autobiographical Essay Examples

An Easy Guide on How to Begin a Student Autobiography with Samples

Are you contemplating writing a memoir but are baffled by the whole procedure?

You might be thinking to yourself: I’m not as successful as Bill Gates or as interesting as Mother Theresa – what in the world would I write about in my memoir? I’m not even sure how I would begin the writing process, let alone complete an entire autobiography.

You can stop stressing out about it now:

• Here you will learn how exciting and simple it is to write an autobiography with easy to follow steps and examples specifically made for students like yourself.
• It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or famous because everybody is special and unique in their own way and has a story and experiences that are worth sharing with others. You may be surprised to find out how many people not only find your story interesting, but can also relate to the experiences you share. Who knows, you may even help, encourage or even change another person’s life for the better.
• So, let's see what need to know to start your very own autobiography with the easy to follow tips and examples that are provided below. Now let's get started.

Lazy Student Example

First, keep in mind that an autobiography is a story of the events and experiences of your own life. Although you may feel that you don’t have much to offer for whatever reason, you’ll see that making your memoir interesting is much easier than you think.

According to billionaire business magnate, philanthropist and humanitarian Bill Gates, he always designated the most difficult jobs to a lazy but smart person. You may be thinking this is odd and wondering why he would do this. He’s found that a lazy person will try to find the easiest way to do the task!

We’ve decided to follow Mr. Gate’s example and found someone to create the easiest way to write an autobiography by providing simple tips and short examples. Now we are going to share this information with you, which you can use as an example outline for your autobiography!

Here are some tips along with a student autobiography sample and subheadings:

The Beginning

A lot of people have a great idea for a story and then end up getting stuck with the introduction. An autobiography introduction can be just as difficult.

A great way to start your memoir would be from the beginning. Given that this is a story of your life, it only makes sense to write about the start of your life.

My mother tells me there was a terrible thunderstorm the night I was born. It was on October 30, in Detroit, Michigan. She says I was a happy child and was always infatuated with all things scary. Maybe because Halloween was so close to my birthday and I always associated it with festiveness and joy. When all other kids were watching cartoons, I would sneak and watch the old horror movies like Dracula and Frankenstein. I never wanted a mask for Halloween because I always wanted to do the makeup and create my own monster. I got so good that other kids in the neighborhood wanted me to do their Halloween makeup as well.

Who am I?

Using a few words, tell the reader who you are. Don’t worry about being too creative as long you’re clear and understandable. It’s also very important that you make a smooth transition from the beginning of your memoir to keep the reader's interest. A sudden time jump or change of pace can be confusing and off-putting.

My passion for movies and the special effects grew, and I became a fixture in our high school's theater production team. I was in charge of makeup and special effects and worked hard on every production. My greatest high school achievement is the work I did on Phantom of the Opera my senior year. It was a lot of work, but nothing made me feel better than seeing the end result. It was then that I knew for sure what I wanted to do with my life. I moved to California to pursue my dream and got into the Academy of Art University!

Life Goals

World-renowned life coach, Tony Robbins says, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” Tell what you want to do with your life and show a positive attitude so your readers can better relate to you.

I know that if I continue to study and pour my heart and soul into my labor, one day I will work on the makeup and special effects department in top Hollywood movies. I go to workshops and volunteer on movie sets during my free time to get as much knowledge and experience of the business as possible.

Highs and Lows

Explain the difficulties that you face and what you’ve learned from them. It’s important to show the readers how your experiences have changed you and helped you grow.

I understand that I work in a cut-throat field and only the most driven survive. Yes, it takes a lot of gut and talent to work in Hollywood, but there are people with talent working for the same goals. I always apply for a lot of internships over the summer because I know how hard it is to get one. And if I am lucky enough to get more than one acceptance, then I at least have a choice of which one I learn more from!

Conclusion

Here is the part of your memoir where you write about the main life lesson that you've learned. For example, what can the reader take away from your story?

I have come to learn that talent alone won't make you successful in achieving your goals. It takes lots of hard work, time and sacrifice. You have to be ready to hear a lot of no's without letting it affect your drive. If you can't keep yourself motivated, it will be almost impossible to achieve your goals.

Just as important is learning from your mistakes. If you don’t take an unbiased look at yourself, you will never be able to improve. Once you’re able to see where and how you messed up, you will be able to prevent future mistakes and get that much better at your craft.

Although this may not be as exciting as starting a billion dollar business from your mother’s garage, this is still a story of ambition and triumph. This person’s actions may not have made much of an impact on the world overall, but he is relatable to others who are working towards life goals.

The important thing is that you've created a story that not only tells the reader about yourself but also teaches a valuable lesson.

Writing for High School and College

The great thing about this autobiography outline is that you can use it whether you’re in high school or college.

If you are still having problems getting inspired to write your autobiography, you can visit our site and get more easy to follow tips and samples to help you along the way.

If you’re confused about how to go about writing your autobiography, we have included some extra tips!

A Student’s Autobiography Template

What do all autobiographies have in common? A specific theme.

The theme is a message or a lesson that your memoir is supposed to provide to the reader. It's what all the events in your story lead up to.

How do you come up with a theme for your autobiography?

Here are some ways to go about it: You can do it by writing about one specific event (or even one day) in your life. You can write about a chain of events. You can write about a certain childhood memory or dream. Or you can write about someone who had a major impact in your life.

We've taken steps to make this process even easier for you by including a list of prompts that you can use to lead the reader to the theme of our story.

By completing these phrases and adding your own individual details and ideas, your student autobiography will be ready in no time!

Phrases to Begin your Autobiography

1. I was born on:
2. I was always a (happy, excited, active, quiet, etc.) child.
3. I used to always dream about:
4. The first thing I remember is:
5. I am very thankful for my (teacher, parents, etc.) because:
6. I’ve always looked up to:
7. I’ve always wanted to:
8. I will never forget the day that:
9. If I could do anything I wanted, I would:
10. I’ve always believed that:
11. I've always been passionate about
12. The thing that I loved most as a child was:
13. My life’s motto has always been:
14. My favorite (actor, book, show, etc.) is:
15. The one event that made me who I am today is:
16. Growing up, I’ve always wanted to be :
17. The one picture that I will never forget:
18. The one thing that I’ve always known is that: