topics for a profile essay

120 Profile Essay Topics for Underachievers Like You

A profile essay is an informative essay that provides descriptions of a person, place, or event. It aims to be accurate and detailed while also engaging the reader.

The secret of writing a great profile essay lies in choosing a perfect topic.That being said, we have so many amazing profile essay topics for you here to begin writing.

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4 Main Challenges of Writing a Profile Essay for Students

Writing a profile essay is an interesting assignment and I loved it attempting for the first time at college. The most difficult part was finding a great topic to begin writing on. Therefore, I made sure to use all the help I could for this one. First of all, I shortlisted some profile essay topics after spending hours in the research.

Then I discussed those with my class teacher and upon her suggestion, I opted for writing on the topic ‘A Charismatic Entrepreneur that I Know.’ It was based on a true story that I witnessed growing up so I could craft a great piece on it. Later on, I scored the highest marks with my first assignment of profile essay which made me fall in love with such essay tasks more.

Resources That Can Help You Choose A Good Profile Essay Topic

These resources might help you find some good profile essay topics and also learn to write this essay well.

For some good profile essay writing tips , you can check this video.
You can also check some of the finest tips on essay format ; these would help you craft a full-on essay using the selected topics.

30 Engaging Topics About Profile Essay

As you scroll through these profile essay topics, you will also realize that somehow these resemble with social issues research topics but both of them are very different.

The success story of a local entrepreneur I know
An inspiring journey of our physics teacher.
The struggling day of a firefighter.
A day in the life of a mayor.
A high-profile community leader.
War memories from the veterans.
Life of a Homeless Shelter Volunteer
Local chef and his legends.
The motivational journey of a professional athlete.
A day in the life of a wildlife photographer.
Inspiring stories of refugees.
The rise to fame of a musician.
A nurse and her everyday challenges.
The love of books of a librarian.
A day in the life of a social media influencer.

Hopefully, you are enjoying these list of amazing profile essay topics, here are more for you:

The creative process of the artist.
A day in the life of a police officer.
Tough days of a park ranger.
The success story of a small family business.
Life of a renowned scientist.
The inspiring story of a single parent.
A successful immigrant.
Local historian and his struggles.
A veterinarian day in life.
Fitness trainer’s life journey.
Political campaign manager and his difficulties.
The inspiration of a fashion designer.
Crisis counselor and his work.
The youth mentor’s profile.
The inspiring journey of a tech startup founder.

30 Trendy Profile Essay Topics

Before you start researching how to write in cursive that might impress your professor more, here’s another list of profile essay ideas you can count on.

Learning the behavior of cats and how can we bond with them.
The profile of a well-known ancient king.
A person who has helped me achieve everything in my life.
The personality and ideology of Hitler.
How a perfect image of a father figure will look like?
How can we train dogs to be the humans’ best friends?
Let’s learn why is France regarded as a romantic country.
The mysteries and myths that surround Egypt.
My favorite bakery and why I loved it the most?
The clash of attachment and violence in Hannibal Lecter.
What should a new user know about Facebook?
Is Twitter the best social media platform?
The communication of birds with each other.
The background I like to create when watching my favorite movie.
Getting to know the Bryan Fuller – The friendliest director you know.
What should we know about the genuine charity in the US?
Impact of big sportsman on the country?
The perfect picture of your college.
How our room says a lot about us?
A chocolate brand that stands out for you.
Who is the most influential person for you?
What would make the best children camp?
How can a halloween turn into a holiday?
The experience of most comfortable zoo I have visited.
An inspiring TV serial for you.
The perfect love story you know.
The type of dancing you prefer and why?
Things we should know about the world’s most expensive painting.
How is racial profiling done?
Things that motivate matchmakers.

25 New and Interesting Profile Essay Topics

It’s even better that you go with new topics about profile essay that would sound more interesting to the reader. Here you go with the list.

The tactics of Stalin in building a powerful country.
The reasons for panic attacks in people.
The scenario of a memorable conflict and the impressive way it was resolved.
The motives behind wars between countries.
The inspiring story of a taxi driver I travelled with.
Remembering a great deceased celebrity.
Who are the guys who correspond to typical beauty standards.
My experience of visiting the world’s largest cemetery.
My experience of living with a worst roommate.
The impressive Ballet Opera in 2020.
The mystery of a famous unresolved murder.
Reasons for the appearance of social networks.
Reason for some winter seasons to be hot.
The favorite disney character of children.
The reasons behind popularity of Ney York.
What makes past so loveable?
The forgotten historical landmarks.
The fiercest battle ever happened on the face of earth.
Thing we should know about the war museums in Germany.
The most famous tv celebrity of the nineties.
Things that made president kennedy very famous.
How has Barack Obama contributed to the America’s success.
An inspiring story of a drug addict.
The beauty of old-fashioned wedding ceremonies and rituals.
The story of a brave doctor during COVID-19.

20 Profile Essay Topics About People

My close friend
An inspiring family member
A gullible but inspiring neighbor
The perfect coworker
My favorite classmate
The inspiring cashier at the local shop.
The hardworking coffee maker.
The inspiring musician.
A great politician
A great historical figure
My favorite doctor
The hardworking dentist that I know
Our struggling class teacher
The legends of a successful CEO I know.
My favorite athlete
An inspirational coach
A inspiring chef
A great artist
A hardworking fashion designer
A skilled web developer

15 Interesting Profile Essay Ideas

The history of my hometown.
How this writer has changed my view of life.
The best hotel in our city as per my experience.
A kind-hearted millionaire.
A heart warming story of a loyal dog.
The biography of my favorite painter.
The touristic location I loved the most.
The most spookiest location for me.
My role model chemistry teacher.
Things I’ll never forget about my favorite landmark.
The stories of my favorite pet.
The movie character I want to become in my life.
The perfect water body I’ve witnessed.
My favorite place that I dream to visit.
The fictional character that has taught me alot.

Example of a Profile Essay

Here’s a short profile essay example for your understanding. You can also add this topic to the list of profile essay topics above.

Topic: A Day in the Life of An Inspiring Wildlife Photographer

Jeff Lawson rises up early in the morning even before sunrise. He likes to get into the wilderness with a camera in hand at this time. He has decided to pay a visit to the wetlands and now she’s waiting patiently to photograph the animals around the rivers. His job highly demands patience and skill to cover the animals’s behavior and he loves achieving that with every shoot.

Now that she has captured some photos of creatures crawling beside the river, she is ready to edit them in a camp. Editing allows bringing up vivid colors and details that people would love to see in the documentaries and more.

Jeff also shares his work on social media inspiring people to get into this field and care for animals. His dedication to wildlife photography is truly inspirational.

5 Tips to Write a Perfect Profile Essay

So you are now pretty comfortable with profile essay topics, here are the top 5 writing tips for a profile essay you should know

Pick an individual who has achieved something that would help engage the readers.
Ensure you obtain enough information via discussions, interviews, and more.
Highlight the important experiences of the person you are discussing.
Ensure to include personal perspectives in the essay. Don’t just rely on facts.
Make use of anecdotes or vivid descriptions for engagement.

Working on a profile essay is an interesting assignment but you have to start well with a good topic. What makes a good topic? Well, you must pick someone who has achieved a lot in his life to make an interesting and engaging story for the readers. Speaking of which, we have a plethora of profile essay topics for you here to begin writing your assignment right away.

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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
Essay samples
Essay writing
Writing tips

110 Personal Essay Topics

Though written from a lived experience, personal essay topics can be tricky to come up with because they have to be universal enough for other people to relate to.

Since the skill of writing a good essay is being able to paint an image with words, students must choose a topic that will get others interested in the story and what it has to say about life, society, or themselves.

In essence, personal essays are written from a personal point of view and express a writer’s own insights, opinions, and feelings on a particular topic. Additionally, these types of essays lead to an overall point, lesson, realization, or revelation.

Most commonly, personal essays are written by high school students as part of their college applications. However, there are many other reasons that a personal essay may be assigned or written, including:

Scholarship applications
Job interview
Writing contest
Grad school admission

Students and others struggling with a valuable personal essay topic can choose from any of the 110 personal essay topics on this list to help them get started.

How to Write a Personal Essay

Writing a personal essay requires following traditional essay guidelines, structure, and format. However, you must ensure that your essay is personal and tells a story about yourself rather than being purely academic.

For instance, you might explain an experience that changed your worldview or share an opinion on something important to you, even if it’s controversial.

It’s often helpful to make a list of experiences you may want to share before starting the writing process.

If you’re struggling with writing your personal essay, you can order one from the professional writers at Write My Essays or hire a tutor at Wyzant to ensure it meets all requirements and effectively tells your story.

Introduction

The introduction to your personal essay will set the scene for the reader. Therefore, your personal essay needs to start with a compelling hook that will draw the reader in and make them want to read more.

This hook statement could be a humorous or poignant anecdote related to your topic or a line of questioning that the reader will be interested in following. For example, some possible opening lines for a personal essay could start with:

“I remember exactly where I was when I first realized …”
“What would you do if you knew the world was going to end tomorrow?
“So, I once had this problem …”

These beginning lines will often create questions in the reader’s mind, which is an excellent way to capture their interest and keep them reading. Following this initial opening sentence, you can introduce other details as you build up the main point of the story.

Your introduction should end with a thesis statement that verbalizes the general direction the story will go.

Body Paragraphs

Generally, a personal essay will have no less than three body paragraphs that detail your experience in chronological order. Each section should discuss one part of the story, including the events leading up to it, what happened during the experience, and what you learned from it.

Body paragraphs may also include examples of feelings, emotions, or arguments that support your experience. The goal of a personal essay is to share a compelling story and teach the reader something about life or themselves by using specific details and language.

Consider this formatting when creating the body paragraphs of your personal essay:

1st Paragraph

Beginning of the story that answers questions related to “Who?” and “Where?”
Initial attitudes, moods, feelings, and assumptions about the event or experience about to take place

2nd Paragraph

Middle of the story
Details that show how the situation evolved over time, including any changes in mood or assumption on your part

3rd Paragraph

Ending of the story/resolution
The final analysis on overall feelings, emotions, and mood

By sticking to this formatting for the body paragraphs, students can ensure that they are telling the story correctly and including every key detail as it happens.

Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion of a personal essay is optional and depends on what you want to accomplish with the telling of your story. If you want to leave the reader feeling inspired or emotionally moved, then focus on summarizing the main points in a short paragraph that ends on a positive note.

However, if this was a darker story, you may want to use the concluding paragraph to sum up your feelings after the experience has ended or explore any unanswered questions that remain.

In any event, your conclusion does need to include an overall moral or lesson of how the writer:

overcame hardship
rose to the occasion
identified new traits or abilities that they never realized existed
turned defeat into success
followed their instincts and made the right choice
came to appreciate something about life after the experience took place

Any of these statements can stand alone as a powerful lesson learned. However, when combined in one concluding paragraph, you will leave your reader with a profound impression.

Using any of these 110 personal essay topics will ensure that you have a strong and interesting story to tell.

Personal Essay Topics About Relationships

What was a time when you made a friend?
What would your worst enemy say about you?
Talk about the death of a friend.
How did it feel to be bullied in school?
The time when you had to get along with a sibling despite being different ages
What you learned from your first relationship
Why marriage isn’t important to you
How you discovered polyamory, and how it changed your view of relationships
How your best friend made you a better person
The lesson you learned from being catfished
The first time you experienced heartbreak
A funny story about how technology ruined a relationship.
How did you learn to recognize love?
Who would you consider your soulmate? What makes them that person specifically for you?
What was your most embarrassing moment as a boyfriend or girlfriend, and what did you learn from it?

Personal Essay Topics About Hardships

The worst thing that ever happened to me
The roughest time in my family’s life
The hardest challenge I’ve ever had to overcome
How did you deal with the stress of moving?
What was your most embarrassing moment as a kid?
What are some reasons that I am grateful for my disability/illness/condition?
When have you had an “Aha!” moment in life?
What’s something terrible that happened to you that turned into something good?
What’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my failures?
The time when it almost felt like the world was against me
How did I handle/recover from a severe illness/injury/accident?
When was the first time I realized that life isn’t fair?
What was the biggest struggle I went through in my teens?
The most challenging situation I faced in high school
When was a time when I made a negative impact on someone else?
The first time I got caught stealing
The most embarrassing mistake I ever made with money
What was the most challenging thing about getting sober/clean/overcoming addiction?
When did I realize that life is short and that nobody is promised tomorrow?
How did you learn to persevere through tough times?

Personal Essay Topics About Success & Achievements

Best moment in my sports career
My greatest success story
The time I overcame my fear and found strength I didn’t know I had.
What’s the happiest day of my life?
How did I learn to overcome failure?
The time I knew that dreams really do come true
My greatest triumph over adversity – and what it taught me about myself.
What made you realize that you have to work hard in order to achieve something meaningful in life?
When did I know that I had made it in life?
When was the first time you were acknowledged for your achievements?
The night when my hard work truly paid off
My most powerful moment after overcoming a setback
How did I become successful?
What are some defining moments in my career?
How did I make it through a difficult time in college/university?
What motivated me to become the person I am today?

Personal Essay Topics About Personal Growth & Self-Reflection

Whose lifelong encouragement helped make me who I am today
The first time I took responsibility for my own actions
What gave me the courage to be myself?
The most valuable life lesson I’ve ever received. Who taught it to me, and what was the context?
How did I get through a difficult childhood/adolescence/teenage years?
What did I learn from becoming a yoga master?
How has meditation helped me overcome anger issues?
How did I recover from using drugs and alcohol?
What’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from quitting my job?
When did I realize that life is too short to hate someone?
The moment when I knew it was time for a change
I made a mistake – and this is how I bounced back
How did I overcome depression/anxiety/mental illness?

Personal Essay Topics About Passions & Hobbies

How did learning a skill change my life?
Why exercise makes me a better person
My passion for writing
What’s the best advice I’ve ever received? Who gave it to me, and in what situation?
The moment when I realized my true calling in life
The importance of keeping a journal and how it has helped me become a better person
My biggest bucket list dream and why it’s so important to me
What is my vision for the future?
How did I find peace, contentment, and happiness?
The time when I truly lived outside of my comfort zone
When was the moment when I felt like I “got” meditation?
My journey towards becoming vegan. What inspired me to make this change, and what were the challenges I faced?
What lessons have been easy for me to learn, and which ones have been harder?
The time when travel changed my life

Personal Essay Topics About Challenges & Failures

The low point of my life and how I got through it
How did an illness/injury/death in the family affect me?
Why did I decide to stop going on blind dates?
What were the consequences of losing my temper, and how did I make amends?
The time when I was broken. What happened, who got hurt, and how did it affect me? How did I overcome this experience?
When was the moment when I realized that my words carry weight?

Personal Essay Topics About Family & Childhood Memories

The time when my family showed me what unconditional love means
My most vivid childhood memory and how it has affected me as an adult
How did I learn to be patient and kind?
What was the moment that sparked a change in my life? What caused this change, and what happened after the changes took place?
The moment when I realized the true meaning of friendship
What lessons did growing up teach me about life?
My childhood dream and what it taught me about myself
How do I feel about my hometown after living in three different places?
Why is it important to visit your birthplace/hometown during holidays/vacations?
My family’s most influential life lesson and how it has affected me
What was the moment when I realized that my parents had their own struggles?
The time when I learned about my family history. What happened, why did this happen, and how did it affect me? How did things change after this event?
What do I know about family traditions now that I didn’t understand as a child?
Why are your family memories vital to you?

Personal Essay Topics About Cultural Heritage & Identity

What does being bilingual/multilingual mean to me? Why is it unique?
My first interaction with someone from another culture
What’s wrong with cultural appropriation, and how did I learn to stop?
The moment when I became aware of my race/ethnicity
My culture’s most influential life lesson and how it has affected me
How I learned to not be afraid of my cultural differences
Why is diversity important in my community? In what ways do I contribute?
The moment I realized that I am proud of my culture
How has the immigrant/refugee experience shaped who you are today?
How traditions have changed the way I view my family

Personal Essay Topics About Childhood Dreams & Aspirations

What were my childhood dreams, and how have they changed over the years?
How did I make peace with the fear of growing up?

Any of these 110 personal essay topics are perfect for students struggling to find a topic that will impress a college admission officer or any other person with whom you’re trying to connect with on a personal level through storytelling.

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