to wrap it up.

So, after providing a detailed description of your subject in the body paragraph, you should summarize everything and then provide a powerful closing statement. This is the most effective way to conclude a profile essay or any other type of essay for that matter.

Remember, the conclusion part is only supposed to contain your conclusion or and not any new argument, evidence, or claim.

Profile Essay Outline Example

Follow the example profile essay outline below to discover how exactly to create a profile essay outline.

Title: My best friend

I. Introduction

• Hook sentence: My best friend has always stood up for me from the very first day.
• Background info: What makes your friend special and unique? And my friend’s biographical information.
• Thesis statement: My best friend is someone I can count on even if the whole world is against me.

II. First body paragraph (Appearance and personality)

• Major point: My best friend is a tall, well-built, and laidback person.
• Description and evidence: Provide a comprehensive description of the major point above and use evidence such as quotes and examples.
• Concluding sentence

III. Second body paragraph (Major event in your friend’s life)

• Major point: My best friend lost his younger brother at age 10, hugely impacting his life.

IV. Third body paragraph (What distinguishes your best friend from others)

• Major point: My best friend is loyal to the core and very dependable.

V. Conclusion paragraph

• Thesis restatement
• Restatement of major points
• Closing sentence

Topic ideas for a Profile Essay

When tasked with choosing a profile essay topic to write about, consider choosing an interesting topic, has a favorite subject, and something that has information in case you need to corroborate facts.

Below is a list of profile essay topic ideas. Use the list as inspiration to develop your profile essay topic.

• President Obama’s Profile: His early life, his senatorial career, and his presidency
• Turkey and its place in Middle Eastern politics
• Africa: A continent with resources but also with global poverty
• Europe: A cycle of war and devastation
• King Solomon and his mighty empire
• Mandela: The man who changed the world
• Adolf Hitler: His ideology and his beliefs
• My dog is my best friend
• UNHCR: A history of taking care of refugees
• United Nations: Successes and challenges over the years
• Why Zanzibar is a must-visit country
• My favorite movie
• The diet of the residents of Loma Linda
• The best celebrity role model
• The best summer camp for kids in the USA
• The most stunning animal park in the USA
• Stalin: How the Russian leader helped defeat the Nazis
• Moscow: The capital of the Russian Federation
• The United States: the greatest economy in the world
• MV. Aurora: The conqueror of the seven seas
• Adidas: A history of challenges and successes
• Jane Austen: A high-achieving woman
• Nike Success’s Story
• The best Air Jordan Stores
• The real personality of Princess Diana
• The US Senate and its responsibilities
• Queen Elizabeth: The longest serving female head of government
• The sport I love the most
• Stephen King: The most elegant writer of our time
• The best classic car ever

Example of a Process Essay

My favorite elementary school teacher A few years ago, I ran into Mrs. Penny while escaping some school bullies who gave me a hard time. When I ran into her, I just burst into tears, and she did not know what to do. She just hugged me. She later escorted me to a small bench and asked me to tell her everything. I did exactly that, and she made sure the boys were suspended. I did not know it then, but she was about to play a key role in molding me into who I am today. Mrs. Penny was a tall, big and strong woman. She always walked with authority about her. Some students said she was into powerlifting, but I don’t think she was. While she had a big physique and she was very kind and motherly. Everyone loved her for this. She always treated every single student with respect and tried to listen and reason with you rather than impose her beliefs. For example, she once talked to our class and convinced everyone to stay in class for about five minutes long to finish explaining something. This is something that had never happened before, yet she achieved it. One day while in class, Mrs. Penny caught another student in the middle of a nasty fight. Since the last time she had saved me from bullies, she had always thought I was a well-disciplined boy. So she was very disappointed when she caught me fighting as it was strictly against school rules. We were sent to detention and then came back to class later. As everybody was leaving class in the late afternoon, she asked me to stay behind and told me to sit down. She talked to me, motivated me, and told me that I could only succeed in life by being disciplined. I promised her always to be disciplined, which has helped me in life. It has helped me to become a much better person. If other teachers found me fighting or doing something else, they probably couldn’t have cared. This is because they could have simply assumed I was a bad kid. However, Mrs. Penny was not like other teachers. She was kind, empathetic, and motherly. She saw me as someone I was not and took her time to help show me the right direction in life. I believe I am now in college because of what she told me, especially about discipline being the key to success. As you can see, Mrs. Penny played a very important role in molding me into who I am today. She helped me to become a better person and to take discipline as one of my guiding principles. It is my hope that Mrs. Penny is still alive and is still helping guide elementary students to become better versions of themselves.

Tips to Use when Writing a Profile Essay

By now, you can already see that writing profile essays can be fun; it is fun! When you select a subject of interest, you can only write the best things about them as long as you meet the scope of the rubric. Like any other comprehensive academic essay , a profile essay has three sections: the introduction, body, and conclusion. And for you to write one that appeals to your readers and markers, here are some tips and tricks that actually work:

• Edit your work. After you are done writing your essay, you should thoroughly edit it to ensure it has no grammatical errors, punctuation errors, and so on. This will ensure it gets a good grade.
• Show respect. When writing a profile essay about someone, you must show respect even if you hate them. You must strive to be objective and to use objective language. This will make your essay to sound more professional than an anger-ridden essay.
• Try to balance your paragraphs. This may seem trivial, but it is not. You must try to balance your paragraphs to make your essay appear structured and organized. This will increase your probability of getting a good grade.
• Create an outline before you start. Creating an outline before writing an essay will help you stay focused and organized.
• Keep your tone professional. You should strive to keep your tone professional throughout the essay. This is especially true when you are writing about someone close to you. Keeping your tone professional will help you get a good grade on your essay.
• Watch your tone and style . As you compose the paragraphs of your profile essay, you should use both formal and informal approaches. It should not be written in the second person. Rather, use first-person and think of creative ways to make your written piece fun to read. Although you are writing an academic piece that should be done professionally, you have the flexibility of flouting the academic writing rules. Describe the subject and maintain a tone that creates a vivid image of the subject.

Final Words

We are sure that by now, our professional writers at EssayManiacs, through their insights, have made composing a profile essay as simple as it should be. The knowledge we have shared in this post is enough to enable you to write the perfect profile essay or composition.

Remember to bring in your creativity, presentation, and organization skills when writing. Write preferably in the first person and have the flexibility of expanding your creativity. That said and done, you should now be able to get an excellent grade whenever you are asked to write a profile essay.

If you need help writing and polishing a profile essay, you should know that we are here for you. We have a team of English essay writing experts who can write a profile essay on virtually any topic. Order your essay from us to get a high grade on your essay assignment.

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How to Write a Good Profile Essay

By: Tasha Kolesnikova

Before you learn how to create your perfect profile essay, you need to master academic writing's necessary skills. You must understand from which parts the composition is formed, what must be included, what vocabulary for each type you need to use, etc. The essay typer should be professional and express thoughts correctly.

What Is a Profile Essay?

What are the main goals of profile essays, explore examples, choose a topic, find your writing style, look for reliable information, create a plan, write an introduction, describe vividly, write the final part.

To assess your writing skills, a professor or teacher can give an assignment in the form of a profile essay. Our article is based on what you learned to create essay introduction phrases , central part, conclusion, outline profile essay.

It is much easier for those students who have already read autobiographical articles or descriptive landscapes since this is all a profile essay. Agreeing to describe something in words is easy, but conveying thoughts on paper is much more difficult since the paper should be framed appropriately. Here we will give you step-by-step instructions, but you can contact StudyBay managers and receive professional help if you have any difficulties. Now let's get to the study of a profile essay and find out what details it will add up.

Profile essay

A profile essay is a type of descriptive writing that provides a detailed, in-depth look at a person, place, event, or thing, with formatting in APA style or ASA, Chicago or Harvard. The goal of a profile essay is to offer a vivid portrayal and comprehensive understanding of the subject through a combination of narrative storytelling, observation, and factual information.

The description text consists of the following parts:

• general characteristics of the subject, general impression;
• signs, details;
• the general assessment of the subject.

For example, the description can be a portrait landscape. Anything can be the description's object - a person, his emotional state, an animal, a plant, a city, a house, a park, a village, and the weather. The speech feature predominates nouns, adjectives, adverbs, a minimum of action, and static text. The descriptive text answers the questions "what? what kind?". Let's see an example:

"The color of the fungus is yellowish-gray. It can be dirty brown and darker towards the middle of the cap. The stem is thin, dense, white at the cap, gray at the base, sometimes brown."

We also want to note that two concepts are similar to each other in the English language: "descriptive essay" and "profile essay." But there is a difference between them that you should be aware of when completing a task. A descriptive essay is a concise message about facts, events, and related phenomena. For example, a description of recent events or a book/ movie review essay . Usually, it contains not only the main idea but also may contain the opinion of the author. A profile essay is aimed more at describing in detail portraits, landscapes, and all the details, while the author brings new information but cannot express his opinion.

If you carefully study this type of essay's type, then it speaks for itself; that is, its basis includes describing the place, thing, event, occurrence, person. The profile essay is full of adjectives. Without them, we would not be able to describe the subject. They are keywords. When composing the text, you can use a dictionary of synonyms that will help you choose adjectives. Based on this information, several main goals of a profile essay can be distinguished:

• A clear description of nature, phenomenon, person, with all the details.
• The student should describe a person or place in his own words, using epithets, comparisons, antonyms.
• The student must prove that he has the required academic writing skills.

There is a more demanding attitude towards college students since, with this type of assignment, the professor can evaluate the organization, presentation, and research skills. Many students think this is the most confusing essay, as it can be easily confused with other types. Therefore, you need to study the essay checklist and steps below to avoid getting lost in your thoughts.

How Do I Prepare to Write Profile Essays?

Of course, experience in writing essays is gained through constant practice. The more essays you have written, the higher the chance of getting a good grade. However, due to the large volume of the curriculum, many students have the so-called "short-term memory effect" - they write a paper using argumentation, but after a couple of months forget everything.

Therefore, we recommend starting your preparation by examining the directions for writing an essay proposed by the compilers this year. Then you need to carefully study each of them and understand what the essence of each is. So even at the initial stage, you will have meaning about a profile essay.

To prepare most effectively for this type of essay, we recommend compiling a list of topics that may be used in advance. Topic wording allows the student to choose the material on which he will base his reasoning. If such blanks are made in advance, then you will be able to compose the paper faster. We also made a step-by-step preparation instruction. Please read it carefully.

Before work, each student should carefully read the examples of profile essays to see the text's structure. To do this, you need to write an "example of a profile essay" in an Internet search engine, and you will immediately be given many sources of information. Still, you only need to choose those for which there are reviews or if you did not find mistakes there. Also, special magazines with examples of different types of essays are issued for students, so most likely, you can also find a profile essay there.

While reading the example, pay attention to the structure of the text, the design, the theme, built by the paragraphs, and what artistic techniques were used. Also, please keep track of what style the author used, what language he used, etc. And the last thing you should pay attention to is this introduction and conclusion. You must understand how the author grabs the reader's attention and what phrases he used for the final paragraph. You can write them out and do the same.

Read as much as possible because every author has his writing style, and you can see some details that the previous writer did not use. It is in the examples that you can find basic knowledge that the teacher will not tell you.

To successfully choose a topic for a profile essay, use the following tips:

• You need to think about what exciting information you can choose for the topic and whether there is a source to write an interesting article.
• Choose the closest to you that resonates with you because your task is to demonstrate personal interest. That is, to express your attitude to the chosen topic, your position on the problem, to give an individual assessment of the events, characters, and actions that will serve you as arguments. And this can be done most convincingly only if the experts feel your interest in the chosen topic.
• It would help if you chose the topic to express your perspective and convincingly argue it based on literary material. This means that you know where to get an example to prove that you are good at describing the topic.

Your style is like your voice. You need to understand what only you can write about how you differ from everyone else. Here are some tips for finding your writing style:

• Write a lot. It is corny but effective. Moreover, it is desirable to write in different genres, themes, and volumes. Keeping a journal is also a good idea.
• Find an example for yourself, and understand why you like this particular writing style, but not wholly copy it, just choose the most significant moments for yourself.
• Read classics and quality media.
• Use the advice of the writers. Some of them may seem very strange, but they will still help. For example, one author calls for six months not to use the words: love, hate, be, have, know, think, believe, understand, remember, want, dream, and other mental verbs. It remains to describe feelings, not name.
• Read books about language, writing skills, and journalism. They often contain useful exercises.
• Identify and eradicate parasitic words.
• Keep track of repetitions, pronouns, and the verb "to be" in all forms. They can almost always be removed.
• Choose a priority genre and study its features. It is sometimes dull and dreary, but it isn't easy to move on without this.

While writing an article, many pitfalls arise in the path of the author. Sometimes information is difficult to consolidate with reliable sources of authoritative writers. The use of inaccurate data leads to the collapse of the student's reputation. This, in turn, leads to sad results: unprotected essay, loss of the teacher's or professor's trust.

We advise looking for official sources or use several independent ones. The reliability of facts and events can be found, first of all, in encyclopedias, monographs, narrow-profile reference books. Also, look for information on the official websites of figures and their pages on social networks. It is better to be wary of publications in scientific journals. Before using the information from there, make inquiries about this journal's authority and, in particular, the author of the article.

If the topic is controversial, it would be wise to ask for information from the educational institution teachers who hold different views. Thus, the author will objectively approach the description of such issues and avoid gross oversights.

The last thing to do when preparing to write an article or essay is to make a plan. You can improvise and write whatever comes to mind, but this will make it harder for readers to understand the text and reduce your ideas' accuracy. A structured message is much stronger and more reasoned than a continuous stream of consciousness.

Text written according to plan is more credible. The plan helps not only the author but also the reader. Thanks to the exact structure, it is easy to navigate the content, which means that the perception of information is much more comfortable.

A text plan is needed to write an article faster and better. When everything is structured and transparent, which parts of working on, work becomes more productive. The plan helps the author write the article qualitatively: this means that the reader will easily navigate the content and will find the answer to the question that has arisen - what he opened the material for.

Both the plan and the text itself are usually built based on the question asked. It is often included in the title. Therefore, the question must be answered in the text.

Steps to Writing a Profile Essay

Any essay has a particular structure (introduction, central part, conclusion) of the content's presentation, and this plan must be adhered to when writing. You cannot jump from one question to another and back. If the topic sounds like "Description of nature," you cannot write about how you spend the summer. It would help if you talked about a specific place. Each thought expressed in the essay should be comprehended by you, the expressions should not be twofold, and the images you paint should not be dull.

When describing, do not try to use abstruse words. Sometimes it takes a long time to find the right word. Try to start with a rough draft using the same words as discussing it with a friend. How would you describe something to him? Then you can edit the resulting text by removing the spoken parts and replacing them with more appropriate phrases.

After writing an essay on a draft, read it at least a couple of times, mentally speaking. Make sure the text is complete. Parts of the paper logically passed one into another, and there were no abrupt changes in the course of thought. Avoid repetitions. Check the volume ratio of the main parts of the essay so that you don't get the too long intro and out or insufficient volume of the central part. We've given you a few tips, now let's explore the specific steps.

The essay begins with an introduction, where the most important thing is the essay topic's relevance. The introduction contains a description of the importance of the chosen topic. This description should not be too long; 3-4 sentences are enough. Your introduction is a short article designed to grab the reader's attention. The introduction should tell the essence of the composition, what it is about.

There are several ways to write the beginning, first, with a description of the topic's relevance. Tell the reader why you are writing an essay on this particular topic, why it is exciting, and why it is worth writing about it at all. Even if you didn't choose the topic yourself, you could still think of something in this direction. Another way is to start the story with a topic that many writers and scientists discuss, that is, to indicate that this issue is relevant to this day.

Introductory phrase templates:

• Everyone knows that...
• Thousands of books have been written about this, and hundreds of films have been shot, and inexperienced adolescents and experienced people speak about this...
• Probably, this topic interests each of us, so the text is dedicated to the topic

You have intrigued the reader. Now your task in this part is to reveal everything that you have written in the introduction. If you need to portray some personality, you should pay attention to the appearance and the character hiding behind it. For example, suppose what kind of person he is: big eyes - dreamy and sweet, stern look - stern and severe, kind smile, sympathetic. When writing a description, it is advisable to highlight different ideas in paragraphs: this way, you will show your literacy and knowledge. The central part should not be boring and complement the introduction. You have to put in a lot of effort to keep the reader's attention and make him read your text to the end.

A profile essay should be filled with encouraging words that describe your topic in detail. To do this, you need to use epithets to tell the reader how a person smells, looks, talks, or what kind of colors the place of events is filled with. Let's consider an example of a female student describing her friend:

"Frankly, I have many good, loyal friends. They are my classmates, boys, and girls from my city. But my best friend for more than five years has been Elizabeth. She looks nice, and she is 17 years old. Lisa is not very tall, but she has a beautiful body. Every day she goes in for sports and attends yoga classes twice a week, so her figure is gorgeous, athletic, fit. Of course, the ideal figure is only part of beauty. After all, only a combination of a beautiful body, spirit, and mind can make the person attractive, even if the facial features are generally typical.

Elizabeth has straight, long, blonde hair, which she often gathers in a bun. She has blue eyes and long dark eyelashes and large lips, which she always tints with a transparent gloss: oval face and a small nose. Lisa is still very elegant. She wears clothes in fashion. I can tell her charm is irresistible."

The last part of the profile essay is the conclusion. Here you need to set out similar information on the central role but in a short amount. The conclusion is intended to bring the reader to the end of the story and contain several sentences. In conclusion, you should write a few critical words about a place, a person, a phenomenon. This is necessary to make it clear to the reader how the described subject influenced you. Also, in the end, you can use quotes if you don't know how to choose the right words.

The conclusion should reflect your thoughts as well as other parts of the essay. In this paragraph, you will be able to tell whether you achieved the goal set in the introduction, whether you could describe the subject in a way that would inspire the reader. In conclusion, you can summarize all the information, but try not to repeat yourself, and perhaps give some advice for the future to the reader. This concludes the writing of the profile essay, and we wish you the best of luck. Take advantage of all the tips to achieve the goal of your profile essay.

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Profile Essay: Guidelines for an A+ Paper

• Icon Calendar 3 August 2024
• Icon Page 4518 words
• Icon Clock 21 min read

Students may encounter profile essays in nearly all disciplines, which makes it essential for them to understand profile essay writing. Basically, this guide commences with a definition of a profile essay and highlights its traits. Then, the manual discusses the significance of interview or observation sessions in profile essay writing and elaborates on the differences between a profile text and other forms of academic papers. Further on, a specific format and structure of a profile composition provides clear directives on the writing of each part. In turn, the manual contains an outline template, what to include, an example of a written profile essay, and common mistakes to avoid, which exemplify the content of this guide. Hence, students need to learn how to write a profile essay and develop their academic skills in organizing such a document correctly.

What Is a Profile Essay and Its Purpose

According to its definition, a profile essay is a type of academic paper that presents a detailed description of a person, event, place, or phenomenon by using a well-organized structure. The main purpose of writing a profile essay is to offer readers a comprehensive and engaging understanding of a specific subject under review by combining factual information with the writer’s personal insights, involving direct observations, interviews, and background research (Early, 2023). Basically, authors spend a significant amount of time researching a particular topic to collect the less obvious information that a reader cannot acquire through a simple web search. In this case, a profile essay contains vivid descriptions and clear explanations that students derive from various reliable sources. Therefore, a profile essay is an expository composition, which implies that authors write such papers with a sole purpose of informing a target audience regarding a given topic by using facts, examples, and other relevant evidence (Warburton, 2020). In terms of pages and words, the length of a profile essay can vary based on academic levels, specific course requirements, topic complexity, and key expectations of instructors or institutions, and general guidelines are:

High School:

• Length: 2-4 pages
• Word Count: 500-1,000 words

College (Undergraduate):

• Length: 4-6 pages
• Word Count: 1,000-1,500 words

University (Upper-Level Undergraduate):

• Length: 5-8 pages
• Word Count: 1,250-2,000 words

Master’s:

• Length: 8-12 pages
• Word Count: 2,000-3,000 words
• Length: 12-20 pages or more, depending on the depth of research and analysis required
• Word Count: 3,000-5,000 words or more

Distinct Traits

During a preparation stage of a profile essay, students do not need to write a position or present an argument concerning a topic of interest. However, an angle in a profile essay is a specific perspective or focus that a writer chooses to highlight about an assigned subject, providing a unique and compelling viewpoint to engage readers (Early, 2023). Among other types of essays , a particular authorship style that learners use in writing a profile paper should not lead a target audience toward any predefined conclusion regarding a topic. Instead, authors present readers with facts or evidence and provide them with adequate ‘space’ to reach individual conclusions. For example, to write a profile essay on a place, authors gather detailed observations and descriptions, incorporate personal experiences and interviews, and organize their content to convey a location’s atmosphere, significance, and impact on people (Early, 2023). In this case, a profile essay of a place provides a detailed description of a specific location, capturing its atmosphere, significance, and the experiences of people who inhabit or visit it. Moreover, a thesis statement of a profile essay does not announce a central claim. In turn, profile documents have a high demand for objectivity because any attempt to persuade a specific audience to support a perspective undermines the purpose of a paper.

Intrinsic Value of Interviews and Observations

Interviews and direct observations are critical to the formation of a profile essay. Mostly, interviews or observations are the main sources of information for a profile document. In particular, students should plan to interview or observe an assigned object, place, phenomenon, or event because it is the only way to write unique content for a profile essay (Early, 2023). Further on, learners must be prepared adequately for an interview or observation session to ensure they can acquire the necessary information to complete their papers. During interviews or observation sessions, documentation is essential because it provides authors with an accurate record of the information (Roberts, 2017). Specifically, any record is useful when writers need to verify some facts they choose to include in a profile paper. In turn, video recordings, tape recordings, and notetaking are the preferred means of capturing information from interviews and observation sessions.

How Does a Profile Essay Differ From Other Papers

Profile papers are different from other types of essays because they have a low reliance on secondary sources. Basically, the use of secondary sources is widespread in academic writing because it is easy to locate and access such articles and establish their reliability from bibliographical information. For example, a profile essay provides a detailed portrayal of a subject through descriptive and personal insights, while a biography is a comprehensive writing about a person’s lifespan from birth to the present or his or her death (Roberts, 2017). However, authors of secondary sources may skew the meaning of information to achieve a specific purpose or exclude critical details that have no relevance to a source’s central claim. In consequence, secondary sources are rarely comprehensive articles, and writers use them to verify facts rather than collect evidence (Fleckenstein et al., 2020). Moreover, primary sources are suitable for writing a profile document, but the acquisition of credible sources is quite challenging, which causes students to conduct interviews or observe a place, phenomenon, or event.

Note: Some sections can be added, deleted, or combined in a single paragraph. Moreover, the number of paragraphs depends on assignment instructions. In turn, a typical format above is only for using it as a guideline in direction.

Structure of a Profile Essay

Introduction.

An introduction part of a profile essay sets the stage by introducing a specific subject, providing necessary background information, and presenting a thesis or main point to engage a reader’s interest. Mostly, a typical introduction has only one paragraph. In this case, the primary role of any opening part is to set the context of an entire composition and provide a target audience with a reason to continue reading the remaining sections of a paper (Roberts, 2017). Moreover, a corresponding introduction can become longer with an increase in a profile essay’s word count. Nonetheless, an introduction’s word count should not exceed 10% of an paper’s word count. In turn, this section should not contain any in-text citations except for a situation where students use a direct quotation to begin a paragraph.

A body part of a profile essay is the most substantial because it takes up approximately 80% of the word count. Basically, a body section consists of at least two body paragraphs with no maximum number of paragraphs. For example, the appropriate number of paragraphs is dependent on the number of distinct points that writers intend to present to a target audience (Grogan, 2020). In this case, there is no specific length for a body paragraph, but students should strive to have no paragraphs that are longer than half a page. Besides, it is an excellent practice to ensure that each paragraph has a minimum of four sentences. As a result, in a profile essay, writers should avoid including irrelevant details, biased perspectives, or excessive personal opinions that overshadow a subject’s portrayal.

A conclusion part is a one-paragraph section, which appears at the end of a profile essay. Basically, a conclusion section of a profile composition is a concise overview of an entire content of a body section (Penders, 2018). Moreover, a closing sentence focuses on revisiting a thesis statement and topic sentences as a final effort to emphasize the value of a profile essay. In turn, a typical ending should not be longer than 10% of a whole word count. Mostly, a conclusion does not contain any in-text citations.

Organizing an Outline

A profile essay’s outline is a hierarchical layout of the main points of body paragraphs and annotations of the information that students intend to write in introduction and conclusion sections. Primarily, an outline acts as a guide for the drafting stage of the writing process, which ensures learners do not unintentionally exclude a point that is crucial to a profile (Warburton, 2020). Furthermore, such an outline allows authors to document the specific evidence they plan to use to support the main point of each argument. In turn, students should allocate adequate time to the writing and reviewing of an outline to ascertain the compatibility of the evidence and central point of each paragraph, which prevents false starts and reduces the likelihood of extensive revision (Roberts, 2017). As a result, to organize a profile essay, writers structure a paper with a compelling introduction, detailed body paragraphs, each focusing on different aspects of a particular subject, and a strong conclusion that reinforces the main points and provides closing insights.

Sample Outline Template

I. Introduction

A. Hook. B. Background information. C. Thesis statement.

A. First body paragraph

• Write the main point of the first paragraph.
• Provide evidence supporting this paragraph’s main point.
• Write explanations of the evidence.
• End with a concluding statement.

B. Second body paragraph

• Write the main point of the second paragraph.

C. Third body paragraph

• Write the main point of the third paragraph.

III. Conclusion

A. Restatement of a thesis statement. B. Summary of the three main points in a body section. C. Closing remarks emphasizing the significance of a profile essay.

Step-by-Step Writing of a Profile Essay

Step 1: research.

Research after interviews or observation sessions is vital to making any paper. To write a profile essay, people gather detailed information through interviews and observations, organize their content with an engaging introduction, informative body paragraphs, and a concise conclusion, and blend factual details with personal insights and vivid descriptions (Early, 2023). Typically, a student conducts some research before interviews or observation sessions to identify areas of interest that are worth investigating. After collecting information, authors must engage in research to develop a deeper understanding of responses or actions of a subject. In turn, this research stage ensures an author’s unfamiliarity with specialized vocabulary and conventions of discipline-specific discourse does not result in incorrect interpretations or summaries.

Step 2: Writing an Introduction

A hook sentence is a first statement of an introduction section. In this case, to start a profile essay, writers begin with an engaging hook that introduces a particular subject and captures a reader’s interest, followed by background information and a clear thesis statement (Early, 2023). Basically, an engaging sentence serves the purpose of triggering an audience’s interest in a subject of a review. In this case, students may use a variety of strategies to develop a hook, for instance, making a comparison, using a vivid quotation, mentioning a surprising fact, and asking a question (Warburton, 2020). In turn, if learners know how to write a hook, they ensure this sentence relates to a reader’s knowledge or experience, which allows it to be an impactful statement on its own. In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning a profile essay are:

• From the moment I met [Name], I knew [he/she] was someone worth profiling because … .
• Growing up in [place], [Name] always dreamed of … .
• One of the most striking things about [Name] is [his/her] ability to … .
• During our interview, [Name] shared a fascinating story about … .
• To truly understand [Name]’s impact, it is important to consider … .
• As [Name] walked me through [his/her] daily routine, it became clear that … .
• One of the defining moments in [Name]’s life was when … .
• Many people might not know that [Name] has a hidden talent for … .
• According to those who know [Name] best, [he/she] can be described as … .
• Reflecting on [Name]’s achievements, it is evident that [he/she] has … .

Background Information

This segment of an introduction contains information that responds to four main questions:

• Who or what is the subject?
• What are the important traits of the subject?
• Why is the subject interesting?

Responses to these three questions provide background information on an assigned subject. Moreover, statements narrow a central scope of a purpose of writing a profile essay, which sets the stage for announcing a thesis statement.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the last element of a first paragraph. In particular, a central claim informs readers of the purpose of interviews or observation sessions, which are the source of most information in a profile essay (Early, 2023). Essentially, a thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of the main points that students write in each paragraph, and it should be succinct and clear.

Step 3: Writing Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence

A topic sentence informs readers of the main point that an author discusses in a particular paragraph. Basically, topic statements do not present an author’s claim in a profile essay. Instead, if students know how to write a topic sentence, they provide a brief and direct answer to an interview question or a question that motivates authors to observe a subject (Warburton, 2020). In turn, topic statements contribute to the development of a thesis statement.

In this segment of a body section, students present specific details that support a topic statement. Basically, learners may incorporate evidence into a profile essay by using three main techniques: direct quoting, paraphrasing, and summarising. Mostly, authors acquire evidence from records of interviews or observation sessions (Penders, 2018). In turn, writers should ensure that the meaning of the evidence is not lost, especially during paraphrasing and summarising.

Explanation

Students elucidate the significance of the evidence to a topic statement in this section of a profile essay. In particular, learners provide the necessary information for a target audience to interpret the evidence correctly because any piece of evidence is merely a snapshot rather than an entire account (Fleckenstein et al., 2020). Besides, objectivity is critical while writing an explanation segment of a paragraph with bridge sentences. In turn, the length of explanations varies with the perceived complexity of the evidence.

Concluding Sentence

This statement is the last element of a body section. Usually, it is one sentence that appears at the end of any writing. Moreover, a concluding statement offers a summary of an entire content of a paragraph (Roberts, 2017). In this case, the primary role of this summary is to connect a paragraph’s content to a thesis statement. Furthermore, such a sentence contributes to a transition effect because it informs a target audience that a paragraph is complete.

Step 4: Writing a Conclusion

A concluding section has three essential elements: a restatement of a thesis, a summary of the main points, and closing remarks. Basically, students begin a final paragraph with a statement that has the same meaning as a thesis statement, although it employs an entirely new set of words and different syntax (Grogan, 2020). Next, authors provide an overview of an entire content of a body section. Lastly, learners write one or two sentences that link an introduction, thesis statement, and body section to create a sense of unity between individual parts of a profile essay. In turn, students must refrain from introducing new information while writing a conclusion part.

Step 5: Revision

Once students complete a first draft, they should revise a profile essay to eliminate any errors, which may result in a target audience deriving the wrong meaning from particular statements. During revision, learners assess the suitability of a specific audience and voice, the correctness of a thesis statement, rationality of the arrangement of body paragraphs, and the quality of evidence (Roberts, 2017). Then, authors should take a break of a few hours or a whole day before revising a profile document because it increases their objectivity. Moreover, writers may use a checklist to guide a revision process to guarantee they do not neglect any of the items on the assessment criteria. Besides individual revision, students may subject their profile essays to peer review, which provides them with useful feedback on the meaning-related flaws of a paper.

Step 6: Editing

An editing stage yields a final draft of a profile essay after it eliminates surface errors and ascertains the clarity and effectiveness of sentences. Basically, surface errors are mistakes that affect the readability of a profile paper, such as spelling errors, comma splices, sentence fragments, verb errors, and pronoun errors (Early, 2023). Then, parallelism, incomplete sentences, dangling modifiers, and unclear pronoun references are issues that students consider when evaluating the clarity of sentences. Moreover, authors examine the sentence structure and length, use of appropriate language, smoothness of transitions, and succinctness of sentences to determine its effectiveness (Roberts, 2017). In turn, writers should conduct editing for surface errors, clarity, and effectiveness in three different readings of a profile essay because of the expansive nature of dimensions of editing.

What to Include

Example of a Profile Essay

Topic: What It Takes to Be a Successful Entrepreneur

Introduction Sample

At 35 years, Abraham Jake is the youngest billionaire in the tech industry. In particular, Jake is the founder, owner, and chief executive officer of Futuristic Tech, which is a company that manufactures microprocessors for Apple, Intel, Dell, and other leading electronics firms. Moreover, an interview with Jake reveals some experiences that are responsible for his exceptional character as an entrepreneur. In turn, Jake’s failures and numerous bouts with fear and optimism in decision making shape his solitary lifestyle.

Examples of Body Paragraphs

Character Traits

Failure is a dominant theme in Jake’s life, which makes perseverance one of his readily observable character traits. During the period between 2005 and 2015, Jake began five different businesses that collapsed within eight months of opening. Particularly, the fifth business crippled Jake financially, which left him with bank loans and no savings. In this case, the constant failure in setting up a business took a toll on Jake because he found himself in a vicious cycle of saving heavily only to losing everything. Furthermore, the strain of performing at work while trying to build a business left him mentally and physically exhausted. On multiple occasions, Jack was at the brink of quitting on his dream to open his own business each time he had to shut down the business after months of struggling to keep it afloat without any success.

Fear and Optimism

The balance between the pull of fear and optimism defines Jake’s decision making strategy. For example, Jake sarcastically laughed as he said, “fearfulness and optimism are equally dangerous but learning how and when to call upon these traits is a lifelong endeavor.” Basically, it took Jake four months after to finally shut down the first business after seeing red flags that he knew were not reversible. Conversely, it took him two weeks to decide to close down his fifth business. Moreover, Jake experienced situations where he had to make decisions that hinged on his fear of losing capital and optimistic beliefs of the business’s recovery. In turn, Jake does not claim that the decision to close a business became any more straightforward. Instead, he suggests that one becomes more comfortable when faced with these decisions, which improves an individual’s decision-making abilities.

Solitary Lifestyle

Jake notes that he became accustomed to a solitary lifestyle, which he believes is a consequence of the lack of time to build meaningful relationships. Jake recounts a particular six-month period where he did not attend any social gathering or event. In a voice burdened with disappointment, Jake remarked, “if there is one thing that I regret about my entrepreneurial journey is the loss of friendships and lovers.” In this case, Jake’s attempt to juggle full-time employment and the running of a company left him with very little time to spare for nurturing personal relationships. Also, he lost touch with friends and could not keep up with the time demands of an intimate relationship. Eventually, Jake’s dual-focus lifestyle left him with professional relationships, which had minimal value when he needed emotional support.

Conclusion Sample

Jake’s past played a critical role in the emergence of the successful businessman we see today. Basically, consistent failure at opening a business is responsible for his “never give up” attitude. In this case, understanding the complicated relationship between fear and optimism gives Jake a sense of control when making tough choices. In turn, Jake recognizes that he leads a solitary lifestyle, although he is not proud of it. Thus, Jake’s personality shows that rational and emotional aspects play equally important roles in the success of an entrepreneur.

Common Mistakes

• Lack of Focus: Failing to have a precise angle or thesis can make an essay seem scattered and unfocused. Ensure you have a central theme that ties all parts of a profile together.
• Superficial Description: Providing only surface-level details without providing deeper insights and analysis can make a profile uninteresting. Aim to explore the subject’s complexities and nuances.
• Overloading With Facts: Including too many facts and not enough narrative or personal insights can make a paper read like a report rather than an engaging profile. Balance factual information with storytelling.
• Ignoring Background Research: Neglecting to conduct thorough background research can result in a lack of context and depth. Comprehensive research helps to provide a well-rounded perspective.
• Lack of Direct Quotes: Not incorporating direct quotes from interviews can make a composition less authentic and engaging. Use quotes to bring a subject’s voice and personality to life.
• Poor Organization: Presenting information in a disorganized manner can confuse readers. Ensure a logical flow with clear transitions between different sections and ideas.
• Not Engaging Readers: Failing to capture a reader’s interest with vivid descriptions and compelling anecdotes can make an essay boring to read. Use descriptive language and interesting stories to engage readers.
• Bias and Subjectivity: Letting personal bias or subjective opinions dominate a document can undermine its credibility. Aim for a balanced portrayal that acknowledges multiple perspectives.
• Ignoring a Subject’s Voice: Overlooking the importance of capturing a subject’s unique voice and personality can result in a flat portrayal. Pay attention to how a subject speaks and behaves.
• Weak Conclusion: Ending an essay abruptly without a strong conclusion can leave readers unsatisfied. Summarize the key points and restate the significance of a subject in a conclusion part.

A profile essay is a descriptive piece that offers a detailed portrayal of a person, place, phenomenon, or event, combining factual information with personal insights. Basically, this composition differs from other papers by emphasizing firsthand information gathered through interviews and observations rather than secondary sources. Moreover, its distinctive structure includes an engaging introduction, a body with multiple paragraphs presenting various aspects, and a concise conclusion. Finally, such a work should remain objective, allowing readers to form their own conclusions. In turn, some tips that students should consider when organizing their profile papers include:

• Students should plan the writing process to ensure they do not skip or rush through any step.
• Interviews or observation sessions should rely on specific guiding questions that authors design to generate content for writing a profile essay.
• Writers should refrain from including their opinions or steering the audience toward a particular conclusion.
• A profile essay should contain detailed descriptions.

Early, J. S. (2023). Next generation genres: Teaching writing for civic and academic engagement . Norton Professional Books.

Fleckenstein, J., Meyer, J., Jansen, T., Keller, S., & Köller, O. (2020). Is a long essay always a good essay? The effect of text length on writing assessment. Frontiers in Psychology , 11 , 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562462

Grogan, K. E. (2020). Writing science: What makes scientific writing hard and how to make it easier. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America , 102 (1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1800

Penders, B. (2018). Ten simple rules for responsible referencing. PLOS Computational Biology , 14 (4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006036

Roberts, J. Q. (2017). Essentials of essay writing: What markers look for . Palgrave.

Warburton, N. (2020). The basics of essay writing . Routledge.

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How to write a Profile Essay (Best Guide)

Profile essays are a common assignment in composition courses, journalism, and other different disciplines. You are definitely here to learn more about how to write a profile essay, and we will not fail you. However, we must state that you have to master the six-step academic writing process (check out the guide). It is a concept that makes your writing process seamless.

If you have interviewed someone or read their autobiography, you can proceed to write a profile essay about them as a subject. Sounds easy, right? However, there are things you need to do.

In this guide, we take you through everything you need to master to write a profile essay that will guarantee higher scores. We have also included video resources and sample essays to show you how to do profile essay writing. Let’s get started.

What Is a Profile Essay? Defining a Profile Essay

A profile essay is a common assignment in composition courses and entails a vivid description of a place, person, event, era or epoch, activity, or any item of choice. If you are pursuing journalism, a profile essay often only entails specifically writing about a person. Therefore, it is common for journalism students to encounter it as a term paper, coursework, or assignment. Students from other disciplines might also write profile essays.

It could be an essay about the richest man on the planet, the leadership skills of a famous person, such as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, etc., the Russian-Ukrainian War, or a national or international hero. An interview essay written by an interviewer about the interviewee counts as a profile essay.

If you are to write an essay that describes a notable past feminist, civil rights activist, philanthropist, organization, or medieval city, think profile essay first. It should be a deeper-level description that is objective and one that responds to the questions of anyone trying to understand the subject.

If you are writing about a city, focus on facts about demographics, world rankings, awards, geography, name, and other notable features.

An academic profile essay is written and formatted in the most common academic writing styles, such as APA, MLA, Harvard, Turabian, Chicago, or whatever citation format your professor or teacher prefers. You can write a profile essay using the first-person perspective or a narrative tone, depending on the subject or topic you have selected.

The best approach overall is to give a vivid description that comprises:

• A general overview of the selected subject to give a general impression.
• Deeper details about the subject.
• The general assessment of the subject.

Do not confuse a profile essay for a descriptive essay. While a profile essay is a type of descriptive essay, it focuses more on giving the specifics of the subject or new information without any personal opinions. A descriptive essay, on the other hand, might contain personal opinions. This way, a profile essay is objective, unlike a descriptive essay, which can be both objective and subjective.

What is the Goal of Profile Essays?

After a careful analysis of more than 300 profile essay assignments and examples from notable universities and colleges, we can safely say that profile essays describe a place, thing, occurrence, era, events, person, or place. The essay demonstrates the use of adjectives to describe the subject.

A profile essay achieves the objectives below:

• Details some of the observations and knowledge on the subject (phenomenon, place, person, nature, weather, event, etc).
• It tests your descriptive writing capacity as you are to demonstrate the use of adjectives, epithets, comparisons, antonyms, and other tenets of writing.
• To give the audience an understanding of the person, place, or thing under discussion.
• Prove your prowess in descriptive and narrative writing with an objective stint.
• Demonstrates your creativity, organization, presentation, and research skills.
• It informs the audience about the subject using facts, examples, and relevant evidence. It is similar to an expository essay .

Many students often find writing profile essays a confusing endeavor. A profile essay can be an essay about yourself, where you objectively explore your appearance, achievements, and encounters. The same way you would write about other people is the same way you should approach a profile essay about yourself.

Structure of a Profile Essay

Like other conventional essays, a profile essay has a hierarchical layout, starting with the introduction, which flows into the body paragraphs and into the conclusion.

A typical profile essay begins with a catchy introduction that features an attention-grabber to entice the readers to read more, a sentence or two about the selected subject, and a thesis statement to announce to your readers your overarching goal in the essay.

Here is a breakdown of a profile essay:

• An opening paragraph/ introduction . This should give a brief description of the subject and the scope of the essay and present the thesis statement. The introduction should begin with a leading sentence that describes the event or the person. The following sentences can then summarize informative points in the body paragraphs.
• Main Body.  The body paragraphs determine the length of the essay. A short profile essay should have at least three body paragraphs. The body paragraphs should include examples. If you use external sources, ensure you cite them. It is only through that that you can  avoid plagiarism  in your college and university essays. When describing a place, ensure that you use spatial order .
• Conclusion/ closing paragraph . This is the climax of your profile essay and should  restate the thesis , summarize each body paragraph, and bring closure to the essay.

Rules are rules; these are just some guidelines for writing a profile essay.

Related Reading: 

• How to write a perfect informative essay.
• How to write a descriptive essay.
• Writing a 500-word essay.
• Steps for writing a 1000-word essay.

Template Outline for a Profile Essay

Having looked at the main parts of a profile essay, here is a breakdown or a scaffold of what to include in your profile essay.

• Background information.
• Thesis statement.
• Body Paragraph 1 : First body paragraph Write the main point of the first paragraph. Provide evidence supporting this paragraph’s main point. Write explanations of the evidence. End with a concluding statement.
• Body Paragraph 2 : Second body paragraph Write the main point of the second paragraph. Provide evidence supporting this paragraph’s main point. Write explanations of the evidence. End with a concluding statement.
• Body Paragraph 3 : Third body paragraph Write the main point of the third paragraph. Provide evidence supporting this paragraph’s main point. Write explanations of the evidence. End with a concluding statement.
• Restatement of a thesis statement.
• Summary of the three main points in body paragraphs.
• Closing remarks emphasizing the significance of a profile essay.

Organizing your essay using the outline above can save you a lot of time and ensure that your points flow well.

Steps for Writing a Profile Essay

Writing a profile essay is such an exciting encounter once you have the bolts and nuts in the right places. Our custom essay writers , who have written thousands of profile essays, have highlighted these steps if you want to be successful.

Unlike other essays that heavily rely on academic sources for evidence, you can write a profile essay based on an interview with a subject. This means that you can write it purely based on your knowledge of the subject, but you can also use external sources to substantiate facts about the subject.

We encourage you to look at examples of profile essays online for inspiration before you begin attempting yours.

If you want to write a profile essay, here are some of the steps to take to guarantee you a great grade.

1. Choose the Subject

Choosing broad subjects makes it more difficult to write thoroughly, unlike having a specific subject. Therefore, instead of writing about a football club, you can elect to write about a specific player or coach of that football club.

If you are to select a subject, go for a specific one that you have firsthand knowledge of. You can also select a subject that has quality information available online.

As you select the subject or as you work with a subject assigned by your professor, think of something exciting, extraordinary, or exceptional about the subject. Ensure that your subject resonates with your personal interest so that you can pour your heart out.

Your subject depends on the prompt. Here is an example of a prompt:

Your assignment is to use the writing process to compose a 3-5 page profile essay about an intriguing person, place, or celebrity in your community (Omaha, NE). DO NOT WRITE ABOUT WARREN BUFFET, famous celebrities, politicians, athletes, religious figures, historical figures, vacations, etc.

This prompt is straightforward. You are required to go down to the community level. In this case, you have to expose the local place, person, or celebrity. Your professor probably does not know about them, but through your essay, they should. Using local news articles, interviews with people, etc, can be of great help in getting primary information about the subject.

One last thing: after selecting the profile essay subject, ensure that you develop a strong, reflective title for your essay that reflects its main purpose. It should be less than 10 words long, concise, and clear.

2. Choose your Focus and Thesis

As soon as you begin your research, you will realize that there is so much to share about your subject. Rather than trying to include all the information about your subject in a profile, even when the subject is specific, you should focus on one thing about them. Have a limited focus on the subject so that your essay is niched down and comprehensive.

You can write a three-pronged thesis statement that ascribes abstract traits to your subject. For example, you can say Tom is social, insightful, and ambitious. With this, you have more to write about compared to focusing on concrete qualities.

3. Prepare for your Essay

At this point, you would have decided on the angle of focus of your profile essay. You know what you have to highlight to your readers.

If you are doing a research-based profile essay, ensure that you gather enough information online. Focus on news magazines, articles, and other relevant materials that give details about your subject.

Similarly, prepare for and conduct interviews and observations (if applicable) so that you can uncover meaningful details about your subject. If your subject is a person, focus on personal background, professional experiences, motivations and inspirations, and challenges and achievements. You should request permission from the relevant authorities. If possible, record interviews to capture all the information accurately.

We advise that you collect as much information as possible so that you are not short of what to write when you sit down to type your essay.

With everything set, you need now to plan your essay.

4. Write an Outline

Outline your essay, planning the introduction, body, and conclusion:

• Introduction : Hook the reader with an interesting opening. Introduce the subject and provide a brief overview of what to expect.
• Body : Develop the main points and themes. Use anecdotes, quotes, and vivid descriptions to create a comprehensive and engaging portrait of your subject. Ensure there is a logical flow from one section to the next.
• Conclusion : Sum up the main points and reflect on the significance of the subject. Offer final insights or thoughts.

5. Write the First Draft

Using the outline you developed in the previous step, write the first draft of your profile essay. Instead of writing as you edit, focus on writing first and editing later. Capture the essence of your subject and provide a vivid and engaging narrative.

Ensure that your body paragraphs extend the thesis of your essay. As you develop the paragraphs, remember to use personal experiences, such as anecdotes or mini-stories of specific events, instead of general descriptions.

Besides, use cited materials when you are not allowed to use first-person perspective in the essay or if you are profiling a subject that you are not familiar with. Include in-text citations whenever you borrow ideas from other sources to support your point.

A point to note when writing is that you should show and not tell. This means that you should use vivid descriptions, examples, and anecdotes to illustrate your points.

You should also balance subjectivity and objectivity by ensuring that you give personal opinions or observations but supplement them with evidence from credible external sources. Your essay should also have a consistent tone to match the nature of the subject.

Most importantly, when profiling a person or place, ensure that you stay within ethical and legal bounds, respect privacy, and portray the subject accurately and fairly.

6. Revise and Edit

Review your draft critically. Check for clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Ensure that your descriptions are vivid, and your quotes are accurate.

Revise sentences and paragraphs for better flow and impact. You should also carefully proofread your essay for grammatical errors, typos, and inconsistencies.

Consider reading it aloud to catch any awkward phrasing or rhythm issues. If possible, get feedback from peers, mentors, or your subject (if appropriate).

Use their insights to refine your essay further. Make any final adjustments based on feedback and your own critical review. Ensure that your final draft is polished and ready for submission or publication.

How do you start a profile Essay?

It has been a long time coming, but let us face it. Typically, a profile essay must be comprehensive, attractive, and presentable. In this regard, you must set very high standards for first impressions for a lasting readership.

So then, what do you write in the introduction of a profile essay? The introductory/opening sentence must be an attention grabber or an essay hook that engages the reader. Besides, your subject matter must be reflected in the essay's thesis statement.

Profile essays must include a well-thought-out and crafted thesis in the opening paragraph. Tell the audience why they need to stay tuned in reading the essay.

Anecdotes, quotes, or adages could be an excellent beginning of the introductory sentence. To an allowed extreme, you can include humor to engage and intrigue the readers.

Every person is unique in their own accord. Therefore, you must show total respect to individuals when writing an essay about that someone. For this reason, it is preferred that you take a condescending tone. No one will tell you this, but such a tone produces the best essay on a person. Disrespect makes a profile essay lose taste. Do we need to tell you the consequences?

How to End a Profile Essay with a Bang!

Students and professionals alike always wonder how to conclude a profile essay. Well, not our professional essay writers. You have been successful in writing the entire essay. Now, in conclusion, you have to convince the readers. Writing a  good conclusion  is mandatory for an essay.

Always restate the thesis statement. Restating does not mean introducing new concepts. However, it means using different words but maintaining the message (more of paraphrasing the thesis). When writing an effective conclusion, you should answer “What next?” or “So what?”

The focus of the conclusion should only be on stuff relevant to the readers.

It would help to summarize each body paragraph in the chronology or order of the essay. Ultimately, your conclusion should leave the readers yearning for more on the chosen profile essay topic.

The Title of a Profile Essay

High-quality essays have short and eye-catching titles. When choosing a title for your profile essay, consider these facts:

• Focus on the features of the person, event, or thing under discussion or the subject.
• It should reflect your main idea in the essay
• A good title should grab the attention of the readers
• From the onset, it should highlight what to expect in the entire essay
• Never choose a topic that is too broad or one that is too narrow
• Use simple words, as there is power in simplicity
• It should not exceed 10 words.

The title of your profile essay should be descriptive, reflective, clear, and concise. Mainly, it should have the name of the subject. Besides, it should reflect the central idea of the essay or the angle you have selected.

If you are writing an essay about someone, the title should be striking and form the theme of the entire essay. For example, Bill Clinton: The Best President America Never Had can be a catchy title for a comprehensive profile essay.

You asked how to write a profile essay; we have given you more than that. The best is even yet to come. Now, we also have some tips to help you further refine your essay to score the best marks.

Useful Tips When Writing a Profile Essay

Since we have written winning profile essays for students to use as model essays and the feedback has been great, we are well aware of some tips that you can use.

• Avoid bias. Your profile essay should not be opinionated or biased. It should instead be factual and without personal judgments, assumptions, or imaginations about the subject. It should not be egocentric on yourself as a writer. You should instead present an accurate, fair, and balanced argument about the individual or place you are profiling.
• Have a unique angle. A profile essay must have a unique angle, focus, or perspective that you take as the writer as you present information about the subject. This shapes the narrative and provides a lens through which readers can understand and evaluate the subject.
• Always show some respect on the subject. Sometimes, your professor can assign a profile essay topic to someone you hate. It would be best if you showed some respect. Typically, this should be reflected in your choice of words. Do not let emotions drive you. Get information from the research, and do not dwell on Fake News. Fact check any information you are presenting about your subject.
• Avoid any grammatical errors . Use the third eye to remove grammatical or syntax errors from your essay. This is where our essay editing and proofreading service comes in handy.
• Use simple language. There is unprecedented power in using simple language in academic essay writing. At all costs, avoid the jargon as they spike a well-written essay.
• Apply the use of appropriate terms. This refers to the right choice of descriptive words and transitions.
• The paragraphs should be well-balanced. Ensure the paragraphs do not exceed 150 words when writing a profile essay. In addition, all the paragraphs should be well-balanced in terms of length.
• Stick to the outline of your profile essay. Anything out of the structure is useless.
• Like any other homework, you should use a professional tone. Only interviews are examples of profile essays about a person requiring the first-person perspective. Unless you are profiling yourself or writing an interview essay, do not be subjective.
• Coherence, connectedness, and conciseness. Each of the body paragraphs must have an opening sentence, the facts and examples, and a concluding or closing sentence. Stick to coherence as it ensures a good flow in your paper. Besides, always use transitions to bring flow to your profile essay. You can use the PEEL format to develop a good flow.

Sample Profile Essay

Here is a sample profile essay on a famous person. The person of interest is Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple company.

Related Reading:

• How to title an article in an essay.
• How to write a narrative essay fast

Get Help with Writing Professional Profile Essays

If you are struggling with writing a profile essay, you can use our profile essay writing services anytime. We accommodate urgent essay writing service requests from clients who want their essays written at the last minute. We also allow you to order your essay in advance before the deadline and communicate with the writer how you wish it to be done. You will get a 100% original and non-AI-generated paper.

Our writers understand what a good profile essay looks like. You can buy our essays online or look up our offering on descriptive essays . Our committed team of writers works 24/7 to ensure that even urgent essays are delivered. So, if you want someone to type your profile essay with , choose us!

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

Essay Papers Writing Online

Step-by-step guide on writing a captivating descriptive essay about a place.

When it comes to descriptive writing, there is an ocean of possibilities that lies before us like an uncharted territory waiting to be discovered. One such avenue that beckons us to embark on a literary journey is the realm of describing a place. In this captivating genre, we have the opportunity to transport our readers to a specific location, immerse them in its sights, sounds, and sensations, and create an experience that will linger in their minds long after they put down our words.

Perhaps you have stumbled upon a tucked-away village nestled amidst rolling hills, or chanced upon a bustling metropolis pulsating with energy. Maybe it is a secluded beach, where the soft sand caresses your feet and the salty breeze carries the whispers of the waves. Regardless of the place, to paint a vivid picture with words, we must utilize our skills to evoke the atmosphere, bring out the essence, and capture the essence of the locale.

Throughout this step-by-step guide, we will delve into the art of writing a descriptive essay about a place. We will uncover the secrets of choosing the ideal location, gathering sensory details, and employing vivid language that will transport our readers and ignite their imaginations. So, let us begin this adventure and uncover the hidden treasures that await us in the enchanting world of descriptive writing.

Choosing the Perfect Setting

One of the key factors in writing a descriptive essay is selecting the ideal setting to portray. The setting serves as the backdrop for the events and experiences that will be described in the essay. It plays a vital role in creating a vivid image in the reader’s mind and capturing their interest.

When choosing the perfect setting, it is essential to consider the specific details that will help bring the place to life. These details can include the location, time of day, weather, and the overall ambiance of the place. By carefully selecting these elements, the writer can create a sensory experience that allows the reader to feel as if they are truly present in the described location.

Choosing the perfect setting is a crucial step in writing a descriptive essay. It sets the stage, creates a visual image, and immerses the reader in the described location. By carefully considering the location, time of day, weather, and ambiance, the writer can craft a compelling and sensory experience for their audience.

Gathering Research and Inspiration

Exploring the essence of a specific location requires careful research and a keen eye for detail. Before you start writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is essential to gather relevant research and seek inspiration to create a vivid and engaging portrayal.

Start by delving into books, articles, and online resources that offer information about your chosen place. Look for historical facts, geographical details, and anecdotes that can add depth and context to your essay. Note down interesting tidbits and unique features that make the place stand out.

Additionally, immerse yourself in the experiences of others. Read travel blogs, watch documentaries or interviews, and browse through personal experiences shared by people who have visited or lived in the place you are describing. Pay attention to their descriptive language and how they capture the atmosphere and essence of the location.

While conducting your research, take the opportunity to gather visual inspiration as well. Look for photographs, paintings, or sketches that depict the place. Study the colors, textures, and overall composition, and think about how these visual elements can help you convey the atmosphere and mood in your writing.

Don’t limit yourself to online research alone – visit the place if possible or explore through virtual means such as online tours or interactive maps. Immerse yourself in the sounds, sights, and smells of the place, and pay attention to the small details that often go unnoticed.

By gathering research and seeking inspiration, you will have a solid foundation to create a descriptive essay that transports your readers to the place you are describing. It will allow you to paint a vivid picture with words and evoke a strong sense of familiarity and connection in your readers.

Describing the Senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, and More

When it comes to writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is important to engage the reader’s senses and create a vivid image in their mind. By skillfully incorporating descriptive language, you can effectively convey the sights, sounds, smells, and other details that make a place unique and memorable.

The sense of sight plays a crucial role in bringing a place to life on the page. Describe the vibrant colors that dominate the landscape, the architectural details that catch the eye, and the play of light and shadow that creates an atmosphere in the place. Paint a picture with words and immerse your reader in the visual experience of being there.

Sound is another sense that can transport your reader to the place you are describing. Capture the cacophony of a busy city street, the rhythmic crashing of waves on a beach, or the melodic chirping of birds in a tranquil forest. By using descriptive language to convey the soundscape of a place, you can make the reader feel like they are standing right there, immersed in the auditory environment.

In addition to sight and sound, smell is a powerful sense that can evoke strong emotions and memories. Describe the pungent aroma of exotic spices wafting through a bustling market, the earthy scent of freshly fallen rain in a forest, or the intoxicating fragrance of flowers in a lush garden. By bringing the sense of smell to the forefront of your description, you can transport your reader to a place in a way that is both visceral and emotionally resonant.

But the senses don’t stop there. Consider incorporating tactile sensations, such as the rough texture of weathered stone or the softness of a sandy beach. Taste can also play a role, as you describe the flavors of local cuisine or the tang of salt in the air near the ocean. By engaging multiple senses in your description, you create a more immersive and rich experience for your reader.

Describing the senses is a powerful tool in writing a descriptive essay about a place. By skillfully using language to convey the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensory details, you can transport your reader to the place you are describing and create a lasting impression.

Concluding with Impact: Emotions and Reflections

As we reach the end of our journey through the process of writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is important to consider the lasting impact that a well-crafted conclusion can have on the reader. The conclusion is the final opportunity to leave a lasting impression, and by evoking emotions and prompting reflection, we can ensure that our essay resonates with the reader long after they have finished reading.

One effective way to conclude with impact is to appeal to the reader’s emotions. By using descriptive language and vivid imagery, we can paint a final picture that elicits specific emotions in the reader. Whether it is a sense of awe and wonder, nostalgia and longing, or even fear and suspense, tapping into the reader’s emotions can create a powerful connection and leave a lasting impression.

In addition to evoking emotions, the conclusion should also provide an opportunity for reflection. By summarizing the main points and themes discussed throughout the essay, the reader is encouraged to take a step back and consider the broader implications of the place being described. This reflection can deepen the reader’s understanding and create a sense of resonance as they contemplate the significance of the place in their own lives.

Finally, it is important to remember that the conclusion should leave the reader with a sense of closure. This can be achieved by circling back to the introduction, perhaps referencing a key detail or anecdote mentioned at the beginning of the essay. By creating a sense of full circle, the reader is left with a satisfying conclusion and a lasting impression.

In conclusion, the final section of a descriptive essay about a place is a crucial opportunity to make an impact on the reader. By appealing to emotions, prompting reflection, and providing closure, we can ensure that our essay has a lasting effect and leaves the reader with a sense of connection and resonance.

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Profile Essay

Profile essay generator.

Let’s take a look at a profile essay. In order to understand what it means, you may allow yourself to engage in an interview where you are able to read a person’s autobiography . As you go long into this article, you will be able to know more about what a profile essay is and how to write a good profile essay.

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What is a Profile Essay?

A profile essay is a form of literary writing that tells about a person, place or event. This is intended to provide a detailed profile of something that offers every reader to make a certain perspective or judgment over a subject. This is different from a descriptive essay. It does not only entails description of a subject, rather it is designed to answer questions to identify something.

How to Start Writing a Profile Essay?

Step 1: get the right information.

Doing research is the most important thing to do before you begin writing your research profile. This will help you get a detailed information about your subject. Always make sure that you are using trusted sources like library materials, online articles, etc.

Step 2: Validate Your Information

Check the release date of an article as well as have comprehensive the contents are. Avoid getting information from outdated sources.

Step 3: Outline Your Essay

Always prepare with you a profile essay outline. Essay outlines help in making it easier for you to pinpoint the first idea and what should follow next. This will help you organize your gathered data appropriately.

Step 4: Revise or Proofread Your Profile Essay

Once you have followed the three steps meticulously, you are also well aware that you will need to revise anything that needs to be revised. This includes proofreading any mistakes you may have made throughout. In order to present a good profile essay, you must also make sure it is presentable. No erasures and no mistakes as much as possible.

Do we still have to apply writing style in making a profile essay?

It is advisable to practice yourself to pay attention with the tone and style of your essay. This will make your piece engaging and interesting to read.

What is the purpose of making a profile essay?

The purpose of an essay is to give the readers a full description of your chosen topic. Aside from that, it is also for you to be able to express something about the subject, may it be an argument in response to a certain issue or question and on what you have learned about it. You may also use an essay to persuade your readers that your stand is reasonable.

What to do when picking for the right title of your essay?

Think about what you want to make in your essay. You should reflect on the main idea of your essay. Make it as the basis of creating a unique title for your piece.

What are some things to consider when choosing a subject for profile essay?

You should always choose a reasonable subject and don’t forget to research something about it.

What are the elements of a profile essay?

The elements of a profile essay starts with the introduction paragraph , followed by the body of the paragraph, and ends with the conclusion paragraph .

Before we are able to learn how to do  essay writing , we always seek for mastery  skills  in it. We all know that an essay is composed of the three basic parts namely the introduction, body paragraph, and the conclusion. You may see examples from different essays like  argumentative essay ,  informative essay ,  career essay  and more.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Write a Profile Essay on a community leader who has made a difference in your area.

Discuss the achievements and challenges of a local entrepreneur in your Profile Essay.

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How to Write a Profile Essay | Steps, Types and Format of a Profile Essay

April 10, 2023 by Prasanna

How to Write a Profile Essay: What is a Profile Essay? The form of essay used to describe a person, place, or anything detailed is known as profile essay. It is a type of an informative essay and is supposed to be factual and descriptive.

Students of journalism usually write this type of essay. An effective profile essay can be written by researching a topic, event, or interviewing a person. A comprehensive and balanced essay can be written by in-depth research and knowledge about the student’s subject.

The first and foremost goal of a profile essay is to be informative. It is a literary work that focuses on the description of a person, place, or event. Besides being factual and descriptive, literary work traits, such as presenting your point of view on the subject and providing interest to the readers, should be held on to.zaw

Writing a profile essay is a difficult task. This is because just in a few pages, you have to inaugurate a character, talk about their environment, what bothers them, and your opinion about it.

Even though this work is difficult, it is fulfilling for many, as authors get to exercise their writing skills.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more

Types of Profile Essays

Profile essays are descriptive types of essays. Interview of persons or the description of a place or event followed by post analysis is the structure of a profile essay. Here are a few examples of profile essays:

• Describe the structure of an animal house that you know of.
• Explain how recovery centers help in recovery by the recovery centers that you know of.
• Talk about an art house around your locality functions.

Steps for writing a Profile Essay

A profile essay is a type of descriptive write up, allowing writers to exhibit literary powers. It is important to learn and research about the topic that you are planning to write on. Since a profile essay can be descriptive of a person, place, or event, extensive research on the subject allows you to learn about it, making the writing process easier.

The following steps should be followed when writing a profile essay:

• Learn About What You Are Writing:  Since profile essays are not very popular among students, and as mentioned earlier, it is a bit difficult to write; it can best be learned by reading other profile essays. When reading a profile essay from any magazine or newspaper, remember to notice what are the key points that make the article interesting to the readers.
• Choose a Subject:  When choosing an issue, try and choose a topic which is famous such as a famous person, place, or event. It could be a renowned cricketer or politician, a historical event, or a monument or site with historical background, etc. Typically, a famous topic draws more readers’ interest as people are keen to know about its significance.
• Find Valid And Detailed Information:  First-hand pieces of information are always the most preferable because those details are not to be found elsewhere, which in turn makes your write up unique. Interviewing a person, event organizer, care person of a specific place turns out beneficial. Try and ask questions that seek more in-depth information. In a famous person or place, try and find detailed information about the person or the site from books, websites, interviews, etc.
• Creating an Outline:  Even though creating a strategy is not mandatory, it helps organize your thoughts and information. Also, creating an overview helps in the points not being overused or repeated. Creating an outline gives a visual representation of all the information that you and how you want to organize it. Like any other essay, a profile essay has three main parts, the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Introduction:  An introduction should be written in a way to grab readers’ attention. The opening is the hero of your essay, as it will either draw or dismiss your audience. Start with the critical issues which will later be explained in the piece. Starting a profile essay with a conversation can always be a good idea, including monologues or between a couple of people. You can also begin the piece an element of surprise that the readers did not already know about the topic. At the end of the introduction, adding a thesis statement helps to clarify your point of view in the essay.
• Mentioning sensory details such as, if you are talking about a person, then say the name, height, age, looks, and so on. Whereas if you are writing about a place, then mention the weather, surroundings, etc.
• You are adding the questions that you asked while the interview with the person or the organizer of the event or care person of a place keeps the readers interested.
• Connect each paragraph to the points mentioned in the thesis statement.
• Go in detail with your profile that you present. This makes the reader feel as they are there with you.
• The body paragraph should be divide into several subsections, with each section talking in detail about different topics related to the topic.
• Get to an Impactful Conclusion:  Finally, you conclude the essay. It is a few sentences concisely summing up all the information provided in the profile essay. Sometimes authors add a hook, in the end, to keep their readers thinking. In this part, you need to remind the readers of the essay’s purpose and talk about whether they have been fulfilled.
• Pay Attention To The Tone And Styles Of The Essay: While crafting a profile essay, try and keep the piece’s toneless academic style. If it is an interview, the report should be in a first-person narrative. Remember to mention all the small details; this will make your essay stand out.
• Revise and Edit:  After finishing the essay, the next step is to revise the essay. This step is one of the easiest, yet one of the most important steps. While editing, remember to read the entire passage from the beginning to the end. This practice allows you to make sure that you have not missed out on any points. Make the potential changes that will help you increase the quality of the writing.

Profile Essay Writing Format

When writing a profile essay, the following pattern should be maintained:

• A Precise Introductory Paragraph Including A Well-Crafted Thesis Statement:  The introduction is the preview of the essay giving the readers a subsequent idea of what the essay holds. The sentences used in the introduction should be informative and descriptive about the person or the place the essay is written on. It is the leading statement that creates an interest in the reader’s mind. The introduction of the essay gives a preview of what is going to be talked about in the body. The introduction paragraph should be ended with a strong thesis statement representing the purpose of the essay.
• The Body Of The Essay:  The body is the part of the essay where you provide all your researched information. The body shouldn’t be boring or monotonous. To keep the readers interested throughout the passage, it should be the intention of the essay.
• List the Main Points, Followed By A Detailed Explanation: The author should describe the details collected from the interview with examples to make the essay more interesting for the readers. If the passage is in the form of an interview, then each question asked with the answer should be written in a separate paragraph. This will help the readers to end every point with a comprehensive understanding.
• Write The Passage In An Enjoyable And Focused Manner: Avoid making the essay too short, and only mentioning the points without any explanation. The paragraphs’ style should be maintained throughout the essay according to the answers given to the questions asked during the interview.
• Be Consistent and Maintain a Proper Flow Throughout the Passage: Make sure to connect the paragraphs to the statements you provided in the introductory section. Transitions should be properly maintained, generally one by giving a hint about what will come up in the upcoming paragraph.
• Sustain the Balance:  The essay that you are writing should be a comprehensive picture of the person, place, or event you are writing about. Any confusing points or unclear details should be avoided to make the passage understandable by the readers. Each sub-head should be properly explained to make the reader’s concept of the essay clear by the end. The body of a profile essay should be divided into several paragraphs with every describing a question asked during the interview.

Conclusion On How to Write a Profile Essay

This part is the reflection of the points mentioned in the body. Along with stating whether the objective was achieved in the essay, it also reminds readers of the report’s purpose again.

FAQ’s on How to Write a Profile Essay

Question 1. What are the few first things that you notice in a profile essay?

Answer: Take note of the following points

• Style and tone of the write-up.
• The format used and the paragraph style.
• Special introduction techniques.
• Interesting details included by the author.
• How the ending works out.

Question 2. What are the things to be remembered before interviewing a person?

Answer: When interviewing someone, remember the following points,

• Before starting the interview, introduce yourself to whoever you are interviewing, whether a famous person or the manager of an event.
• Explain the purpose of the interview with the person you are interviewing.
• Ask questions according to the topic of your item. Ask questions about their life story, experience, and journey.
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Daniel Chacón: Writing a Profile Essay

• Las Castas – Spanish Racial Classifications
• Writing a Profile Essay
• Early California History
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A Profile Essay Describes a Person, Place or Thing (Activity) / Un Ensayo de Perfil Describe a una Persona, Lugar o Cosa (Actividad)

• Writing a Profile Essay A .pdf of the contents of this page can be downloaded for your use.

Writing a Profile Essay / Escribir un Ensayo de Perfil

A profile essay is a type of essay that centers around a certain person, place or activity.  One of the most common profile essay assignments is one in which the author "profiles" a certain person, offering information about who that person is and why they are important.

Un ensayo de perfil es un tipo de ensayo que se centra en cierta persona, lugar o actividad. Una de las asignaciones de ensayos de perfil más comunes es una en la que el autor "perfiles" de una determinada persona, que ofrece información sobre lo que esa persona es y por qué son importantes.

A profile essay does not have the same structure as a narrative essay or an argumentative essay.  The type of writing for a profile essay is less rigidly structured, and an author can take several different approaches.  Here are a few ideas and general guidelines about writing a profile essay.

Un ensayo de perfil no tiene la misma estructura que un ensayo narrativo o un ensayo argumentativo. El tipo de escritura para un ensayo de perfil tiene una estructura menos rígida, y un autor puede tomar diferentes enfoques. Aquí hay algunas ideas y pautas generales sobre cómo escribir un ensayo de perfil.

Tone / Tono

The tone of a profile essay is different than other essays.  It must still maintain an academic or professional voice, but it is a little more flexible.  The second person ("you") is still definitely to be avoided.  However, in certain situations, the first person ("I") might be acceptable; for instance, in an interview dialog between the profiler (author) and the person being profiled.  Please  keep in mind, however, that excessive first person use detracts from the person or thing being profiled, and instead puts the focus on the author.  The paper is not about you .

El tono de un ensayo de perfil es diferente a otros ensayos. Todavía debe mantener una voz académica o profesional, pero es un poco más flexible. La segunda persona ("usted") definitivamente debe evitarse. Sin embargo, en ciertas situaciones, la primera persona ("I") podría ser aceptable; por ejemplo, en un diálogo de entrevista entre el perfilador (autor) y la persona que se está perfilando. Tenga en cuenta, sin embargo, que el uso excesivo de la primera persona resta valor a la persona o cosa que se está perfilando, y en su lugar pone el foco en el autor. El documento no es sobre ti .

Organization  /  Organización

There are many ways to structure a profile essay.  Here are two main approaches:  the chronological format, and the thematic format.

Chronological Format / Formato Cronológico

In an interview format, generally a chronological organization works well.  This means putting early parts of the interviewee's life experience first and later parts of their life after.  For instance, if an interviewee talks about their childhood and their marriage in the same interview, it would make sense to write about their childhood first.  Every paragraph can cover a different section of the interviewee's life.  This is a very linear and simple way to write a profile essay, and it generally works well.

En un formato de entrevista, generalmente una organización cronológica funciona bien. Esto significa poner primero partes iniciales de la experiencia de vida del entrevistado y luego partes de su vida. Por ejemplo, si un entrevistado habla sobre su infancia y su matrimonio en la misma entrevista, tendría sentido escribir sobre su infancia primero. Cada párrafo puede cubrir una sección diferente de la vida del entrevistado. Esta es una forma muy lineal y simple de escribir un ensayo de perfil, y generalmente funciona bien.

Thematic Format / Formato Temático

Another way to structure a profile is to organize it by theme.  For example, an interview might talk first about a person's youth in a theatre troupe, then about their marriage and kids, and then their rediscovery of theater after their kids grew up.  It would make sense to detail all the experiences with theatre in the same paragraph even though they happened in very different parts of the person's life.  In a thematic format, the profile can be organized by types of experiences; perhaps one paragraph can deal exclusively with family matters (child and marriage) while the next can deal exclusively with theater experiences.  This format is a good alternative to the chronological format.

Otra forma de estructurar un perfil es organizarlo por tema. Por ejemplo, una entrevista podría hablar primero sobre la juventud de una persona en una compañía de teatro, luego sobre su matrimonio y sus hijos, y luego sobre el redescubrimiento del teatro después de que sus hijos crecieron. Tendría sentido detallar todas las experiencias con el teatro en el mismo párrafo a pesar de que ocurrieron en partes muy diferentes de la vida de la persona. En un formato temático, el perfil puede organizarse por tipos de experiencias; quizás un párrafo puede tratar exclusivamente asuntos familiares (hijos y matrimonio) mientras que el siguiente puede tratar exclusivamente con experiencias teatrales. Este formato es una buena alternativa al formato cronológico.

Thesis / Tesis

The core part of any essay is its thesis, and the profile essay is no exception.  However, a thesis in a profile essay looks different than the thesis of an argumentative or critical analysis paper.  Much of the time, a thesis is presented as an "argument," detailing a position that the reader can agree with or disagree with.  The framing of a thesis solely as an argument is problematic; it would be more appropriate for all essay types to describe a thesis as "the main point" of an essay.  This can consist of either an argument, a "moral of the story," or simply a concise evaluation of the topic.

A profile essay is centered on a topic (usually a person), and thus its thesis should also center on that topic.  It should answer the following questions:  What's the point?  Why is this profile important?  What should the reader take away from the essay?

Un ensayo de perfil se centra en un tema (generalmente una persona), y por lo tanto su tesis también debe centrarse en ese tema. Debe responder las siguientes preguntas: ¿Cuál es el punto? ¿Por qué es este perfil importante? ¿Qué debería sacar el lector del ensayo?

Here is an example of a profile essay thesis.  Note the concise formality and summarization of the statement:

Aquí hay un ejemplo de una tesis de ensayo de perfil. Tenga en cuenta la concisa formalidad y el resumen de la declaración:

Pink is one of the most important singers alive today because of her unique upbringing and life history, which have left an indelible mark on her strong signature vocals and her legendary acrobatic performances .

Pink es uno de los cantantes más importantes que viven hoy en día debido a su crianza única e historia de vida, que han dejado una marca indeleble en su fuerte voz distintiva y sus interpretaciones acrobáticas legendarias.

Style / Estilo

Sometimes profile essays are assigned for a person that the author knows personally, perhaps a friend or neighbor.  In these cases, the information on a profile essay will usually be gathered from a personal interview.  In an interview format, an essay should somewhat resemble a profile in a magazine.  When reading a profile on a celebrity in a magazine like Time or Rolling Stone , the writer switches off between parts of the interviewee's life and things they say to the profiler.  Here is an example.

A veces, los ensayos de perfil se asignan a una persona que el autor conoce personalmente, tal vez un amigo o vecino. En estos casos, la información de un ensayo de perfil generalmente se recopilará de una entrevista personal. En un formato de entrevista, un ensayo debería parecerse a un perfil en una revista. Al leer un perfil de una celebridad en una revista como Time o Rolling Stone, el escritor se desconecta entre las partes de la vida del entrevistado y las cosas que le dicen al perfilador. Aquí hay un ejemplo.

Although a healthy baby, Pink developed severe asthma as a child.  When only three, her parents divorced.  She wrote lyrics as an outlet for her feelings,  "I always retreated into my writing as a way to deal with the sadness in my life."   

A pesar de ser un bebé saludable, Pink desarrolló asma severa cuando era niño. Cuando solo tres, sus padres divorciado. Ella escribió letras como una salida para sus sentimientos, "Siempre me retiré en mis escritos como una forma lidiar con la tristeza en mi vida ".      

Note how the example switched off between paraphrasing and direct quotes.  All of the information is from the same interview, but beginning with some paraphrasing and then transitioning into a relevant direct quote helps keep the information free fresh.  This formula can be repeated for the duration of the profile essay.     

Observe cómo el ejemplo se desconectó entre parafraseo y comillas directas. Toda la información proviene de la misma entrevista, pero comenzar con una paráfrasis y luego hacer la transición a una cita directa relevante ayuda a mantener la información fresca y gratuita. Esta fórmula se puede repetir durante la duración del ensayo de perfil.  

For additional help on how to conduct an interview, take a look at the following guide developed by Cornell University:

Para obtener ayuda adicional sobre cómo realizar una entrevista, eche un vistazo a la siguiente guía desarrollada por la Universidad de Cornell:

https://courses2.cit.cornell.edu/fit117/CP_I_InterviewGuide1.htm

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Write a place profile

2 minute read

Place profiles are the most direct way to convey to others why your place matters.

A place profile is a document that:

• Establishes basic facts about a place;
• Presents a narrative (in the manner of a story) about why the place is important.

A place profile need not be lengthy, or cost a lot to put together. But you do need to write it down. Putting time into its preparation will pay off later, because you’ll be ready to present your case as opportunities arise, such as:

• Inquiries from the press about the place;
• Offers to create an online resource such as a web page;
• Requests for nominations of places for public recognition;
• Publishing brochures, leaflets, posters, and other promotional materials;
• Submitting it to a newsletter, magazine, or as a “letter to the editor.”

Plus, the process of writing down what you know may lead you to discover new connections among events you hadn’t recognized before, to understand where holes in the information demand new research, and to compare and consider different accounts.

Guidelines for Writing a Place Profile

A good place profile is a combination of the specific details that make your place interesting, and the larger historical themes that tie it to a particular place and time. If you’re having trouble getting started, think about your place from a visitor’s point of view.

What are the key things that everybody must know about this place? Also ask yourself how you can enrich the standard account, and what surprises you can offer.

There are particulars that you will want to be attentive to as you create and polish your place profile:

• YES: “Long-time resident Mary Sack remembers that ‘when I first came here in 1937 there was a large brass clock tower.”
• NO: “In 1937 there was a large brass clock tower.”
• Connect the physical location to stories and themes that are either broadly interesting, or have a particular relevance to your audience. Convey your interest and excitement about your place by making clear how it figures into the larger themes you have identified.
• Engage the issues. It’s tempting to avoid controversial issues by concentrating on the uncontestable facts about a place and skirting the intense emotion or political passion that may lie just under the surface. Think twice. Consider engaging the conflict directly, perhaps by presenting multiple viewpoints.
• Include contemporary and historical photographs with your narrative to help people visualize what they’re reading.
• Keep track of your sources as you write. Most people quickly forget the sources they used while writing, but you must be able to easily verify your own work as you make the case for your place (although this information need not appear in the published profile). So, be sure to “footnote” as you write: carefully note the sources for all the information you use by noting titles and publication dates of books or articles and the page number(s) on which the cited information appears, as well as names of interviewees and the date of the interview that produced the cited information.

Examples of Place Profile:

• Kurdish Library & Museum
• Mandolin Brothers
• Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

How to Write a Profile Essay

A profile essay is a literary work that focuses on description of a person (people, event, or place) and its goal is, first and foremost, being informative. This type of essay should function as a work of journalism – be factual and descriptive, while retaining traits of a literary work: presenting your perspective on the subject and providing an interesting, immersive experience for the reader.

Writing a profile essay is difficult work – in just a few pages you have to establish a character, their environment, what makes them tick and your opinion on it all. But this work can be fulfilling, and, for many, a welcome chance to flex their writing muscles. So, how do you write a profile essay?

Buy Profile essay

• Step 1 – Learn From the Best The first step of writing a successful profile essay is reading other profile essays. Pick up a magazine that frequently publishes them (The New Yorker, Esquire, et al.) and read through a few. Even though the ones you’re reading are likely to be about celebrities, try and see what makes reading these essays interesting other than that. Note how the subject of the essay is established early – in a ten-paragraph essay, by the second paragraph, you already kind of feel like you know the person it’s about.
• Step 2 – Choose Your Subject Carefully Next, pick the subject of your essay. It will be easier to write if the subject (in the case that it is a person) immediately seems to have had remarkable experiences (celebrity, veteran, casino robber), but essays where the subject is not immediately intriguing can be very interesting to read, and the opposite is true as well – it’s all in the hands of the writer. If you’re writing for a college assignment, do try and pick something achievable – no presidents or celebrities (unless you know them personally).
• Step 3 – Prepare For the Interview Unless this is a special case, you’ll need to interview the subject of your essay in person. Before you do, you should prepare questions. Aim for the questions that are broad and open-ended, starting with who, what, where, when and why. Yes or no questions should be kept to a minimum, since there’s always a risk that your subject will be quiet and you’ll end up burning through your questions and them just nodding or shaking their head instead of providing proper answers. Gather as much information about this person as possible – do the homework now, and you’ll end up with a bevy of material to use in your essay.

Something you should avoid is writing out a transcript of your interview and presenting it as an essay. This is often the first inclination of students, but try and construct a narrative of the events – your essay should have a clear structure of a beginning, middle and end wherein the subject starts in one place, goes for a (figurative) journey, and ends up in another. Others might want to construct their essay topically – going from one subject to the next – which is the method most often used in profile essays written for magazines. Most will end up using a combined approach.

Your goal for this essay is to engage the reader and make them feel like they’re there. To achieve this, use lots of small details – something we’d have noticed if we were there. A good tip is to engage one of the five senses at a time – sound, sight, touch, smell and taste. And there you have it. Hopefully, these small tips will end up being useful in your essay writing. If all else fails, remember this: reader’s perspective is key.

Olympics closing ceremony 2024: Everything you need to know, how to watch, start time

After weeks of intense and exciting competition, international athletes are about to say “au revoir” to the 2024 Paris Games.

Unlike the ambitious opening ceremony , the closing ceremony will take a more traditional route. Rather than the open-air venue of the Seine River, the closing ceremony will be held in the 80,000-seat Stade de France.

The stadium has hosted a number of events over the course of the Games, including world-record-breaking track races and a historic first for the American women’s rugby team . Now, the venue will be filled with artists, dancers, acrobats and surprise performers to celebrate the end of this year’s Olympics and look ahead to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

Here’s what you need to know about the ceremony.

What time does the Olympic closing ceremony start?

The closing ceremony will be held on Sunday. NBC will air a live preshow at 2 p.m. ET, which will include a recap of some of the most unforgettable moments from this year’s Olympics.

The actual ceremony will start at 3 p.m. ET, and an encore telecast will play for U.S. viewers during prime time. The ceremony is expected to last a little over two hours.

A broadcast about the 2028 G ames will air at 10 p.m. ET.

How can you watch?

The ceremony will be available to stream on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics. (NBC News shares a parent company with those entities, NBCUniversal.)

Viewers can also watch on their local NBC channel. Full TV listings for the ceremony can be found on the NBC Olympics schedule page .

What happens during the closing ceremony?

Similar to the opening ceremony, many details about the closing ceremony have been kept under wraps.

The Paris 2024 Olympic committee said the closing ceremony will feature “over a hundred performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists.” Artistic director Thomas Jolly, who also planned the opening ceremony, said the theme is “Records.”

Viewers can expect the usual parade of athletes, a display of the participating nations’ flags and the lowering of the Olympic flag. A portion of the closing ceremony is dedicated to the host city handover from Paris to Los Angeles, in which Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will give the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Some final medals are often handed out during the closing ceremony. The Olympic flame is extinguished.

The flame for the Paralympic Games, which take place Aug. 28-Sept. 8, “will be lit shortly after the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Stoke Mandeville, the historic birthplace of Paralympic sport,” according to the Olympics website . From Aug. 25 to Aug. 28, about 1,000 forerunners will carry the Paralympic flame to 50 cities throughout France as part of the the Paris 2024 Paralympic torch relay, the website states.

Who are the ceremony hosts? Who is performing?

NBC’s Mike Tirico will return as a host alongside late night host Jimmy Fallon. They will be joined by sports commentator Terry Gannon and former Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, all of whom previously served as hosts during the PyeongChang, Tokyo and Beijing Games.

The ceremony will feature prominent performers representing California, a nod to the next host city. Rapper Snoop Dogg — who has become a fixture of this year’s Games — will play a role in the handover segment. R&B artist H.E.R. will perform the U.S. national anthem at the ceremony.

The full slate of performers remains unconfirmed.

However, there has been speculation that Los Angeles natives Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be a part of the event. Meanwhile, French bands Phoenix and Air are expected to perform, according to a Variety interview with ceremonies director Thierry Reboul.

Actor Tom Cruise, who attended various events at the Games and is currently filming “Mission: Impossible 8” in Europe, is also rumored to be part of the closing celebration.

Who are the flag bearers for Team USA?

Swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead will be the flag bearers during the closing ceremony.

Ledecky is the most decorated female Olympian of all time, snagging her 14th medal after the 800-meter freestyle on Aug. 3. She won a gold medal in the event, securing her ninth gold overall.

Mead won a gold medal alongside teammates Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady and Justin Best in the men’s four rowing event. It was the first time since 1960 that Team USA won the event.

Daysia Tolentino is a culture and internet reporter for NBC News.

A couple tested out life in Canada and Italy. They chose to move where salaries are lower but life is sweeter.

• Victoria Craparotta and Flavio Fabiani fell in love during a study-abroad program in Spain. 
• Craparotta is Canadian, and Fabiani is Italian, so they decided to test out life in both countries.
• They've settled in Rome, where they feel the quality of life is better even if jobs pay less.

Victoria Craparotta and Flavio Fabiani had a decision to make.

In 2022, after maintaining a long-distance relationship for more than two years, Fabiani, an architect from Italy , moved to Toronto to be with Craparotta, who is Canadian .

They'd met at a study-abroad program in Spain in 2019.

It made sense for Fabiani to make the move at the time, Craparotta, 26, said, as he had just graduated from college and had fewer commitments. Meanwhile, she was working a full-time e-commerce job at Dyson, the technology and appliance company.

As the expiry date for his working holiday visa neared, Fabiani, 27, said they settled on a solution: "Let's do the same experience in Italy. And then, at the end of it, let's decide where we're going to stay."

Craparotta, who was disillusioned with her job and ready for a fresh start, agreed. She quit her job and flew to Rome in May 2023 on a working holiday visa to start a new chapter with Fabiani.

A year later, the couple is still in Rome. There have been challenges, such as turning a dusty old apartment Fabiani inherited into their home, and plenty of adjustments, but they aren't interested in moving back to Canada anytime soon — here's why.

Italy is pedestrian-friendly and a convenient base for travel

One of Fabiani's first questions to Craparotta when he arrived in Toronto was, "Where are the mountains?"

Like many first-time visitors, Fabiani assumed that Canada was "covered in nature" and that places such as Banff National Park were a stone's throw away, Craparotta said.

But the best lakes are a two-hour drive from Toronto, she said, and potentially pricey flights are the easiest way to get to hot spots such as Vancouver.

As an architect, Fabiani enjoyed how "industrial-looking" Toronto was, but he wasn't a fan of how reliant the couple was on a car in the city's suburbs, where they lived with Craparotta's parents.

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By contrast, Craparotta appreciates how much easier it is to walk from place to place within Rome, even in its outskirts, and how close it is to lakes, beaches, and quaint medieval towns.

Another upside is that the couple doesn't have to plan European vacations that far in advance.

"Back in Canada, I would have to plan and take a one-week trip to go anywhere in Europe," she said.

Living in Italy, it's relatively easy — and cheap — to book weekend trips on trains or budget airlines to Milan or the Amalfi Coast , as well as international spots such as London or Paris.

"I can easily travel around Italy or Europe for the same cost as a long-distance bus ticket in Canada," Craparotta said.

Food in Italy is better, healthier, and cheaper

Craparotta and Fabiani are big on food, as cooking is one of their favorite things to do together.

But Fabiani wasn't a huge fan of some Toronto dining options.

Craparotta said her mother was excited to take Fabiani to her favorite Italian spot.

Like most Italians she's met, Fabiani is "brutally honest," Craparotta said. When a waiter came by to ask how the food was, his response was: "Not the greatest."

It was only after Craparotta moved to Rome that she understood where Fabiani was coming from.

Italians "cook very simply," and there are fewer deep-fried or sugary dishes compared to restaurants in Canada, Craparotta said.

"I could eat out three days in a row, and I'm not going to gain a crazy amount of weight," she said.

Craparotta also said the produce is much fresher and cheaper in Italy.

In Rome, she added, she could pop over to a local vegetable vendor and buy a week's worth of fruit and vegetables for 10 euros (or about $10), whereas in Toronto, a single bag of lettuce could cost as much as 10 Canadian dollars (or $7).

Italian social life is less focused on drinking

In Toronto, Craparotta was used to a social life that revolved around drinking.

It came as a culture shock for Fabiani. When they lived in Canada, Craparotta remembered Fabiani being shocked by a rowdy party where people were playing beer pong and drinking out of red Solo cups.

"The first time that I experienced something different to that was when I was in Spain with my Italian friends, because they would always have dinner parties or wine nights," Craparotta said.

That's what most of their social life is like in Rome now, which Craparotta prefers as it's easier to get to know people and have more in-depth conversations.

"If we go out, it's like one or two glasses of wine, and they're not drinking more than that," Craparotta said.

Italy's job market can be tough, especially if you're used to North American salaries

Craparotta came to Rome on a working holiday visa and the expectation that she'd find work in e-commerce eventually — but it took longer than she anticipated.

Even though she felt she had the advantage of having worked for a well-known technology company for years, it became clear with every rejection that her lack of fluency in Italian was a real issue.

"With Italian culture, it's so social, especially at the office," she said, adding that most of the companies she interviewed at didn't feel she was a "social fit" because of her language skills.

Craparotta also wasn't used to how much lower salaries are in Rome compared with Toronto.

"When I got here, people were saying my expectations were way too high," Craparotta said.

As the months passed without an offer for her, she and Fabiani reluctantly toyed with the idea of moving back to Canada.

"I didn't want to leave," she said. "But the job market in Italy is not your friend."

But after over a year of applying, Craparotta secured a decent-paying job in Rome in e-commerce that she started in July 2024. While she is making less than what she would back in Toronto, Craparotta said the location is worth the pay cut.

"You can do more with less in Rome," she said. "There's always something to do, amazing food to eat, and people out enjoying life."

Correction: August 12, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the start date of Craparotta's e-commerce job in Rome. It was July of this year, not July of next year; she has started the role.

Watch: Was Italy's $1 home scheme worth it?

• Main content

TIFF 2024: Francis Ford Coppola, Pedro Almodóvar films among wealth of high-profile additions to lineup

Director Francis Ford Coppola at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, southern France, on May 17. Coppola’s epic sci-fi drama Megalopolis will have its North American premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Scott A Garfitt/The Associated Press

New films starring Adam Driver, Julianne Moore, Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Gillian Anderson are coming to next month’s Toronto International Film Festival , as organizers announced a surprisingly large number of high-profile, late-addition titles Tuesday while revealing this year’s full schedule.

The 20 new films – which span the Gala, Special Presentations, Centrepiece , Discovery and Special Events programs – bring the 49th annual festival’s total to 278 titles. By announcing so many new selections just three weeks before TIFF kicks off Sept. 5, organizers shook up the traditional rhythms of the film-festival calendar, as typically only a handful of additional movies get confirmed this close to launch.

Highlights include the North American premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic sci-fi drama Megalopolis starring Driver and Aubrey Plaza, which premiered to polarizing reviews at this past spring’s Cannes Film Festival; the North American premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s drama Queer , an adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel of the same name, starring Craig; the world premiere of Marianne Elliott’s drama The Salt Path , starring Anderson and Jason Isaacs; the North American premiere of Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller Babygirl starring Kidman, Harris Dickinson and Antonio Banderas; the Canadian premiere of Jason Reitman’s dramatization of Saturday Night Live ’s very first episode, titled Saturday Night ; and the North American premiere of Brady Corbet’s epic post-Second World War drama The Brutalist , starring Adrien Brody.

Also coming to TIFF after much industry speculation is Pedro Almodóvar ’s drama The Room Next Door , starring Moore and Tilda Swinton. The film marks the Spanish director’s feature-length English-language debut, and its North American premiere in Toronto will set the stage for TIFF’s newly announced Lightbox retrospective of Almodóvar’s career, which will run in November.

TIFF will also welcome back two long-time festival veterans, Canadian Mina Shum and Oscar winner Damien Chazelle , as the two filmmakers will attend retrospective screenings of their respective breakthroughs, 1994′s Double Happiness and 2016′s Whiplash .

Organizers also announced Tuesday this festival’s off-screen programming. Highlights include the “In Conversation With …” series, which will feature live conversations with Cate Blanchett, Zoe Saldana, Steven Soderbergh and Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook; the Visionaries series, part of TIFF’s Industry Conference, featuring onstage dialogues with Alfonso Cuarón, Pete Docter, Franklin Leonard, Steven Moffat and Malala Yousafzai; the return of the Black Excellence Brunch, celebrating Black leaders in the Canadian and global film landscape; and the new event Play the Part, featuring a conversation between director Jia Zhang-Ke (at TIFF with his new film Caught by the Tides ) and his protégé, filmmaker Rafael Manuel ( 102 Narra ).

Tuesday’s news marks TIFF’s last official programming announcement leading up to next month’s festival. Single tickets for the 11-day event will go on sale to the public starting Aug. 26.

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