<p>I'm writing the essay on a person that influenced me and how they influence me etc...</p>
<p>My counselor told me it should be 4 paragraphs, with the 1st one talking about him and the last 3 talking about the impact he had on me.</p>
<p>Uhh, no. I'm not following any script.</p>
<p>I sort of wrote about me and the person: what we do, where I met him, and his actions. Then, at the end, I wrote about what the person taught me. </p>
<p>Of course, I didn't say "I learned this and that from this person" - it's more of a conclusion to the whole essay. The point is that the lesson is at the end - I didn't devote the whole essay to what I learned from him, rather I gave background info and stuff.</p>
<p>I'm showing this to my counselor, but I know he won't like it. Still, do y'all think it's fine?</p>
<p>It sounds like you did just fine. As long as you wrote about the relationship the two of you had and illustrate what qualities about him made an impact on your life, it is probably perfect. You just need to be careful that the essay isn’t all about him. </p>
<p>I disagree with your counselor’s strict breakdown of what each of the 4 paragraphs should contain. Too rigid.</p>
<p>I agree that the breakdown by paragraph may not need to match what your counselor said. BUT, the focus of the essay needs to be telling something about YOU. The idea of this essay is to show what is important to you and why this person is an influence on YOU. That is the hardest part of this for many students, as it requires a degree of introspection and self-revelation that is tough. So really keep that in mind as you re-read it – in the end I think it does need to be more about you than about him.</p>