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Master the Five-Paragraph Essay

The five-paragraph essay is one of the most common composition assignments out there, whether for high school or college students. It is a classic assignment because it presents an arena in which writers can demonstrate their command of language and punctuation, as well as their logic and rhetorical skills. These skills are useful not only for classroom assignments and college application essays, but even in the business world, as employees have to write memorandums and reports, which draw on the same skills.

Mastering the five-paragraph essay is doable, and here are some tips.

Components of a Good Essay

The five-paragraph essay lives up to its name, because is has five paragraphs, as follows: an introductory paragraph that includes a thesis, three body paragraphs, each which includes support and development, and one concluding paragraph.

Its structure sometimes generates other names for the same essay, including three-tier essay, one-three-one, or a hamburger essay. Whether you are writing a cause-and-effect essay, a persuasive essay, an argumentative essay or a compare-and-contrast essay, you should use this same structure and the following specifics.

Keys to Introductory Paragraphs

Any introductory paragraph contains from three to five sentences and sets up the tone and structure for the whole essay. The first sentence should be a so-called hook sentence and grabs the reader. Examples of hook sentences include a quote, a joke, a rhetorical question or a shocking fact. This is the sentence that will keep your readers reading. Draw them in.

What Makes a Thesis Statement

The last sentence should be your thesis statement, which is the argument you are going to make in the essay. It is the sentence that contains the main point of the essay, or what you are trying to prove. It should be your strongest claim in the whole essay, telling the reader what the paper is about. You should be able to look back at it to keep your argument focused. The other sentences in this paragraph should be general information that links the first sentence and the thesis.

Content of Supporting Paragraphs

Each of the next three paragraphs follows the same general structure of the introductory paragraph. That is, they have one introduction sentence, evidence and arguments in three to five sentences, and a conclusion. Each one of them should define and defend your thesis sentence in the introduction.

The first body paragraph should be dedicated to proving your most powerful point. The second body paragraph can contain your weakest point, because the third body paragraph can, and should, support another strong argument.

Concluding Paragraph Tips

Your concluding paragraph is important, and can be difficult. Ideally, you can begin by restating your thesis. Then you can recall or restate all three to five of your supporting arguments. You should summarize each main point. If you have made similar arguments multiple times, join those together in one sentence.

Essentially, in the concluding or fifth paragraph, you should restate what your preceding paragraphs were about and draw a conclusion. It should answer the question: So what? Even if the answer seems obvious to you, write it down so that your reader can continue to easily follow your thinking process, and hopefully, agree with you.

A Note on Compare and Contrast

Let’s look a little more closely at the compare-and-contrast essay, which is a very common assignment. It can be a confusing one due to the terms used. Comparing two items is to show how they are alike. Contrasting two items is to show how they are different. One way to approach this essay is to make a grid for yourself that compares or contrasts two items before you start writing. Then, write about those characteristics. Do not try to write about both. The name of the essay is actually misleading.

Keep these pointers in mind when you need to write a five-paragraph essay, and your end result will be clear in its argument, leading your reader to the right conclusion. Often, that conclusion is to agree with you, and who doesn’t like to be right?

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10 Great Essay Writing Tips

Knowing how to write a college essay is a useful skill for anyone who plans to go to college. Most colleges and universities ask you to submit a writing sample with your application. As a student, you’ll also write essays in your courses. Impress your professors with your knowledge and skill by using these great essay writing tips.

Prepare to Answer the Question

Most college essays ask you to answer a question or synthesize information you learned in class. Review notes you have from lectures, read the recommended texts and make sure you understand the topic. You should refer to these sources in your essay.

Plan Your Essay

Many students see planning as a waste of time, but it actually saves you time. Take a few minutes to think about the topic and what you want to say about it. You can write an outline, draw a chart or use a graphic organizer to arrange your ideas. This gives you a chance to spot problems in your ideas before you spend time writing out the paragraphs.

Choose a Writing Method That Feels Comfortable

You might have to type your essay before turning it in, but that doesn’t mean you have to write it that way. Some people find it easy to write out their ideas by hand. Others prefer typing in a word processor where they can erase and rewrite as needed. Find the one that works best for you and stick with it.

View It as a Conversation

Writing is a form of communication, so think of your essay as a conversation between you and the reader. Think about your response to the source material and the topic. Decide what you want to tell the reader about the topic. Then, stay focused on your response as you write.

Provide the Context in the Introduction

If you look at an example of an essay introduction, you’ll see that the best essays give the reader a context. Think of how you introduce two people to each other. You share the details you think they will find most interesting. Do this in your essay by stating what it’s about and then telling readers what the issue is.

Explain What Needs to be Explained

Sometimes you have to explain concepts or define words to help the reader understand your viewpoint. You also have to explain the reasoning behind your ideas. For example, it’s not enough to write that your greatest achievement is running an ultra marathon. You might need to define ultra marathon and explain why finishing the race is such an accomplishment.

Answer All the Questions

After you finish writing the first draft of your essay, make sure you’ve answered all the questions you were supposed to answer. For example, essays in compare and contrast format should show the similarities and differences between ideas, objects or events. If you’re writing about a significant achievement, describe what you did and how it affected you.

Stay Focused as You Write

Writing requires concentration. Find a place where you have few distractions and give yourself time to write without interruptions. Don’t wait until the night before the essay is due to start working on it.

Read the Essay Aloud to Proofread

When you finish writing your essay, read it aloud. You can do this by yourself or ask someone to listen to you read it. You’ll notice places where the ideas don’t make sense, and your listener can give you feedback about your ideas.

Avoid Filling the Page with Words

A great essay does more than follow an essay layout. It has something to say. Sometimes students panic and write everything they know about a topic or summarize everything in the source material. Your job as a writer is to show why this information is important.

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Davis, California

University of california, davis | uc davis.

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Want to see your chances of admission at University of California, Davis | UC Davis?

We take every aspect of your personal profile into consideration when calculating your admissions chances.

University of California, Davis | UC Davis’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Select-a-prompt short responses.

Please respond to any 4 of the 8 questions below.We realize that not all questions apply to all applicants, so be sure to select the 4 questions that you believe give us the best information about you.All 8 questions are given equal consideration in the application review process. Responses to each question should be between 250-350 words.

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

Tips on Starting the College Application Process

• by Devon Bohart
• September 14, 2022

Quick Summary

• Survive the college application process by showcasing your extracurricular activities, expressing your passions in the college essay and practicing self care.

Applying for college is stressful. There are so many applications, essays, deadlines, scholarships, webinars, and college tours. It can be hard to keep everything straight! As an undergraduate admissions advisor, here are five things I encourage students to keep in mind to maintain a level head and keep a clear perspective.

Do Your Research

Take the time to research college campuses to make sure they have the major you are interested in , a location that suits you, and a campus community that matches your needs. Maybe a school has a great campus culture, but they don’t have any majors you are interested in. Don’t apply to a school if you can’t see yourself being truly happy there. We recommend looking into UC Davis, but there are plenty of other options if UCD isn’t the right fit. You may find new and unique opportunities that are perfect for you, and you can give yourself a diverse array of schools to potentially choose from once admissions roll out. 

Don’t Get Carried Away

While research is a good idea to make informed decisions about your college application process , don’t go overboard. There is no need to do a deep dive into every school with your potential major interest, or every college in your state. If you are having trouble narrowing down the list of schools you are interested in, talk to your counselor to see if they can help. Challenging yourself is important, but keep it manageable. 

Do Keep a List, or Maybe a Few

It is good to keep a running list of all activities, big and small, that you have done or are involved in. This will make it easier for you to fill in your college applications. The Activities and Awards section in the UC application allows for up to 20 entries, lots of room for you to showcase all of your extracurriculars. It is also a good idea to keep a list (or a spreadsheet if you are anything like me) to manage the many colleges you are considering. You can include pros and cons, websites, events, admission counselor contacts and application deadlines for each school. In addition to keeping things on track, this is good practice to stay organized during college. 

Don’t Look for Application Fillers, Include Your Passions

More isn’t always better. If you have lots of passions and are able to pursue all of them intentionally, that is great. But getting involved in sports/activities/community service just for the sake of adding it to your application is not advisable. In addition to being boring for you, the advisors reviewing applications can usually tell if your heart isn’t in it. Trying new things is a good idea and participating in things that matter to you is even better. For the UC application, those are the things you should write about in your PIQ responses , to help us understand those passions. Whether you love fashion history, entomology or robotics, you can and should showcase how you have pursued those topics and why they are important to you.

Do Practice Self-care

If you only remember one thing from this, I hope it is this: studying for your classes, taking on leadership roles, fulfilling responsibilities at your job or at home and managing all of these college applications takes a lot of time, energy and focus. Make sure to take breaks, rest, stay hydrated and eat well. Find moments to slow down. There are a million articles out there on how to do that, so I will spare you the laundry list of ways to practice self-care. 

Whatever works for you, just remember to do it. And if you don’t have a go-to self-care practice, start trying things. Do that five-minute meditation that you’ve been saying you’d do. Take a walk around the block with your family or a pet. Do some yoga with a friend and laugh together when you both fall! 

At the end of the day, and by the end of this application cycle, it won’t matter if you didn’t pass that one quiz, had to quit a club, or had 100 instead of 200 service hours. The most important thing is to be yourself and take it one step at a time. Ask for help, take advantage of resources in front of you (hello, application workshops !) and take your time on those college apps, to ensure that you put your best self out there for these colleges to get to know you. Take a deep breath and just keep on plugging along, because before you know it, senior year will be over, admission decisions will be out and you will realize that everything turned out just fine.

Primary Category

Freshman requirements

• Subject requirement (A-G)
• GPA requirement
• Admission by exception
• English language proficiency
• UC graduation requirements

Additional information for

• California residents
• Out-of-state students
• Home-schooled students

Transfer requirements

• Understanding UC transfer
• Preparing to transfer
• UC transfer programs
• Transfer planning tools

International applicants

• Applying for admission
• English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS)
• Passports & visas
• Living accommodations
• Health care & insurance

AP & Exam credits

Applying as a freshman

• Filling out the application
• Dates & deadlines

Personal insight questions

• How applications are reviewed
• After you apply

Applying as a transfer

Types of aid

• Grants & scholarships
• Jobs & work-study
• California DREAM Loan Program
• Middle Class Scholarship Program
• Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan
• Native American Opportunity Plan  
• Who can get financial aid
• How aid works
• Estimate your aid

Apply for financial aid

• Cal Dream Act application tips
• Tuition & cost of attendance
• Glossary & resources
• Santa Barbara
• Campus program & support services
• Check majors
• Freshman admit data
• Transfer admit data
• Native American Opportunity Plan
• You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.
• Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
• Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you. However, you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

Keep in mind

• All questions are equal. All are given equal consideration in the application review process, which means there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others.
• There is no right or wrong way to answer these questions. It’s about getting to know your personality, background, interests and achievements in your own unique voice.  
• Use the additional comments field if there are issues you'd like to address that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss elsewhere on the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to note unusual circumstances or anything that might be unclear in other parts of the application. You may use the additional comments field to note extraordinary circumstances related to COVID-19, if necessary. 

Questions & guidance

Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider:  Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider:  If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

Writing tips

Start early..

Give yourself plenty of time for preparation, careful composition and revisions.

Write persuasively.

Making a list of accomplishments, activities, awards or work will lessen the impact of your words. Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make.

Use “I” statements.

Talk about yourself so that we can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

Proofread and edit.

Although you will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling or sentence structure, you should proofread your work and make sure your writing is clear. Grammatical and spelling errors can be distracting to the reader and get in the way of what you’re trying to communicate.

Solicit feedback.

Your answers should reflect your own ideas and be written by you alone, but others — family, teachers and friends can offer valuable suggestions. Ask advice of whomever you like, but do not plagiarize from sources in print or online and do not use anyone's words, published or unpublished, but your own.

Copy and paste.

Once you are satisfied with your answers, save them in plain text (ASCII) and paste them into the space provided in the application. Proofread once more to make sure no odd characters or line breaks have appeared.

This is one of many pieces of information we consider in reviewing your application. Your responses can only add value to the application. An admission decision will not be based on this section alone.

Need more help?

Download our worksheets:

• English [PDF]
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Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

July 13, 2022

UC Davis Medical School Secondary Application Essay Tips [2022 – 2023]

According to the U.S. News and World Report , UCDSOM is ranked #8 for primary care and #51 for research. This medical school campus is unique in that they have seven student-run clinics: Paul Hom Asian Clinic, Clinica Tepati, Imani Clinic, Shifa Clinic, Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic, Bayanihan Clinic, and the Willow Clinic. Medical students can begin serving a diverse patient population early in their education and take on critical leadership roles in community health.

This school also provides several special programs to provide you with training appropriate to the area you wish to serve—the Rural PRIME Program, Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) Program, The Transforming Education and Community Health Program for Medical Students (TEACH-MS) Program, the REACH pathway, Tribal Health PRIME, and the ARC-MD program. UCDSOM is looking for students who can accurately self-assess their strengths and weaknesses and who will bring a diverse background , perspective and skill set to their campus.

UC Davis School of Medicine 2022-23 Secondary Application essays questions

Uc davis medical school essay #1.

Discuss any elements of your application that you feel might be concerning to the Admissions Committee.

Here the admissions committee would like to see how accurately you can identify and address any weaknesses in your application. If it is challenging for you to identify any issues, it may be useful to have an advisor or medical school consultant review your application with you to select an appropriate topic to cover. The best responses will be those that are accurate and that have already been addressed so that you can end this essay on a high note.

UC Davis Medical School essay #2

Do you have a connection to Northern or Central California? Please explain .

Start by making a list. Have you ever lived in the area? Do you have family or friends who do? Or have you spent significant time in any of the cities in Northern or Central California? It’s far better to list as much as possible.

Using the list you created, organize your answer—starting with the weakest connections and ending on the strongest. They want to accept applicants who will stay in these areas to practice after medical school. Statistically, those applicants who are from these communities and who have years of community service in them are most likely to return after their education to live and work. Emphasize both of these things if you have them in your background. If you have never visited this part of the country, it may not be a good idea to apply.

UC Davis School of Medicine at a glance 

UC Davis School of Medicine average MCAT score: 511

UC Davis School of Medicine average GPA: 3.56

UC Davis School of Medicine acceptance rate: 2.2% 

U.S. News  ranks UC Davis School of Medicine #51 for research and #8 for primary care.

Check out the Med School Selectivity Index for more stats.

Has this blog post helped you feel more confident about approaching your UCDSOM application? We hope so. It’s our mission to help smart, talented applicants like you gain acceptance to your dream schools. With so much at stake, why not hire a consultant whose expertise and personalized guidance can help you make your dream come true? We have several flexible consulting options— click here to get started today !

UC Davis School of Medicine 2022-23 application timeline

Source: UC Davis School of Medicine website

Related Resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Secondary Essays from Top Medical Schools
• UC Davis SOM’s Clear Message in its Academic Coaching Program , a podcast episode
• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Medical School Application Essays

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Personal statement amir ali bolouryazad, tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. what about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are.

It was supposed to be a simple interview for entering a high school, but it felt like a grueling interrogation. In addition to having a high GPA, I had to go through two other hurdles; pass a test on seven different subjects, and go through the interview. One step away form entering the fourth best high school of Iran, I was anxious about the results of the interview. Their primary concern was to find out if I followed all of the Islamic laws as they were written in Quran. Answering their detailed questions about my religious belief and practices, I realized that in spite the relaxed religious view of my family, now I had to be a devout Muslim at school. I had to follow all of the harsh rules, which took away such simple personal choices as wearing t-shirts. The first year of my high school was like hell for me. I became an outsider because teachers and students soon figured out that I wasn’t a religious person. I didn’t want to have the same experience in the second year, so I came up with some ideas for changing the school’s laws and myself. In the second year I participated in some extracurricular activities at school and became one of the four student-elected presidents of tenth grade. Students felt my sincere dedication to...

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