reflective essay examples for college

It may be hard to write a type of essay for the first time. If this is your first time to write a personal reflective essay, you can refer to the reflection essay example below. I Survived a Writing Class Writing is one of the things I used to hate the most. I hate it when teachers would ask us to pass an essay. I hate it when I have to compete in writing contests because teachers asked me to. Nevertheless, winning in those contests boosted my self confidence. I thought I hate writing but I am good at it so I started to like it a bit. Things changed when I had two writing classes in college. I realized I was not good in writing. The first writing class I had to attend in college was all about writing different types of essay. The teacher would group us into four or five. We would read each other’s essay and give comments afterwards. I was confident with my first essay but the people in my group are great critics. My confidence started to melt like an ice cream in a summer day. However, the grades given by our teacher for those essays saved some of the ice cream. I, nonetheless, enjoyed most days in that writing class except the part where I have to sit with the group. I realized that I, including my confidence, should not be affected by criticisms especially not by comments from fellow students who were there to learn just like me. I passed the first writing class so I am confident for the second. The papers are a lot harder to write. We had to write four papers within the semester and a final paper before it ends. I am excited, curious and nervous at the same time when it is time to check the grades but those feelings would be quickly altered by disappointment. I got failing grades on all four papers but I thought this should not affect my confidence. Before writing the final paper, I went through all those four papers and looked where I went wrong. Keeping the.
Part 1 of 3: Brainstorming Identify the main themes.[1] In your notes, summarize the experience, reading, or lesson in one to three sentences. These sentences should be both descriptive yet straight to the point. Jot down material that stands out in your mind. Determine why that material stands out and make another note of what you figure out. For lectures or readings, you can jot down specific quotations or summarize passages. For experiences, make a note of specific portions of your experience. You could even write a small summary or story of an event that happened during the experience that stands out. Images, sounds, or other sensory portions of your experience work, as well. Chart things out.[2] You may find it helpful to create a chart or table to keep track of your ideas. In the first column, list the main points or key experiences. These points can include anything that the author or speaker treated with importance as well as any specific details you found to be important. Divide each point into its own separate row. In the second column, list your personal response to the points you brought up in the first column. Mention how your subjective values, experiences, and beliefs influence your response. In the third and final column, describe how much of your personal response to share in your reflection paper. Ask yourself questions to guide your response. If you are struggling to gauge your own feelings or pinpoint your own response, try asking yourself questions about the experience or reading and how it relates to you. Sample questions might include:[3] Does the reading, lecture, or experience challenge you socially, culturally, emotionally, or theologically? If so, where and how? Why does it bother you or catch your attention? Has the reading, lecture, or experience changed your way of thinking? Did it conflict with beliefs you held previously, and what.
Reflective Essay Length: 1375 words (3.9 double-spaced pages) Rating: Red (FREE)   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Initial Reflective Essay When I first thought of what I wanted to do with my life after college, the first thing I thought of was helping people. The next step in deciding what I wanted to do with my life was to exam how I could accomplish this goal. I started pondering and I was thinking about how much I love to take care of my body. Health care and personal hygiene has always been an important factor in my life. So I decided to major in Health Science. With this major, I will be able to further my education in ways to be healthy and possibly learn how to help others. I decided that being a health physician or nutritionist was something that I was really interested in. This is where communication studies came in. I figured that if I minor in communication studies, I could improve my oral and written communication to better help in my future of nutrition. Communication studies was a good pick for me because, although there is always room for improvement, I can still garnish some more knowledge and information to better improve my oral skills. My personality will really fit into the communication department. I have been told about how fun the communication department can be, and how outgoing people are in the department. I initially liked this a lot because I am very outgoing myself and love to talk to people. I feel that I can be able to exhibit concise messages to people, clearly and efficiently. Communication is defined in the book as a systematic process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meaning. (Wood, p.9). The definition can be broken down into four separate parts and they are as follows: process, systematic, symbols, and meaning. Process means that communication is.
  Below we offer two examples of thoughtful reflective essays that effectively and substantively capture the author's growth over time at CSUCI. We suggest that you write your own essay before reading either of these models-then, having completed your first draft, read these over to consider areas in your own background that you have not yet addressed and which may be relevant to your growth as a reader, writer, or thinker. Any reference to either of these essays must be correctly cited and attributed; failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and will result in a failing grade on the portfolio and possible other serious consequences as stated in the CSUCI Code of Conduct. Sample Reflective Essay 1 Author: Prefers to remain anonymous As an English major I have learned to appreciate the peaceful, yet exhilarating moment when my mind engages with an author's thoughts on a page. As Toni Morrison says in The Dancing Mind , [reading is] to experience one's own mind dancing with another's. In my early days as a college student, I wanted to know the true meaning of a work or what the author intended, however, I have now realized this would void literature of its most noteworthy complexities. Individual interpretations bring varied insights to a work and it is also interesting to point out messages the author may not have realized s/he included in the piece. I have always been a thinker, but throughout my coursework, I have greatly sharpened my critical analysis skills. Instead of focusing on proposed meanings or biographical background, I have learned to continuously ask why on many different levels. I challenge myself to dig into a text as deeply as possible and unpack every detail to develop a satisfying close read. Also, by reading multiple novels by the same author I have learned to identify different writing styles and make connections that weave texts together; this.
Skip to main content. Search for. Synonym Antonyms Definitions The Classroom » School Subjects » What Is a Good Way to Start Writing a Reflective Essay? by Kori Morgan, Demand Media Writing an account of your experience can stimulate ideas for your reflective essay. Related Articles How to Write a Self-Reflective Essay Keys to Writing a Good Persuasive Essay How to Make a Timeline for an Essay How to Write an Analytical Research Essay Whether writing about a group project or a significant personal event, a reflective essay lets you present an overview of a personal experience and its impact on you. Beginning a paper that requires evaluation of your own work and behavior, though, can be challenging. You can get started on a reflective assignment by understanding the specific assignment requirements and using brainstorming activities to compile evidence of your growth and change. Understand the Requirements Before you start writing, read through the assignment sheet several times, taking special note of the essay prompt and what kind of experience you're asked to discuss. For example, you may be asked to reflect on the development of an essay in English class, or to describe a personal challenge for a scholarship or college application. Careful focus on the prompt will be critical to your essay's success. Pay attention to the length requirement as well; a reflective essay will typically be two to three pages and therefore require a summary of events rather than a descriptive, lengthy narrative. Write an Event Log The University of Reading's online study advice department suggests writing an objective log of the experience you're focusing on. This means recording a description of events without inserting any personal judgments or emotional language. You can then use the log to note how the experience changed your thought process or behavior. For example, you may be.