Reflective essay sample

1. Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY 1
Reflective Essay
Name
Institutional Affiliations

2. REFLECTIVE ESSAY 2
Reflective Essay
Time has enabled me to grow academically because while the semester is ending, I
consider it as a time to contemplate upon the gains that I have realized all along. The four
months have turned to be fruitful on various fronts because when I consider the rate at which I
have advanced my skills, it is encouraging and makes me yearn for more progress in future. The
developments I can affirm to my advancements have been far-reaching with the progress
essential involving the maturity that my writing style is continually witnessing because I
consider that the level of thoughtfulness that I had at the beginning of the semester is it not what
I pride myself with at the end of the course. Through my ability to learn on the appropriate
citation skills, and appreciation of the element of good thesis development, I feel more able to
handle finer projects in future and even hope to advance more through my increased confidence.
The key factor that I have developed over the course is the component of citing different
authors in an attempt to acknowledge the sources that I have used in my works. As students, we
have always been reminded that plagiarism constitutes an academic offense and I consider that
my ability to cite my sources appropriately has been a significant boost. Previously, I would not
be sure when I was required to add a citation to my essay but after researching more and
consulting colleagues on the matter, I discovered that citing is appropriate whenever one uses
information from other sources. On a more specific note, have learned how to cite corporate
organizations because previously, I would wonder how to appreciate a reference that has been
written by an organization such as a website. The effect of this was notable in the compilation of
the essay one the Rhetorical Analysis where I found a site that had valuable information to what I
was researching. Previously, I would attempt to look for the author of the article I was referring
to, but when I did not find any, I would leave the section blank and just quote other elements of

3. REFLECTIVE ESSAY 3
the bibliography. However, I was able to learn that the appropriate citation technique involves
giving credit to the associated corporate body that facilitated the compilation of the article
because, in my paper, I referred to the organization.
A further consideration in my development process has been the element of thesis
development. It has always been problematic to develop an effective thesis that is appropriate for
an assay because while I had all the theoretical facets that constitute a good thesis, it was been a
problem trying to incorporate it. For example, previously, I would juggle around with it and in
the end, come up with a couple of sentences that seek to illustrate the direction of my paper. I
would use phrases that appear to provide course to my paper. However, I came to realize that
while it is accepted in some instances, this element constitutes a poor way of structuring it
because instead of incorporating the direction of the argument, I realized that I was giving the
direction of the points that I was making which is a bit off track. I later came to realize that it is
considered more mature writing when the thesis is succinct and detailed but concise. For
instance, I was proud of the one that I used while working on the Rhetorical Analysis because the
thesis that I have developed in the writing of the draft as not the one that I used when submitting
the complete paper. I had improved on it greatly, because I made it appear more attractive after
incorporating all the salient points that were covered in the essay.
Finally, I have also realized that my confidence has improved because I am more mature
psychologically to tackle any piece that is presented to me. I consider it typical to be worried as a
student whenever one is tasked with completing a writing exercise that involves developing a
considerably big paper. Personally, I would find it troubling to create a coherent essay if the
number of words I am expected to write exceeds 1200. However, I consider that I have gotten
over my initial fears because I now feel physiologically prepared to write a huge paper that is

4. REFLECTIVE ESSAY 4
coherent. The implication is that previously, I would write the paper but in a closer analysis of
the elements, one would realize that they were a mere stacking of points that were lacking
direction as I noticed while coming up with the proposal for the Death Penalty. While I was able
to complete the number of words expected, there was a huge challenge in attempting to draw
relevance to the assertions that I was alluding to in the paper.
In conclusion, I consider that while the course is ending, it is a self-appreciating moment
to the advancements that I can pride myself with regarding my academic growth. The element of
citation and avoiding plagiarism from the vastness of the literature that a researcher has at their
disposal has been a critical factor to highlight in my self-assessment. Furthermore, I have
realized that a core part of many of the class projects was having a direction-oriented essay.
Upon realizing this, I put extra effort in coming up with theses that were more precise and
comprehensive. Also, while I could say that I have developed intellectually and have the ability
to handle my future projects with more confidence. I, however, feel I will need to improve on my
paragraph development skills in future. I am aware that it is essential to have a topic sentence
while developing my paragraphs but there has always been a challenge in trying to implement
this directive. I feel that in future, I still have to learn more about structuring a good paragraph
that is not only sizeable but also comprehensive in the coverage of a concept. Through the
incorporation of this minor weakness in my future projects, I believe I would have made a major
statement to my growth process.