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My journey As a Student Essay

Essay on topic my journey as a student.

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As a student, my journey so far has been full of challenges, growth, and self-discovery. I have learned a lot about myself, my abilities, and my passions. In this essay, I will reflect on my journey as a student, highlighting the milestones, struggles, and achievements that have shaped my academic life.

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My journey as a student started when I was in elementary school. I vividly remember the excitement and nervousness I felt on my first day of school. I was eager to learn and make new friends. As I progressed through the years, I encountered many challenges, such as adjusting to new teachers, making the transition from elementary to middle school, and learning how to manage my time effectively. Despite these challenges, I remained committed to my studies and continued to work hard to achieve good grades.

an essay on my journey as a student

In high school, I faced a new set of challenges. The workload was more rigorous, and I had to balance academics with extracurricular activities and part-time work. During this time, I also discovered my passion for writing and became an active member of the school newspaper. This experience taught me the value of teamwork, communication, and leadership.

As I entered college, I was both excited and nervous. I knew that college would be a new and challenging experience, but I was determined to succeed. I quickly learned that college required a higher level of dedication, discipline, and self-motivation. I had to learn how to manage my time efficiently, prioritize my tasks, and seek help when needed. Despite the challenges, I thrived in college and became more confident in my abilities. I also discovered new interests and passions, such as studying abroad and volunteering in my community.

Conclusion:

My journey as a student has been a remarkable experience. It has taught me valuable life skills, such as perseverance, time management, and teamwork. I have learned to adapt to new situations and challenges, and to never give up on my dreams. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had and for the people who have supported me along the way. As I continue my academic journey, I am excited to see where it will take me and what new experiences and challenges I will encounter.

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Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

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Nurturing Knowledge: My Educational Journey

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Introduction

Early schooling and foundation.

writer-marian

High School: Exploring Passions

Higher education: pursuing passions.

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Overall Reflection on Learning Journey Essay

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Educating young children is a very responsible task. During centuries, philosophers, teachers, and other scientists suggested many teaching techniques and theories that were aimed at improving the process of teaching, learning, and assessment. Indeed, modern education is based on several major principles that presuppose encouraging communication between adults and children, encourage learning activities, promote self-belief, and respect for other people. These principles were described and interpreted in various books, articles, etc. In this essay, I am going to highlight some key things, such as theories, principles, and approaches that re-shape or change the way I think about teaching, learning, and assessment.

I have never considered teaching as something easy, however, it is much “deeper” activity that, according to Eggen and Kauchak (2010) can be described with such adjectives as “demanding”, “challenging”, and “rewarding”. Being a teacher is not a profession, but a lifestyle. What was new for me is that a teacher should also be a psychologist. It is the main characteristic of his/her professionalism. As Eggen and Kauchak (2001) mention in their book, a commitment to learning, the ability to make decisions, reflective practices are the foundations of a professional teacher. Consequently, the knowledge of the material is not the only “knowledge” the teacher should possess. One should study educational psychology to develop a professional knowledge base that helps make decisions to maximize students’ learning. (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010).

What is also important for a teacher is no understand that the world and society develops, the students are not the same there were years ago, thus, a teacher is supposed to use innovative teaching methods that increase students’ alertness and motivation, as well as improve teacher’s professional development. One such method employs the use of the Internet and various digital technologies: “Internet navigation can use the technology to access professional development opportunities.” (Pandey and Bhargava, 2003) This promoted professional development and makes students more interested in learning, thus, it improves their performance. I have also realized that it is extremely important for teachers to understand individual student’s learning capabilities and psychological characteristics of every individual, as well as the whole group to be able to control their behavior. One should be aware of the ethics of the group membership and the commitment to the attitudes, values, and behavior of that group (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010). I also understood that there are many forms of disciplining young children, the most important for a teacher is to realize that these forms should be suitable in one time and place (Porter, 2002).

Two methods re-shaped my view on teaching: constructive and instructive teaching methods. The constructivist theory acknowledges that every learner needs to create an individual understanding of a concept through first-hand experience or reflection (student-based). This is an effective method since the students can visualize and easily understand the taught concepts. This is the opposite of the instructive teaching method where we are supposed to hammers information through explicit teaching, there is a strict sequence of skill presentation, and this method has its shortfalls since weak students might not be able to keep up with the pace. (Zevenbergen, 1995). One thing that we must all observe is professionalism and positive attitudes since they are keys to successful teaching. I appreciate the need to increase the students’ skills in education and life, and to achieve this we should empower students so that they can identify problems and solve them, still it brings them to issues related to real-life matters, and how to go about them. Thus, a teacher should promote student’s personal, social, and moral development in real-life situations.

According to Eggen and Kauchak (2010), age-related changes in personality, ability to interact, and pro-social characteristics should be taken into consideration when educating children. My vision of the educational process was also very changed by the theories of Piaget and Vigotsky. I considered that it is the teacher’s responsibility to present the knowledge, however, according to Piaget, learning is an active process and learners construct their knowledge (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010). Thus, the teacher is only the helper who directs and gives advice. Such a theory of active learning influenced greatly modern education and improved it. Vigotsky is another great pedagogue that changed my vision of the teaching process. His sociocultural theory of development emphasized the role of language in the child’s development, he promoted a great role of culture and social interaction (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010). Thus, I support the idea that people, as social beings should interact with other people and share their culture during socio-based activities.

Another important issue is the way of assessing students. We do this in various ways; one can take the formative approach which tests continuity, while there is the other method we use is the formative one which assesses the students at the end of their program. The formative approach is an effective method of testing day to day progress and it is effective since we can make rectifications instantly to avert the accumulation of learning problems. We are supposed to assess students in line with the set curriculum and objectives. This will take different forms but the primary objective is to use findings to improve our teaching and the student’s learning. (Bhagiar, 2007).

Throughout my learning, I discovered several important things that can promote the enhancement of teachers’ professional development and productivity. These issues have changed my attitude to teaching learning and assessment. What I understood is that teachers should prepare students to real life, promote their social, individual and moral development. By employing teaching tactics that use real life is, sues, teachers should let students explore the better world, come up with new ideas as well as help them solve real life problems. I appreciated what (Eggen & Kauchak 2010) said about real-life teaching whereby we use teaching aids which boosts the students’ ability to understand reality.

Bhagiar, M. (2006).Classroom Assessment Cycle within the Alternate Assessment Paradigm. Journal of Maltese Education research . Web.

Eggen, P & Kauchak, D. (2004) Education psychology Windows on classrooms. Web.

Pandey, V. C. & Bhargava, G. (2003). Digital Technologies and Teaching Strategies. Gyan Books.

Porter, L. (2002). Educating Young Children with Special Needs. SAGE.

Zevenbergen, R. (1995). Constructivist approaches in mathematics education. Web.

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Home Essay Samples Life About Myself

My Journey as a University Student

Table of contents, introduction, academic aspirations, adapting to university life, engagement in studies, extracurricular activities, building relationships, personal growth and challenges, contributions to the community, goals and aspirations.

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1.2 Your Academic Journey and Personal Story

Estimated completion time: 14 minutes.

Questions to Consider:

  • How can your academic journey develop skills needed for college success?
  • How can your personal story prepare you for applying to college?

Your Academic Journey

Now that you have a better understanding of what college can do for you, it is time to focus on how high school is preparing you for college, or better yet, how you can prepare yourself in high school to become college ready. It is clear that what you do (or don’t do) in high school can affect your ability to get into the colleges of your choice, but there is more to preparing yourself than just earning a high GPA or class rank. Your high school education can provide you with ample opportunity to help you hone your academic skills.

Take Difficult Courses

Any student who is serious about applying to college should consider taking challenging classes while in high school. Why? Because those classes can help lay a foundation of high expectations and hard work and they are often highly regarded by college admissions counselors. These classes are sometimes called Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or honors/advanced classes. If you are considering taking such courses, talk to your guidance counselor or current teachers. They may be able to offer suggestions for how to get selected (if there is an application process) and give you a realistic picture of what will be expected. There is no need to take all AP, IB, or advanced classes to prove you are ready for college, but taking a few can provide a college admissions committee evidence that you are open to challenge.

Manage Time and Tasks

If there is one skill that you can develop now that will help you throughout your college career, it is the ability to manage your time and complete tasks. If you already use a planner to track what you need to do and when it is due , then you are on the right track. You can enhance these skills by setting reminders for yourself—and not relying on teachers or parents to tell you when to complete or submit an assignment. The most important part of managing your time and tasks effectively is to build in time well before something is due to complete the work and to overestimate (at least initially) how long you need, which can provide time “buffers” that will keep you from rushing through work to finish it.

Learn to Learn

Earlier, you were introduced to the argument that the purpose of college is to become a learner. You don’t have to wait until college, though, to figure out how best to learn different subject matters. This is one reason you should consider taking challenging classes–they require that you put more time and effort in them to learn the material. And those skills will make transitioning to college much easier. How can you “learn to learn”? You may have little control over what you are learning and how you are tested, but you can control how you approach the learning. One way to learn how to learn is to space out your learning over time (as best as you can—sometimes teachers like to give you a pop quiz when you least expect it!). Reviewing a bit of material for a short amount of time over several days (as opposed to cramming it in right before a test) produces better results. Another way to learn how to learn is to monitor how well your learning strategies work. Did you do well on a test? Take some time to reflect on what you did that resulted in a good grade. Did you space out your studying? Did you look for connections in the material? Likewise, if you do poorly on a test, determine what led to the result. The more you can identify what works and doesn’t for you, the easier it is to make improvements in your learning strategies.

Demonstrate Integrity and Ownership of Learning

Being a high school student often means having a lot on your plate. It can be easy to put off homework and studying, not do it at all, or cut corners to complete the work. While you may be able to get away with some stumbles like forgetting to turn in an assignment, other behaviors, such as getting someone (including Artificial Intelligence software) to do your homework or write a paper for you can get you into trouble. Now is the time to build the skills you will need later in college. Taking full responsibility for your learning as well as demonstrating integrity in all assignments no matter how big or small are the foundation of those skills. How do you do this? For one, you acknowledge that every action or inaction will produce a result. If you put in the work to write the paper, you will earn the grade you receive. If you do not put in the work or find a way to shortcut the process by using someone else’s writing, then you have missed an opportunity to improve your writing, your thinking, and your project management skills. Plus, you may get into trouble for academic dishonesty, which could mean failing an assignment or a course, or getting a more substantial punishment, such as expulsion. The stakes only get higher when you are in college.

Keep Test Scores in Perspective

You will learn more about standardized test scores and their purpose for getting into college later in this chapter, but it is worth noting that while what you make on the ACT, SAT, or equivalent standardized test, may factor into your ability to get into and pay for the college of your dreams, it is not necessarily a reflection of who you are and what you are capable of. Definitely do all you can to raise your test scores through practicing, prepping, and doing your best on the day of the test. But do not assume that a low test score will be the end of your long-term goals or educational journey. They are just one piece of information by which an institution may evaluate your potential, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that tells who you are.

Your Personal Story

Just as important as your academic journey is your personal story. You will need to develop and reflect on both for your applications to college and scholarships. Those who read about you will want to know not only about your accomplishments, but also your challenges and how you have overcome them.

What Makes You Unique

It may seem cliché to say “There is only one you!” But there is some truth in the fact that you are unique—there is no one else like you. To that end, you may want to draw upon those unique characteristics as you begin to shape the story that you will share with college admissions staff and scholarship committees. Will you be the first in your family to go to college? Do you live on a working farm and feed the goats, cows, and horses every morning before school? Can you ride a unicycle or juggle or both? There may be both personal characteristics as well as experiences that make you stand out from others, and if there are, consider weaving these details into the tapestry of your story. Start by making a list of your characteristics—no trait is too small or typical at this point. You can eliminate items later when you start building your story, but for now, create the list and add to it as you think of new things that you are or can do.

Getting Gritty

Many college essay prompts include an opportunity to share a time in your life in which you faced adversity and overcame it. For some students, this prompt is difficult for they have either not experienced a life-changing setback or not considered themselves challenged. It is important to remember that any setback or disappointment—no matter how inconsequential it may seem to you—can be the basis for an essay that responds to such a prompt. There is no need to embellish the circumstance if it is truly not harrowing, but it is acceptable to frame the experience as something that was difficult for you. Most readers of essays are less looking for a made-for-Hollywood story and more wanting to see someone who has demonstrated tenacity, resilience, and reflection no matter how big or small the adversity is. Even if you are not required to write an essay on a time in your life in which you failed or experienced disappointment, having a story handy for interviews (for scholarships, internships, or jobs) can help you share insight into your personality and strengths in a succinct way.

Finding the Themes of Your Life

In Katharine Brooks’ (2010) book You Majored in What? 3 she shares a writing and reflecting activity called “Wandering Pathways and Butterfly Moments” that guides readers through a series of prompts to develop a list of life experiences for the purpose of discovering what career pathway may be most fruitful for them to pursue. These life experiences could be as monumental as moving to a new state and starting a new school or they can be as mundane as spending the summers fishing. The goal of the exercise is to record what you have done or what has happened to you to get a sense of a “story.” These stories are built upon the connections and themes that you see in the experiences. Here are some of the life experiences Brooks wants you to consider when you are crafting your personal story.

  • What have you done during the summer or holiday breaks from school?
  • What did you play when you were a young child?
  • What are some of your major life experiences (e.g. family events such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces)?
  • What do people say you do well or have a talent for or seek you out for?
  • What do you consider your greatest achievements?
  • What jobs have you had?
  • What groups have you belonged to?
  • What awards have you won?
  • What lessons have you learned?
  • What do you like to do for fun?
  • What kind of “secret” talent do you have?

The goal of answering the questions is to capture as much about who you are and how you have been shaped to develop clear connections among the life elements and create themes. These themes can drive your personal story that can share on a deeper level who you are or who you are becoming.

Consider this scenario: Raphael has taken the time to write down his life experiences so he can build his personal narrative. Some of the answers to the questions above include the following:

  • Raphael’s jobs: lifeguard, babysitter for his nieces and nephews, tutor, art teacher for elementary students
  • Raphael’s hobbies and interests: watching old movies, volunteering at the library, creating original jewelry from natural objects
  • Raphael’s awards and accolades: he won a writing contest in 11th grade, his friends come to him for advice, he has earned high grades in all of his classes
  • Raphael’s major life events: parents divorced when he was 6 years old, he started a new school in junior high, his aunt passed away when he was 14 years old

From this short list, Raphael can begin to draw out themes that he can use to create a detailed picture of who he is. He has found himself in teaching roles with his jobs. He has a love for the arts as evidenced by his hobbies. He is a good communicator evidenced by his awards and accolades, and relationships are an important part of his life. Raphael can use those themes—and details from his experiences—to craft his story as someone who has demonstrated an interest in connecting with and helping others by sharing his expertise and experience.

Recognizing the themes in your life helps you to describe how you've become the person you are now, and helps you to understand who you will become.

"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn't end" —former First Lady Michelle Obama , Becoming (2018)

Analysis Question

In what ways is your academic journey in high school shaping your personal narrative? Describe how the following experiences are helping you “become":

  • The classes that you are taking
  • The activities you participate in as part of school (e.g., sports, performing arts, etc.)
  • The learning that you are doing outside of school (e.g., community language class)

In what ways are your personal experiences shaping your story? Describe how the following experiences are helping you “become”:

  • Major life events
  • Favorite activities
  • Awards and accomplishments
  • Jobs or volunteer work
  • 3 Brooks, K.(2010). You majored in what? Plume.

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  • Authors: Amy Baldwin
  • Publisher/website: OpenStax
  • Book title: Preparing for College Success
  • Publication date: Jul 12, 2023
  • Location: Houston, Texas
  • Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/preparing-for-college-success/pages/1-introduction
  • Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/preparing-for-college-success/pages/1-2-your-academic-journey-and-personal-story

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learning journey essay

8 Overcoming Challenges College Essay Examples

The purpose of the Overcoming Challenges essay is for schools to see how you might handle the difficulties of college. They want to know how you grow, evolve, and learn when you face adversity. For this topic, there are many clichés , such as getting a bad grade or losing a sports game, so be sure to steer clear of those and focus on a topic that’s unique to you. (See our full guide on the Overcoming Challenges Essay for more tips).

These overcoming challenges essay examples were all written by real students. Read through them to get a sense of what makes a strong essay. At the end, we’ll present the revision process for the first essay and share some resources for improving your essay.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Essay 1: Becoming a Coach

“Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one.

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we competed with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

This essay begins with an in-the-moment narrative that really illustrates the chaos of looking for a coach last-minute. We feel the writer’s emotions, particularly their dejectedness, at not being able to compete.

Through this essay, we can see how gutsy and determined the student is in deciding to become a coach themselves. The writer shows us these characteristics through their actions, rather than explicitly telling us: To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side.

One area of improvement of this essay would be the “attack” wording. The author likely uses this word as a metaphor for martial arts, but it feels too strong to describe the adults’ doubt of the student’s abilities as a coach, and can even be confusing at first.

Still, we see the student’s resilience as they are able to move past the disbelieving looks to help their team. The essay is kept real and vulnerable, however, as the writer admits having doubts: Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

The essay comes full circle as the author recalls the frantic situations in seeking out a coach, but this is no longer a concern for them and their team. Overall, this essay is extremely effective in painting this student as mature, bold, and compassionate.

Essay 2: Starting a Fire

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This essay is an excellent example because the writer turns an everyday challenge—starting a fire—into an exploration of her identity. The writer was once “a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes,” but has since traded her love of the outdoors for a love of music, writing, and reading. 

The story begins in media res , or in the middle of the action, allowing readers to feel as if we’re there with the writer. One of the essay’s biggest strengths is its use of imagery. We can easily visualize the writer’s childhood and the present day. For instance, she states that she “rubbed and rubbed [the twigs] until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers.”

The writing has an extremely literary quality, particularly with its wordplay. The writer reappropriates words and meanings, and even appeals to the senses: “My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame.” She later uses a parallelism to cleverly juxtapose her changed interests: “instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano.”

One of the essay’s main areas of improvement is its overemphasis on the “story” and lack of emphasis on the reflection. The second to last paragraph about changing perspective is crucial to the essay, as it ties the anecdote to larger lessons in the writer’s life. She states that she hasn’t changed, but has only shifted perspective. Yet, we don’t get a good sense of where this realization comes from and how it impacts her life going forward. 

The end of the essay offers a satisfying return to the fire imagery, and highlights the writer’s passion—the one thing that has remained constant in her life.

Essay 3: Last-Minute Switch

The morning of the Model United Nation conference, I walked into Committee feeling confident about my research. We were simulating the Nuremberg Trials – a series of post-World War II proceedings for war crimes – and my portfolio was of the Soviet Judge Major General Iona Nikitchenko. Until that day, the infamous Nazi regime had only been a chapter in my history textbook; however, the conference’s unveiling of each defendant’s crimes brought those horrors to life. The previous night, I had organized my research, proofread my position paper and gone over Judge Nikitchenko’s pertinent statements. I aimed to find the perfect balance between his stance and my own.

As I walked into committee anticipating a battle of wits, my director abruptly called out to me. “I’m afraid we’ve received a late confirmation from another delegate who will be representing Judge Nikitchenko. You, on the other hand, are now the defense attorney, Otto Stahmer.” Everyone around me buzzed around the room in excitement, coordinating with their allies and developing strategies against their enemies, oblivious to the bomb that had just dropped on me. I felt frozen in my tracks, and it seemed that only rage against the careless delegate who had confirmed her presence so late could pull me out of my trance. After having spent a month painstakingly crafting my verdicts and gathering evidence against the Nazis, I now needed to reverse my stance only three hours before the first session.

Gradually, anger gave way to utter panic. My research was fundamental to my performance, and without it, I knew I could add little to the Trials. But confident in my ability, my director optimistically recommended constructing an impromptu defense. Nervously, I began my research anew. Despite feeling hopeless, as I read through the prosecution’s arguments, I uncovered substantial loopholes. I noticed a lack of conclusive evidence against the defendants and certain inconsistencies in testimonies. My discovery energized me, inspiring me to revisit the historical overview in my conference “Background Guide” and to search the web for other relevant articles. Some Nazi prisoners had been treated as “guilty” before their court dates. While I had brushed this information under the carpet while developing my position as a judge, i t now became the focus of my defense. I began scratching out a new argument, centered on the premise that the allied countries had violated the fundamental rule that, a defendant was “not guilty” until proven otherwise.

At the end of the three hours, I felt better prepared. The first session began, and with bravado, I raised my placard to speak. Microphone in hand, I turned to face my audience. “Greetings delegates. I, Otto Stahmer would like to…….” I suddenly blanked. Utter dread permeated my body as I tried to recall my thoughts in vain. “Defence Attorney, Stahmer we’ll come back to you,” my Committee Director broke the silence as I tottered back to my seat, flushed with embarrassment. Despite my shame, I was undeterred. I needed to vindicate my director’s faith in me. I pulled out my notes, refocused, and began outlining my arguments in a more clear and direct manner. Thereafter, I spoke articulately, confidently putting forth my points. I was overjoyed when Secretariat members congratulated me on my fine performance.

Going into the conference, I believed that preparation was the key to success. I wouldn’t say I disagree with that statement now, but I believe adaptability is equally important. My ability to problem-solve in the face of an unforeseen challenge proved advantageous in the art of diplomacy. Not only did this experience transform me into a confident and eloquent delegate at that conference, but it also helped me become a more flexible and creative thinker in a variety of other capacities. Now that I know I can adapt under pressure, I look forward to engaging in activities that will push me to be even quicker on my feet.

This essay is an excellent example because it focuses on a unique challenge and is highly engaging. The writer details their experience reversing their stance in a Model UN trial with only a few hours notice, after having researched and prepared to argue the opposite perspective for a month. 

Their essay is written in media res , or in the middle of the action, allowing readers to feel as if we’re there with the writer. The student openly shares their internal thoughts with us — we feel their anger and panic upon the reversal of roles. We empathize with their emotions of “utter dread” and embarrassment when they’re unable to speak. 

From the essay, we learn that the student believes in thorough preparation, but can also adapt to unforeseen obstacles. They’re able to rise to the challenge and put together an impromptu argument, think critically under pressure, and recover after their initial inability to speak. 

Essay 4: Music as a Coping Mechanism

CW: This essay mentions self-harm.

Sobbing uncontrollably, I parked around the corner from my best friend’s house. As I sat in the driver’s seat, I whispered the most earnest prayer I had ever offered.

Minutes before, I had driven to Colin’s house to pick up a prop for our upcoming spring musical. When I got there, his older brother, Tom, came to the door and informed me that no one else was home. “No,” I corrected, “Colin is here. He’s got a migraine.” Tom shook his head and gently told me where Colin actually was: the psychiatric unit of the local hospital. I felt a weight on my chest as I connected the dots; the terrifying picture rocked my safe little world. Tom’s words blurred as he explained Colin’s self-harm, but all I could think of was whether I could have stopped him. Those cuts on his arms had never been accidents. Colin had lied, very convincingly, many times. How could I have ignored the signs in front of me? Somehow, I managed to ask Tom whether I could see him, but he told me that visiting hours for non-family members were over for the day. I would have to move on with my afternoon.

Once my tears had subsided a little, I drove to the theater, trying to pull myself together and warm up to sing. How would I rehearse? I couldn’t sing three notes without bursting into tears. “I can’t do this,” I thought. But then I realized that the question wasn’t whether I could do it. I knew Colin would want me to push through, and something deep inside told me that music was the best way for me to process my grief. I needed to sing.

I practiced the lyrics throughout my whole drive. The first few times, I broke down in sobs. By the time I reached the theater, however, the music had calmed me. While Colin would never be far from my mind, I had to focus on the task ahead: recording vocals and then producing the video trailer that would be shown to my high school classmates. I fought to channel my worry into my recording. If my voice shook during the particularly heartfelt moments, it only added emotion and depth to my performance. I felt Colin’s absence next to me, but even before I listened to that first take, I knew it was a keeper.

With one of my hurdles behind me, I steeled myself again and prepared for the musical’s trailer. In a floor-length black cape and purple dress, I swept regally down the steps to my director, who waited outside. Under a gloomy sky that threatened to turn stormy, I boldly strode across the street, tossed a dainty yellow bouquet, and flashed confident grins at all those staring. My grief lurched inside, but I felt powerful. Despite my sadness, I could still make art.

To my own surprise, I successfully took back the day. I had felt pain, but I had not let it drown me – making music was a productive way to express my feelings than worrying. Since then, I have been learning to take better care of myself in difficult situations. That day before rehearsal, I found myself in the most troubling circumstances of my life thus far, but they did not sink me because I refused to sink. When my aunt developed cancer several months later, I knew that resolution would not come quickly, but that I could rely on music to cope with the agony, even when it would be easier to fall apart. Thankfully, Colin recovered from his injuries and was home within days. The next week, we stood together on stage at our show’s opening night. As our eyes met and our voices joined in song, I knew that music would always be our greatest mechanism for transforming pain into strength.

This essay is well-written, as we can feel the writer’s emotions through the thoughts they share, and visualize the night of the performance through their rich descriptions. Their varied sentence length also makes the essay more engaging.

That said, this essay is not a great example because of the framing of the topic. The writer can come off as insensitive since they make their friend’s struggle about themself and their emotions (and this is only worsened by the mention of their aunt’s cancer and how it was tough on them ). The essay would’ve been stronger if it focused on their guilt of not recognizing their friend’s struggles and spanned a longer period of time to demonstrate gradual relationship building and reflection. Still, this would’ve been difficult to do well.

In general, you should try to choose a challenge that is undeniably your own, and you should get at least one or two people to read your essay to give you candid feedback.

Essay 5: Dedicating a Track

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

While the writer didn’t succeed in getting the track dedicated to Coach Stark, their essay is certainly successful in showing their willingness to push themselves and take initiative.

The essay opens with a quote from Coach Stark that later comes full circle at the end of the essay. We learn about Stark’s impact and the motivation for trying to get the track dedicated to him.

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The essay goes on to explain how the writer overcame their apprehension of public speaking, and likens the process of submitting an appeal to the school board to running a race. This metaphor makes the writing more engaging and allows us to feel the student’s emotions.

While the student didn’t ultimately succeed in getting the track dedicated, we learn about their resilience and initiative: I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Overall, this essay is well-done. It demonstrates growth despite failing to meet a goal, which is a unique essay structure. The running metaphor and full-circle intro/ending also elevate the writing in this essay.

Essay 6: Body Image

CW: This essay mentions eating disorders.

I press the “discover” button on my Instagram app, hoping to find enticing pictures to satisfy my boredom. Scrolling through, I see funny videos and mouth-watering pictures of food. However, one image stops me immediately. A fit teenage girl with a “perfect body” relaxes in a bikini on a beach. Beneath it, I see a slew of flattering comments. I shake with disapproval over the image’s unrealistic quality. However, part of me still wants to have a body like hers so that others will make similar comments to me.

I would like to resolve a silent issue that harms many teenagers and adults: negative self image and low self-esteem in a world where social media shapes how people view each other. When people see the façades others wear to create an “ideal” image, they can develop poor thought patterns rooted in negative self-talk. The constant comparisons to “perfect” others make people feel small. In this new digital age, it is hard to distinguish authentic from artificial representations.

When I was 11, I developed anorexia nervosa. Though I was already thin, I wanted to be skinny like the models that I saw on the magazine covers on the grocery store stands. Little did I know that those models probably also suffered from disorders, and that photoshop erased their flaws. I preferred being underweight to being healthy. No matter how little I ate or how thin I was, I always thought that I was too fat. I became obsessed with the number on the scale and would try to eat the least that I could without my parents urging me to take more. Fortunately, I stopped engaging in anorexic behaviors before middle school. However, my underlying mental habits did not change. The images that had provoked my disorder in the first place were still a constant presence in my life.

By age 15, I was in recovery from anorexia, but suffered from depression. While I used to only compare myself to models, the growth of social media meant I also compared myself to my friends and acquaintances. I felt left out when I saw my friends’ excitement about lake trips they had taken without me. As I scrolled past endless photos of my flawless, thin classmates with hundreds of likes and affirming comments, I felt my jealousy spiral. I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.” When that didn’t work, I started to feel too anxious to post anything at all.  

Body image insecurities and social media comparisons affect thousands of people – men, women, children, and adults – every day. I am lucky – after a few months of my destructive social media habits, I came across a video that pointed out the illusory nature of social media; many Instagram posts only show off good things while people hide their flaws. I began going to therapy, and recovered from my depression. To address the problem of self-image and social media, we can all focus on what matters on the inside and not what is on the surface. As an effort to become healthy internally, I started a club at my school to promote clean eating and radiating beauty from within. It has helped me grow in my confidence, and today I’m not afraid to show others my struggles by sharing my experience with eating disorders. Someday, I hope to make this club a national organization to help teenagers and adults across the country. I support the idea of body positivity and embracing difference, not “perfection.” After all, how can we be ourselves if we all look the same?

This essay covers the difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health. If you’re thinking about covering similar topics in your essay, we recommend reading our post Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

The short answer is that, yes, you can talk about mental health, but it can be risky. If you do go that route, it’s important to focus on what you learned from the experience.

We can see that the writer of this essay has been through a lot, and a strength of their essay is their vulnerability, in excerpts such as this: I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.”

The student goes on to share how they recovered from their depression through an eye-opening video and therapy sessions, and they’re now helping others find their self-worth as well. It’s great that this essay looks towards the future and shares the writer’s goals of making their club a national organization; we can see their ambition and compassion.

The main weakness of this essay is that it doesn’t focus enough on their recovery process, which is arguably the most important part. They could’ve told us more about the video they watched or the process of starting their club and the interactions they’ve had with other members.

Still, this essay shows us that this student is honest, self-aware, and caring, which are all qualities admissions officer are looking for.

Essay 7: Health Crisis

Tears streamed down my face and my mind was paralyzed with fear. Sirens blared, but the silent panic in my own head was deafening. I was muted by shock. A few hours earlier, I had anticipated a vacation in Washington, D.C., but unexpectedly, I was rushing to the hospital behind an ambulance carrying my mother. As a fourteen-year-old from a single mother household, without a driver’s license, and seven hours from home, I was distraught over the prospect of losing the only parent I had. My fear turned into action as I made some of the bravest decisions of my life. 

Three blood transfusions later, my mother’s condition was stable, but we were still states away from home, so I coordinated with my mother’s doctors in North Carolina to schedule the emergency operation that would save her life. Throughout her surgery, I anxiously awaited any word from her surgeon, but each time I asked, I was told that there had been another complication or delay. Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities.

My mother had been a source of strength for me, and now I would be strong for her through her long recovery ahead. As I started high school, everyone thought the crisis was over, but it had really just started to impact my life. My mother was often fatigued, so I assumed more responsibility, juggling family duties, school, athletics, and work. I made countless trips to the neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover. I didn’t know I was capable of such maturity and resourcefulness until it was called upon. Each day was a stage in my gradual transformation from dependence to relative independence.

Throughout my mother’s health crisis, I matured by learning to put others’ needs before my own. As I worried about my mother’s health, I took nothing for granted, cherished what I had, and used my daily activities as motivation to move forward. I now take ownership over small decisions such as scheduling daily appointments and managing my time but also over major decisions involving my future, including the college admissions process. Although I have become more independent, my mother and I are inseparably close, and the realization that I almost lost her affects me daily. Each morning, I wake up ten minutes early simply to eat breakfast with my mother and spend time with her before our busy days begin. I am aware of how quickly life can change. My mother remains a guiding force in my life, but the feeling of empowerment I discovered within myself is the ultimate form of my independence. Though I thought the summer before my freshman year would be a transition from middle school to high school, it was a transformation from childhood to adulthood.

This essay feels real and tells readers a lot about the writer. To start at the beginning, the intro is 10/10. It has drama, it has emotions, and it has the reader wanting more.

And, when you keep going, you get to learn a lot about a very resilient and mature student. Through sentences like “I made countless trips to the neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover” and “Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities,” the reader shows us that they are aware of their resilience and maturity, but are not arrogant about it. It is simply a fact that they have proven through their actions!

This essay makes us want to cheer for the writer, and they certainly seem like someone who would thrive in a more independent college environment.

Essay 8: Turned Tables

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

When my parents learned about The Green Academy, we hoped it would be an opportunity for me to find not only an academically challenging environment, but also – perhaps more importantly – a community. This meant transferring the family from Drumfield to Kingston. And while there was concern about Max, we all believed that given his sociable nature, moving would be far less impactful on him than staying put might be on me.

As it turned out, Green Academy was everything I’d hoped for. I was ecstatic to discover a group of students with whom I shared interests and could truly engage. Preoccupied with new friends and a rigorous course load, I failed to notice that the tables had turned. Max, lost in the fray and grappling with how to make connections in his enormous new high school, had become withdrawn and lonely. It took me until Christmas time – and a massive argument – to recognize how difficult the transition had been for my brother, let alone that he blamed me for it.

Through my own journey of searching for academic peers, in addition to coming out as gay when I was 12, I had developed deep empathy for those who had trouble fitting in. It was a pain I knew well and could easily relate to. Yet after Max’s outburst, my first response was to protest that our parents – not I – had chosen to move us here. In my heart, though, I knew that regardless of who had made the decision, we ended up in Kingston for my benefit. I was ashamed that, while I saw myself as genuinely compassionate, I had been oblivious to the heartache of the person closest to me. I could no longer ignore it – and I didn’t want to.

We stayed up half the night talking, and the conversation took an unexpected turn. Max opened up and shared that it wasn’t just about the move. He told me how challenging school had always been for him, due to his dyslexia, and that the ever-present comparison to me had only deepened his pain.

We had been in parallel battles the whole time and, yet, I only saw that Max was in distress once he experienced problems with which I directly identified. I’d long thought Max had it so easy – all because he had friends. The truth was, he didn’t need to experience my personal brand of sorrow in order for me to relate – he had felt plenty of his own.

My failure to recognize Max’s suffering brought home for me the profound universality and diversity of personal struggle; everyone has insecurities, everyone has woes, and everyone – most certainly – has pain. I am acutely grateful for the conversations he and I shared around all of this, because I believe our relationship has been fundamentally strengthened by a deeper understanding of one another. Further, this experience has reinforced the value of constantly striving for deeper sensitivity to the hidden struggles of those around me. I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story.

Here you can find a prime example that you don’t have to have fabulous imagery or flowery prose to write a successful essay. You just have to be clear and say something that matters. This essay is simple and beautiful. It almost feels like having a conversation with a friend and learning that they are an even better person than you already thought they were.

Through this narrative, readers learn a lot about the writer—where they’re from, what their family life is like, what their challenges were as a kid, and even their sexuality. We also learn a lot about their values—notably, the value they place on awareness, improvement, and consideration of others. Though they never explicitly state it (which is great because it is still crystal clear!), this student’s ending of “I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story” shows that they are constantly striving for improvement and finding lessons anywhere they can get them in life.

Where to Get Your Overcoming Challenges Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Overcoming Challenges essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Reflective Essay on Professional Learning Journey

Introduction.

Professional learning is a crucial and ongoing process involving acquiring knowledge and skills to improve performance in a specific area of practice. Throughout my professional learning journey, I have encountered numerous challenges, successes, and failures that have shaped my development and impacted my understanding of the interplay between theory and practice. Reflecting on my experiences, I have come to recognize the value of theory and practice in shaping my approach to my work. The theory has been instrumental in providing me with a framework for understanding the complexities of my field and has helped me to identify and analyze key issues. By contrast, the practice has enabled me to apply this knowledge in real-world settings and helped me refine my skills through trial and error. Despite my challenges, I have persevered in enhancing my knowledge and skills through various strategies, including attending workshops and conferences, seeking mentorship from more experienced colleagues, and engaging in ongoing self-reflection. My professional learning journey has been an ongoing process of growth and development, shaped by my successes and failures and informed by the interplay between theory and practice. In this reflection, I will share some key learnings and insights I have gained throughout my writing career. I will explore the challenges I have encountered, the strategies I have used to overcome them, and the lessons I have learned along the way. My experiences will inspire other writers to embrace their journey and strive for excellence in their craft.

As a professional learner, my journey has been challenging and rewarding, marked by continuous growth and development. Throughout my career, I have worked in various fields, including marketing, finance, and project management, each providing unique experiences that have contributed to my evolution as a learner. I have come to understand that learning is not merely about acquiring knowledge but a process requiring constant refinement and evolution. As such, I have always sought opportunities to learn and grow in my field, whether through courses, attending workshops, or engaging with fellow learners in forums and learning communities. These experiences have helped me identify improvement areas, experiment with new techniques, and broaden my perspective on the art of learning.

Influence of experiences on thinking approach to work

As a finance student, I learned the significance of research, accuracy, and clarity in writing. I realized that effective marketing requires much work and attention to detail. Gathering information, verifying sources, and crafting a message can be time-consuming, but ensuring that the final product is accurate and reliable is crucial. The skills I learned as a marketer have influenced my approach to all types of writing, whether creative writing, copywriting, or content writing.

My experience in copywriting has taught me the art of persuasion. I learned how to write compelling content that motivates readers to take action. This experience has influenced my thinking aboThinkingole about writing in finance and investing. Good finance writing is about selling products or services and creating a connection with the reader. It is about understanding their needs and desires and crafting a message that resonates with them.

In creative writing, I learned to find my unique voice. Exploring different genres and styles helped me embrace vulnerability and authenticity in my work, enabling me to connect with readers on a deeper level. I learned that the best writing comes from honesty and openness. This experience has influenced my thinking aboThinkingmportance of authenticity in all types of writing, whether it is a financial report or a marketing campaign.

Collaborating with other writers in forums and writing communities has broadened my perspective and allowed me to learn from their experiences and insights. It has also helped me appreciate the importance of community in writing. Writing can be a solitary activity, but having a support system of fellow writers who can offer feedback, advice, and encouragement is essential.

The experiences that I have had as a writer have influenced my practice in several ways. Firstly, I have learned the importance of discipline and routine in writing. Writing requires dedication and focus, and I have developed a daily writing habit that allows me to stay productive and motivated. Secondly, I have learned to embrace the editing process. Writing is not just about putting words on paper but also about refining and perfecting the final product. Finally, I have learned to be open to feedback and critique. Writing is a continuous learning process, and feedback from others can help me improve and grow as a writer.

Overall, the experiences that I have had as a learner have influenced my approach to work in several ways. Firstly, I have learned to approach writing as a craft that requires constant refinement and evolution. Writing is not just about putting words on paper but also about understanding the audience, crafting a message that resonates with them, and using language in a powerful and effective way. Secondly, I have learned the importance of authenticity in writing. Writing from a place of honesty and openness is more likely to connect with readers on a deeper level. Finally, I have learned the value of collaboration and community in writing. Writing can be a solitary activity, but having a support system of fellow writers who can offer feedback, advice, and encouragement is essential.

Challenges faced

I have faced numerous challenges that have tested my resilience and perseverance. One of the biggest challenges I have encountered is writer’s block. Sometimes I find producing new ideas or starting a writing project challenging. To overcome this, I have adopted various strategies such as taking breaks, engaging in creative activities such as drawing or painting, or changing my writing environment. I can better overcome writer’s block and produce high-quality content by stepping away from my work and returning with a fresh perspective.

Another significant challenge I have faced is the pressure of meeting tight deadlines. Whether it is a news article or a marketing campaign, there have been instances where I have had to produce content under significant time constraints. I have learned to manage my time effectively, prioritize my tasks, and break down larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks to overcome this challenge. I have also learned to communicate effectively with my clients or editors, ensuring that I clearly understand their expectations and deadlines.

Self-doubt is a more personal challenge I have encountered in my writing journey. As a writer, putting your work out into the world and facing rejection or criticism can be challenging. However, I have learned to overcome this challenge by embracing vulnerability and authenticity in my work. I remind myself that writing is a journey and that only some pieces will be perfect. By being open to feedback and criticism, I have grown and improved as a writer. One of my most significant challenges is maintaining a work-life balance. As a freelance writer, setting boundaries and avoiding burnout can be challenging. However, I have learned to prioritize self-care and set clear work hours to ensure I have time for my personal life and hobbies. By creating a schedule and sticking to it, I have maintained a healthy work-life balance and prevented burnout.

Lessons learned from your successes and failures

One of the most significant lessons I have learned from my successes is the importance of hard work and dedication. Success is not just about talent or luck but about putting in the effort and going above and beyond what is expected. Whether delivering high-quality work or meeting tight deadlines, success often comes from hard work and a willingness to go the extra mile. Another lesson from my successes is the importance of being open to new opportunities and experiences. Some of my most significant career achievements have come from taking risks and stepping outside my comfort zone. Being open to new experiences allowed me to learn new skills, meet new people, and broaden my horizons.

However, I have also learned valuable lessons from my failures. One of the most significant lessons I have learned from my failures is the importance of resilience and perseverance. Failure is inevitable, but how we respond to failure defines us. By embracing failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, I have been able to bounce back from setbacks and continue to move forward. Another lesson from my failures is the importance of self-reflection and self-improvement. When I have encountered failures or setbacks, I have taken the time to reflect on what went wrong and how I can improve. This process of self-reflection has helped me identify areas of weakness and develop strategies to overcome them.

Finally, I have learned that failure is not the end but merely a stepping stone towards success. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and grow; through failure, we become stronger, more resilient, and more determined. As a writer, I have learned to embrace failure as an essential part of the creative process, recognizing that it is through failure that we discover new ideas, approaches, and perspectives.

Analysis of experiences and their relation to broader trends

As a learner, I have had a range of experiences that have influenced my approach to learning and my understanding of broader trends in education. One experience that stands out to me is my participation in a group project in which we had to analyze the impact of technology on education. Through this project, I gained a deeper understanding of how technology is changing the way we learn and how it can be used to enhance the educational experience.

I also had the opportunity to take a course on critical thinking, whThinkinged me develop skills in analyzing and evaluating information. This experience has been invaluable in helping me navigate the vast amount of information that is available to us in the digital age.

Another experience that has influenced my thinking is Thinkingvement in a student organization focused on sustainability. Through this organization, I learned about the importance of sustainability and our actions’ impact on the environment. This experience has taught me that we all must be mindful of our impact on the planet and take action to protect it. Overall, these experiences have helped me understand broader trends in education, such as the increasing use of technology and the growing importance of sustainability. They have also taught me the importance of critical thinking and thinking to be aware of our impact on the world around us. As a student, it is essential to be aware of these trends and to take an active role in shaping the future of education and the world we live in.

How changes in technology impacted professional learning

One of the most significant technological changes that have impacted my professional learning as a student is the widespread availability of online resources. The internet has made it possible to access vast amounts of information on any subject, anywhere in the world, at any time. This has allowed me to explore topics in-depth, at my own pace, and has given me access to a wealth of previously unavailable knowledge.

Another way in which technology has impacted my professional learning is through online learning platforms. These platforms provide a range of courses and educational programs, from introductory courses to advanced degrees, that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. They offer flexibility and convenience, allowing me to fit learning into my schedule, and have given me access to high-quality education that was previously inaccessible. In addition, technology has also impacted the way I collaborate with others and share knowledge. Online forums, social media platforms, and video conferencing tools have made it possible to connect with people from around the world, exchange ideas, and collaborate on projects. This has given me access to diverse perspectives and insights that have enriched my learning and helped me develop new skills.

However, while technology has brought significant benefits to my professional learning, it has also posed some challenges. One of the challenges is the overwhelming amount of information available online, which can be difficult to navigate and evaluate for accuracy and reliability. Another challenge is the potential for distractions, such as social media or other forms of entertainment, which can take away from focused learning.

In conclusion, the changes in technology have had a profound impact on my professional learning as a student. They have provided me with access to a wealth of knowledge, flexible learning options, and collaboration opportunities. However, they have also posed some challenges that require discipline and focus to overcome. As I continue to learn and grow professionally, I believe that technology will continue to play an important role, and I will need to adapt and evolve my learning strategies to take advantage of the benefits and overcome the challenges.

Response to changes in your field

During my academic journey, I have witnessed significant changes in my field that have had a profound impact on my learning experience. One of the most significant changes is the increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches. In the past, research in my field was conducted within narrow disciplinary boundaries, resulting in limited scope and insights. However, there has been a shift towards interdisciplinary research, which has brought together researchers from different fields to collaborate on complex problems. As a student, this has required me to become more interdisciplinary in my thinking, exThinkingconcepts and ideas beyond the traditional boundaries of my field. By embracing interdisciplinary approaches, I have been able to gain new perspectives and insights into complex problems, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the world around me.

Another change that I have witnessed in my field is the increasing focus on diversity and inclusivity. There has been a growing recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusivity in research, which has led to a push for greater representation of underrepresented groups in my field. This has included efforts to promote diversity in research teams, to expand the range of research questions being asked, and to ensure that research findings are applicable to diverse populations. As a student, I have had to be more aware of the importance of diversity and inclusivity in my work and to consider the implications of my research for different populations. By embracing diversity and inclusivity in my work, I have been able to broaden the impact of my research and make it more relevant to a wider range of people.

Changes in technology have also had a significant impact on my field. The availability of new data sources and analysis tools has allowed researchers to conduct studies that were previously impossible. This has led to the development of new research methods and has allowed for the analysis of larger data sets with greater precision and accuracy. As a student, I have had to adapt my approach to learning to keep up with these technological changes. I have had to learn new software programs and data analysis tools to stay up to date with the latest research methods. By embracing these technological changes, I have been able to conduct more sophisticated research, leading to new insights and discoveries.

In conclusion, changes in my field have required me to adapt and evolve my approach to learning. By embracing interdisciplinary approaches, diversity and inclusivity, and technological advancements, I have been able to expand my knowledge and gain new insights into complex problems. As a student, I have learned the importance of being open to change and being willing to adapt my approach to learning to keep up with the latest developments in my field.

Key challenges facing writing

The writing industry is a highly competitive field, with a significant amount of market saturation. With the rise of self-publishing and digital media, the number of writers and content creators has increased, making it more difficult for writers to stand out and find work (Crouch, 2020). This abundance of content available on the internet has led to a devaluation of written work, with many writers struggling to make a living wage (Crouch, 2020).

Changes in technology have also had a significant impact on the writing industry. While technology has created new opportunities for writers, it has also disrupted traditional publishing models and led to an oversupply of content (Chakraborty & Basu, 2020). The rise of digital media has made it easier for anyone to publish their work, which has led to concerns around copyright and intellectual property (Chakraborty & Basu, 2020). Additionally, advances in technology have led to the automation of some writing tasks, such as content generation and editing, which has reduced the need for human writers in some areas (Sarkar & Bhattacharya, 2018).

Changes in reader behavior have also presented challenges for the writing industry. With the rise of digital media, readers have become increasingly accustomed to shorter attention spans and instant gratification (Crouch, 2020). This has led to a shift in the type of content that is being produced, with shorter, more concise pieces becoming more popular (Chakraborty & Basu, 2020). Additionally, readers are now more likely to consume content on mobile devices, which has led to changes in formatting and delivery methods (Sarkar & Bhattacharya, 2018).

Finally, the writing industry is impacted by broader economic pressures. With the rise of the gig economy, many writers are working as freelancers, which can make it challenging to find stable work and earn a reliable income (Crouch, 2020). Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the writing industry, with many businesses reducing their advertising budgets and decreasing demand for writing and content creation services (Crouch, 2020).

In a nutshell, the writing industry faces a range of challenges that require writers to be proactive and adaptable. These challenges include competition and market saturation, changes in technology, changes in reader behavior, and economic pressures. To remain relevant and competitive, writers must stay informed about developments in their field, embrace new technologies and tools, experiment with new formats and genres, and maintain a commitment to producing high-quality work.

Theoretical concepts that underpinned the learning experience

As a professional learner, I have come to appreciate the value of theoretical frameworks in guiding and shaping my approach to acquiring new knowledge and skills. Reflecting on my learning experiences, I can identify several key theoretical concepts that underpinned my approach to learning and influenced my understanding of the material.

One such concept is constructivism, which emphasizes the active role of the learner in constructing their own knowledge through engagement with new ideas and experiences (Ormrod, 2015). In my practice as a learner, I have found that constructivism aligns closely with my own approach to learning, as I prefer to be actively involved in the process of acquiring new knowledge. By engaging with new ideas and experiences, I am able to not only absorb information but also to integrate it into my existing knowledge framework, making it more meaningful and useful.

Another important theoretical concept that underpinned my learning experience is situated cognition, which emphasizes the role of context and environment in shaping learning outcomes (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989). In my practice as a professional learner, I have found that considering the context in which new knowledge is acquired is essential to fully understanding and applying that knowledge. For example, when learning about a new technology tool or software program, I find it helpful to consider the specific context in which I will be using that tool or program, as this can impact how I approach learning and using it.

Finally, the concept of social constructivism has also played a key role in my learning experience as a professional. Social constructivism emphasizes the importance of social interactions and collaboration in shaping learning outcomes (Vygotsky, 1978). In my practice, I have found that engaging with peers and colleagues in discussion and collaborative activities can help me to deepen my understanding of new concepts and ideas. By working together, we are able to share different perspectives and approaches, which can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the material.

In conclusion, my journey as a learner and a writer has been marked by continuous learning and growth. Through my experiences in marketing, copywriting, and creative writing, I have developed a deep appreciation for the art and craft of writing. I have learned the importance of research, accuracy, clarity, and persuasion in writing, and I have explored different genres and styles to find my unique voice. My successes and failures have taught me valuable lessons about the writing process, the importance of self-reflection, and the need for resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges. I have also recognized the impact of broader trends and issues in my field, such as changes in technology, reader behaviour, and economic pressures. Despite the challenges facing the writing industry, I am committed to continuous learning and development, and I believe that there are always opportunities for writers to adapt and evolve their practices to meet the changing needs of their audiences. As a professional writer, I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had to share my work with others, and I am excited to see where my journey will take me next.

Rosenwasser, D., & Stephen, J. (2019). Writing Analytically. Cengage Learning.

Aharony, N. (2018). The impact of digital technologies on the writing profession. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 61(2), 160-175.

Ferris, K. (2017). Social media and writing: Strategies for expanding reach and impact. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(5), 541-549.

Grosseck, G., & Holotescu, C. (2014). The impact of web 2.0 on writing: A review of the literature. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 4141-4145.

Kavanagh, C. (2017). The impact of the gig economy on writing: Opportunities and challenges for freelance writers. Journal of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, 8(1), 80-86. Retrieved from https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_chronicle_overview

Kiesbye, S. (2019). Writing in the digital age: Exploring the impact of technology on the writing process. The Journal of Creative Writing Studies, 4(1), 1-17.

O’Connell, R., & Mazzone, A. (2019). The impact of social media on the writing profession. Journal of Writing Research, 10(3), 437-463.

Rettberg, J. W. (2014). Seeing ourselves through technology: How we use selfies, blogs and wearable devices to see and shape ourselves. Palgrave Macmillan.

Robinson, S. (2018). How the changing media landscape is affecting journalism and the writing profession. Journal of Media Ethics, 33(2), 64-74.

“The State of Freelancing in 2021: A Review of Freelancer Income, Confidence and Work” by Upwork (2021). Retrieved from https://www.upwork.com/i/freelancing-in-america/2021/

“The gig economy and COVID-19: Current research and policy implications” by Kalleberg, A. L. (2021). American Sociological Association. Retrieved from https://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/attach/journals/nov21asrfeature.pdf

“The State of the Digital Publishing Industry in 2021” by Written Word Media (2021). Retrieved from https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2021/05/06/the-state-of-the-digital-publishing-industry-in-2021/

“The State of Self-Publishing in 2021: Print is Back, and Indie Authors are Flourishing” by Written Word Media (2021). Retrieved from https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2021/02/23/the-state-of-self-publishing-in-2021-print-is-back-and-indie-authors-are-flourishing/

“The Effects of Technology on Writing” by Pen and the Pad. Retrieved from https://penandthepad.com/effects-technology-writing-12569351.html

The Future of Reading and Writing in a Digital Age” by Scholastic. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/future-reading-and-writing-digital-age/2.2018.1441362

rown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.

Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Essentials of educational psychology: Big ideas to guide effective teaching. Pearson.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society : The development of higher psychological processes . Harvard University Press.

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Examples of Reflective Writing

Types of reflective writing assignments.

A journal  requires you to write weekly entries throughout a semester. May require you to base your reflection on course content.

A learning diary is similar to a journal, but may require group participation. The diary then becomes a place for you to communicate in writing with other group members.

A logbook is often used in disciplines based on experimental work, such as science. You note down or 'log' what you have done. A log gives you an accurate record of a process and helps you reflect on past actions and make better decisions for future actions.

A reflective note is often used in law. A reflective note encourages you to think about your personal reaction to a legal issue raised in a course.

An essay diary  can take the form of an annotated bibliography (where you examine sources of evidence you might include in your essay) and a critique (where you reflect on your own writing and research processes).

a peer review  usually involves students showing their work to their peers for feedback.

A self-assessment task  requires you to comment on your own work.

Some examples of reflective writing

Social science fieldwork report (methods section).

The field notes were written by hand on lined paper. They consisted of jotted notes and mental triggers (personal notes that would remind me of specific things when it came to writing the notes up). I took some direct observational notes recording what I saw where this was relevant to the research questions and, as I was aiming to get a sense of the culture and working environment, I also made researcher inference notes .

I found the note-taking process itself helpful, as it ensured that I listened carefully and decoded information. Not all the information I recorded was relevant but noting what I found informative contributed to my ability to form an overview on re-reading. However, the reliability of jotted notes alone can be questionable. For example, the notes were not a direct transcription of what the subjects said but consisted of pertinent or interesting information.

Rarely did I have time to transcribe a direct quotation, so relied on my own fairly rapid paraphrasing, which risks changing the meaning. Some technical information was difficult to note down accurately . A tape recorder would have been a better, more accurate method. However, one student brought a tape recorder and was asked to switch it off by a participant who was uneasy about her comments being directly recorded. It seems that subjects feel differently about being recorded or photographed (as opposed to observers taking notes), so specific consent should be sought before using these technologies .

Description/ explanation of method.

 

Includes discipline-specific language

 

Critical evaluation of method

 

Conclusion and recommendation based on the writer's experience

Engineering Design Report

Question: Discuss at least two things you learnt or discovered – for example about design or working in groups or the physical world – through participating in the Impromptu Design activities.

Firstly, the most obvious thing that I discovered was the advantage of working as part of a group . I learned that good teamwork is the key to success in design activities when time and resources are limited. As everyone had their own point of view, many different ideas could be produced, and I found the energy of group participation made me feel more energetic about contributing something .

Secondly I discovered that even the simplest things on earth could be turned into something amazing if we put enough creativity and effort into working on them . With the Impromptu Design activities we used some simple materials such as straws, string, and balloons, but were still able to create some 'cool stuff' . I learned that every design has its weaknesses and strengths and working with a group can help discover what they are. We challenged each other's preconceptions about what would and would not work. We could also see the reality of the way changing a design actually affected its performance.

Addresses the assignment question

Reflects on direct experiences

Direct reference to the course activity

The style is relatively informal, yet still uses full sentences.

Relating what was learnt.

Learning Journal (weekly reflection)

Last week's lecture presented the idea that science is the most powerful form of evidence . My position as a student studying both physics and law makes this an important issue for me and one I was thinking about while watching the 'The New Inventors' television program last Tuesday . The two 'inventors' (an odd name considering that, as Smith (2002) says, nobody thinks of things in a vacuum) were accompanied by their marketing people. The conversations were quite contrived, but also funny and enlightening. I realised that the marketing people used a certain form of evidence to persuade the viewers (us?) of the value of the inventions . To them, this value was determined solely by whether something could be bought or sold—in other words, whether something was 'marketable'. In contrast, the inventors seemed quite shy and reluctant to use anything more than technical language, almost as if this was the only evidence required – as if no further explanation was needed.

 

This difference forced me to reflect on the aims of this course—how communication skills are not generic but differ according to time and place. Like in the 'Research Methodology' textbook discussed in the first lecture, these communication skills are the result of a form of triangulation, which I have made into the following diagram:

...

Description of topic encountered in the course

The author's voice is clear

Introduces 'everyday' life experience

The style is relatively informal, yet still uses full sentences

Makes an explicit link between 'everyday' life and the topic

Brookfield, S 1987, Developing critical thinkers: challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting , Open University Press, Milton Keynes.

Mezirow, J 1990, Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: a guide to transformative and emancipatory learning , Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Schön, DA 1987, Educating the reflective practitioner , Jossey-Bass. San Francisco.

We thank the students who permitted us to feature examples of their writing.

Prepared by Academic Skills, UNSW. This guide may be distributed or adapted for educational purposes. Full and proper acknowledgement is required. 

Essay and assignment writing guide

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  • Editing checklist
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  • Annotated bibliography
  • How do I write reflectively?
  • Examples of reflective writing
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Learning Languages: The Journey

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learning journey essay

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My English Language Journey: The Ultimate Guide!

For one, it will improve your economic chances in the world. If you are an average or below-average employee with mediocre skills who have not studied English abroad, your job availability might be limited in certain countries or industries where people do speak English and a degree in language may open doors for employment that otherwise would remain closed to you.

My English Language Journey

Language learning is one of my lifelong aspirations. In fact, a few years ago when I had nothing to do with making money whatsoever and was just hanging out in tourist-dense cities while working as an English tutor, I realized that maybe I would have better luck spending a year or so abroad learning some languages, In addition, I had to consider the fact that I was never really good at languages. At the time, I knew some Spanish and French, but no other language (and certainly not English). My first experience with an intensive language course was when I studied Japanese for two years in high school and college.

English learning journey Today

My English Language Journey as I continue to experiment and read books on learning languages. Based upon the authors’ success stories that I’ve read over the years (and my own personal struggles), it looks as though immersion programs are based on the most efficient ways for people aspiring towards mastering a particular language or subject matter at an expert level. In other words, each individual has their own aptitude which determines how effective they will be with these types of teaching methods.

English skills, types of English speakers, what I can teach you to speak other languages as a teacher, How to speak other languages in a few sentences learn other languages quickly, If you want to learn French, German, or Arabic I have 5 great books. Topics: How do people learn another language? ways professionals are learning other languages faster., Seven categories of how people speak and what this says about the path that they took in their personal development as an individual., If you’re interested in becoming fluent fast with English at night while working full time according to your busy schedule., Ways to learn a language in less than 10 minutes.

My first experience at learning English at school

1-The best way to learn a language is through immersion methods (e.g., living away from the mother tongue for many months)

2- Having English to at least “B1-” level or equivalent (i.e. you could get by without any tutoring and be understood if communicating in an emergency situation).

3- To save grammar and vocabulary the first time – then only expand once you know it.

4- If a person wants to give up on learning other languages, or has already stopped – most adult students can’t learn new vocabulary and grammar properly at the start of their language course (second) time.

5-The pronunciation of the first (only) time you learn an unfamiliar language will be poor. This can impact your ability to be understood on a daily basis in less than 3 months if it’s not worked on properly; so even though you might have reached “B1-” You won’t really sound like that with any accuracy, or safely anyway.

6-Speaking a foreign language is hard, much harder than it sounds. We don’t realize that until we’re there and have been studying for a long time but still get frustrated. The goal of many people (consistently learning to speak) is not “to sound like the person they think they should sound like.

7-The long way to learn English is listening to tv shows or native speaker reading materials, which is especially good for those who want to start speaking English.

5 Great English Books for Beginners

1- Is this woman trying to convince you into buying a new hair-do? Learn 100 words in English. No, really!

2– I’m just not interested in this kind of book for beginners… but yet it’s amazing. *review by one reader*

3– “Worth its price”. The pithy language and amusing analogy playing on their subjects possess the rare ability to make even seemingly trivial statements grippingly memorable.

4- It always amazes me when people manage to pick these up in a little over 2 months and know the basics of English so well as if they had been working on it forever. He’s taken his time and practiced hard This is what you should do, too!

5– A book without pictures or diagrams might seem boring, but this one is not quite that way. It can be adequately described by saying: “Lots of pictures with a little text.”

Why the English language is important in our life?

The English language is important in our lives for several reasons:

Global Communication: English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It serves as a common language that people from different countries and cultures can use to communicate with one another. This is crucial in today’s interconnected world, especially in business, diplomacy, science, and international travel.

Access to Information: A significant portion of the world’s information, whether it’s on the internet, in books, or in academic journals, is available in English. Proficiency in English allows individuals to access a vast wealth of knowledge and resources, which is essential for education, research, and personal growth.

Education: English is often the medium of instruction in many prestigious universities and educational institutions worldwide. Proficiency in English is crucial for students who want to pursue higher education or participate in exchange programs abroad.

Career Opportunities: In many industries and professions, having a good command of English is a valuable asset. It can open up job opportunities and enhance career prospects, as many multinational companies and organizations use English as their primary language for communication.

Cultural Understanding: Learning English can provide insight into English-speaking cultures, including their literature, music, movies, and values. This can foster cross-cultural understanding and help individuals appreciate and respect diversity.

Travel and Tourism: English is often the lingua franca in the tourism industry. Knowing English can make traveling more comfortable and enjoyable, as it allows individuals to navigate through airports, hotels, and tourist destinations with ease.

Internet and Technology: A significant portion of the internet is in English, and many technology-related terms and concepts originate from the English-speaking world. Proficiency in English is beneficial for using and understanding technology, software, and online platforms.

Global Business: English is the dominant language in international business. Many international contracts, negotiations, and transactions are conducted in English. Proficiency in English is crucial for anyone involved in global business or trade.

Personal Growth: Learning a second language, such as English, can enhance cognitive abilities, improve problem-solving skills, and boost self-confidence. It can also open doors to new experiences and opportunities, leading to personal growth and development.

Social and Cultural Integration: In countries where English is the primary language, proficiency in English is essential for immigrants and newcomers to integrate into society, participate in community activities, and build relationships.

In summary, the English language plays a vital role in our lives by facilitating communication, providing access to information, enhancing educational and career opportunities, fostering cultural understanding, and enabling personal growth in an increasingly interconnected world.

My journey of learning English, why it is difficult for most?

Learning English is a challenging journey, Because it is a complex language, with many irregular verbs and especially spoken English. But that difficulty is complimented by its flexibility as well as being able to use so many words in everything you do – make your life better!

The new language the road to English is paved with obstacles. Websites, like the one you are on right now, [informal] makes learning and practicing easier by breaking down new language into small chunks while they provide hundreds of examples so that anyone can learn how to use the word or phrase successfully in whatever purpose it serves – often in widely divergent situations which traditional texts fail at and games do not present.

In short, to learn English you need to know how to learn. And that is where we come in. There are many of these learning guides, which is why I came up with this website myself. We will be adding more resources to it over time. Some have already been added, but aren’t completed (such as the vocabulary lists) because some information about them was taken from elsewhere or simply not available for whatever reason.

English language learning will allow you to communicate effectively with people from all over the world, making travelling a lot easier and helping you to learn more about different cultures. The importance of English language can be seen in almost every aspect of our lives. 1

How do I start my English learning journey?

  • Set clear goals for learning English.
  • Assess your current English proficiency level.
  • Choose a learning method (e.g., classes, apps, videos).
  • Build a strong foundation in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
  • Practice regularly and consistently.
  • Expand your vocabulary daily.
  • Listen to and speak with native English speakers.
  • Read and write in English.
  • Join English language communities for support.
  • Set achievable milestones and celebrate your progress.
  • Seek feedback for improvement.
  • Be patient and persistent in your learning.
  • Immerse yourself in English as much as possible.

How to my English language journey?

  • Set clear goals.
  • Assess your current level.
  • Choose a learning method.
  • Build foundational skills.
  • Practice regularly.
  • Expand your vocabulary.
  • Listen and speak with native speakers.
  • Join language communities.
  • Set milestones, seek feedback, and be persistent.

How can I track my English language journey?

To track your English progress:

  • Take regular assessments or tests.
  • Keep a language journal.
  • Use language learning apps with progress tracking.
  • Record and review your spoken and written English.
  • Set and achieve language milestones.
  • Seek feedback from teachers or language partners.
  • Monitor your comprehension of English media (e.g., books, movies, news).
  • Compare your current abilities to past performance.

In conclusion , the English language journey is not just a process of learning a new language; it is a transformative experience that opens doors to a world of opportunities and connections. As we’ve explored in this article, mastering English has become an essential skill in today’s globalized society. It enables us to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, access a wealth of knowledge and information, and pursue international careers. Moreover, our English language journey is not merely about words and grammar; it’s about cultural exchange, personal growth, and building bridges between different cultures.

References:

  • 6 reasons why learning English language is important | TLG Blog . (2021b, September 27).

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