A Reflective essay will relate to personal events or experiences and how they have impacted or
changed the writer.
A reflective writing assignment should analyse the experience, its meaning, and lessons that can be
learned from it.
It requires you to open up about your thoughts and emotions to uncover your mindset, personality,
traits of character, and background.
The reflective essay should include a description of the experience/literature piece as well as
explanations of your thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
Reflections are very personal and subjective, but they must maintain a formal tone and should be
well organized.
Reflective essay ideas:
An experience you will never forget.
The moment you overcame a fear.
The most difficult choice you had to make.
A time your beliefs were challenged.
A time something changed your life.
The happiest moment, or most frightening moment, of your life so far.
Ways you think you, or people, can make the world a better place.
A time you felt lost.
An introspective look at your choices, or a time you made the wrong choice.
A moment in your life you would like to relive.
Reflective Essay Outline
Introduction:
Should begin with a short preview of what you will be writing about.
The introduction should also include a hook to engage the readers and pique interest.
Body of the essay:
This part of the essays should take a chronological approach of the events which happened.
Surmise the experiences and how they impacted you as well as the lessons that have been learned.
Reflect on the impact the experience has had on your life and the changes you have made because
of it.
Include points about why your views or reasoning has changed.
English 101
Conclusion:
Wrap up your ideas and demonstrate a sense of how you’ve developed as a result of the experience.
Describe your feelings, mention discoveries, and plans for the future.
Sample Essay, Scroll Down
Formatting the header:
The header should start one inch from the top of the first page and flush with the left
margin.
Type your name, your instructor’s name, the course number, and the date on separate
lines, using double spaces between each.
Double space once more and centre the title.
Do not underline, bold, or type the title in all capital letters. Only italicize words that
would normally be italicized in the text.
Do not place a period after the title or after any headings.
There should be a double space between the title and first lines of the text.Citation format:
Referencing should follow the following structure:
Author’s Last name, Author’s First name. “Title of Source.” Title of Container, Names of
other contributors along with their specific roles, Version of the source (if it differs from
the original or is unique), Any key numbers associated with the source that aren’t dates
(such as journal issue numbers or volume numbers), Name of the Publisher, Publication
date, Location (such as the location of specific page numbers or a website’s address).
