A personal story (also called a personal narrative or reflection) is often the first assignment given by a professor. Prompts for personal stories often look like: "what kind of learner are you?" or "write about a time you overcame a significant obstacle." Although the prompt you are given may be different, all personal stories give your professor a chance to learn more about you and your writing style.

A personal story practices your communication and reflection skills. 

Personal stories can seem easy - nobody knows you better than you do! But, sometimes students get stuck thinking that they're just not that interesting, or that their experiences aren't relevant to the prompt. 

Professors aren't worried about proper structure and grammar just yet - they want you to introduce them to your voice. 

Tips for getting started: 

• Free write - don't let yourself erase anything until you've written a certain amount. This can help stretch your writing muscles out and get those creative ideas flow!
• Talk it out - if you find that you're a better talker than writer, practice talking through your prompt with a friend. As you talk, take notes when you say something important or voice an idea really clearly. You can use these as building blocks for your paper later!
• Check out the resources on the Reflection page of this guide - these can give you a great starting point if you're still unsure of where to begin!

Personal stories and reflections are still academic assignments, and should be formatted according to MLA, APA, or Chicago/Turabian style - unless otherwise stated by your professor. Check with your professor to determine which style you should use for their course. You can use the handouts below to set up a student paper in each of these styles.

Keep in mind that you may not need to cite any sources. In this case, you can skip the References / Works Cited section!