GAMSAT Essay: The Art of Writing a Good Introduction-II
In the previous essay we discussed how you can write a good introduction for your GAMSAT essay. We told you about several hooks that you can use for the purpose. In this article we are going to take up the personal example hook and see how you can use it to write a great introduction for your GAMSAT essay.
Personal examples can be a great way to start your GAMSAT essay but you must not get too carried away with it. By giving a personal example you can immediately connect with the reader (in this case the Test Rater), form a bond. The reader may or may not directly identify with your experience, but what is important is that you are sharing a part of your experiences, and thereby a part of yourself and that is what communication should be about: sharing ideas. But just beware that you do not make up stories or that you mask a made-up story as real. That is something that can be easily identified by the test-rater and it could be dangerous and have an undesirable effect. Remember that a personal example is not the only way to start an essay. If you cannot think of a personal example to start your essay, don’t force it through. There are numerous other ways to begin an essay and we will discuss these in later write-ups. The personal example hook will only work if is true and if it is relevant. Remember that different types of essays warrant different types of introduction and you have to judge when and where the personal example hook will work best.
Given below is a probable introduction that uses the personal example hook to arrive at the thesis statement reading improves vocabulary, enriches the mind, and enhances creativity.
29th October 1990 changed my life in a big way. It was my eight birthday and I was expecting my dad to come home with my favourite doll. I must say I was disappointed at the very sight of the rectangular gift-wrapped object that he handed over to me instead. I opened it with no particular joy, only to find a huge book of fairy tales that would soon open up a whole new world for me. The first story itself, read out to me by my father that evening, created a sense of awe and bewilderment. Soon, so very soon indeed I had grown up. Graduated from the world of dolls to the world of alphabets and words that spin magic. This event remains firmly etched in my mind to this day and it has led to my firm belief that the world of books is a rich world and that the habit of reading improves vocabulary, enriches the mind, and enhances creativity.
With this kind of an introduction your thesis is not only well stated, it is also almost established. In the remaining part of the essay all you need to do is to further the already well-stated idea.