how you write it does matter. You do want to hook them, your first line needs a powerful lead. All of us could write about the same topic, but it won't be the same essay. Some of us will suck, some will be okay and a few will be great.
So, how you write it can make a difference. Be creative, use your own voice, and keep it tight. Less is always more. If you are using narrative in your essay, don't tell us what happened, show us. Show don't tell will give us emobied action. This pulls the reader into the piece and it allows us to see you.
Avoid passive writing with phrases like, "He was walking." Make it, "He walked." Also vary the lengths of your sentences. Some people use only long drawn out sentences that seem to never end. Use short ones and long ones--mix it up. This will improve the pacing.
And believe it or not, this needs to follow a traditional format. You need a clear opening paragraph that introduces us to you, what you have to say, you should have a thesis, doesn't have to be direct, but implied like based on these experiences I immediately felt driven to.... The body should support this and the final paragrah should pull it all together.
Don't have a group of unrelated paragraphs. Also, you don't have to be crazy by messing with temporal relationships. Let the essay unfold in a chronological order. Be clear.
