300+ Personal narrative ideas by EduBirdie experts + Bonus Tips

What is a narrative essay? 

A narrative essay is a story being told from the author’s perspective. It is mostly a personal experience. When you look at narrative essay topics for college, you can choose anything from your time growing up to a visit that you paid to the local museum or an arts exhibition. The main aspects that will help you write lie in improving writing skills, self-reflection, and storytelling abilities. 

The purpose of narrative essay writing 

When you are told to write a narrative essay, the most important thing is to tell a story and share your personal experience. Therefore, some good topics for narrative essays come from your life or things you have been through. You must teach a lesson and bring out some morals. It is also possible to think of both fiction and non-fiction ideas. Take a look at the narrative essay topics we have for you below.

Read also: The 125 Descriptive Essay Topics: The Easiest Way to Create a Descriptive Essay

300 inspiring narrative essay topics

Our experts at EduBirdie have gathered some amazing personal narrative stories ideas that everyone can find useful. You can check through the categories first to narrow things down. If you are unsure about something, it is always possible to change the wording of your topics for a personal narrative.

Personal growth and self-reflection essay topics for college

When you are looking for narrative essay topics that tell of your personal growth, take a look at these good narrative topics that could inspire you:

1. English course and personal life achievements.
2. Outdoor education and positive learning experiences.
3. Overcoming the fear of making friends at college.
4. My yoga lessons experience and personal growth.
5. My first experience as a babysitter.
6. My experience of living life in a single-family home.
7. Winning a fight with the college professor.
8. Thoughts on studying at a Christian college.
9. A life goal I achieved despite the odds.
10. The most influential person who changed my life.
11. Difficult academic decisions I had to make.
12. My first time giving a public speech.
13. A moment when I finally felt proud.
14. The day when I finally overcame the fear of exams.
15. A time when I stood up against college bullies.
16. Social media success and honesty.
17. My transition from high school to college.
18. A moral dilemma of leaving your comfort zone.
19. The use of AI to change my learning methods.
20. My journey of learning how to achieve success.

Life-changing events essay ideas

Some of the most interesting narrative essay topics relate to experiences that speak of the most important bits of life. If you need relevant narrative essay topic examples, have a look at the following narrative essay titles:

1. Moving to Europe from the United States experience.
2. The loss of my best childhood friend and life after that.
3. The life of a refugee in Gaza.
4. My experience volunteering for autistic children.
5. Going through parenthood at college.
6. Going to the army as a shy person.
7. Getting into a driving accident experience.
8. The day I became an older sibling.
9. The visit to the police that changed my life.
10. Surviving the street attack.
11. The storming of the Capitol was a shocking experience.
12. Going through the racial experience.
13. Covid-19 vaccination challenges.
14. Living life and Barack Obama.
15. The first time that I voted for the president.
16. The most frightening experience in a ghost house.
17. The war in Iraq and personal experience with the refugees.
18. Surviving Florida’s natural disasters.
19. My first Communion experience.
20. The first day at my new job.

Tip: After choosing a topic, take time to review an outline for narrative essay to organize your ideas and structure your story.

Cultural and societal narratives topics

A narrative essay can also deal with various cultural personal experiences. If you have visited a Buddhist temple or spent a day with an interesting person, you can turn it into a good narration. You can even create a funny narrative essay if you have learned something in a light-hearted way. Take a look at these personal narrative essay topics based on culture:

1. The cultural heritage of Native American Indians.
2. Life in the digital age and our identity challenges.
3. Living in Los Angeles and the cultural influences.
4. Cultural initiatives in my school.
5. Individual growth and life in a multi-cultural neighborhood.
6. The most interesting things I’ve learned about Islam.
7. The Trail of Tears reflection.
8. My day with the Amish people.
9. Growing up in a Jewish family.
10. Visiting Italy for the first time.
11. My experience with foreign students.
12. My first visit to Chinatown.
13. Spending a day working at the Turkish café.
14. The art of belly dancing.
15. St. Patrick’s Day celebration in my hometown.
16. Life in rural Australia experience.
17. The cultural side of a hipster’s life.
18. Heavy metal communities in the United States.
19. My life as a cowboy.
20. The beautiful side of country music.

Historical reflections for the best narrative essay

Certain narrative stories ideas can go back in history. It means your essay ideas can relate to old news reports that have made an impression on you, or talk about personal experiences of natural disasters. Here are some narrative essay topic ideas to start with:

1. Living life through the Barack Obama presidency.
2. Surviving Hurricane Katrina.
3. Post-COVID-19 life in the United States.
4. Iraq invasion and personal experience of being a middle school student.
5. Industrial crash of life in Detroit.
6. The emergence of artificial intelligence in my school.
7. The narrative essay on cryptocurrencies.
8. My experience of vaccination.
9. A series of tornadoes in the American South.
10. Space Shuttle Atlantis and my childhood memory.
11. The personality of Edward Snowden.
12. Wildfires in Colorado.
13. U.S. Presidential election and my school life.
14. First presidency of Donald Trump.
15. The Black Lives Matter experience.
16. My experience of studying North Korea.
17. The government shutdown and my experience.
18. Mike Pence and flying to the moon.
19. Mexico and the United States border wall thoughts.
20. A narrative essay on the Wall Street Crash.

Fictionalized personal experiences essay writing

Sometimes, your personal narrative essay ideas can be based on imagination. You can start with funny narrative essay topics by letting your imagination run freely. If you are one of the college students wishing to have some fun, start with these narrative essay topics:

1. What would it be like to travel to the Victorian era?
2. Living life as a girl in the 18th century.
3. An Indiana Jones story that I could write.
4. Narnia Chronicles and the lessons modern children can learn.
5. Androids surround the future of human life.
6. The possibility of life in Atlantis.
7. The fictional book hero that I would like to meet.
8. Life in Ancient Egypt.
9. Falling in love with a person from history.
10. What would a modern Sherlock Holmes be like?
11. Superman and real-life heroes.
12. The challenges of aliens on Earth.
13. The pros of believing in the UFO.
14. NASA and Hangar 51.
15. If our pets could talk…
16. A narrative essay on space travel.
17. The symbolism in the Star Trek TV series.
18. Thor and Nordic mythology.
19. The Simpson character I would be.
20. The history of the Smurfs.

Travel and adventure narrative experience

If you have been abroad, your narrative writing can tell a story about it. Start with the personal stories of your travel experience by developing a strong thesis. Your narrative essay ideas can talk about certain differences. Some of the best narrative essay topics can tell a story about something that shocked you or a memorable encounter. Here are some personal narrative examples topics to assist your writing process:

1. Cultural immersion of Asian people in Canada.
2. The cruise ship adventure in the Caribbean.
3. Personal growth and virtual traveling.
4. Travel in the local neighborhood.
5. My visit to Japan and the tea ceremony.
6. My first visit to Turkey.
7. Mexican culture.
8. Cowboys travel places.
9. Nashville and country music travel.
10. The best places for jazz travel.
11. My experience of visiting South America.
12. Machu Picchu travel experience.
13. My first visit to Spain.
14. The cultural aspect of virtual travel.
15. The travel experience to a hockey match.
16. My life as a rock band roadie.
17. The tour of a musician’s life.
18. Troubadours in Europe.
19. The folk life of Bob Dylan.
20. The travels of tennis players.

The best narrative essay topics for relationships and influence

Let’s take a look at another side of narrative writing. This time, we shall explore narrative writing topics that tell personal stories. Some of the best narrative essay ideas can be based on relationships and tell of a life-changing encounter, a romantic relationship, or an unlikely friendship. Have a look at the best ideas for a personal narrative:

1. Family relationships in Belgian households.
2. Friendships in the Amish communities.
3. Mentorship and the scouting camps for boys.
4. Rugby and personal growth.
5. Social media influencers and human identity.
6. The traditions of children in Iceland.
7. My experience of falling in love with a foreigner.
8. The pain of long-distance love.
9. The pros and cons of virtual dating.
10. Mentorship for people with PTSD.
11. My experience of working with the army veterans.
12. Student volunteering at summer camps.
13. Traditional Turkish wedding.
14. The cultural traits in my hometown.
15. Sharing the college campus with a person belonging to an Asian culture.
16. The cultural shock of my life.
17. The hippie culture and the concept of joy.
18. The Instagram culture.
19. Analysis of a day with the middle schoolers.
20. A narrative essay on rural life culture.

Education and learning ideas for college students

To approach literacy narrative essay topics, you should look at high-quality academic writing. Such narrative essay ideas will fit well for college and school students or learners who belong to high school or those who pursue college education. If you seek personal narrative essay topics, these will fit you well:

1. My experience of learning abroad.
2. Autism and learning online.
3. ADHD and the group projects in my school.
4. Overcoming the challenges of college life with dyslexia.
5. Waldorf school and my experience growing up.
6. Spending a day with Montessori students.
7. Online learning and Physics.
8. The challenges of studying history with AI.
9. I found out about the dangers of ChatGPT.
10. My shadowing experience in primary school.
11. Overcoming bullies in school.
12. The experience of being a nerd in school.
13. The school trends that I dislike.
14. The first time that I fell in love with a teacher.
15. The lessons I learned from my teacher.
16. My vision of a perfect teacher.
17. The most difficult essay that I ever wrote.
18. My experience of doing homework while listening to music.
19. School in the time of my grandparents.
20. The importance of books in print.

Read also: 150 Exemplification Topics for Students

Challenges and resilience topics for narrative essays

Some college students may choose a compelling narrative based on essay topics that overcome a difficulty. This is where personal narrative topics tell your target audience about your writing journey that helped you learn a lesson. You can talk about a pivotal moment and start writing right there. Have a look at some of the best narrative essay topics:

1. My experience of fighting the fear of heights.
2. Adapting to living away from my parents.
3. The challenge of studying in college with a disability.
4. Overcoming sadness and depression from a broken heart.
5. Living life in Los Angeles after the fires.
6. The resistance to racism in my hometown.
7. The overcoming of a loss in the family.
8. The mending of a broken heart experience.
9. Life when your pet goes to Heaven.
10. Overcoming procrastination experience.
11. The fear of the dark childhood experience.
12. Overcoming addiction experience as a personal narrative topic.
13. Buddhism and the culture of peace.
14. Spiritual experience with Taoism.
15. Emotional freedom is found in music.
16. Creative flow and the power of meditation.
17. Stimulation of creativity with the help of sports.
18. Overcoming social clichés with the help of reading.
19. The pros and cons of coffee culture.
20. My experience of overcoming laziness.

Childhood and formative years: funny narrative essay topics

A personal experience narrative can go back to your childhood memories. You can talk about self-discovery as a child or shape the best narrative over your early experiences with family members. You can even tell a moral story of an embarrassing moment. Have a look at these literacy narrative topics to start with:

1. My first favorite food experience is memory.
2. The first time I learned to care for my dog.
3. My Grandfather and the stories I have learned.
4. The memory of piano lessons.
5. The first time that I learned how to swim.
6. My first childhood fight.
7. The most unusual childhood story I’ve heard.
8. Childhood dreams that became reality.
9. My childhood perception of love.
10. The profession I wished to have as a child.
11. The childhood secret that I can share.
12. Best childhood travel experience.
13. The most embarrassing childhood moment.
14. My first day at a new school.
15. My first childhood crush.
16. The childhood traditions of my parents.
17. The day that I felt like an adult.
18. The childhood day I wish to return to.
19. Grandmother’s story that I still remember.
20. Childhood perception of justice.

Cultural and societal experiences narrative list

Some narrative essay topics can be based on our society. This means that your essay topics can be based on talking about your best friend from a Muslim community, describing the most embarrassing moments, and discussing cultural differences. Have a look at these topics for narrative essays and choose your narrative writing ideas:

1. Cultural identity of Spanish communities in California.
2. Jewish traditions in the United States.
3. A cultural aspect of cyber gamers and related communities.
4. Traditions of the modern youth.
5. My experience of spending a day with the Amish people.
6. The social norms of Jewish people.
7. Visiting a mosque for the first time.
8. My identity and the roots of my family.
9. The digital identity online.
10. Leaving a lasting impression among the wealthy.
11. Fashion styles that I follow in college.
12. The wealth and poverty in clothes.
13. Wearing a hood is a social stigma.
14. The pros and cons of living in a multicultural society.
15. Globalism in my hometown.
16. My Irish roots and family background.
17. The traditions gained online.
18. Social stigma of autism.
19. The challenges of being an older student in college.
20. The homelessness problem in my hometown.

Community and belonging narrative story ideas

Even if you come from a foreign country, you may still have certain essay topics for college in your mind. It means university students can talk about the local clubs or base their essay writing on certain social circles. Have a look at these writing tips and narrative essay topics to start with:

1. Belonging to a hip-hop community.
2. The local traditions of the jazz club.
3. Personal development during an internship experience.
4. The challenges of keeping the bookshops alive.
5. My experience as a volunteer for PTSD patients.
6. Living life with parents.
7. The pros and cons of being a summer camp counselor.
8. The benefits of sports for the community.
9. Street football and a decrease in violence.
10. My experience of being in the youth gangs.
11. The trends used in online youth communities.
12. The communal showers experience.
13. The pros and cons of working with elderly people.
14. An experience of living on campus with a control freak.
15. Assisting a friend with PTSD.
16. Living with an autistic sibling.
17. The challenges of life with a chronic illness.
18. The popularity as a college learner.
19. Playing guitar and popularity matter.
20. Starting a business in college.

Technology and modern life narrative titles

If you are majoring in IT or wish to talk about narrative essay topics that relate to the future, these narrative essay ideas will be of help to you. Our essay experts have collected these EduBirdie topics to help you narrow things down a little bit.

1. The importance of technology in shaping our body image.
2. The use of machine learning in ER unit care.
3. Social media and the measure of success.
4. My experience of becoming a travel blogger.
5. The creation of a vocabulary of modern slang words online.
6. The day I met cyber criminals.
7. My social media page experience.
8. The negative side of online learning.
9. The use of robotics to complete Math homework.
10. My experience of learning during COVID-19.
11. The use of virtual reality to learn Geography.
12. My first day using the Internet.
13. Cyberbullies and the ways I combat them.
14. My experience of learning a foreign language online.
15. The fashion trends on Instagram.
16. The challenges of overcoming social media addiction.
17. Technology’s role in making friends.
18. My parents and the use of technology.
19. The most frequent Internet dangers I encounter.
20. The future of life with the use of AI.

Health and well-being narrative essay topics

Nursing students can choose the following narrative essay topics. You can talk about your personal story or talk about case studies that have impressed you. Start your narrative essay example with one of the following tips:

1. 1. My personal health journey through the lockdown.
2. 2. Obesity and the experience of meditation.
3. 3. Social media and mental health issues.
4. 4. The inner power and the martial arts.
5. 5. My experience of living with ADHD.
6. Unexpected act of kindness with the small patient.
7. Nursing experience internship in a new city.
8. The stress management of a nursing job.
9. The family tradition and rural healing.
10. The most memorable trip to learn about traditional healing.
11. A narrative essay on pain management in my life.
12. The celebrities and the charity campaigns I know.
13. Keanu Reeves and his work in healthcare narrative essay.
14. The importance of theory in nursing experience.
15. The burnout day that I’ve had at the hospital.
16. The example of my best friend that shaped my healthcare career.
17. Things that have made me become a surgeon.
18. Living life with a best friend who has mental health issues.
19. Addiction and the music of Alice in Chains.
20. Medicine access in India: personal experience.

Narrative topic ideas on hobbies

Here are literacy narrative essay topics based on things you may like to do. If you are unsure about how to turn your hobby into something interesting, these narrative essay topics will help you out:

1. A valuable lesson that I have learned by making doll dresses.
2. Turning point of playing basketball.
3. The most memorable event when playing live with my band.
4. My childhood teacher helped me write better.
5. Becoming a writer because of a favorite childhood book.
6. Playing golf in a foreign land.
7. Self-discovery and swimming lessons.
8. Our favorite family tradition is playing board games.
9. The most memorable moment by completing a picture.
10. Changing my own life with the help of digital arts.
11. The daunting task of learning how to pack presents.
12. The modeling as a childhood family tradition.
13. The art of origami that changed my life.
14. Creating landscapes over the fabric.
15. The art of building sand castles.
16. How being taught technology affected my ability to read better.
17. Go! as a game that helps to reduce stress.
18. Stamp collecting as my earliest memory.
19. Bird watching has taught me to notice every vivid detail.
20. Tennis as a way of life. 

Choose a good narrative essay topic tips

Some ideas for personal narratives become easier when you know the basic rules. Here are some tips to start with: 

Tip: Choose at least 40 best narrative essay topics that suit you best and then narrow things down! It will help you to see what works for you!

Get extra narrative essay prompts help!

If you are still feeling lost and do not know what to choose, you can buy narrative essay and ask our experts for assistance 24/7! We can help you out and guarantee timely help delivery. All our personal narrative ideas for students will be custom-tailored to your needs.

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