How to Start an Autobiography about Yourself: Full Guide + Autobiography Examples

You’re probably thinking: I’m no Mahatma Gandhi or Steve Jobs—what could I possibly write in my memoir? I don’t even know how to start an autobiography, let alone write the whole thing.

But don’t worry: essay writing can be easy, and this autobiography example for students is here to show you that memoir writing can be easy and even exciting. Every person, whether famous or not, is unique and has a story worth sharing. All you need to do now is scroll down the page and enjoy this amazing sample autobiography, as well as some related practical hints.

👨‍🎓️ A Student Autobiography Example

An autobiography is the story of your own life. Even if you think you don’t have much to include in your memoir, you can still make it quite interesting.

Bill Gates claims that he always tries to find a lazy person to do a difficult job. Why? Because a lazy person will look for an easy way to do it! That’s why we found a lazy but smart student to write a short autobiography example, and now we’ll share the easiest ways to do it with you. Feel free to use it as an autobiography example outline.

Below is a student autobiography sample with subheadings. Remember: it doesn’t have to be exactly as shown in the examples. They’re rather to show you the right path to be moving towards. Also, if something in your writing needs fixing, don’t hesitate to use a phrase reworder.

My Childhood

Not sure how to make an autobiography introduction? Why not start from the very beginning? Writing about your early years is the easiest and most logical start for an autobiography.

Who I Am

In the next part of your autobiographical essay, describe yourself in a few words. It does not necessarily need to be too creative. You can take a short learning style quiz and put the information you’ll find out into your autobiography. It will be quite a unique addition. And don’t forget to make a smooth transition from the previous part!

My Goals

An old saying goes, “A life with a goal is a life that is whole.” Be positive and show everyone that your life is whole.

My Ups and Downs

This part aims to show that you are capable of analyzing your experiences and learning valuable lessons.

Autobiography Conclusion

In this part of your autobiographical essay, you want to establish the main lesson to take away from your story. In other words, what’s remarkable about your story?

Would you call this student an inspirational leader like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, Jr.? In all honesty, no. He may be an interesting and nice person, but he hasn’t left such a mark on history as some other people have—at least not yet.

But can you learn something from his story? Most definitely.

📚 More Autobiography Samples

The autobiography example above is suitable for both college and high school students.

In case you still lack the inspiration to write your memoir, you can always come to our experts, who will help you structure and write your narrative. Alternatively, you can find some more interesting examples of an autobiography at Phoenix.edu and at Southwestern College website.

And in case you’re still wondering how to write an autobiography, just keep reading!

Autobiography Essay Topics

1. Personal experience adopting a cat from Humane Society.
2. My first travel to Dresden.
3. Describe your personal leadership experience.
4. Discuss your experience of resolving a problem in your neighborhood.
5. How Italian culture influenced my life.
6. How refraining from coffee for two weeks changed my everyday life.
7. Tell how you implement the concept of life-wide learning in your life.
8. Why I decided to take up wrestling and how it changed my life.
9. Narrate your personal experience of a healthy lifestyle.
10. My first memories of riding a bicycle.
11. How the quarantine time helped me to focus and myself and grow.
12. My health vision and strategy to improve health behavior.
13. Discuss how a psychology course changed your vision of the world.
14. How parenting style affected my childhood.
15. Personal experience of working with self-initiated expatriates.
16. My first day at college.
17. Why I love poetry.
18. Describe your experience in Shotokan Karate and your favorite technique.
19. The role non-verbal communication plays in my everyday life.
20. Lessons I learned from my first semester.
21. My reminiscence of the tragedy on September 11th.
22. Give details about a childhood experience that changed your life.
23. My understanding of the concept home.
24. Personal experience of mysophobia and the lessons I’ve learned.
25. Represent your favorite meeting place.
26. A defining event from my childhood.
27. Describe your experience of relocation to another country.
28. Why I started practicing art and dance movement therapy.
29. The impact mindfulness practicing had on my life.
30. My experience of winning the fight by losing it.
31. Why people like having lunch at a restaurant: my experience.
32. Describe the last conflict, its reasons, and how you resolved it.
33. Tell about your dream car.
34. Starting college as a major life event.
35. Describe your dream home.
36. My experience as a manager in an organization.
37. Narrate how peculiarities of your culture influence your behavior.
38. Tell about the significant event that influenced your life.
39. Personal experience of challenging gender norms.
40. Discuss your personal relationship with alcohol abuse.
41. Represent your plans and career goals.
42. Describe a high school experience that influenced your personality.
43. How I managed to apply international marketing courses in daily life.
44. Write about the teachers who made a difference in your life.
45. Experience of working as a head nurse.
46. My history of important habit development.
47. Discuss the challenges in friendship you’ve experienced and how you managed to cope with them.
48. Significance of music in my life.
49. Describe what you are responsible for in your life.
50. Give details about the most memorable holiday you had in your childhood.

😕 How to Start an Autobiography

What does every autobiography include? A theme. Essentially, the theme is the main “lesson” from the autobiography—the critical point that all of your life events come together to demonstrate.

How do you go about creating a theme?

You can do it by:

• Discussing a string of events or one event in particular (or even just one day in your life)
• Introducing a role model or an authority figure
• Talking about your childhood dreams and memories

To make the task easier for you, we’ve put together a list of prompts you can use to signal your theme to the reader.

Simply complete these phrases, develop the ideas, and add specific details to your student autobiography examples and ta-da! Your A-level autobiography is ready!

A Student’s Autobiography: Starting Phrases

Use one of these phrases as the first sentence of your autobiography:

Feel free to use this example of an autobiography for students and follow the simple steps described above to complete an A-level memoir with ease.

✏️ Student Autobiography FAQ

🔗 References

1. What Is an Autobiography? ThoughtCo
2. Beginning the Academic Essay: Harvard College Writing Center
3. What Are the Differences Between an Autobiographical Narrative & a Biography? Seattle PI
4. 500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing: The New York Times
5. Autobiography: Merced College