Why do a Goal Reflection Essay?

As you enter the last stages of your master’s degree, we think it makes sense to start with where you began. Whether that was two years or two decades ago, your path to getting to this point is valuable! Specifically, we ask you to focus on your goals in this essay. Later, we will build upon this reflection by considering what your future learning goals might be after graduation. In this Mission, however, you only need to focus on your goals and reflection.

We know that for some people, the reason you started your master’s degree still plays a role in your daily life. For others of you, your goals have changed a bit. For still others, your goals have changed drastically. As a lifelong learner, it is important to be aware of your goals and use that to ground your work. This is your chance to do that.

Also, it is important to realize that you will write three essays for this class. The first, the Goal Reflection Essay, is this “looking back” reflection upon your goals. The second will be a “looking forward” to your future goals as a learner. The final essay will ask you to reflect specifically about your learning within the master’s program. In this essay, however, you only need to focus on your goals and reflection.

You might feel it is a little difficult to know how to write this essay—where to start, how to organize your thoughts and writing, or what your page could look like. We suggest that you peruse a few previous essays (which you can find on the Module 4 page) to get some ideas. However, we intend these examples, and others, to be starting points, not ending points. Please do not let these limit your creativity!