Impressive Variety of Reflective Essay Topics (Free PDF)

All people remember some remarkable events in their life. It sometimes happens that a particular situation or moment may change our whole life. It should be noted that any item may have a significant influence on you. It can be a picture, a place, or even your memories. Such issues are usually explored in reflective papers. We would like to help you choose a great subject for your work. That is why we have made a list of superior reflective essay topics. We are sure that you will find them useful.

Basic Topics

“What is a reflective essay?” Students, who have never written such type of paper before, often ask this question.  If you take the following list into consideration, you will select a suitable subject for producing your work. Thus, you will not encounter any difficulties with writing a thesis statement. By the way, do not forget to provide detailed information about the matter when preparing your piece of writing.

1. What did you learn from a particular situation that happened in your life? Did it help you avoid making the same mistakes?
2. Talk about a significant event in your life.
3. Have you ever been impressed with something?
4. Talk about the skills you need to do something.
5. Has something changed your thinking? What was it?
6. Do you like reading books with deep philosophical content?
7. Have any dramatic events caught your attention? What were they?
8. Talk about the turning point in your life. Describe your feelings.
9. How can you apply knowledge gained at college to your job.
10. Explain how something has changed your future plans.
11. What do you often think about? Why does this issue provoke a lot of thoughts?
12. Analyze the problem of religion, race, and gender in society. It is necessary to admit that this is rather an interesting topic for your reflective essay.
13. Talk about the ways you can help people sharing your experience.
14. Have you ever participated in different activities? What did you learn from such experience?
15. Has anything ever deeply affected you?
16. Has anything ever aroused profound emotions? What was it?
17. Would you like to change anything in your life?
18. Do you want to change yourself in any way?

Memorable Moments

Top-notch reflective essays can be produced when describing some events. It does not matter whether these are everyday events or some solemn occasions. It is a great way of preparing an original paper no matter whether you are experienced writer or not. It is very interesting to describe birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc. When writing about some precious moments, you can show how something has changed your life.

19. Talk about your everyday life. Describe the process of studying, making breakfast, cleaning the house and other activities.
20. Describe your feelings when creating a design for your house.
21. A memorable play.
22. A visit to the zoo or theater.
23. The importance of celebrating Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and other holidays.
24. Have you ever lived in the regions suffering from floods, storms, or hurricanes? Describe your feelings.
25. Moving to a new city.
26. Talk about marriage. Why is this event considered remarkable?
27. Describe a terrifying nightmare or a pleasant dream.
28. Tell about a memorable trip.
29. Have ever taken care about a sick person? Share your experience.
30. Your first salary, car, apartment.
31. Receiving a valuable gift.
32. The day when there was no electricity, water, or gas.
33. Undertaking special activities. Describe any kind of sports.
34. Voting for the first time.
35. Defending the rights of another person.
36. Preparing for an important event.
37. Describe your birthday party or that of your friend.
38. Talk about the day you have skipped a school.
39. Do you go to church. Talk about your feeling after the religious ceremonies.
40. The day when you have surprised somebody. Has anybody ever surprised you greatly?
41. Have you ever lost precious things, i.e. wallet, jewelry, etc.?
42. Describe how you got lost in a strange place.
43. A party organized by your neighbors. By the way, there are a lot of useful reflective essay prompts on writing a paper on this topic.
44. Talk about the time spent at the hospital. Describe your experience of visiting a dentist.
45. Have you ever been proud of yourself for doing anything?
46. Eating something you do not like.
47. The first day at new school. Describe an occasion when have been robbed.

Broad Topics

48. The favorite perfume.
49. Swimming in the ocean.
50. A hiking tour.
51. Climbing the mountains.
52. A hunting trip.
53. Going to the cinema.
54. Watching the ocean.
55. A memorable walk in the valley full of beautiful flowers.
56. How to survive during a hurricane or another natural disaster.
57. A rainy day.
58. Meeting a bear or snake.
59. Walking in the jungles.
60. Climbing a rock.
61. Playing with your pet.
62. A tornado is moving to the city.
63. Have you ever thought about crossing the desert?
64. Walking on the seashore.
65. Playing in the mud. A good reflective essay can be produced on this topic.
66. Describe the feelings of watching the sunset.
67. Gathering mushrooms and berries in the forest.
68. The dunes of sand in the desert.
69. Describe how the birds build their nests.
70. Visiting a historical place.
71. Looking down from a high rock.
72. Running outdoors.
73. Meeting a wild animal.
74. Looking into the water from a high bridge.
75. A successful expedition to the mountains.
76. Skiing from high hills.
77. Watching the birds flying.

Topics Related to Places

It is known that some places may arouse deep emotions. People can think about them again and again. If you want to write a paper about a certain place, you should consider the following reflective essay ideas. They will help you start your work.

78. The best place where you had a vacation.
79. Talk about your favorite shopping center.
80. Would you like to visit a coffee shop?
81. You native town. Describe the arousing feelings when visiting it.
82. Talk about your favorite ice skating rink.
83. Going to an amusement park.
84. Your school. What do you feel when talking about it?
85. Your favorite online resource, i.e. website, blog, social network, etc.
86. Describe your working place.
87. A great bookstore. Why do like going to it?
88. Tell about your bedroom. Does it look like that in your childhood?
89. Your grandparents’ house or that of your friends.
90. Talk about your working area no matter whether it is a house or office.
91. Your favorite restaurant. Why do you like it most of all?
92. The playground from your childhood.

Topics Examining Relationship

It is obvious that relationships evoke the most pleasant or painful memories. That is why exploring this issue can be a fascinating reflective essay topic. Besides, writing papers on this subject may help us understand ourselves better. Consider the following ideas for your academic work:

93. Falling in love. Describe this precious moment.
94. A stressful situation. Tell how you helped your friend feel better (or describe how your friends helped you relieve stress).
95. Describe the moment when someone has talked about your positive qualities.
96. Adopting a daughter, son, or sister. Express your opinion about adoption.
97. Going on a pleasant journey with the best friend.
98. A heated discussion. Is it easy to make you feel nervous?
99. Being afraid of someone. Describe your feelings.
100. Saying “sorry”. Is it hard to admit being wrong?
101. Describe a moment of being punished unfairly by your parents.
102. Have you ever wanted to own anything that did not belong to you?
103. Talk about the period of life when something or someone has disappointed you greatly.
104. An argument with your teacher or boss.
105. Discuss an embarrassing situation in your life. Describe your feelings.
106. The funniest moment in your life. Describe it in details.
107. Being a child. What are the sweetest memories in your childhood?
108. The first time of going out with friends without parents.
109. Talking about the mistakes made by your relatives, i.e. parents, grandparents, friends, etc.
110. Describe your feelings when helping people (or when people help you).
111. Keeping secrets. Have you ever revealed somebody’s secret?
112. Analyze your first public speech.
113. Have you ever lied to anyone? Talk about the moment when the truth has come out.
114. Losing memory. Describe the situation when your friend’s brain has been affected by dementia.

Key Steps to Writing Unique Papers on Reflective Essay Topics

1. Take a close look at the list of subjects for producing works. Choose the one that you are interested in.
2. Start the paper with describing your personal experience. Make readers fell themselves participants of your narration.
3. The above-mention item is going to be your thesis statement.
4. Remember to structure your work properly.
5. Write a logical conclusion. You need to show what lesson you have learned from your personal experience. Tell whether experience helps succeed in life.
6. It sometimes happen that students do not know how to continue to write their works. In case some difficulties arise, you may always use a handy sample paper. It will help you understand how to move on.

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