autobiography for college application

How to Write an Autobiography Essay: Guide for College Students

So what is an autobiography essay? It is a paper based on your own personal knowledge that usually dwells upon one episode that had a major influence on one’s personality or worldview. It might be a part of a usual assignment or a necessary part of a college application. In any case, it is something you are sharing to present some personal qualities or make an interesting outcome. It might seem very simple to write about yourself at first glance, however, it takes a lot of skill and planning to select the subject and display it in the best possible way. Some people find writing an autobiography essay even more complicated than any other paper as there is a lot of freedom regarding the subject and there are always worries about not being too self-involved. This article on how to write an autobiography essay will help you complete a flawless and powerful paper.

Autobiography Essay Format

Considering planning a paper, an outline is one of the fundamental parts. You need to have a draft plan for the work’s structure. Not only does it provide a coherent order to your reflections, but it also makes a paper more readable and easy to follow. The first thing to do before starting on your own paper is to find inspiration. You can ask for some illustrations from your professor, or look for them online – there are many good presentations on the internet. An autobiography essay is not a story of one’s life; it usually concerns one event or experience that is worth sharing. An event that had an influence on the person who lived it through, and can provide a meaningful message to the reader.

How Do You Structure an Autobiography?

Generally, an autobiography essay outline follows the common framework of any essay, meaning a five-paragraph paper. It shouldn’t be very long; however, you may change the standard outline according to your needs. It might be closer to a narrative paper, but remember to use the first-person narration, as it is not fiction. It is not a short story, it is a personal essay.

When planning an outline consider the story and how it can be presented, how many paragraphs do you need and what are the demands to an assignment. It might be a good point to include a plot twist. However, you can never go wrong with a well-proven traditional structure.

How to Title an Autobiography Essay?

There is no right or wrong time for choosing the title for life story. Some start with it, others do it in the end, it is totally up to you. A title can be creative if you want but it should be appealing, intriguing and deal with the main point of your paper.

The tips on how to write a title vary, but the main aspects are:

• It shouldn’t be very long;
• Do not try to include all the key points in a title;
• You may use puns for a comedy effect if it is appropriate;
• Make it engaging for a reader.

You can look through creative titles about yourself online and use them as a basis for your thought process. However, do not use someone’s idea as your own as it won’t represent your writing.

Here are some autobiography titles ideas that might inspire you:

• Driving Exam that Almost Drove me Crazy;
• Living Through a Happy Accident;
• What My First Job Taught Me;
• The Day that Changed it All;
• Surviving High-School Graduation.

The choice of a title is completely up to you as long as it is made in accordance with the assignment’s requirements.

How to Start an Autobiography Essay?

Before you start writing, brainstorm and choose an incident you want to depict. It must be relevant and have something to tell the reader. Create an outline and follow a coherent way to describe it. The first sentence of an autobiography paper must be attention-grabbing and interesting. You might as well start right with the story instead of putting a long autobiography introduction. Underline the main idea of your writing and what is going to be disclosed.

There are several good ways to start an autobiography, such as to start in the middle of a setting, “Here I was standing in front of the whole group with my presentation.” Another way is to add a little bit of suspense, like “I never knew that such a simple thing as going to a vet with my dog can change my whole perspective”.

An autobiography essay introduction doesn’t have to be very long. Underline the main point, create a setting or go directly to the events that inspired you. A good idea is to use a non-chronological order in the description of events to make the story more interesting. It is also crucial to have a nice transition to the main part; it can be a sentence like, “I’d never expected that what was coming next would be the most important day of my life.”

How to End an Autobiography Essay?

Autobiography conclusions are as essential as the beginning, as they sum up the story, tie the ends together and make a meaningful impact on the reader. How to end an autobiography in a stylish and exciting way? First of all, conclude what has been stated before and focus on why it is important, what was the influence on your life and what conclusion did you make from this experience. Refer to the significance and make a connection to the beginning. Describe the central person in the story if there had been one. It is also great if you tell what was so unexpected for you and what this event has taught you about yourself or the world around you.

If the story was non-chronological, make sure that by the end of an autobiographical essay it all comes together as one comprehensive piece. Check one more time if it is easy to follow and creates a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.

Extra Tips on How to Write a Good Autobiography Essay

Writing an autobiography essay can be challenging as it deals with the introspective process and makes us learn about ourselves more. It is important not only to follow formatting requirements but also to create a living picture of an event that the reader can re-live. Some students choose to use a fast essay writing service to help them with this assignment and it is only understandable.

Here are some more tips for writing an excellent autobiography narrative essay:

• Select an event you are excited to tell about, it will make it more engaging and easy to write;
• Think about the audience of your paper, who will read it and what they might be interested in;
• Use a first-person narration to underline your perspective;
• Be sincere and be yourself. After all, this is your life you are writing about. Even a negative experience can teach us a lot;
• Understand the purpose of your work – what is the key point you are making? What is the question you are trying to answer?
• When writing an autobiography essay always check the demands of the assignment. An application and a college task have different purposes. Be sure you know all the guidelines;
• Don’t forget to describe the setting and add some vivid details to make the story more interesting and create a picture in the reader’s mind;
• After you are done, take some time to proofread your text. Here are some useful proofreading tips that might help you to check your writing and make sure it is flawless.

Autobiography Essay Example/Autobiography Sample Essay

Here is a short excerpt from an autobiography essay:

“When I was growing up I had never wanted to be a teacher unlike many of my peers. However, one day what promised to be a normal Monday changed my whole perspective. I was in high school at that time, and we went with my mother to visit a college to find out more about the programs I might follow in the future. We were lucky to visit a lecture by a physics professor and I thought it might be boring at first. Little did I know, this lecture was the most important hour in my life.

It was a nice sunny day and the campus looked great, there were lots of students and they all seemed so adult to me. It also was unbelievable that soon I might be one of these intelligent and nice people. We were welcomed and had a great excursion over the campus and the main building and now it was the time to visit a lecture.”

It is an example that shows how to complete an introduction and connect it to the main part. Here are many other autobiography essay examples that you can read and use as an outline for inspiration.

When working on a personal essay it is important to spend a lot of time planning and selecting a subject. Find an event that was significant for you that can present your worldview or unique experience. Create an outline and take enough time to draft ideas and think on how to present a story.

Remember to be frank about what you are writing, do not make fiction as it is inappropriate. Show what you’ve learned and focus on it in the conclusion.

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