In high school writing was completely different, a paper was written over the course of a month instead of a few weeks. In college, the longest span of writing time you have is about two weeks and mostly half of that is just prewriting. In my previous English courses, prewriting was not focal point before college. Now, prewriting is one of the most important steps of the writing process. I expected a college level course to be more challenging and it definitely is. I never spent more than two hours writing papers before I entered college. I’ve learned that I like to write, and with just a little more patience and extra time I could have also excelled on my high school papers.
Our first essay was a personal narrative. I chose to write about my grandfather, because he had just passed away two weeks ago when class began and writing about him really helped me. Looking back, I think I chose a topic in heat of the moment instead of really thinking on it. When writing my essay there were several time when I wish I would have chosen a different topic, not because it was difficult to write about, but because it brought up a lot of emotion on my behalf. This essay took me several days to write, the story came naturally but the emotion took over at times. I wrote the introduction one day then worked on the remainder of the essay over the next three days. Once I had the introduction thought out I knew exactly where I wanted the story to go. I re-read the essay twice to make sure I did not leave any important details out of the story I was telling. Proofreading is no one’s favorite part of writing and I am certainly no different. I did not spend as much time proofreading as I should have. I thought through writing it on word that most of my m...
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...ad over it for me to check for grammatical errors. After finishing the essay I would rate this essay as not my best but not my worst. This essay was challenging, but also made me see things differently in the way of an advertisement.
Through this class and my previous experiences I’ve learned to spend more time on each step of the writing process instead of rushing through. Proofreading is something I will continue to work on through my next course. I have a problem with commas and it has become quite often. My writing has definitely gotten better since high school. I never really liked to write essays, but I think now I have come to enjoy it. With the right topic and guidance I think I could write wonderful essays. I look forward to making my writing better as my English classes’ progress and I think with everything I learned from this class that is very possible.
Entering this course I was worried because I have struggled with writing in the past, and writing has never been my strongest area. I feared writing classes in middle and high school, and had the same expectations for this course. I had wondered if I was ready for college English, and was worried that my skills and abilities would not be one the level they needed to be for college courses. My attitude and understanding of my writing process have both changed since the beginning of this semester. One thing that really helped my attitude and confidence was the fact that I was able to complete the assignments and get a decent grade. I was worried that I might not be able to do college level writing, and when I started completing the assignments and learning new ways to write my confidence and attitude changed. Another thing that really helped me throughout this course was that there was plenty of reading and information available to guide me through my assignments. I realized that there was more freedom when it comes to writing than I had experienced in high school. Being able to write more freely, and the freedom to choose what subjects I would write over made the assignments more enjoyable and easier to
In general, I like this course because it taught me a lot of great things, such as how to revise the essay in order to make it better. My writing has improved a lot throughout this year, I learned how to organize my essay’s structure, using the transition sandwich to perfect my writing. In the future, I hope to continue developing all the skills that I learned in this English class, and I will continue to go to the Writing Center to ask for help to perfect my writing. However, it is the end of the year, but it does not mean that this is the end of my writing.
In my past writing assignments it seemed to be that we were learning everything step by step, where as in college more is expected from me as a writer. As a high school student it was quite easy to push everything off till the last moment. Those two o'clock nights were very frequent when a six-page research paper was due the next day. As a college student the requirements are more challenging and not something that can be pushed back till the very last second. It seems strange to me that starting earlier for a college paper and working twice as hard on it, receiving a lower grade on it than I would have in high school is upsetting to think about, but is so true. When coming into the semester I was unaware of what was expected from me, but as the semester progressed I was able to get a better understanding of the course and how to look critically at myself as a writer. I know that these are qualities that I will use for many years to come.
I had always been a strong writer in high school; I know how to form an argument and support it fully, but this did not prepare me for the writing at a college level. I expected to be reading long and boring books about topics that did not pertain to my life; as it turns out, this assumption was completely false. All of the three essays that we were required to read in class were fairly difficult to understand, but after a second reading, the essay's meaning became clearer. I also feel as though their messages and key ideas are captivating. I definitely thought they would be extremely dry and difficult to understand.
Throughout the semester I have learned an astounding amount of information. The English 101 curriculum has not only taught me how to write in general, but also taught me a variety of ways to get my point across to the reader. Before I took English 101 I was an average writer at best, but now that I am taking a class that focuses on writing strategies I feel that I have been able to improve as a writer. During the course we were taught how to write an informative essay as well as how to write a persuasive essay. The type of writing that this class has taught me will most definitely help me with future classes as well as my future in the real world. Throughout the English 101 course I have been able to improve as a writer by composing essays
Transitioning from high school to college can be overwhelming. Before English 1301, I thought that I did not have to worry about being prepared for college. I quickly realized that my little background in writing essays was not going to be enough for college. Writing is not just something that I will use in English classes. In college, I will have to use effective writing skills in all my classes to complete research papers, essay tests and communicate to professors. Throughout my education, writing strategies persisted to be something that did not come easy to me. I dreaded writing because I could never find ways to get my thoughts down on paper. Ironically, a class that petrified me due to the amount of writing that was required ended up helping me in so many ways. English 1301 and my professor prepared me so much for college and real life.
For me, being a college writer means writing well-organized essays that readers enjoy reading. Being a well rounded writer was also important. Each unit in this class challenged me to write in a well-organized, concise way. During each unit, we conducted some sort of revision activity where I was exposed to other students’ writing. As I read their work, I picked up on their use of transition words and separation of paragraphs to make the essay flow. Naturally, I began implementing more transition words in my own work and learned the appropriate ways to split paragraphs. The structure of the class was key to the organization of my ideas which was crucial to the development of my essay. During the third unit of this class, we were asked to identify an issue on campus, conduct research on the issue, and finally propose a solution to correct the issue. At first, it was difficult to get my ideas down and figure out what it was I would research. What I learned in class allowed me to first identify the issue I would research, write a rough draft, and hear what others had written before the final paper was due. This helped me to identify the main points, brainstorm and figure out what additional research I would need to find to support my argument. Being able to organize my thoughts from the beginning made writing the paper a much easier process. This course has helped me to grow as a writer and make
Weak skills that I began the class with have become strong and my strong skills have become stronger. Having the opportunity to write a variety of different essay styles has challenged me greatly to improve my writing techniques. Each essay I was required to write brought its own struggles for me. I had to draw on the information that was presented through the class as well as look to the textbook for guidance. To ensure I did well on each essay I thought about my topic, researched the topic, then began to outline what I wanted to write about. Finally, I would write the essay and submit a rough draft. English 102 has given me the skills and training I need to move on to other classes next semester that will require writing essays. I now have a confidence in my writing abilities that this class has given
This class has been significantly more difficult than any other English class I have taken all throughout high school. This semester, I have been introduced to different styles of writing that I have never been exposed to before. This class has been stressful, but also fun. With using all of the resources I have been given throughout the semester, I have been able to do my best to further my writing abilities and hopefully only continue to grow them as I finish my later years in college. Throughout this essay, I will discuss my failures, my successes, my overall performance in the class, and my skill development skills.
Snuggled between the background of the Cal Poly campus and the mountains, lie bright green grassy fields sweeping over the sloping terrain. The brilliance of the sun on the picturesque scenery makes for just the right lighting. The numerous bulls that inhabit the Bull Test Area are lazily slouching in their spacious pen and chomping at their breakfast. Apart from the mellow bovines, on the other side of Brizzolara Creek, the Abattoir sits silently yet eerily by its lonesome, just awaiting its next victim. Adjacent to the Bull Test Area are the Feed Mill and Feed Lot, made up of a large barn and a silo. To the left of these fields, the Drumm Reservoir reflects sparkling bits of sunlight and is surrounded by reeds swaying in the wind. The setting is undisturbed by the stress and noises of the nearby civilization--at least for now. The feeling of tranquility is overshadowed by the impending change from a natural habitat to a civilized one. Within two years the Feed Mill will be replaced with a parking lot, the Feed Lot will be the site for a brand new swimming pool, and the Bull Test Area will be the building ground for apartments and living facilities otherwise known as Student Housing North.
Over the course of this semester I learned a lot about myself as a writer. This English 101 class has really allowed me to expand my essay structure and ways of thinking. This was my first college writing course and it has given me much more freedom when writing because in high school I felt limited and like what we were writing was not very important. In high school I would write essays to just to fulfill the required word or page count and to a degree I still feel like this but maybe that is why I am an engineering major but in this course I actually was able to express my ideas and for the first time really test the limits of my writing capabilities. I really enjoyed being able to incorporate my voice more in my essays and I believe that I developed my own personal style a bit from this. At the beginning of the semester my writing was quite choppy and there was plenty of room for improvement in the overall flow of my essays. Now, I use several different tactics such as outlining to create better connections between paragraphs. I believe I was able to move beyond many of the high school ways of writing and make general improvements to my essays.
In summary, I had an enjoyable time in my first college English class. I pushed myself as diligently as I could and learned much more than I thought I would. In addition to, my strengths grew stronger and my weaknesses improved as well. I acknowledge I still have some techniques and skills to work on; however, I am willing to put the time in and cannot wait to take English in the future. Writing is an everlasting skill that will be an enormous asset to me; in addition to my future classes, and my career as
This semester was my very first semester as a college student. Being the first, it was probably the semester I would learn the most in. I learned the expectations for writing that I will have to live up to for the next four years of my college career. Though my high school teachers were usually demanding because I was in the Honors English section throughout high school, writing in college has still ?raised the bar? for me. Also, in high school, we would have weeks to pick a topic, create a thesis, outline the paper, write the paper, and then revise the paper. In college, the time restraints are not quite as lenient. I?ve had to learn to manage my time and be more productive with what free moments I have. Strangely enough, I?ve found the college English experience to be much more rewarding and enjoyable than in high school.
Writing is an important part of everyone’s life, whether we use it in school, in the workplace, as a hobby or in personal communication. It is important to have this skill because it helps us as writers to express feelings and thoughts to other people in a reasonably permanent form. Formal writing forms like essays, research papers, and articles stimulates critically thinking. This helps the writer to learn how to interpret the world around him/her in a meaningful way. In college, professors motivate students to write in a formal, coherent manner, without losing their own voice in the process. Improving your writing skills is important, in every English class that’s the main teaching point; to help students improve their writing skills. Throughout my college experience I have acknowledge that
Over the course of the semester, I feel that I have grown as a writer in many ways. When I came into the class, there were skills I had that I already excelled at. During my time in class, I have come to improve on those skills even more. Before I took this class, I didn’t even realise what I was good at. This is the first class where I felt I received feedback on my writing that helped me to actually review my work to see what areas I lacked in and where I succeeded.