An introduction ... your thoughts on the essay topic or question. You could briefly: introduce your main idea or key point summarise your overall argument give some brief background information ...

As in most college essays, the thesis statement comes toward the end of the introduction. Again, note the way in which the placement of the thesis statement fits into the overall structure of the ...

The purpose of these optional statements is not solely for applicants to detail their unique background. Everyone is atypical in some ways. Rather, these optional essays are intended to free ...