The personal essay will give readers a glimpse into your life experience. There are many reasons you may need to write a personal essay, from a simple class assignment to a college application requirement. You can use the list below for inspiration. Imagine each statement as a writing prompt, and imagine if there was a special moment that the prompt brings to mind.
- Your bravest moment
- How you met your best friend
- What makes your mom or dad special
- When your life changed forever
- How you overcame a fear
- Why you will succeed
- Why you made a difficult choice
- A special place
- A place you try to avoid
- When a friend let you down
- Your favorite time period
- A failure you've experienced
- A disappointment you've experienced
- A surprising turn of events
- What you would do with power
- What super power you would choose
- If you could change lives with someone
- How money matters in your life
- Your biggest loss
- Where you go to hide
- If you had a do-over
- A book that changed your life
- Words that stung
- When you had the desire to run
- When you had the urge to crawl in a hole
- Words that prompted hope
- When a child taught you a lesson
- Your proudest moment
- If your dog could talk
- Favorite time with family
- If you could live in another country
- If you could invent something
- The world a hundred years from now
- If you had lived a hundred years earlier
- The animal you'd like to be
- One thing you'd change
- The greatest movie moment
- The type of teacher you would be
- If you could be a building
- A statue you'd like to see
- If you could live anywhere
- The greatest discovery
- If you could change one thing about yourself
- An animal that could be in charge
- Something you can do that robots could never do
- You most unfortunate day
- Your secret talent
- Your secret love
- The most beautiful thing you've ever seen
- The ugliest thing you've seen
- Something you've witnessed
- An accident that changed everything
- A wrong choice
- A right choice
- If you were a food
- How you'd spend a million dollars
- If you could start a charity
- The meaning of color
- A close call
- Your favorite gift
- A chore you'd do away with
- A secret place
- Something you can't resist
- A hard lesson
- A visitor you'll never forget
- An unexplained event
- Your longest minute
- An awkward social moment
- An experience with death
- Why you'll never tell a lie
- If your mom knew she'd kill you
- A kiss that meant a lot
- When you needed a hug
- The hardest news you've had to deliver
- A special morning
