Reflection essay assignments are unavoidable in any college program. Some hate writing this type of papers while others truly enjoy the process. It depends on how much you like talking about yourself, because, in simple words, a reflective paper is an analysis of your experience and personality. So, let’s use this time wisely and learn why reflective writing is important, where to get inspiration for a great topic, and how to outline your paper like a pro.
What is Good about Writing Reflective Papers?
A rare student does not ask questions like “Why am I supposed to do this assignment?”, “How can I apply the skills acquired in college in real life?”, etc. We hope our explanation will give you the answers and provide you with motivation for writing a reflective essay.
First of all, this particular type of essay forces you to explore yourself. Let's be honest, we seldom sit and analyze events we take part in, our mistakes, and our behavior. Our merits and flaws remain a mystery to us. A reflective paper is a great exercise to learn to understand yourself better.
Secondly, you polish your reflective writing skills when composing an admission essay. It is vital when you apply for a scholarship, graduate program, or a course abroad. An application essay or a personal statement is usually a reflective paper that lets the admission board learn more about your personality.
Finally, you will not be confused in a job interview, when a recruiter asks you to tell about yourself. If you can analyze your traits in an essay, you will have much more confidence talking in front of an HR manager.
Choosing a Reflective Paper Topic
There are so many aspects of a person’s life to discuss that it is easy to spend hours picking a single area. We are sure you will choose the most interesting and engaging one to cover from our list of brilliant topics.
Creating an Outline For a Reflective Essay
The key to success in reflective essay writing is to keep the focus of the paper on your own experience, achievements, or feelings. You are not supposed to generalize ideas or prove arguments. Reflective writing is the most subjective type of college papers. That's why you are free to use the first person pronoun “I”. Now, enough with the general advice, let's move on to the parts of your essay.
The reflective essay introduction has a well-known structure. Formulate a thesis statement that covers the main idea of your essay. Grab your reader’s attention with an intriguing statement, joke, or a shocking fact. Link them together, add some details, and your introduction is ready.
The main body paragraphs can be structured in a chronological order if you want to tell about a past event. Description of your experience should be supported with your personal analysis and conclusions.
However, if you present a character trait, your achievements or failures, concentrate on the analysis. You can compare your point of view to popular stereotypes to highlight your unique approach to ordinary things. You can also explain why you think this particular character trait or achievement is so important to your personal and academic success. It is also interesting when you provide some examples of consequences caused by your decisions or actions.
The final paragraph should contain the main conclusion that supports your thesis statement and ties the whole paper together. You can rephrase the main idea, but do not copy it verbatim from the introduction.
As you can see from our article, a reflective essay is one of the most pleasant academic assignments. Your main task is to think, write, and talk about yourself. So do not waste your time: pick the topic, follow our recommendations, and you will get yourself a perfect essay!