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A Reflective Analysis of My Strengths And Weaknesses

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Reflective Essay on Academic Strengths and Weaknesses

1. introduction.

This is a reflective essay which gives an account of own experience as a writer with a focus on analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the development of their argumentative academic essay. The use of personal pronouns should be targeted as the application of first and second person in writing is generally discouraged in academic writing. In contrast to personal and creative writing, third person is used in academic writing. That is why, academic writing focuses on the use of evidence and highlighting varying viewpoints. Since revision and editing are crucial to the quality academic writing. Furthermore, students need to understand a writing assignment, learn how to carry out critical research, comprehend, critically assess, and assimilate source material and then use this material in creating the essay. Lastly, students must have a full understanding of argumentative academic writing. I was detailed and to the point in stating my primary and secondary arguments. However, the introduction, though competent, was basic in its portrayal of the relevance of the issue. The purpose of your introduction is to nurture your reader to care about or become interested in the business of your essay. Furthermore, the introduction should comprise an engaging sentence followed by a more detailed proclamation of your general idea. Furthermore, it is crucial to present a clear and concise thesis. The introduction must put forward a clear and straightforward aim of your essay. If a reader is aware of the stance you are taking, they are more likely to find interest in and continue reading your critical academic debate. After crafting my introduction, I knew that my next goal would be to create competent topic sentences for each of my paragraphs.

1.1. Purpose of the Essay

The purpose of the present paper is to explore the specific strengths and weaknesses of students. However, it is also important to reflect upon the ways we confront these experiences, as such information can be beneficial to other students. These are real experiences that require reflection and dialogue. This conversation is important and reflects the broadly held view that a reflective process that uses professional feedback is a primary attribute that helps students become self-directed learners. This paper addresses the specific kinds of knowledge and skills associated with being an effective professional, the various strengths of being reflective about one’s efficacy as a professional, and the various strategies that help students to become reflective professionals. I.2. Knowledge and Skills Developed in the Preparation of Professionals The development of professionals as change agents is not only a significant component of the mission of institutions of higher learning, but is also viewed as a key goal in national reflection and dialogue currently underway. Many professions, such as education, at times struggle to decide what knowledge, skills, and dispositions should be developed in preparing professionals, as might be reflected in legislation, program structures, course requirements, or departmental standards. In most fields, the focus is often on the applied knowledge and skills or the effective dispositions associated with practicing in one’s field.

2. Academic Strengths

As a second year student in the field of Japanese studies, I have learned a number of academic strengths. One of my strengths is the ability to write concisely and clearly. This skill has allowed me to produce better reports, essays, reviews, etc. than in high school. Moreover, when speaking with people, intended or unintended, my words are generally well received because I can portray my thoughts in an easy-to-understand manner. By doing so, I am able to communicate my stance or intentions to others – both in conversation and in writing. In addition, during my time at university, one of my strengths has been finalizing my essays or reports in a manner that meets or exceeds the set requirements. In high school, I was able to work in a way that would give me an advantage when it came to the evaluation stage of a task. This included fulfilling each and every requirement, from content (regarding the material being studied) to structural aspects – or at least, this is what I was aiming to do. This academic strength has always helped me to achieve high marks. As a by-product, I have always been an exemplar of good behavior with respect to task criteria.

2.1. Identifying Personal Strengths

Identifying personal strengths requires one to reflect on the academic situation. A wrong or impossible thing that often occurs when people begin the process of 'academic reflection' is that they believe it presents them with a chance to create a list of everything that they should be doing to make themselves academically successful. The word 'should' acts as a trap, as the vast majority of occurrences of the word should be used in the context of institutional instruction and therefore requires the adult to stand in a position of power to say what their children whom they educate should and should not do. Instead, adults have to genuinely and without prejudice attempt to find out where their academic strength lies. This occurs via the identification of personal attributes, abilities, skills, values, principles of belief, purposes and insights. They must regard identifying and acting upon their 'academic strengths' as a fundamental part of their lifelong educational responsibility. Parents must encourage the awareness of others, provide support and look into the possibility of using others to realize their 'strengths'. Lastly, rather than having them work on their academic weaknesses when they have achieved the necessary educational standard they should assist them in their likeness of becoming such.

2.2. Examples and Evidence

I am a fifth-generation resident of Boulder, and I moved into the freshman dorms at CU-Boulder after having a graduation party for my hometown Boulder High Class of 1996. That fall of 1996, I had a full 'college experience' and wanted my activities to emphasize growing, exploring, and having fun. However, my attitude was not successful because my professors saw my socializing as disrupting the classroom. One of my weaker components that has persisted through time is that I want to gain experience and learn from other students as much as from the professor. As a result, I sometimes read more or less on the assigned schedule. As made clear from the last two sentences, my study habits are also an area of weakness. I often procrastinate in starting my papers and reports and need to improve my researching skills in regard to finding sufficient academic resources. I did not correct my problems when reinforced in a cruelty-free manner, and did not listen to organized lectures about the elements of writing at an academic level and my efficiency in the office has suffered due to below average typing skills.

3. Academic Weaknesses

In contrast to identifying the things that I do not do better than I should, I now turn to some of my academic weaknesses. Undoubtedly, one of my greatest academic weaknesses is that I am undisciplined. For example, waiting until 3am the night before a big term paper is due is supposed to be a thing of the past, yet I did it in all but one class this semester. Moreover, my undisciplined nature can also rear its ugly head when it comes to punctuating my online portfolio with new items. For instance, it was not unheard of for me to go three weeks without making a single addition to the content of the site. Another concern that I would like to address before moving forward is my inability to stay publicly current with the field of English education. During first semester, I possessed the ability to stay academically current through reading news articles, magazines, and browsing the internet for interesting pieces. Such activities are not only important for my maintenance of an online presence and development of technology use in the classroom, but also for creating interesting and enlightening instruction. Although my reflective blog entries and other written pieces were quite revealing, I feel that it is necessary for my instruction to be as well. Finally, I would like to conclude this transition with a few thoughts on my limited proficiency in the area of grammar and mechanics, specifically within the realm of writing. As a high school senior, this remained my only problem area in semester 1 due to the timed and impromptu nature of the in-class essays. To address my deficient grammar and writing mechanics, I plan on seeking assistance from area teachers and other appropriate professionals.

3.1. Identifying Areas for Improvement

Through the past 60 days of my stay in a study, I have learned that we always have some strengths and weaknesses. As those cannot be bragged or boasted, I am going through them. I have learned that my vice speaking and weak memory will take me to limited ways even though I have a hardworking mind. I always have a spoken but limited voice almost in any discussion or presentation. I really don’t know why my voice is so weak. I have also found that my memory is weak, even though I had success in my school certificate examination. Now I am going to develop my voice and memorization based on the advice of some seniors, friends, and also from the teachers who have requested me again and again to take my weakness and discrepancy seriously. I have always been weak in spoken since I came to this recognized village. Even I couldn’t make a single friend within a few days. I have seen the faces of other students while they are going forward but wondered why I am still reposing. Now I realize and think that this is an important preparation. Firstly, I started a conversation in my mother language with my friends, hostel mates, and sometimes though our school discipline got broken. As I have completed my HSC, I have prepared my verbal practice regarding my entry to Engineering degree. Yes, I agree with the teachers and I think a day will come when no teacher requests me to learn. At that time, I will really learn by heart, whether he did not tell me or not. I want to learn definitely not for a formal speech as I did but for the formal speech, presentation, professional speech as I shall do. To meet that formal situation, the practice of “a little louder than” based loud voice is now included and emphasized as I can remember not to speak in a formal voice. And my memorization is still not good, but I started practicing the famous theory of the famous speaker that practice makes the man perfect!

3.2. Strategies for Overcoming Weaknesses

I also use email as a tool for communication. I realize that this area is a major weakness for me, yet I believe that my weakness is not about using email as a communication tool, but rather about using email in modern society. I come from a predominantly oral society and hence am more comfortable with face-to-face communication. When I first came to Nipissing University, Dr. McMahon came to my place and helped me set up email. She then used email in order to have a face-to-face conversation with me (as face to face as possible, considering the distance I was away from Nipissing. That was when I first read my first email ever. To solve this problem, I engaged in email communication with Dr. McMahon and it is through this communication that I overcame my weaknesses in this area. Now that Dr. McMahon had encouraged me to try and find my voice, I also had to go and find it. My written voice was indeed difficult to find. I had never written a single piece of academic work in my life, let alone a fifteen-page essay. According to Dr. McMahon, my job as a graduate student is to find my voice and then I should write from the inside. It was excruciatingly difficult because I was so different. My job was difficult because I come from a foreign country, with different history and different cultural customs. Finding my voice after such a life does require a lot of diligent work. Writing for this class became an attempt to find out and describe how differing communities organize themselves around different global forces in different parts of the world in different ways. I used metaphysical narratives from my past to write machine-assisted narratives.

4. Reflection and Growth

Although my weaknesses have always provided me with an ongoing challenge to overcome, my strengths seem to leave a deeper impact. It is very satisfying to know that our talents, when fully developed, become our gifts to ourselves and the world around us. As for my students, any underlying weaknesses are made up for by their skills, their stage in life, and their willingness to treat me like a fellow human being rather than just another teacher. Their refusal to let me quit, their anticipation of my arrival, and their ability to pick me up after a long, arduous day really form my solid foundation. That is why, I believe, I possess the ability to mold and shape them perhaps better than any other teacher might. This may at times seem overconfident for me to say, but then, given all that we have gone through, it just may be a fact. So, my strengths in thinking include perfect organization, the ability to produce ideas at a moment's notice, and patience in the face of adversity. I possess the relative strengths of not becoming easily discouraged or disillusioned. Furthermore, prevalent are my abilities to focus on the task at hand while suppressing the urge to argue unimportant points, a skill that is more rare than some might ever imagine. While the focus of my contentment for the moment will never be completely conducted, the bulk of my inner strength as a creative-oriented teacher will unquestionably illuminate that which is most important to my students within their independent lives and surroundings. It is my hope that, with time, I will be given the least possible doubts as to what my strengths should be.

4.1. Lessons Learned

This course provided a high degree of interdisciplinary connection, which was an appreciable increase in complexity. Additionally, the course was remarkably broad, incorporating a substantial degree of flexibility, yet focused. Interdisciplinary was established through the focus on complex economic, political, and social systemic problems, which makes these courses uniquely positioned to expand on the interdisciplinary aspects of their curriculums. Furthermore, soft skills were enhanced through the emphasis on fluency with substantive interdisciplinary writing and engagement with interdisciplinary "translators," a significant improvement over the business-oriented approaches of other programs. All of the specific assignments' major improvements in different skills are culminated in the research project, which gave us the opportunity to bring all of the disparate parts of the course together. The major lessons learned revolve around the necessity of interdisciplinary efforts to make a real substantial change in complex global issues. Most important and substantial problems are not bounded by national efforts any longer, and deferring to state sovereignty is no longer a viable blindfold to pretend that these issues do not exist. Additionally, the focus on systemic causality was an eye-opening emphasis, as the most complex problems are complex not due to the asystemic nature of their problems, but through the caldron of several powerful systems creating negative feedback loops. The course stressed that looking at the problem WATSUP, or "What's wrong with the SOUP," was of a greater degree of complexity than simply focusing only on nation-state self-interest's level of granularity. This was most clear through the causal loop diagrams, a striking manner of visually identifying and then explaining the possibilities for resolving the immense systemic causations of international problems. These translated to an understanding that a systems approach, consistently applied to discriminate between major, intermediate, and minor goals driven by the overall aims, is necessary to construct sustainable outcomes.

4.2. Setting Future Goals

In the future, I will pursue a Bachelor's in Business Administration as my transfer degree, as I understand the importance of a business degree due to its broad applicability in the business world, as well as in many areas of the job market. I believe that with the previous experience I possess regarding international relations and the analysis and knowledge of the business environment in the global context, I can better manage my work and life experiences to actually perform a successful work in international business. I also wish to explore more about the area of business planning and strategy, areas that are related to the IB. I believe that receiving this undergraduate education in the United States and at a prestigious college level will improve my potential to become a successful manager, as was the case with my father and my uncles. Furthermore, by opting for the final project, we can gain experiences and work indirectly with strategic planning and business planning before entering the job market or pursuing graduate studies such as a specialization and MBA studies, which are required for this type of profession.

5. Conclusion

In order to assess how I entered university and how I am leaving it, I compared two of my essays for my final assignment for English class, my narrative paper on joining the band and my argumentative paper about support and varying opinions. It was through comparing these two essays as well as the self-reflective essays throughout the year that have helped me find a consistent explanation to my strengths and weaknesses in communication. In this essay, I have analyzed my academic strengths and weaknesses from the first semester to now. In my first essay of the semester, I expressed that my narrative paper was my best piece of work. I mentioned that my organization was weak, my thesis was strong, and my support was adequate. Although I still struggle with organization and transitions, I find that my later essays proved that my thesis and development of ideas has improved significantly. In the comparison essays, I affirm that my thesis and development of ideas is strong and consistent. In my first reflective essay, I express my peak thesis to be my biggest academic strength and that I am proud of being able to carry my ideas throughout the essay through strong support. In my final reflective essay, I acknowledge that my positive strength is consistently thorough from draft one to draft three. I appreciate my brain's ability to spit out strong, intricate points about the prompt while researching, then extend these theses through development, understanding, and reception. In my final reflective essay, I find that I end up using this kind of writing for every assignment that I consider a strength for an advice column and a little over half the time for the remaining tasks.

5.1. Summary of Key Points

Throughout the countless papers, projects, and presentations of my educational career, it has been understood from instructors that focusing on strengths and weaknesses was important for personal development. This truth can be found in any personal development article or textbook on academic strategies. Up to this point, I have always agreed that consideration of what we are doing correctly and incorrectly will ultimately lead to overall improvement. Despite the understanding that I need to strengthen my skills, my ability to perform at superior levels is being diminished by my habit of ignoring my strengths and pushing aside my weaknesses. I continuously fail to remember that my faults should not be a source of embarrassment. Mistakes or lapses in judgment are easily derived from my intense nature to excel in all activities taken on. Nevertheless, if critical reflection is to persist, I need to exhibit intellectual prowess by taking the time to reflect. Although my strengths skew toward the open, social, and careful categories, it is difficult to recognize these truths when they are obscured by the variety of weaknesses that decrease my motivation to reflect. I value original thought, change, variety, and interaction with others so these features are labeled as strengths. Throughout this challenging course and other management classes, I have revised my understanding of the multiple roles that a leader takes, the skills needed, and the career challenges associated with my concentrated degree in management. It is explicit that this reevaluation is due to the leader-oriented material found within the courses and so my open trait has proven positive. Familiar? Undoubtedly! But often I appreciate tasks with a great deal of complexity, demand for analysis, and high expectations; and my grade would dictate that this complexity is strongly evident.

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Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

My strengths.

Everyone has things they are good at. My strengths are being kind, working hard, and learning quickly. I like to help friends and always do my best in school. When I get new lessons, I understand them fast. This helps me do well in class.

My Weaknesses

250 words essay on my strengths and weaknesses, introduction to my strengths and weaknesses.

Everyone has things they are good at and things they are not so good at. These are called strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what these are can help us get better and feel proud of what we can do.

My Good Points

I have a few strong points that help me in school and with friends. One of my best strengths is being kind to everyone. I like to share and make sure no one feels left out. I am also really good at reading. I can understand stories and learn new words quickly. Being organized is another strength. I keep my things tidy, so I don’t lose them, and it helps me do my homework on time.

Things I’m Working On

In the end, knowing my strengths and weaknesses is important. It shows me what I am good at, like being kind and organized. It also shows me what I need to work on, like math and speaking up. By understanding these things, I can try to become better every day.

500 Words Essay on My Strengths And Weaknesses

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s like having a bag of tools that we use to handle different situations in life. My strengths are the tools I use the most, and they help me do things well. My weaknesses are like the tools I don’t use often because I might not be very good at using them. Let’s talk about what some of these are for me.

One of my big strengths is being a good listener. When my friends talk to me, I pay close attention to what they are saying. This makes them feel important and cared for. Another strength I have is being organized. I keep my school work and toys in order, so I know where everything is when I need it. This helps me save time and stay calm because I’m not looking for things at the last minute.

I’m also pretty good at learning new things. When I get interested in a topic, I read a lot about it and try to understand as much as I can. This curiosity makes school more fun because I like finding out new facts and ideas. Lastly, I’m kind to others. I believe that being nice to people is important, and it makes me happy to see others smile when I help them.

Now, for my weaknesses. Sometimes, I can be shy, especially around new people. It takes me a while to feel comfortable enough to talk a lot with someone I just met. This can make it hard for me to make new friends quickly. I’m also not very good at sports. I can be clumsy, and I don’t catch or throw balls very well, which makes team games a bit tough for me.

Working on My Weaknesses

I know that it’s okay to have weaknesses because everyone does. The important part is that I try to get better at them. For example, to help with my shyness, I practice talking to my family about my day, so I get used to sharing more with others. For sports, I keep playing and having fun, even if I’m not the best at it. I learn from my mistakes, and slowly, I get a little better each time.

When I get frustrated, I take deep breaths and remind myself to be patient. I tell myself that it’s fine to take breaks and come back to a tough puzzle later. And to stop rushing through my homework, I set a timer to make sure I spend enough time on each question.

In the end, knowing my strengths and weaknesses helps me understand myself better. It shows me what I’m good at and what I can improve. By working on my weaknesses, I can turn them into new strengths one day. And by using my strengths, I can help others and do my best in school and life. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and that’s what makes each of us special.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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How to Write a Reflective Essay?

07 August, 2020

17 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

A reflective essay is a personal perspective on an issue or topic. This article will look at how to write an excellent reflexive account of your experience, provide you with reflexive essay framework to help you plan and organize your essay and give you a good grounding of what good reflective writing looks like.

What is a Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay requires the writer to examine his experiences and explore how these experiences have helped him develop and shaped him as a person.  It is essentially an analysis of your own experience focusing on what you’ve learned.

Don’t confuse reflexive analysis with the rhetorical one. If you need assistance figuring out how to write a rhetorical analysis , give our guide a read!

Based on the reflective essay definition, this paper will follow a logical and thought-through plan . It will be a discussion that centers around a topic or issue. The essay should strive to achieve a balance between description and personal feelings.

It requires a clear line of thought, evidence, and examples to help you discuss your reflections. Moreover, a proper paper requires an analytical approach . There are three main types of a reflective essay: theory-based, a case study or an essay based on one’s personal experience.

Unlike most academic forms of writing, this writing is based on personal experiences and thoughts. As such, first-person writing position where the writer can refer to his own thoughts and feelings is essential. If the writer talks about psychology or medicine, it is best to use the first-person reference as little as possible to keep the tone objective and science-backed.

To write this paper, you need to recollect and share personal experience . However, there is still a chance that you’ll be asked to talk about a more complex topic.

By the way, if you are looking for good ideas on how to choose a good argumentative essay topic , check out our latest guide to help you out!

The Criteria for a Good Reflective Essay

The convention of an academic reflective essay writing will vary slightly depending on your area of study. A good reflective essay will be written geared towards its intended audience. These are the general criteria that form the core of a well-written piece:

• A developed perspective and line of reasoning on the subject.
• A well-informed discussion that is based on literature and sources relevant to your reflection.
• An understanding of the complex nuance of situations and the tributary effects that prevent them from being simple and clear-cut.
• Ability to stand back and analyze your own decision-making process to see if there is a better solution to the problem.
• A clear understanding of h ow the experience has influenced you.
• A good understanding of the principles and theories of your subject area.
• Ability to frame a problem before implementing a solution.

These seven criteria form the principles of writing an excellent reflective essay.

Still need help with your essay? Handmade Writing is here to assist you!

What is the Purpose of Writing a Reflective Essay?

The purpose of a reflective essay is for a writer to reflect upon experience and learn from it . Reflection is a useful process that helps you make sense of things and gain valuable lessons from your experience. Reflective essay writing allows you to demonstrate that you can think critically about your own skills or practice strategies implementations to learn and improve without outside guidance.

Another purpose is to analyze the event or topic you are describing and emphasize how you’ll apply what you’ve learned.

How to Create a Reflective Essay Outline

• Analyze the task you’ve received
• Read through and understand the marking criteria
• Keep a reflective journal during the experience
• Use a reflective framework (Schon, Driscoll, Gibbs, and Kolb) to help you analyze the experience
• Create a referencing system to keep institutions and people anonymous to avoid breaking their confidentiality
• Set the scene by using the five W’s (What, Where, When, Who and Why) to describe it
• Choose the events or the experiences you’re going to reflect on
• Identify the issues of the event or experience you want to focus on
• Use literature and documents to help you discuss these issues in a wider context
• Reflect on how these issues changed your position regarding the issue
• Compare and contrast theory with practice
• Identify and discuss your learning needs both professionally and personally

Don’t forget to adjust the formatting of your essay. There are four main format styles of any academic piece. Discover all of them from our essay format guide!

Related Posts: Essay outline | Essay format Guide

Using Reflective Frameworks

A good way to develop a reflective essay plan is by using a framework that exists. A framework will let help you break the experience down logical and make the answer easier to organize. Popular frameworks include: Schon’s (1983) Reflection in action and reflection on action .

Schon wrote ‘The Reflective Practitioner’ in 1983 in which he describes reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action as tools for learning how to meet challenges that do not conform to formulas learned in school through improvisation.  He mentioned two types of reflection : one during and one after. By being aware of these processes while on a work-experience trail or clinical assignment you have to write a reflective account for, you get to understand the process better. So good questions to ask in a reflective journal could be:

<td “200”>Reflection-pre-action <td “200”>Reflection-in-action <td “200”>Reflection-on-Action<td “200”>What might happen? <td “200”>What is happening in the situation? <td “200”>What were your insights after?<td “200”>What possible challenges will you face? <td “200”>Is it working out as you expected? <td “200”>How did it go in retrospect?<td “200”>How will you prepare for the situation? <td “200”>What are the challenges you are dealing with? <td “200”>What did you value and why?<td “200”>  <td “200”>What can you do to make the experience a successful one? <td “200”>What would you do differently before or during a similar situation?<td “200”>  <td “200”>What are you learning? <td “200”>What have you learned?

This will give you a good frame for your paper and help you analyze your experience.

Kolb’s (1984) Learning Cycle

Kolb’s reflective framework works in four stages:

• Concrete experience. This is an event or experience
• Reflective observation. This is reflecting upon the experience. What you did and why.
• Abstract conceptualization. This is the process of drawing conclusions from the experience. Did it confirm a theory or falsify something? And if so, what can you conclude from that?
• Active experimentation. Planning and trying out the thing you have learned from this interaction.

Gibb’s (1988) Reflection Cycle

Gibbs model is an extension of Kolb’s. Gibb’s reflection cycle is a popular model used in reflective writing. There are six stages in the cycle.

• Description. What happened? Describe the experience you are reflecting on and who is involved.
• Feelings. What were you thinking and feeling at the time? What were your thoughts and feelings afterward?
• Evaluation. What was good and bad about the experience? How did you react to the situation? How did other people react? Was the situation resolved? Why and how was it resolved or why wasn’t it resolved? Could the resolution have been better?
• Analysis. What sense can you make of the situation? What helped or hindered during the event? How does this compare to the literature on the subject?
• Conclusion. What else could you have done? What have you learned from the experience? Could you have responded differently? How would improve or repeat success? How can you avoid failure?
• Action plan. If it arose again what would you do? How can you better prepare yourself for next time?

Driscoll’s Method (1994) and Rolfe et al (2001) Reflexive Learning

The Driscoll Method break the process down into three questions. What (Description), So What (Analysis) and Now What (Proposed action). Rolf et al 2001 extended the model further by giving more in-depth and reflexive questions.

• What is the problem/ difficulty/reason for being stuck/reason for feeling bad?
• What was my role in the situation?
• What was I trying to achieve?
• What actions did I take?
• What was the response of others?
• What were the consequences for the patient / for myself / for others?
• What feeling did it evoke in the patient / in myself / in others?
• What was good and bad about the experience?
• So, what were your feelings at the time?
• So, what are your feelings now? Are there any differences? Why?
• So, what were the effects of what you did or did not do?
• So, what good emerged from the situation for yourself and others? Does anything trouble you about the experience or event?
• So, what were your experiences like in comparison to colleagues, patients, visitors, and others?
• So, what are the main reasons for feeling differently from your colleagues?
• Now, what are the implications for you, your colleagues and the patients?
• Now, what needs to happen to alter the situation?
• Now, what are you going to do about the situation?
• Now, what happens if you decide not to alter anything?
• Now, what will you do differently if faced with a similar situation?
• Now, what information would you need to deal with the situation again?
• Now, what methods would you use to go about getting that information?

This model is mostly used for clinical experiences in degrees related to medicine such as nursing or genetic counseling. It helps to get students comfortable thinking over each experience and adapting to situations.

This is just a selection of basic models of this type of writing. And there are more in-depth models out there if you’re writing a very advanced reflective essay. These models are good for beginner level essays. Each model has its strengths and weaknesses. So, it is best to use one that allows you to answer the set question fully.

This written piece can follow many different structures depending on the subject area . So, check your assignment to make sure you don’t have a specifically assigned structural breakdown. For example, an essay that follows Gibbs plan directly with six labeled paragraphs is typical in nursing assignments. A more typical piece will follow a standard structure of an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Now, let’s look into details on how to craft each of these essay parts.

How to Write an Introduction?

There are several good ways to start a reflective essay . Remember that an introduction to a reflective essay differs depending on upon what kind of reflection is involved. A science-based introduction should be brief and direct introducing the issue you plan on discussing and its context.

Related post: How to write an Essay Introduction

For example, a nursing student might want to discuss the overreliance on medical journals in the industry and why peer-reviewed journals led to mistaken information. In this case, one good way how to start a reflective essay introduction is by introducing a thesis statement. Help the reader see the real value of your work.

Do you need help with your thesis statement? Take a look at our recent guide explaining what is a thesis statement .

Let’s look at some reflective essay examples.

‘During my first month working at Hospital X, I became aware just how many doctors treated peer-views journal articles as a gospel act. This is a dangerous practice that because of (a), (b) and (c) could impact patients negatively.’

The reflective essay on English class would begin differently. In fact, it should be more personal and sound less bookish .

How to Write the Main Body Paragraphs?

The main body of the essay should focus on specific examples of the issue in question. A short description should be used for the opener. Each paragraph of this piece should begin with an argument supporting the thesis statement.

The most part of each paragraph should be a reflexive analysis of the situation and evaluation . Each paragraph should end with a concluding sentence that caps the argument. In a science-based essay, it is important to use theories, other studies from journals and source-based material to argue and support your position in an objective manner.

How to Write the Conclusion?

A conclusion should provide a summary of the issues explored, remind the reader of the purpose of the essay and suggest an appropriate course of action in relation to the needs identified in the body of the essay.

This is mostly an action plan for the future. However, if appropriate a writer can call readers to action or ask questions. Make sure that the conclusion is powerful enough for readers to remember it. In most cases, an introduction and a conclusion is the only thing your audience will remember.

Reflective Essay Topics

Here are some good topics for a reflective essay. We’ve decided to categorize them to help you find good titles for reflective essays that fit your requirement.

Medicine-related topics:

• Write a reflective essay on leadership in nursing
• How did a disease of your loved ones (or your own) change you?
• Write a reflection essay on infection control
• How dealing with peer-reviewed journals interrupts medical procedures?
• Write a reflection essay about community service
• Write a reflective essay on leadership and management in nursing

Topics on teamwork:

• Write a reflective essay on the group presentation
• What makes you a good team player and what stays in the way of improvement?
• Write a reflective essay on the presentation
• Write about the last lesson you learned from working in a team
• A reflective essay on career development: How teamwork can help you succeed in your career?

Topics on personal experiences:

• Write a reflective essay on the pursuit of happiness: what it means to you and how you’re pursuing it?
• Write a reflective essay on human sexuality: it is overrated today? And are you a victim of stereotypes in this area?
• Write a reflective essay on growing up
• Reflective essay on death: How did losing a loved one change your world?
• Write a reflective essay about a choice you regret
• Write a reflective essay on the counseling session

Academic topics:

• A reflective essay on the writing process: How does writing help you process your emotions and learn from experiences?
• Write a reflective essay on language learning: How learning a new language changes your worldview
• A reflective essay about a choice I regret

Related Posts: Research Paper topics | Compare&Contrast Essay topics

Reflective Essay Example

Tips on writing a good reflective essay.

Some good general tips include the following:

As long as you use tips by HandMade Writing, you’ll end up having a great piece. Just stick to our recommendations. And should you need the help of a pro essay writer service, remember that we’re here to help!

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How to Answer “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?”

• Joel Schwartzberg

Advice and examples to help you craft an authentic answer to this common interview question.

Don’t take common interview questions lightly just because they’re predictable. Underpreparing for them can make the difference between moving ahead and moving on. One question that often comes up: What are your strengths and weaknesses? In this article, the author outlines clear steps for how to describe your strengths and weaknesses along with sample language to use as a guide.

Some questions come up again and again in job interviews . At the top of the list: “ Tell me about yourself ,” “ Why do you want to work here? ” and “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”

• JS Joel Schwartzberg oversees executive communications for a major national nonprofit, is a professional presentation coach, and is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team . You can find him on LinkedIn and X. TheJoelTruth

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Strengths and weaknesses

Increasing your self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses.

Identifying your strengths and weaknesses can be extremely valuable. Not only will it allow you to approach tasks and challenges with a better understanding of how to succeed and what pitfalls to look out for, but it also allows you to effectively communicate what you can contribute, which is essential for things like job interviews.

How to identify strengths and weaknesses

For all approaches it can be helpful to set aside a period of undisturbed time where you are fully focused on the task and really probe, for example 20-30 minutes. Three different approaches are described below – see what you find helpful, add your own, or mix and match them together!

Asking yourself targeted questions

Analysing experiences

This approach works for finding both strengths and weaknesses, the only difference is the type of experience you look at. First, identify an experience that turned out/went really well (for strengths) or poorly (for weaknesses). This could be supporting a friend, or a teamwork experience that didn’t go as you hoped.

• Ask yourself what skills/strengths made you capable of succeeding or what weaknesses may have contributed to an unsuccessful experience.
• Ask yourself what else could have contributed, until you cannot find anymore.
• Repeat for as many experiences as you like.

In reality this method can be used to identify many implicit aspects of ourselves – the only difference is asking ourselves ‘What [value/assumption/etc] may have contributed to the outcome of the situation or our actions?’

Asking others

Once you have an idea of your own strengths and weaknesses, or to get you started if you find it challenging, you can ask a critical friend (see ‘Reflection with others’) to suggest what they think your strengths and weaknesses are. Remember to reflect on what they say to see if you agree – it is just their opinion and experience, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are right.  If you don’t agree, it is useful to think about why they might experience you in that way.

Reflecting with others (within Reflectors’ Toolkit)

Back to ‘Reflecting for self-awareness’

4.6 SELF-REFLECTION: What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses in Writing an Academic Research Essay in English?

• What are your strengths in writing an academic research essay in English? 
• What are your weaknesses in writing an academic research essay in English?

ACADEMIC Writing Skills

• Getting ideas, planning, and organizing my essay
• Writing thesis statements for an essay
• Writing effective introduction and conclusion paragraphs
• Developing and supporting my ideas with good examples and complex sentences
• Organizing my ideas logically into strong paragraphs
• Using grammar correctly (verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, etc.)
• Using vocabulary correctly (including spelling)
• Using MLA format to cite information that I use from other sources
• Identifying and evaluating secondary sources of information to support my own ideas or opinions
• Summarizing and paraphrasing information from other sources
• Editing and proofreading, finding and correcting mistakes

Synthesis Copyright © 2022 by Timothy Krause is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Strengths / Uncovering My Personality Traits: Reflection on a Personality Test

Uncovering My Personality Traits: Reflection on a Personality Test

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