A reflective essay is a piece of writing which is focused on your perceptions about an event or experience. Reflective essays are different from academic essays in that they do not require you to show your knowledge or skills on a subject. They are required as part of a college application and college grants. You have to show excellent writing expertise through an articulate expression of your thoughts and emotions. Generally, professors do not provide any hints or prompts for such type of essay, so you will have to depend on your instinct for a good topic idea. In this article, I will provide you with some interesting ideas for writing a reflective essay so that you can get an idea of what you should look for:
1. Write About A Challenging Experience
Have you experienced something that has changed your point of view about life? Write a paper focusing on that challenging experience. You can inform the readers what it took to overcome that challenge and what you learned from the experience.
2. An Unforgettable Mistake
Mistakes are part of life. In fact, they teach you important lessons and complete you as a person. Discuss about a major mistake in your life that helped you understand value of something. Like you can discuss your extravagant way of life and how it spoiled you, you can discuss the lessons it taught you and how it made you a more responsible person.
3. Discuss a Sacrifice
Consider something that you sacrificed for someone who means a lot to you. Share the reasons that caused you to give up that thing.
4. Someone Who Admired You
Focus your paper on someone who inspired you in your life. He could be your teacher or a friend. Or he could be your mentor or spiritual leader. Whether or not he is related to you, you can still write about anyone who motivated you in life and has an important role in what you are today.
5. Focus on Your Past
You can also center your essay on a specific part of your life that you cherish in your memory. It could be your reminiscences from the childhood or something from your college life. Analyze how your life has changed now and what you miss the most about that time.
6. Reflect How You See Life
You can also share a piece of advice in your essay that is your mantra of life. It could be a saying, quote or something that has shaped your outlook towards life.
7. Talk About A Unique Experience
Different people live different lives, defined by their social and cultural background. If you have lived a unique life because you were born in a conservative family or were brought up without parents, then you can discuss how it was going through that experience. Explain how that experience made you the person you are today.
