Some Sample Personal Essay Topics

Key words to look for:

Tell about

Describe

Relate

Event

Experience

Time/occasion

• Tell about a terrifying experience that you had when you were young.
• Describe an important social event that you took part in. (wedding, church party, sports event, etc.)
• Describe one of your grandparents. What has he/she accomplished in life? Would you like to be like him/her?
• Tell about a family outing or vacation. What did you learn from the experience?
• Have you ever been involved in some serious wrongdoing? What lesson did you learn from the experience?
• Is there anything in your past that you would like to change? How would you change it if you could?
• Relate an exciting experience from which you developed a particular talent or interest.
  All of us learn from our failures as well as successes. What is something you gained from an unsuccessful experience?
• Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do anything to get it? How did you feel after you received or attained the thing that you desired? Did it make your life happier or more miserable? Tell about such an experience.
• Who was the most influential person in your life? How did this person make you want to become better?