Answer:
First, don't worry about having "boring" life experiences. Most 20 year-old people haven't experienced anything worth discussing, so you're not alone. The problem you're facing is not your experiences, it's your attitude toward your experiences.
Secondly, before getting into the incredibly long answer that I've written below (because I'm passionate about writing of this nature, and I used to think the same way when the topic of personal experience arose)... I suggest not getting too caught up in the rubric before you begin writing. Worry about "hooking" your audience after you've decided on a topic, and written the majority of your essay. A story's broader purpose often reveals itself as you write its details. You'll find the right structure as you edit the essay. Make sure you write several drafts. If you procrastinate, make sure you leave leave at least enough time to walk away from the paper a few times for an hour or so. After leaving the writing, re-read what you've wrote, and then rewrite and reorder sentences and paragraphs. I hate editing more than I can explain, but it's where great writing gets made. I promise you that you've never written something great if you haven't edited it dozens of times. I used to think I had, and then I saw what I could do when I really gave it effort.
I once wrote a personal narrative on winning a video game tournament at some local game store in a 100 level writing class. In it, I discussed my thought process and strategy that led to the store crowning me champion. In a 300 level class, I wrote about (what was at the time) a recent accidental overdose on a highly toxic chemical. In that writing, I detailed the method of actions that made the chemical ideal to suit my needs. That information was vital for readers to understand the story, and it consumed a good amount of page space.
What's your biggest accomplishment, or your biggest regret? If I were writing about my biggest regret, I'd likely choose the time that my brother rode his new bike to go see our grandparents, who lived just a few miles away. Prior to leaving, he asked me if I wanted to go along, but I chose, instead, to go to a friend's house and play video games. Had I known that my grandma would die within a year, I would have gone with him, and to this day, some fifteen to twenty years later, that decision haunts me. That's the entirety of the story: my brother asked me if I wanted to ride my bike with him to my grandparents; I said no; my grandma died within a year, and I have felt terrible about that decision since. That's not going to fulfill the page requirements, though, so I have to think about other things. I would discuss the disease that so rapidly deteriorated her mind and body. I would expound on the gut-wrenching guilt I feel to this day, the guilt that lumps my throat and swells my eyes, and makes me wish so badly that I could go back in time, even if only for an hour. I would explain how that has since impacted my life, the ways it changed my perception about family and loved ones. I would talk about how I feel toward our propensity to seek out "fun" and live in the moment, and how deleterious that can sometimes be. It's a very simple story, but I could probably write a book on it.
Explanation:
