What is a common mistake when writing a reflective essay?

Answer 1

A mistake in a reflective essay is to write a reaction instead of a reflection.

As a short example (of just two sentences) about "How have I developed as a high school student?"

Reaction: My high school is very large and diverse. The class sizes are too big and detract from my ability to learn.

Reflective: Attending a large, diverse high school allowed me to develop more mature thinking about multiple cultures and the complexity of the world. Within large classes, as a microcosm of real life communities, I learned to test out my assumptions and to move into more enriched understandings of others.

Answer 2

A common mistake when writing a reflective essay is focusing too much on describing events rather than exploring personal insights and growth. It's important to not just recount what happened, but also to delve into how the experience impacted you and what you learned from it. Reflection should go beyond surface-level observations to deeper analysis of thoughts and emotions.