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Internship Reflection Paper: The Best Guideline & Tips

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An internship reflection paper is a written piece where an intern conveys their experiences, learnings, and observations from their internship period. It typically involves evaluating their skills, professional development and challenges faced. This task is assignmend to see how the experience aligns with intern's academic knowledge and future career goals. This reflective exercise is intended to promote introspection and personal growth.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how to write a reflection paper. Our paper writing service will also provide our readers with templates and examples to help them with their writing.

What Is an Internship Reflection Paper: Definition

Before we discuss what an internship reflection paper is, let's first define what a reflection paper is. While there are many ways and methods a professor can check if their students have learned something, a reflection paper is still one of the most effective ways to see if certain lessons are learned without spoon-feeding an idea to their students. An internship reflection paper is a type of reflection paper that focuses on a student's thoughts and analysis specific to an internship they've gone through. It also sheds light on how some student has adjusted and processed the difference between a classroom and a real job. Professors usually expect their students to write about some lessons they've picked up from working during their internships. They can relate it to their personal lifestyle. They want to check if there is anything that their students still should understand.

Internship Reflection Paper Outline: Main Rules for Writing

Any reflection paper has three main parts: an introduction, body, and conclusion. Internship reflection papers also follow this guideline. These three parts should support the main thesis statement of your paper. 

How to Start My Internship Reflection Paper

A lot of people find an introduction paragraph for internship reflection paper a bit tricky. Since this is the first part of your paper, you should say something that reflects the rest of your essay without. But don't give out too much. Sometimes, however, you can simply write details about an internship. You can even start a reflection paper with your expectations in an internship before proceeding to how it actually went down. There is one thing you should remember. An introduction is not the part where you should be writing your analysis. Save that for the body of your paper. An introduction can be a bit tricky to write, and sometimes, people often write them last. That is perfectly fine, as long as you know that you've written a good introduction. And that it seamlessly leads to the next paragraphs.

How to Create My Internship Reflection Essay Body Paragraphs

After setting an introduction as your paper's foundation, it's time to delve into some paper outline details. Each paragraph in your reflection paper should support a central idea followed by supporting statements. By following this rule, you're making it easier for readers to comprehend your thoughts. While a reflection paper is mostly about what you are thinking, remember to not stray off from the main idea of your entire paper. Instead, use each paragraph to reinforce an idea of your paper's main paragraph.

How to End My Internship Reflection Paper

Creating a conclusion is perhaps one of the most difficult parts of writing any reflection paper. You should tie everything up to create a thorough and comprehensive reflection paper. In this part, you can be a bit more creative compared to a very restricting introduction. Write most of your analysis in the body of your paper. Then, you can expound on some reflections at a conclusion. Sometimes, people simply conclude a paper with lessons they've learned. And how they will apply them to their jobs in the future.

How to Write an Internship Reflection Paper

While you can be good at your field, writing an internship reflection paper can still be a bit hard. Lucky for you, we've compiled 5 basic steps to help you with crafting an analysis and interpretation of your experience during your internship.

Step 1. Start With Internship in Your Introduction

For your introduction, give a concise but comprehensive detail about an internship. This gives your professor insight into how an internship worked for you. Thus, it sets a foundation for your succeeding paragraphs. Here are a few questions you can answer in your introduction.

• What is your internship all about?
• What is the company you worked for?
• What are the common tasks that are assigned to you?

Step 2. Describe Your Goals in the Internship Reflection Paper Questions

Remember that during your internship, you're not just another person doing a job. You are there to learn about how everything works in real life. All the things you've learned in the classroom should be put to test. Answer some questions that will help better understand your goals:

• What is your overall goal in life and how is it connected with your internship?
• What is your primary goal during the internship?
• Have you achieved your goal? Why or why not?
• Are there factors that contributed to achieving your goals?

Step 3. Reflect on How Your Internship Has Contributed to the Company

Aside from your internal reflection about how your internship might have helped you, you should also think about how you've contributed to a company. Whether it's a paid internship or not, you should remember that you are part of the team. There are certain expectations that come with it.

• What was expected of you?
• Have you accomplished the tasks given to you?
• Have you done anything that impressed your superiors?

Step 4. Conclude Your Internship Reflection

To finish your reflection paper, you should remember to conclude with an overall analysis of how an internship has affected both you and a company. You can also add other details that don't necessarily fit in the previous paragraphs. Such as your plans after an internship. Some companies offer their interns a job after they graduate. They do so if they have impressive work ethics and made an impact in the company. These questions may help you writing a conclusion:

• What is your main takeaway from this experience?
• Are you looking forward to anything after your internship?
• How are you going to use the things you've learned in the future?

Step 5. Proofread Your Internship Experience Paper

Of course, the final step is to make sure that there is no mistake in your paper. As a responsible student, you should never submit the first draft of what you've written. Even if you've written a comprehensive reflection paper, it will do you no good if it has a lot of grammar errors. Have you ever wondered who could do my homework for me ?

Intern Essay: Bottom Line

There might be a lot of technicalities when writing a good reflection paper. Remember that in the end, it should still be all about your experience during an internship. You don't have to necessarily overcomplicate things. Just be true to what you've been through and you can start a great internship reflection paper. If you wonder, who can do my assignment , then go no further, we can help!

Now you know how to write an internship reflection paper. But if you face any challenges handling it, feel free to send our experts requirements and details. Our professional essay writers will help you deal with your work. They will write a quality reflection paper in time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internship Reflection Paper

1. what is the difference between an internship reflection paper and a critical reflection paper.

When people hear "reflection paper," they are most likely thinking about critical reflection paper. This is a type of essay wherein someone analyzes something. While giving thoughts about how their personal thoughts are in the process. In a way, an internship reflection paper is very similar to a critical reflection paper aside from a major difference: an internship reflection paper directly analyzes your personal experience in an internship work.

2. How long should an internship reflection paper be?

Since an internship reflection paper is most commonly handed out as an additional task or project to increase your grades, it's important that you know all task requirements. If your professor failed to mention any word or page count, you can always reach out and ask. If, however, your professor gives you freedom to write as many words as you can, an internship reflection paper generally has around 750 words. Of course, you can exceed this word limit, but do not go overboard. Especially if your professor has a lot of reflection papers they should grade. 

3. What format for internship reflection paper can be?

Depending on your professor's requirements, you can write in MLA, APA, or Chicago style paper format. These are three most common formats but there are also other formats that your professor might suggest. The formats are a little different for each page, depending on what style you are using. However, you should focus more on the title page as they differ a lot. Typically, reflection papers do not need sources. So you don't have to overthink about a References page. However, if you should cite, make sure that you are using the right in-text citations and reference citations.

4. How do you start a school counseling internship reflection paper?

You can start your school counseling internship reflection paper with a general overview of your role. You can proceed with the name of your school where you completed an internship. State your purpose or goal for completing an internship. You can save the detailed explanation in the body of your reflection paper. Focus on the details in the beginning, so that professor will have enough information about your internship before proceeding to what you've learned.

Standard Internship Reflection Paper Template

Here is a quick example of what an internship reflection paper looks like. Remember that you can edit contents and insert your own anecdotes about your internship that you think have helped you achieve your goals of being ready for a real job.

Internship Reflection Paper Example

Here is another example of an internship reflection paper that can help you get an idea of what you can write in your own paper. This is an example of a reflection paper written by a computer programmer who applied for an internship.

Internship Essay: Example & Complete Writing Guide [2024]

Writing an internship essay is a challenging task that plenty of people have to endure. It is essential for gaining useful experience and learning the ins and outs of a given industry. You have probably heard about the “Why do you want this internship?” essay. However, it’s not the only question that you might have to answer.

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

There are two situations in which you might need internship paper examples and tips:

• if you are applying for an internship program;
• if you have already completed one.

In the first case, you will be asked what you expect from this internship. For this, you should write an application essay. In the second, an internship report or a reflection paper.

Our experts will present helpful tips for both cases. Find them and illustrative internship essay examples in the article.

✔️ If You Have Already Completed an Internship Program

Congratulations! This was an essential step towards your career. Now you have a chance to get the job of your dreams. However, right now, you have to write an essay on your internship and talk about yours.

Internship Report Points

Such an end-of-internship essay will include the following points:

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• Place of your internship.
• Responsibilities you had.
• Difficulties you faced during your internship.
• An overall impression of this experience.
• Self-evaluation of your performance.
• Appendix with deliverables you created during your internship.

Internship Report Sample

Check out this short internship essay example:

• As a business administration student at the University of Collegetown, I participated in a three-month summer internship at Internet & More, an IT company based in Collegetown.
• I was interning at the company’s marketing department, and I primarily interacted with the Internet & More’s content creation and social media marketing specialists.
• The main task of my internship was to create a LinkedIn marketing strategy for the company, basing my recommendations on extensive market research and using LinkedIn as a promotional tool for both customers and potential employees.

This brief introduction achieves three goals:

• establishes that this report is an internship experience essay;
• it introduces the company and department where the internship took place;
• it describes the intern’s primary task.

Internship Report: Your Impression

The essay continues like this:

• Overall, the experience proved to be both enjoyable and rewarding. I found the marketing concepts and frameworks that I learned in class to be relevant and useful when working on my practical, real-world assignments.
• I did, however, encounter some difficulties working on the task. Namely, as an undergraduate student , I was used to receiving very detailed, step-by-step instructions, whereas I was given more flexibility and autonomy during my internship.
• Secondly, I needed to take some time to familiarize myself with the world of LinkedIn marketing because we never dealt with it in my university classes.

Internship Report Conclusion

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This part of the internship essay example accomplishes two things. It gives the writer’s overall impression of the internship and discusses its advantages and challenges.

• During my internship, I was able to generate a 5,000-follower base for the company’s LinkedIn page, which allowed the Internet & More to expand their list of prospects significantly.
• Moreover, the company was able to fill two vacant positions within a matter of two days, having received over 400 resumes from highly qualified applicants.
• Thus, I was able to successfully achieve the goals set for me at the beginning of my internship. Attached, you can find the strategy development and implementation report I have created for the Internet & More.

This is the perfect internship essay conclusion!

The student provides a self-evaluation most appropriately: not merely saying that he did a great job, but by demonstrating and even quantifying how he contributed to its goals and development.

Equally crucial, the student offers an opportunity for the reader to examine his work.

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

Not sure whether you can write such an impressive internship reflection essay? Our writers have mastered the art of internship report writing and will be happy to assist you.

🗺️ If You Are Trying to Get an Internship

If you are applying to an internship program, we also have to congratulate you!

You are on the right path to the career of your dreams. An internship will help you gain additional knowledge and skills , and you will also get to know a lot about your future job’s specifics.

But many students feel lost because they don’t know how to write an essay for an internship.

Internship Application: Main Purpose

Writing internship essays is very similar to writing any other application essay. Your primary purpose is to demonstrate your outstanding talents and prove that you deserve this opportunity. Besides, you should state, “Why do you want this internship”? in an essay.

Before you get down to work, find and look through some samples . You can also read our internship essay example below to learn some specific strategies.

Tips for a Succesful Internship Application

Here are more tips on how to write a successful internship essay:

• You may start with a bit of information about yourself , but make sure it relates to the internship.
• Talk about your previous education and experiences. What college did you attend? What was your major? What particular courses did you like the most?
• Describe your future goals and explain how this internship will benefit you in your essay.
• Finally, give reasons why you are the perfect candidate for this program. In this part of the internship essay, you can tell about your talents and positive characteristics.

Essentially, the two most critical questions you need to answer in your internship essay are “Why do you want this internship?” and “What do you hope to gain from this internship experience?”

Internship Application Sample

Let’s check out the internship essay example that helped our example student land his internship at Internet & More:

• I am writing to you regarding the marketing internship opportunity at your company Internet & More. I learned of this opening from your company representatives who attended the job fair at the University of Collegetown.
• I am a third-year student at the University of Collegetown, majoring in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing and Digital Communications.
• My professional interests include content creation and social media marketing and optimization, so this opportunity naturally attracted my attention. I believe that the knowledge I gained from my Marketing Strategy and Social Media Marketing classes will be particularly beneficial for this internship.

This is fantastic:

In a very concise and modest manner , this student explains his interest in the training. He confidently establishes why he makes a great candidate for this position.

What’s next?

Internship Application: Your Career Goals

• My professional goal is to become a social media marketing specialist so I can help businesses grow their online presence. I believe that this internship is the perfect opportunity for me to apply my skills and knowledge to help a company achieve its strategic goals.
• I am also particularly excited to immerse myself in the business world and work alongside leading industry experts.
• My past qualifications and experiences make me a suitable candidate for this position, and I am looking forward to helping the Internet & More grow their LinkedIn presence and visibility.

Don’t you just want to hire this student right away?

He managed to combine professionalism and just the right amount of flattery in his internship application letter. He also did not forget to mention his career goals and objectives. You should say how this internship will benefit you in your essay.

Don’t you feel more confident about your application now that you know how to write an internship essay?

That’s it! Follow these tips, and who knows? Maybe your next internship will be with Google !

Good luck with your internship essay writing! Be sure to check out our blog for more writing wisdom and share the page with your peers.

Further reading:

• How to Make a Resume: Secrets Your Employer Won’t Tell You
• College Grad Job Market: 50+ Employment Statistics
• Top Free Online Courses from the Best Universities
• Tips for Public Speaking: Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety
• The New York Times Guide to Article Writing and Useful Tips
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Thanks for the help, the tips are really helpful.

Glad to help, Lukie!

Thank you so much for the help and mostly samples… I just applied for my first Internship, and I’m having high hopes ,,, thank you once again.

We are happy to hear that! Thank you for your feedback!

These tips are helpful to make an essay. Thank you for helping to write an essay!

Glad the article was helpful for you, Fazal.

These tips are really good and educative. Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback, Myke!

Thanks for the help. Really appreciate.

Thanks for the feedback, Nathaniel!

The tips are helpful… Bravo

Thanks, Nnadi! Appreciate your feedback.

It is a real talent to include some many helpful tips in such a short article! This is a real help with my essay on internship. Thanks!

I believe that your post on internship essay writing is invaluable to any student who is working on this academic assignment! Thanks a lot for such help!

Guidelines for Internship Reflection Paper

  With thanks to Guillermo Delgado [pdf]

The 'macro' question that you are answering in this paper is "SO WHAT?" So what that you did this internship? Whom does it affect? How might it be useful? How did your experience connect to your academic work? How did you grow intellectually and/or personally?

Remember that since your internship was ahighly individual experience, your paper will also be unique, addressing those specific topics and questions that concerned you.  This is an important means you and your insrtructor to evaluate and learn from your experience.  Therefore, please include

• a short description of what you actually did daily, and
• then demonstrate your analytical ability in your reflection on your experiences.

Your journal is a useful place to recover insights, connections, changes, small incidents that highlight larger issues, and common threads. Rely on your journal for a sense of perspective on the internship; the more complete a journal you kept, the easier this paper should be to write.

Finally, PROOFREAD AND SPELLCHECK! This is crucial, because your paper will be judged both on content and form.  In some cases, mistakes even prevent the content from being understood.

Reflection Paper Sample Outline

I. Description of internship (brief) and to include:

• responsibilities
• skills learned
• project description
• problems encountered
• your expectations/goals: how and why they were or were not met

II. Analysis of internship in terms of the following:

• brief overview of the organization's mission/work and how your project contributed or related to that
• what you learned, changes you experienced
• ethical considerations/issues

III. Relationship of internship or project to academic literature

• set your experiences during the internship in the context of at least 2 readings from the course

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How to Write an Essay for an Internship

Internship: Apply for an Internship to Prepare for College

An internship can provide career-building experience and be a stepping stone to your dream job. In order to get an internship, you may be asked to write an essay with your application. This essay gives you a chance to express your personality beyond what can be gleaned from other aspects of the application. Think of it as a written interview and use it as an opportunity to convey your passion for the field and personal motivations. This type of well-crafted "interview" can separate you from the other candidates by demonstrating your strength in written communication.

Hook Your Reader in the Introduction

Start with an attention-grabbing opening sentence. Whoever is reading your essay will likely be reading many of them, so you need to establish yourself as a special individual by revealing a detail that is relevant but interesting and unique. Your introductory paragraph should be specific and directly related to the internship. For example, if you're applying for a veterinary internship, mention your experience as a pet foster parent or your volunteering experience at a shelter.

Create a Thesis Statement

Conclude your first paragraph with a clear thesis statement. Your thesis will guide the rest of your essay, and should be narrowly focused to the internship you want. For example, your thesis might read, "My volunteer experience working with animals has helped me develop compassion and attention to detail, and an internship will help me hone these skills even further."

Share Your Strengths

Focus on why you would be an asset to the company, business, organization or clinic that you want to intern at. Every applicant will be writing what the internship opportunity will do for them, but you can set yourself apart by highlighting what you will be bringing to the internship. Think about the most important qualities you will bring to the table, and make sure to thread these details throughout the entire essay, which should be about a page long unless otherwise noted on the application.

Discuss Your Experience

Relate relevant experience. Remember that experience can be anything from a leadership position on a sports team to a babysitting job. If you are including your resume and/or transcript, don't restate their contents. Instead, use the essay to elaborate on the skills and qualifications you have that make you a good candidate.

Demonstrate Your Work Ethic

Prove you will treat the internship like a job. Whether or not you will be getting paid or working full time, show that you understand an internship is a meaningful professional opportunity and not a “job lite.” You can do this by adopting a mature and professional tone in the essay.

Avoid Stating the Obvious

Avoid cliches or stating the obvious by being as specific as possible. There is no need to say, for example, that you are applying for the internship to gain experience since that’s typically one of the main goals of any internship. Instead, talk about the specific skills you hope to learn and how you will use them in your career.

Follow the Guidelines

Stick to the guidelines. If there are published word limits, writing far more or far less will show that you do not know how to follow directions. If the application does not specify how long the paper should be, use your judgment and try to stick to 400-500 words.

• Personalize the essay. You do not want the reader to think you wrote a form essay, but that you have done the research on their company and can point to reasons you will be a good fit for the internship.
• Have someone read over the essay to catch any grammatical or spelling errors you may have missed.

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Reflective essays

Guidance and information on using reflective essays.

The reflective essay is one of the most common reflective assignments and is very frequently used for both formative and especially summative assessments. Reflective essays are about presenting reflections to an audience in a systematic and formal way.

Generally, all good academic practice for assignments applies when posing reflective essays.

Typical reflective essay questions

Reflective essays tend to deal with a reflective prompt that the essay needs to address. This also often means that the essay will have to draw on a range of experiences and theories to fully and satisfactorily answer the question.

The questions/prompts should not be too vague, for example ‘reflect on your learning’, but should define an area or an aspect relevant to your learning outcomes. This is most easily ensured with thorough guidelines, highlighting elements expected in the essay.

Questions could be something like (not exhaustive):

• reflect on learning in the course with regards to [choose an aspect]
• reflect on personal development across an experience with regards to certain skills
• reflect on development towards subject benchmarks statements and the extent to which these are achieved
• reflect on the progression towards the course’s defined learning outcomes or the school’s or the University’s Graduate Attributes
• reflect on some theory relevant to the course. (Remember that for this to be a reflective essay and not an academic/critical essay, the student must use that theory to explain/inform their own experiences, and use their own experiences to criticise and put the theory into context – that is, how theory and experience inform one another.)

Typical structure and language

Reflective essays will often require theoretical literature, but this is not always essential.  Reflective essays can be built around a single individual experience, but will often draw on a series of individual experiences – or one long experience, for example an internship, that is broken into individual experiences.

The typical language and structure is formal – for thorough descriptions on this, see ‘Academic reflections: tips, language and structure’ in the Reflectors’ Toolkit, which can be valuable to highlight to students.

Academic reflections: tips, language and structure (within the Reflectors’ Toolkit)

Length and assignment weight if assessed

There is no one length that a reflective essay must take. As with all written assignments, the main consideration is that the length is appropriate for evidencing learning, answering the question and meeting the criteria.

Similarly, there is no clear answer for what percentage of the overall mark is attached to the assignment. However, the choice should mirror the required workload for the reflector to complete it, how that fits into your initiative, and the amount of preparation the reflector has had.

For instance, if the student has received formative feedback on multiple pieces of work, a larger proportion of the course mark may be appropriate, compared to if the student had not had a chance to practice. It is important to keep in mind that many students will not have had many chances to practice reflective essays before university.

Back to ‘Components of reflective tasks’

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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Guide on How to Write a Reflection Paper with Free Tips and Example

A reflection paper is a very common type of paper among college students. Almost any subject you enroll in requires you to express your opinion on certain matters. In this article, we will explain how to write a reflection paper and provide examples and useful tips to make the essay writing process easier.

Reflection papers should have an academic tone yet be personal and subjective. In this paper, you should analyze and reflect upon how an experience, academic task, article, or lecture shaped your perception and thoughts on a subject.

Here is what you need to know about writing an effective critical reflection paper. Stick around until the end of our guide to get some useful writing tips from the writing team at EssayPro — a research paper writing service

What Is a Reflection Paper

A reflection paper is a type of paper that requires you to write your opinion on a topic, supporting it with your observations and personal experiences. As opposed to presenting your reader with the views of other academics and writers, in this essay, you get an opportunity to write your point of view—and the best part is that there is no wrong answer. It is YOUR opinion, and it is your job to express your thoughts in a manner that will be understandable and clear for all readers that will read your paper. The topic range is endless. Here are some examples: whether or not you think aliens exist, your favorite TV show, or your opinion on the outcome of WWII. You can write about pretty much anything.

There are three types of reflection paper; depending on which one you end up with, the tone you write with can be slightly different. The first type is the educational reflective paper. Here your job is to write feedback about a book, movie, or seminar you attended—in a manner that teaches the reader about it. The second is the professional paper. Usually, it is written by people who study or work in education or psychology. For example, it can be a reflection of someone’s behavior. And the last is the personal type, which explores your thoughts and feelings about an individual subject.

However, reflection paper writing will stop eventually with one very important final paper to write - your resume. This is where you will need to reflect on your entire life leading up to that moment. To learn how to list education on resume perfectly, follow the link on our dissertation writing services .

Unlock the potential of your thoughts with EssayPro . Order a reflection paper and explore a range of other academic services tailored to your needs. Dive deep into your experiences, analyze them with expert guidance, and turn your insights into an impactful reflection paper.

Free Reflection Paper Example

Now that we went over all of the essentials about a reflection paper and how to approach it, we would like to show you some examples that will definitely help you with getting started on your paper.

Reflection Paper Format

Reflection papers typically do not follow any specific format. Since it is your opinion, professors usually let you handle them in any comfortable way. It is best to write your thoughts freely, without guideline constraints. If a personal reflection paper was assigned to you, the format of your paper might depend on the criteria set by your professor. College reflection papers (also known as reflection essays) can typically range from about 400-800 words in length.

Here’s how we can suggest you format your reflection paper:

How to Start a Reflection Paper

The first thing to do when beginning to work on a reflection essay is to read your article thoroughly while taking notes. Whether you are reflecting on, for example, an activity, book/newspaper, or academic essay, you want to highlight key ideas and concepts.

You can start writing your reflection paper by summarizing the main concept of your notes to see if your essay includes all the information needed for your readers. It is helpful to add charts, diagrams, and lists to deliver your ideas to the audience in a better fashion.

After you have finished reading your article, it’s time to brainstorm. We’ve got a simple brainstorming technique for writing reflection papers. Just answer some of the basic questions below:

• How did the article affect you?
• How does this article catch the reader’s attention (or does it all)?
• Has the article changed your mind about something? If so, explain how.
• Has the article left you with any questions?
• Were there any unaddressed critical issues that didn’t appear in the article?
• Does the article relate to anything from your past reading experiences?
• Does the article agree with any of your past reading experiences?

Here are some reflection paper topic examples for you to keep in mind before preparing to write your own:

• How my views on rap music have changed over time
• My reflection and interpretation of Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• Why my theory about the size of the universe has changed over time
• How my observations for clinical psychological studies have developed in the last year

The result of your brainstorming should be a written outline of the contents of your future paper. Do not skip this step, as it will ensure that your essay will have a proper flow and appropriate organization.

Another good way to organize your ideas is to write them down in a 3-column chart or table.

Do you want your task look awesome?

If you would like your reflection paper to look professional, feel free to check out one of our articles on how to format MLA, APA or Chicago style

Writing a Reflection Paper Outline

Reflection paper should contain few key elements:

Introduction

Your introduction should specify what you’re reflecting upon. Make sure that your thesis informs your reader about your general position, or opinion, toward your subject.

• State what you are analyzing: a passage, a lecture, an academic article, an experience, etc...)
• Briefly summarize the work.
• Write a thesis statement stating how your subject has affected you.

One way you can start your thesis is to write:

Example: “After reading/experiencing (your chosen topic), I gained the knowledge of…”

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs should examine your ideas and experiences in context to your topic. Make sure each new body paragraph starts with a topic sentence.

Your reflection may include quotes and passages if you are writing about a book or an academic paper. They give your reader a point of reference to fully understand your feedback. Feel free to describe what you saw, what you heard, and how you felt.

Example: “I saw many people participating in our weight experiment. The atmosphere felt nervous yet inspiring. I was amazed by the excitement of the event.”

As with any conclusion, you should summarize what you’ve learned from the experience. Next, tell the reader how your newfound knowledge has affected your understanding of the subject in general. Finally, describe the feeling and overall lesson you had from the reading or experience.

There are a few good ways to conclude a reflection paper:

• Tie all the ideas from your body paragraphs together, and generalize the major insights you’ve experienced.
• Restate your thesis and summarize the content of your paper.

We have a separate blog post dedicated to writing a great conclusion. Be sure to check it out for an in-depth look at how to make a good final impression on your reader.

Need a hand? Get help from our writers. Edit, proofread or buy essay .

How to Write a Reflection Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: create a main theme.

After you choose your topic, write a short summary about what you have learned about your experience with that topic. Then, let readers know how you feel about your case — and be honest. Chances are that your readers will likely be able to relate to your opinion or at least the way you form your perspective, which will help them better understand your reflection.

For example: After watching a TEDx episode on Wim Hof, I was able to reevaluate my preconceived notions about the negative effects of cold exposure.

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas and Experiences You’ve Had Related to Your Topic

You can write down specific quotes, predispositions you have, things that influenced you, or anything memorable. Be personal and explain, in simple words, how you felt.

For example: • A lot of people think that even a small amount of carbohydrates will make people gain weight • A specific moment when I struggled with an excess weight where I avoided carbohydrates entirely • The consequences of my actions that gave rise to my research • The evidence and studies of nutritional science that claim carbohydrates alone are to blame for making people obese • My new experience with having a healthy diet with a well-balanced intake of nutrients • The influence of other people’s perceptions on the harm of carbohydrates, and the role their influence has had on me • New ideas I’ve created as a result of my shift in perspective

Step 3: Analyze How and Why These Ideas and Experiences Have Affected Your Interpretation of Your Theme

Pick an idea or experience you had from the last step, and analyze it further. Then, write your reasoning for agreeing or disagreeing with it.

For example, Idea: I was raised to think that carbohydrates make people gain weight.

Analysis: Most people think that if they eat any carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, and sugar, they will gain weight. I believe in this misconception to such a great extent that I avoided carbohydrates entirely. As a result, my blood glucose levels were very low. I needed to do a lot of research to overcome my beliefs finally. Afterward, I adopted the philosophy of “everything in moderation” as a key to a healthy lifestyle.

For example: Idea: I was brought up to think that carbohydrates make people gain weight. Analysis: Most people think that if they eat any carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, and sugar, they will gain weight. I believe in this misconception to such a great extent that I avoided carbohydrates entirely. As a result, my blood glucose levels were very low. I needed to do a lot of my own research to finally overcome my beliefs. After, I adopted the philosophy of “everything in moderation” as a key for having a healthy lifestyle.

Step 4: Make Connections Between Your Observations, Experiences, and Opinions

Try to connect your ideas and insights to form a cohesive picture for your theme. You can also try to recognize and break down your assumptions, which you may challenge in the future.

There are some subjects for reflection papers that are most commonly written about. They include:

• Book – Start by writing some information about the author’s biography and summarize the plot—without revealing the ending to keep your readers interested. Make sure to include the names of the characters, the main themes, and any issues mentioned in the book. Finally, express your thoughts and reflect on the book itself.
• Course – Including the course name and description is a good place to start. Then, you can write about the course flow, explain why you took this course, and tell readers what you learned from it. Since it is a reflection paper, express your opinion, supporting it with examples from the course.
• Project – The structure for a reflection paper about a project has identical guidelines to that of a course. One of the things you might want to add would be the pros and cons of the course. Also, mention some changes you might want to see, and evaluate how relevant the skills you acquired are to real life.
• Interview – First, introduce the person and briefly mention the discussion. Touch on the main points, controversies, and your opinion of that person.

Writing Tips

Everyone has their style of writing a reflective essay – and that's the beauty of it; you have plenty of leeway with this type of paper – but there are still a few tips everyone should incorporate.

Before you start your piece, read some examples of other papers; they will likely help you better understand what they are and how to approach yours. When picking your subject, try to write about something unusual and memorable — it is more likely to capture your readers' attention. Never write the whole essay at once. Space out the time slots when you work on your reflection paper to at least a day apart. This will allow your brain to generate new thoughts and reflections.

• Short and Sweet – Most reflection papers are between 250 and 750 words. Don't go off on tangents. Only include relevant information.
• Clear and Concise – Make your paper as clear and concise as possible. Use a strong thesis statement so your essay can follow it with the same strength.
• Maintain the Right Tone – Use a professional and academic tone—even though the writing is personal.
• Cite Your Sources – Try to cite authoritative sources and experts to back up your personal opinions.
• Proofreading – Not only should you proofread for spelling and grammatical errors, but you should proofread to focus on your organization as well. Answer the question presented in the introduction.

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yours truly, katrina

A Reflection on My First Internship: 5 Things I Learned

February 10, 2017 by yourstrulykatrina

Now, five months after employment, I can truthfully say that taking the internship was the best decision I’ve made thus far in my college career. Although there were times I encountered some difficulties, the benefits far outnumbered the costs, and I feel that the experience empowered me to really dive headfirst into getting ready for my “real-world” career. Beyond learning how to conduct research and improve my writing skills, I’ve learned so many things about my field of study and internships in general. While I know it sounds cliché, I truly feel that the lessons I learned throughout my first internship experience will carry with me throughout my professional career. Here are just a few of the tidbits of information I’ve gathered over the past five months:

Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Connect with your co-interns., know your limits., prioritization is everything, seize every  opportunity, even if it doesn’t seem like it fully relates to your major., what was your first internship experience like are you about to embark on your own let me know in the comments below.

About yourstrulykatrina

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Preceptor Call for Fall 2024

If you are teaching an introductory or critical gateway course this coming fall, please consider asking an upper level student to join you as a student preceptor. This opportunity is available to full- and part-time faculty members, as well as, staff members teaching as adjunct faculty.

A preceptor can assist with leading discussion, running writing workshops, leading a lab section, overseeing a group project, leading a class on a subject in which the preceptor displays some expertise, running an exam review session, offering the instructor feedback around creating a classroom environment supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and so on. While preceptors are explicitly not involved in grading any student work, they can provide you with key insights into what is working well in your course and where students may need extra support to achieve a specific learning outcome. Most preceptors are also comfortable with various online platforms. Thus, they can provide instructors with feedback about online assignments and online activities if their students are confused about content or online learning. Their participation in your class will also help them strengthen their leadership, collaboration, and communication skills.

The Preceptor Program, along with all tutoring services, are now overseen by the Center for Student Success (CSS). If you are interested in having a student preceptor in Fall 2024, please email the following information to Julie Spring at  [email protected]  by Friday, April 19.

• Course code and CRN for your targeted fall course
• Student preceptor’s name
• Student preceptor’s ID number
• Student preceptor’s email address  

Once we have the required information, we will enroll your preceptor into the Preceptor Experience course (US 300) referenced below, so the student has a record of this leadership experience on their transcript. If this course exceeds their credit limit, we will waive the tuition charge. Please be sure to confirm that your course meeting time fits into your preceptor’s schedule because they must attend your course, but not register for it . Both faculty and preceptors must attend a short, mandatory planning workshop, and further training may also be required for preceptors, along with an “End of Semester Reflection” assignment.

The dates and times for the workshop (offered online via Teams) for both faculty member and preceptor are

You need to select just one session. Please let Julie know the workshop date that both you and your preceptor will attend together.

Here is the listing and course description for US 300 for Fall 2024:

US 300 – PRECEPTOR EXPERIENCE, CRN 46215 - 3 Credits

A preceptor is a unique academic leadership position offering outstanding undergraduate students the opportunity to work with a faculty mentor in an introductory or critical gateway course. The work of preceptors varies widely depending on the nature of the course, the needs of the instructor, and the strengths of the individual preceptor, but typically includes attending all class sessions, doing the reading and other work necessary to be prepared for those sessions, meeting weekly with the faculty member to discuss the week’s activities, and completing a short reflective essay about the preceptor experience at term’s end. It might also involve leading discussion, running writing workshops, leading a lab section, overseeing a group project, leading a class on a subject in which the preceptor displays some expertise, running an exam review session, offering the instructor feedback around creating a classroom environment supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and so on. Students invited to participate in this unique in-house internship opportunity are expected to attend mandatory training workshops, and log a minimum of 60 hours of work, including class and workshop attendance, preparation for class, regular meetings with the faculty sponsor, etc. P/NP.

Prerequisite(s): Sophomore, Junior or Senior standing, invitation by full-time faculty member, and approval by the Executive Director of the Center for Student Success.