How to write a self reflection essay, paper examples

How to write a self reflection essay

A self-reflection paper writing assignment should not be confused with any sort of academic admission essay, which usually focuses on only one aspect relevant to the subject – typically your views or stance on something in particular.

In a self reflection essay assignment, you can discuss or examine as many aspects of the experience as you wish. Ideally you will be given a broad statement to start off with, and then use that as an outline for your own self-reflection topic sentence. This way it becomes apparent how much more freedom this essay has than an admission essay would typically have.

What is a self-reflection essay?

A self-reflection essay is a type of essay that requires a student to reflect on an experience and write about how it has changed them as a person. It is a very useful writing task because it gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a way that they can be rewarded for. It allows you to evaluate where you were at one point in life, and draw conclusions about who you are now.

The structure of a self reflection essay – outline format

Introduction: Explain what self reflection essay is is,give some tips of self reflection essay .

Essay body: Put your experiences into sentences from beginning to end,give more details if you had anything happened in your life that could be reflected back to the future .What have I gained? What have I lost? How does my present image differ from how I used to see myself in the past? How will I continue to grow in the future?

Reflection: In this section of a self reflection paper, ask yourself what you have learned from the experience. Be honest with your response and be confident that through this, you will grow as an individual.

Conclusion: In this section of your essay write a closing statement in which you summarize your experience. Refer back to the theme statement given at the beginning of the assignment, if desired. End by writing a sentence expressing how this topic has changed or influenced your life now or in the future. Conclude by thanking the reader for taking time out of their day to read about your thoughts and opinions on this particular subject matter. Sum up what you have said,give some last words and make a conclusion of your essay.

How to write a 5 paragraph self reflection essay with examples

In this section, we will use an example to learn how to write a self assessment reflective essay using an example of a 5 paragraph self reflection essay. This paper assumes the 5 paragraph essay outline we discussed earlier in our guide on how to write an essay for school.

Introduction: How to start a self reflection essay

A self-reflection paper introduction section of any type of personal essay should always include your theme statement first and foremost. This will be the topic sentence for your entire essay, and should represent the main idea behind why you chose to write this paper in particular.

Example: “I had a truly transformative experience when I…” or “Ever since my brother died three years ago, I have been wondering who I am without him.”

In addition to the essay topic statement, an introduction also needs a thesis statement that supports and explains the theme statement as well as gives specific examples of what kind of changes you can expect from reading about your experiences.

A good thesis statement for a self reflection essay, (like this one) will not only give an idea of where the rest of your essay will lead, but also introduce the readers to specific examples that you will be covering in the self-reflection paper.

Example: “In my experience as a good Samaritan to a woman stranded on a road late at night, I learned how precious life really is and how important it is to help others.”

Body paragraph #1 (exposition): -The body paragraphs are individual stories or experiences that support your theme statement. The first one should be written about an event that occurred before your true transformation took place.

For example, if you chose to write about how someone’s death affected you, then your first story might be about when they passed away and what happened prior to them dying. If you chose to write about a fight that you had with a family member, then your first story might be about how the argument went down and why it happened. Try to include as many descriptive details and examples from events as possible. Make sure to clearly identify these points in your paper so your readers don’t get confused.

Example: “We were so devastated by our lack of communication with our son while he was overseas fighting for our country that I was really losing my sense of self.”

Body paragraph #2 (conflict): -This paragraph should address the conflict or important event that led up to your transformation. It should talk about what happened after the situation described in body paragraph #1 occurred and what action/s you decided to take. Example: “I never thought that I could live without my brother, and just when I was about to lose myself completely in self pity one of the elders at church handed me her daughter’s baby and challenged me to raise it as my own.”

Body paragraph #3 (new understanding): -This is where you describe your new perspective or way of thinking. This should be included in any type of personal essay because it shows how much your life has changed from the experience you chose to write about. It also helps explain why you reacted so strongly to something that happened in the past if this topic falls under a common human struggle like death or loss or even a family conflict.

Example: “Instead of being bitter that I lost my big brother to the war, I realized just how blessed we really were for having him in our lives for as long as we did. It also made me realize that life is too short and precious to worry about silly old things like material possessions.”

Conclusion paragraphs: -This section should wrap up your essay on a strong note by re-stating your theme statement and reiterating why it is important to you. It can also be used as a way of tying everything together if it seems like some of the body paragraphs didn’t quite fit into the three categories (before, during and after).

Example of a self assessment reflective essay conclusion: “Although my brother’s tragic death was devastating to us at first, it helped all of us learn the importance of being grateful for the time we have with our loved ones. After my brother passed away I realized how incredibly precious life really is.”

Be sure to proofread and edit your paper before submitting it!! It’s always good manners to include a reference page so that your teacher can verify the sources used

Note: You must keep track of all sources used and cite them properly for academic writing assignments.

Self reflection essay examples

Before we can delve in various self reflection paper examples listed below, let us first review the content above in a few points for those still asking “how to do a self reflection essay” kind of questions.

A self reflection essay assignment is one of the most important part of coursework at the end of each term and examination in most schools.

A self reflection essay writing involves two steps: looking back into one’s own achievements, analyzing oneself to improve the next time; also should include some suggestions for future improvement.

It doesn’t need not be written in traditional academic writing style. It may take a form of “the diary of my achievement”, “my review” or what you have learnt from this term etc. as long as it clearly indicates your thinking process and improvement plan.

Let’s now look at various examples of self reflective essays:

Self Reflection Essay Example 1

Self Reflection Essay: How I have changed as a person during my stay at XXXX University?

This semester’s courses were very demanding and tough. There has been too much to learn, write, memorise and present. However, with the help of my colleagues and friends around me I was able to come through it all. I can say that that this semester’s work has caused me to develop in many ways. For example, before university life ,I had no idea what pressure is; how to manage my own time for learning-writing-presenting and so on…Now after several lessons learnt from school ,I would say yes, strong pressure does exist but it drives you forward! It also makes you appreciate how far you have progressed. It is a good thing to let me see my own weaknesses and strengths more clearly – it’s all about knowing how to use your time wisely: whether for studying or socializing.

Then there are things that I was always not worried about at the beginning but after some time with them ,they become the most important things in my life -I can’t do without them now- such as sleeping, drinking water ,and exercising.The problem time management is probably one of the main reasons why students fail their university exams and courses;today, I’m able to control my learning schedule better than before…..This reflection essay has helped me answer the question: “how do we change during our stay at university?.”

It is easy to see changes in other people but it’s hard to notice changes in oneself. However, I have changed dramatically this semester. I am much more tolerant of others and their opinions. My thoughts are a lot more open-minded than before. Bearing the test of different cultures and ways of thinking has broadened my outlook toward life greatly! The reflection essay on how I have changed during my stay at xxxx university reminds me that university is not only about studying but also making friends from all over the world. You can get to know their ideas and chill with them.

Example self reflection essay 2

How do you feel about your progress in school?

This term was a busy one for me. I encountered various tests and challenges. I am glad that I have managed to complete them all successfully! As a result, my knowledge has grown significantly. It is important for me to look back now on my progress in order to decide where I would like to go next. For example ,I can see that there are certain aspects of my abilities which need improvement, such as effective time management skills and how to handle pressure in a better way. On the other hand, it seems that some of my skills have improved greatly; for instance, communicating clearly with friends from different cultures or speaking more fluently after attending several language courses over the past few terms .

How have you developed during this term? During this term i had been faced with many challenges. However, I was able to overcome them due to my hard work and dedication. I have gained a lot of knowledge about the history of several countries in Asia . Furthermore, i am now better at communicating in different languages as well as being more independent of how to manage my time within certain deadlines. Personally, i think that reflection is an important thing for students to do because it allows us ,to look back on what we have achieved and how much we have improved by deciding where we would like to go next.

Example self reflection essay 3

Write a self reflection paper on “how has this term affected you?”

This semester course has taught me many things such as critical thinking skills, teamwork and cooperation. The feedback from this course is very valuable to me because I could check my own performance; and see that I still have some things to learn and improve. For example, during this term, it was the first time that I worked with people from different backgrounds. It was very interesting for me to get to know people from another country ,and also learnt more about their culture.

It was a good experience for me because although we had different cultural backgrounds there were no major problems in our group work . Our relationship became better than before which made our cooperation stronger. We would like to thank all lecturers who really helped us to develop so much!

Example self reflection paragraph sample – 100 words

This semester has been a busy one for both academically and socially .On the one hand, I have been an active member of a club called Xxxx. Although this hasn’t had any effect on my academic performance ,on the other hand it has benefited me in many ways .For example, in this semester I learnt to be confident and more open minded when dealing with people from different backgrounds .I also improved communication skills through interacting with people from various walks of life.

Example self reflection paper 5

This term was a busy one for me. I had to cope not only with regular study loads but also quite a few group projects! As a result, my knowledge has grown significantly and my empathy towards others has become stronger as well. For instance, all these challenges have made me more independent and confident in dealing with people from different backgrounds. In the future, I plan to spend more time on my studies ,and think about whether or not I should apply for a career in management consulting.

In addition, there are some things which require further development such as effective time management skills and how to handle pressure better . On the other hand, it seems that some of my skills have improved greatly; for instance, communicating clearly with friends from different cultures or speaking more fluently after attending several language courses over the past few terms/semesters.

Example self reflection essay 6

Throughout this term i have been faced with various challenges such as group projects and examinations as well as changing personalities in class . Also as a result of this , i have been able to improve on various aspects such as my ability to solve problems and work independently. I would also like to thank all the lecturers who really helped me develop these skills throughout this term. However, there are still some areas where i would like to see further improvement in my personality and academic performance especially with regards to time management and communication skills.

Example life self reflection essay 7

Throughout my life so far, i have gone through many changes both academically and socially. One semester which had a big impact on my career was [semester name]. In particular, it impacted me by allowing me to become more independent when dealing with people from different cultures. Now i am aware that there are many people from different backgrounds, who have a number of differences. However, these differences do not matter because if you take the time to understand them ,you will be able to communicate smoothly and effectively with others having different cultures and learn new things from them. This is how we can all improve ourselves and develop as individuals .I would like to thank my lecturers for their continuous support!

Example self reflection essay 9

As an individual who values individuality and independence ,i was interested in taking part in a seminar course that would improve student’s communication skills. The past few terms/semesters have been instrumental in my personal development both academically and socially . For instance, i used to be very shy before but now i am not afraid of giving speeches or presenting work in front of students. I also got to know more people from different backgrounds during the group presentations and debates. Therefore ,as a result of this semester, i had improved on beneficial attributes such as being more confident when speaking English . In addition, it was an opportunity for me to meet new people with similar interests since there were quite a lot of seminars organized by our lecturer [name].

In general ,i had benefited greatly from meeting different kinds of people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences which i had not had the opportunity to do so before. However, there are still some areas where i would like for further improvement especially with regards to time management in order to improve my grades even more!

Example self reflection essay 10

Over the past few terms/semesters ,i have learnt a lot about globalization as well as how it impacts us nationally and globally . More specifically, this semester has greatly impacted me by allowing me to understand what globalization is all about and how it has contributed positively towards helping people from different countries .There are many issues that are common among people living in developed nations such as high tech advances, large sized organizations or corporations, high speed internet connections, improving healthcare services, etc. However, globalization has both positive and negative impacts on us in the long run . On one hand, it allows for better distribution of resources and provides a platform where people can work together to solve global issues like poverty or environmental problems; on the other hand, it also leads to unemployment as well as growing disparity between different countries/nations .

As such ,the implications of globalization are huge and there is still much debate going on about how best to deal with the issue including whether we should slow down on globalization in order to prevent major problems such as pollution, war and extinction of species from happening.

In conclusion, globalization has impacted me strongly by allowing me to realize that i am more interconnected than ever before as everything we do nowadays is somehow connected to other people in different countries.

Other self reflection essay examples for students

A semester self assessment reflective essay example

This semester has greatly impacted me because it allowed me to understand better how globalization affects the world by having a closer look at USA and China . I was able to learn about their economies ,culture, politics and society as well as their education systems which are widely known for being very different from each other’s. For example ,even though both countries possess highly developed economies ,the way they achieve this is quite different due to cultural differences between them .For instance, whereas American citizens’ work ethic is often praised worldwide ,people in China might not have worked as hard since they tend to prefer having more leisure time instead .In addition, although there are many similarities in terms of their educational systems ,the USA’s education system is more oriented towards critical thinking whereas the Chinese would prefer rote memorization due to a difference in their culture and beliefs .In other words, i have learnt how different cultures lead to different core values which eventually shape people’s thoughts, beliefs and actions.

Furthermore ,it has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the way globalization forces nations to work together as well as its impact on economics, politics and society .For instance, because both countries import raw materials from each other as well as export finished products especially electronics such as computers and mobile phones, it leads to an increase in trade volume between them. Thus ,i have also realized that thanks to globalization industries are now able to operate on a global scale ,making them more competitive and productive . In addition, as both nations are becoming increasingly wealthy due to globalization, it leads to political stability. For example ,increased wealth can help maintain the country’s political system by ensuring that the government has enough money for its military and other departments in order to prevent any social unrest, war or overthrow of their government.

In conclusion, this semester has allowed me to gain a greater understanding about how each nation works individually as well as how they work together globally. As such ,i am now more aware of the importance of globalization especially in terms of economics, politics and society internationally.

Course Reflection Essay Sample:

What was your favorite part of this course?

My favorite part of this course was learning about sustainable development . I have learned a lot from the readings, lectures and discussions that were held on this topic. This subject taught me a lot about how humans impact their environment in different ways by using more resources than they actually need and thus creating negative effects such as pollution and climate change. In addition, i also learned a lot about what can be done to solve these problems as well which is what gave me newfound appreciation for recycling and being eco-friendly in my everyday life. As such ,I used to not care too much about protecting our Earth since it seemed pointless to do so when you consider how big our planet is; however, now I realize the importance of saving Earth’s resources for future generations in order to ensure their survival.

As such, my favorite part was learning about green business and legal issues since they taught me a lot about the importance of finding ways to reduce pollution and being mindful of our actions so that we don’t hurt our environment . As an example ,I have learned how food manufacturers are increasingly choosing biodegradable plastics as well as vegetable-wrapped or paper containers over plastic packaging in order to minimize their negative impacts on marine life. This is important because it shows that everyone can be proactive in terms of protecting Earth’s changing environment by making small changes every day at work or home.

In conclusion, I loved this course because even though we only focused on three specific topics during this semester; they were interesting and essential components in general to understanding what can be done for our planet.

Once you have reviewed the essay examples listed above, It is now up to you to write your self-reflection essay.

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Self reflection essay