Personal Essay Prompts

Write about a personal memory that is important to you. Explain why this memory is important to you--what is the point of remembering it. Include the most significant events that tell the story by concentrating on sensory details and images: description, image, dialogue. Focus on the heart of the story. For instance, if the memory involves a trip to Disney World, start the story at Disney World unless the trip there is important to the point of the story. Think of your pen as a camera that can zoom in close for precise details or pan back for a broad shot. Avoid surprise endings. Instead, begin with the 'surprise.' You may find you have several reasons that this memory is important to you. If so, choose the most important one or the one you feel most comfortable writing about. How did this experience change you?

Write about the most frightening experience that you have had and how it changed your life.

Whenever families get together, whether at family reunions or holidays, certain stories are passed around as part of the family history. Write about three stories that your family remembers, and why those stories are important to the family.

Write about the three best things that ever happened to you and explain their importance to you. Be specific. How did these things change your life?

Movies and TV shows characterizing American youth have always been popular. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Wayne's World, Encino Man, Dream a Little Dream, and Slacker, and TV shows like The Simpson's, Married with Children, That's So Raven, The Wonder Years, 90210, Everybody Hates Chris, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Ayesha, and Beavis and Butthead portrayed the media's perspectives on American youth of the times. How would you describe or characterize present day American youth? Support your answer with specific details drawn from your own experiences.

Someone once said that the family that plays together stays together. In our stress-filled environment, we all need to take time to get away from our usual routines. Write an essay describing in detail (choose one):

• Your three favorite vacations
• Your fantasy vacation(s)--the vacation(s) you would like to go on if you could
• Three of your favorite vacation activities

Choose one activity that you are good at and that you enjoy. Write an essay about this activity and what special qualities you have that make it your "thing."

Write an essay explaining what you hope to pass on to your children or grandchildren. Include abstract as well as material possessions. How will these ensure that they will have a good life?

Write about three things you (1) wish your (choose one) parents /children /spouse /family /friends /boyfriend /girlfriend understood or (2) wish you could tell your (choose one) parents /children /spouse /family /friends /boyfriend /girlfriend.

You have decided to make a time capsule for your great-grandchildren to open in the year 2100. There isn't much room in the time capsule, so you are limited in what you can place in it. What three things will you put in it that will help them understand who you were and what you were like?

Who would you nominate as the three greatest sportsmen/women of all time? Why?

Choose one of the following quotations and write a well-developed five paragraph essay. Use the quotation as the beginning of the lead to the essay.

Using specific examples drawn from your own experience, explain what a friend is.

All of us have people that we respect and admire. These heroes may be famous individuals from the past or present, family, friends or even fictional characters from literature or the cinema. Write about three of your heroes, and discuss why you admire or respect them.

We live in a society that has been based on the Puritan work ethic, engrained in us as children by sayings like, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Our society works hard even when playing. But sometimes it is helpful to do nothing. What are three virtues (values) of idleness? Illustrate your answer with examples.

Now that you have been in school, what three bits of advice would you give to a brand new student?

The condition of the environment is a constant topic both in news and politics. Special interest groups voice valid concerns regarding the extinction of various species, pollution, the ozone layer, nuclear waste and similiar issues. Apart from donations to these various organizations and letters to your state and federal representatives, what can you do?

As high school students, you developed impressions of what college life would be like based on tales told by college students, your teachers, your parents, or TV and film. Now that you have been a student, what three things do you wish you had known about college? Explain your choices and illustrate your explanation with examples/stories taken from your own experience.

Compare/contrast two or three teachers you have had. The simplest way to compare/contrast three teachers is to choose one category that applies to all three. You may decide to limit your discussion to two teachers and compare/contrast them in three categories.

Teachers use a variety of techniques and plans in order to be effective. Some may use humor to lighten the atmosphere in a classroom, while others may stress an atmosphere centered on strict discipline and adherence to standards. Some may utilize group interaction, service learning, or special projects while others may stress lecture, question and answer, or discussion. Compare or contrast two teachers you have had who have both been effective but who may have used different techniques or teaching methods to reach their students.

The stereotypical American family--in the tradition of "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It To Beaver"--was characterized by a working father, a homemaker mother, and several well-behaved children. In what ways is your family similar to or different from these once typical American families?

People once expected to grow up like their parents, but now most people expect to live lives at least somewhat different from their parents. In what ways do you expect your life to be different from or similar to that of your parents?

Compare or contrast: two jobs you've held, two places you've lived, or two family members (one of them can be you). Draw some conclusions about your discussion of the differences or the similarities. (You should focus on one or the other.)

Show how your birth order (being the first and only child in your family, being the oldest, middle, or youngest child) has affected your personality.

Throughout human history, terms with connotations of good for the right-hand . . . and bad for the left-hand . . .appear in most languages around the world. The Latin word for left is 'sinister,' meaning "bad," "ominous," "sinister." The Latin word for right is 'dexter' from which comes our word "dexterity," meaning "skill." . . . The French word for "left" . . . is 'gauche,' meaning "awkward" from which comes our word "gawky." The French word for right is 'droit,' meaning "good," "just," or "proper" (Betty Edwards qtd. in McQuade, Donald and Robert Atwan. Thinking in Writing. 2nd ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983: 11-12.) Because of this bias against left-handedness, sometimes teachers and parents have even forced children to use their right hands. Write about your experiences and/or the experiences of someone you know who had problems with being left-handed.

Many people are embarrassed by their names, especially middle names. Although we have no say in choosing our names, some change them, others choose nicknames, and most simply don't draw attention to their names. Marshall McLuhan, past director of the Center of Culture and Technology, University of Toronto, once said, "The name of a man is a numbing blow from which he never recovers." How has your name affected you or how has someone you know been affected by his/her name. Illustrate your response with specifics.

How has prejudice--racism, sexism, ageism, religious or ethnic prejudice--affected you or someone you know?

To sell products, commercials must appeal to our desires (as the advertizing industry sees them). Discuss ways of making commercials more effective while identifying and illustrating the most common appeals commercials make using examples taken from specific commercials.

Explain to a friend how to succeed in or survive a difficult class you've had this semester. List and explain clear steps he or she can follow in order to do as well as, or better than, you have. Remember, deal with one specific class. Do not generalize by giving advice for any class.

The hardest part of college life is finding time to fit it into adult schedules. Discuss three of the difficulties you haved face balancing your college career with the rest of your life, and explain the steps you have taken.

Write an essay about what home means to you. Avoid dictionary definitions or trite homilies like "Home is where the heart is" or "There's no place like home." The essay must be about your experience of home. You may write about your childhood or your present experience. If you spent a great deal of time with an aunt and uncle or a grandparent, you may write about that home. You may write about several homes, one home, or one aspect of a home.

What are the characteristics of a good student? Support with examples.

What are the characteristics of a good teacher? Support with examples.

What makes a good coach? Support with examples.

In most cases the traditional home where the husband worked while the wife stayed at home to raise the children is no longer economically feasible. While in some cases the two-income family is a matter of choice, in many it is one of necessity. How has this shift changed our view of women? What kinds of problems has this caused? What can we do about these problems?

Write an essay in which you offer solutions to today's homeless problem.

Worry can be a bad thing, but it can also be valuable. Give three reasons explaining why worrying is good for you and illustrate your reasons with examples.

Sören Kierkegaard once said, "Let us worship God again in simplicity, instead of making a fool of him in splendid edifices." In Matthew 23:15, Christ condemns the Pharisees, saying "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." Identify what you see as the abuses of modern Christianity by its followers, and provide evidence to support your accusations.

Since WWII, the roles of women in American life have been changing. For most people, the debate over equal opportunity and equal treatment of women seems settled. Others argue that women still receive only token equality, and that women are still "second class citizens." Some people suggest that differences in physiological or psychological makeup preclude any real equality between men and women. Discussions often become heated and are reduced to name-calling and posturing. Setting aside the political and media debate, how do you believe women are treated today. Base your answer on the society you know--family, friends, school, work, church--and illustrate your answer with examples drawn from your daily life.

Some have argued that the attraction of Star Trek has been its optimistic view of the future. Others see the show as a futuristic cowboy adventure. It is very unlikely that the world Star Trek envisions will ever occur, given what we presently know about science, but for many, that fact does not lessen the attraction. If you could be transported to the world of Star Trek, would you go, and why or why not? Develop your answer with specific/concrete details.

Increasingly, the emphasis on athletic achievement in elementary and high school programs are resulting in injuries to young athletes. Sometimes these injuries are so serious that these students never have the opportunity to participate in college or professional sports. Some blame overzealous parents, others coaches, others our society's worship of competitive sport heroes. Do you believe that elementary or high school sports programs are too demanding? Support your answer with concrete illustrations drawn from your experiences and the experiences of your friends.

Who would you argue are the three most influential people to date in the twenty-first century (2000 to the present)? Why? Be sure to support your answer with specific examples.

Abortion is an emotional topic. The news is full of reports of people staging sit-ins at abortion clinics. These people, many religious, believe abortion allows women to 'fool around' without having to face responsibility for their actions. Many feminists argue that the Religious Right's position only strengthens the double-standard, that women are left with children they don't want or can't support while the men walk away. While demonstrations certainly spark publicity, their value in preventing abortions is questionable. Regardless of your religious or ethical beliefs, discuss three positive actions churches might take in preventing abortions and/or in helping those women left with unwanted pregnancies.

In the 60's John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. July 20, 1969, Neal Armstrong stepped out of the Lunar Module uttering the words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." It was assumed that the space program would continue to grow. The establishment of a lunar base, an orbiting space station, and a manned trip to Mars were all anticipated for the 70's and 80's. Instead the space program fizzled, only recently gaining some momentum. Economic, social, and political concerns overpowered the 60's vision of humanity's exploration of outer space. Do you think the U.S. should increase efforts in the space program with more manned and/or unmanned flights, or do you think the space program should be scrapped? Support your answer with clear and detailed arguments.

Based on your personal experience, should students in the grade school and high school which you attended have more exposure to science? Support your response with details about the strengths or weaknesses of the science instruction you received as a student as well as the relevance of science instruction to our modern technological society. You may focus on specific areas of knowledge, if you choose, but if you do so, be sure to provide arguments for that area of concentration.