How To Compose A Personal Reflective Essay: 5 Important Suggestions

When you write a personal reflective essay you give an account of an experience or a series of experiences that have had an effect on your perspective. So it is natural that the essay should be a reflection of your own thoughts and what you felt personally. It should be a truthful account of how the incident has changed you for better or for worse.

Here are five important suggestions that will help you compose your personal reflective essay:

1. Compose the introduction with a clear preview of what is to come. Give the hypothesis you want to prove through the essay and you want to discuss through the paper. Do not give all of it away but try to pique the reader’s interests through brief glimpse of the main body of the paper.


2. Do some research before you begin. Even when you are going to write mainly from your own experience it does help if you sort some facts before starting. The additional research will also help you to add volume to your paper. You will also be alto back up some of your points with facts if necessary.


3. Give details to lend authenticity to your account. Give intriguing details that will lend credibility to your story. Mention specific designs or factors that will make the experience seem more real. You will have to give a completely genuine account so try not to get inspired from someone else’s work. Even if you do draw inspiration from someone else’s writing then the specifications should be changed in such a way that it is completely original.


4. Next say how the experience has changed or moved you. This is the self reflection and has to be completely from your own experience. Start by saying if you would do things differently given a chance and then continue writing justifying your decision. Do not forget to mention how things have been since that event and what you took from it. These are great points that must be present in a self reflective essay.


5. Even when this is expected many students forget to edit their work after completion. Do go through the paper once or twice before you submit. This will help you sort out any mistakes that you may have made. Silly errors can and will get you low grades. Also you will be able to omit unnecessary parts and make it more crisp.