Personal Essay Topics
How to Write a Personal Essay
Apart from many other types of essays, a personal essay usually comes in a form of a reader-friendly paper that is aimed at capturing attention by revealing something sacred about yourself. Some students find it difficult to write about themselves, while others find it easier to discuss their personal life, rather than researching an assigned topic. Regardless of what kind of person you happen to be, you have to remember that trying to write something you think people want to hear, or in the manner you think will be expected to lay down your story is a misleading, harmful approach.
How to Start a Personal Essay
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to write from the heart. Try to look deep into your soul, and find something that sparks a light in you. Take your time, writing all of your thoughts down; you can arrange them later. As any other academic assignment, your personal essay should be flawless when it comes to grammar and punctuation. Personal doesn’t mean chaotic, even if the latter is the word that describes you best; you still need to write a simple outline, to keep your thoughts in order.
Personal Essay Topics and Examples
- How you and your best friend met
- The bravest moment of your life
- What makes your parents special
- The experience of overcoming a fear
- The moment your life changed forever
- Why you can succeed in life
- A difficult choice you have made
- A place that is special to you
- The experience of being let down by a friend
- A failure you experienced
- A disappointment you had
- Who Is Your Family?
- What Have You and Your Family Accomplished Together?
- What Events Have Brought You Closer to Your Family?
- What’s Your Role in Your Family?
- Have You Ever Changed a Family Member’s Mind?
- How Do You Define ‘Family’?
- What Are Your Family Stories of Sacrifice?
- What Possessions Does Your Family Treasure?
- What Hobbies and/or Activities Have Been Passed Down in Your Family?
Personal Essay Outline and Format
A personal essay is a unique type of term paper that features rather simple but at the same time detailed structure including:
- Introduction (use a hook sentence to attract the attention of the audience)
- Body (usually consists of several paragraphs introducing the topic of the essay)
- Conclusion (summarize all points and state your final opinion)