Reflective essays may seem like a piece of cake for the students of today. There are some students who are experts at writing these reflective essays and make no errors in them. There are some students who think they are writing a perfect reflective essay, but are in fact making major mistakes. If you are looking for what major mistakes you might be making in your reflective essays, then this article is perfect for you.
What Is a Reflective Essay?
The definition of a reflective essay is in the name of the essay itself. When writing a reflective essay, you are examining and presenting your own life experiences. Another part of a reflective essay is explaining what you have learned from this life experience and how it has changed you as a person. Still unclear on the definition of a reflective essay? Contact an essay writerwho can help you in better understanding what a reflective essay is and how to properly write a reflective essay
Reflective essays tend to have different formats. These formats depend on the audience and the context of the reflective essay. A reflective essay may be part of coursework making it a form of academic writing. On the other hand, reflective essays can also be used by magazines when talking about a specific product.
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List of Mistakes
Following are some major mistakes made by students when they are writing a reflective essay
- Students often forget that a reflective essay has to be their personal opinion on a topic. There is no place for someone else’s point of view in your own reflective essay.
- When writing about a personal experience in a reflective essay, honesty is the best policy. No need to lie or make up stuff when writing a reflective essay. This can lead to students getting a poor grades on their essays.
- Students do not properly plan out their reflective essays. It is important to note that an essay cannot be written properly if it is not planned out beforehand. Students who do not plan their reflective essays are left asking the question ‘How can I write my essay properly when I have not planned it?’
- Students tend to add what they learned from the personal experience but fail to mention how this has changed their perspective or the way they think
- A common mistake made by students while writing reflective essays is not adding enough information. You must remember that a reflective essay contains your own life experience. There should be enough information in the essay so that the reader can relate to your experience.
- Adding too much information in your reflective essay is also a major mistake. Reflective essays do not need to be overloaded with information. A reflective essay is not like a research paper that needs tons of facts and figures.
- Organizing your reflective essay so that it makes sense is something most students do not do. This can confuse the reader of the essay because there is no sense of flow in the essay
- Students use tough to understand and complex language in their essays. Even though reflective essays are a form of academic writing, they do not need flowery language when simple words can be used in their place.
- Students think that since they are writing about their personal experiences, they can use an informal tone and slang in their reflective essays. This is a misconception and a major mistake in reflective essay writing
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List of Solutions
Now that you are aware of the major mistakes made by students in their reflective essays, let's focus on how these errors can be removed.
- Just like any other essay, planning is very important. Brainstorm your ideas and make an outline with those ideas. This outline can form a backbone and ideal starting point for the reflective essay
- Be honest and truthful about the personal experience that you are writing about in your essay. The personal experience you are writing about needs to have a touch of authenticity else it will not seem truthful to the reader
- Add just the right amount of information so that the reader of your essay. Avoid putting too much information or putting very little information and find the right balance,
- Organize your thoughts and ideas in a manner that is easily understandable to your intended audience
- Use a style and tone which makes your reflective essay and personal experience appealing to the reader. We do not want the reader to stop reading your essay because they got bored.
- Reflective essays are a form of academic writing so the tone needs to be formal. Additionally, the language used should not consist of any slang words.
- Do not use jargon or complex words when there are much simpler alternatives available for use
- Clearly mention how you have learned from the experience mentioned in the reflective essay
Hopefully, now you are aware of the major mistakes made when writing a reflective essay. The solutions mentioned above are there to guide you and ensure that the next reflective essay you write is error-free and guaranteed to get you the best grade possible.
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Useful Resources:
30+ New Essay Topics for High School Students-Guide 2023
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