Personal Reflection Question Sample Essay

Most universities ask students to submit an essay as part of the admission process. Sometimes, a particular university might ask you to write a reflection essay. Now what is a Personal Reflection Essay all about? You should know that in such an essay, you need to write about your beliefs, experiences, and thought processes. Write about how specific events in your life have shaped your personality and choices so far. It allows you to self-introspect and analyze past experiences, your learnings, and how these experiences have determined your life choices. 

One of the most common reflection essays is an “essay on myself”. One may question the relevance of such details for admission into higher studies. You must know that such essays are integral to the university admission process. It is not just about assessing your writing and communication skills, but letting the university know more about you beyond your academic performance. You need to provide reasons as to how you are a perfect fit for their institution. They learn about your interest in a particular course and your level of preparation for it. 

By asking you to write a personal reflection essay, universities get to see how you process information, approach a particular problem, and articulate your thoughts. This helps them understand whether your values, interests, and goals can contribute to the campus culture, both academically and socially. It is a medium through which they get to know about your ability to reflect upon yourself, understand your personal growth and resilience, and assess your future potential. 

Essay Questions for Personal Reflection for Students

In a Personal Reflection essay, universities ask various questions. They ask questions about your personal growth and experiences, identity, values, relationships, achievements, education learning style, and future aspirations. Some of the most common reflection questions for students are:

• What was a defining moment in your life?

• What is the most important lesson that you have learned so far?

• Who has been the most influential figure in your life?

• Describe an incident in your life where you stepped out of your comfort zone, and how it affected you.

• How has your upbringing shaped your beliefs and personality?

• What has your educational experience so far been like?

• What is the significance of friendships in your life?

• Which has been the most significant achievement in your life?

• What does success mean to you?

• How do you overcome challenges?

• What personal goals have you set for yourself, and how do you wish to achieve them?

• What have your failures taught you?

• If there was one thing that you were asked to change about yourself, what would it be?

• Is there anything that you fear the most in your life?

• Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?

Things to Keep in Mind While Writing a Self-Reflection Essay

While writing a self-reflection essay, you must keep certain essential points in mind, such as:

• Being Transparent- Ensure that the information that you provide about yourself is true. For instance, if you are talking about a particular incident from your academic career, be honest about it.
• Analyze your Experiences in Life- It gives you a chance to talk about your internal thoughts and feelings about specific ideas, events, or situations in your life. Use the personal reflection essay as a medium through which you provide an insight into your values and beliefs.
• Use Specific Examples- Rather than just stating mere statements, you must include personal stories and experiences from your life as examples to make the essay an engaging read. For example, in an ‘essay about myself’ you can talk about academic visits and trips that initiated your interest in a particular subject. 
• Be Organized- Since these essays are an important part of your admission process, a university requires you to give specific answers to the various types of questions that they have asked.
• Cater to the provided guidelines- Since you are writing an essay for college admission, keep in mind the specific details that the university’s admissions committee wants to know about in your reflection essay.
• Appropriate Ending- Towards the end of your self-reflection essay, summarize what you have talked so far about, and how that has played an instrumental role in your life and shaped your overall personality, and behavior. Reflect on how your experiences so far have determined your choices for your future, in terms of personal growth and career aspirations.

This part is all about you. Tell us about something you’ve done — academically or personally — and what you’ve learned from it. Was it a success or a challenge? Did it represent a turning point in your life? How did this particular moment in your life influence you, and how will it continue to influence you as you pursue your college education?

Being in a dilapidated situation like covid 19 completely shattered me. Emotions that were churning me for a long time took respite in these days and subdued me completely. Fighting a situation in the physical world is easier than working on self-improvement. Constant battles with myself exhausted me mentally and completely drained my energy. This was where I saw everything falling apart, and with an urge to return to my sane self, I realized the need to put myself back on track. I had unmet goals academically as well as personally, but I knew I could nurture myself. I had failed in 3 courses of my Bachelor’s in Economics and had to repeat them. This was also a time when I faced a break up of a long friendship.  It was my confidence that pushed me towards the sky from rock bottom, where I could end up worse. Healing became the most important aspect of my life, the will to survive the situation with the hope of living happily encouraged me to ward off these wild thoughts that would drench me in tears at night. This is something I consider one of the major challenges of my life that I fought with resilience. As I talk of it now, it seems easier, but indeed the crusade was much more difficult. I had to rise all by myself, this often led me to question my existence. The more pressing I felt it to be, the slower I decided to go. It was like walking on thin ice where hurling could have been devastating. I took baby steps looking into my problems and seeking solutions. Yes, it was excruciating to face all the trouble again and probe at the wounds they caused. Every morning was lethargic, but I wiped my tears and had to pat myself on the back, telling me that I could do it. Healing made me more consistent and disciplined in managing both my mind and body. I understood the meaning of self-love, which I believe is unconditional and a must. It comes to your rescue when there is no one to understand your troubles. Using this technique, I stopped being harsh on myself. This seems tedious, but it worked wonders for me. Putting myself forward and prioritizing my needs and mental health against issues helped me live with conviction.

Instead of crying out on my losses, I began to celebrate each success, even if it was small. This bitter-sweet journey has become a stimulating event of my life that helped me cope with the blows. It is not that I am completely over it, but yes, I am much stronger and more capacitated to deal with it. I am living with the aim of not going back into that situation. Ever since I have been thinking progressively towards dealing with issues, I have made achieving success my ultimate goal. Through my career as a financial analyst, which is also my passion, I see myself blooming toward a new horizon. I always remind myself of my aim and that I have a path to tread with a happy mind. I intend to use knowledge and learning for my advancement and enhancement. I see this course of Master of Financial Economics as one of the major fixations for my stint to evolve into a lucrative resource with a healthy mind and heart. I am confident that my calling will make me more adept at dealing with issues, I have learned that every phase has its set of challenges that can be fought with determination.