When I was in high school, my English teacher taught us how to write college-level essays to prepare us for freshman year. Thanks to that foundation, I was able to write a few decent essays at the beginning of my college experience, but that only got me so far. My time in this class has helped me better understand what she taught me and allowed me to build upon it by learning new techniques. For instance, I’ve learned how to cite my sources without dropping a block of text from the original source, instead rewriting it in my own words to make it flow seamlessly into my essay. This has made my writing more cohesive and helped me better integrate research to support my arguments. It has also shown me how important it is to connect my sources to my own ideas rather than letting the quotes overpower my voice. Additionally, I now feel more confident in my ability to adapt my writing to meet higher academic standards.
I have also learned more about narrative perspectives and points of view to write effectively for a general audience, regardless of the topic. However, I’ve come to realize that the perspective I choose for my essay isn’t always the best suited for professional or academic writing. Through this course, I now understand the importance of “code-switching” in my writing, adapting my tone and approach depending on the essay’s purpose and audience. This realization came from the valuable feedback I received from my instructor and peers, which encouraged me to reflect on my rhetorical choices. For example, in one of my essays, I shifted from a casual tone to a more formal and analytical tone, which improved the overall impact of my argument. Recognizing the power of adjusting my perspective has made me more intentional in how I approach different assignments. It has also taught me that even small changes in tone or style can significantly affect how my audience interprets my work.
One challenge I’ve faced over the course of this semester is learning to take criticism and feedback from my peers in stride and actually implement it. I am a very hard-headed person and tend to believe that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” In my mind, if what I’m doing is working and getting me results, I should continue doing things my way. However, this course has shown me the value of constructive criticism. By slowly starting to implement feedback into my essays, I noticed improvements in both the quality of my writing and my grades. For instance, feedback on one of my earlier drafts helped me strengthen my thesis and improve my organization, which made my essay more persuasive. Over time, I’ve learned to view feedback as an opportunity rather than a critique, which has shifted my attitude toward collaboration. Now, I am grateful for any and all criticism I receive because it allows me to tackle my weaknesses and grow as a writer.
This semester has shown me how much I’ve grown as a writer and how far I still have to go in the future. I’ve learned to better integrate sources into my essays by rewriting them in my own words, which not only improved the flow of my writing but also made my arguments more concrete. My high school English teacher laid the foundation for me to write decent essays, but this class pushed me to refine those skills and apply them in more advanced and meaningful ways. Feedback from my peers and my professors has also helped me recognize the importance of adapting my tone and perspective to suit the purpose and audience of each assignment. While I’ve made strides in these areas, I know there’s still room to grow, especially in consistently applying these strategies across all my writing regardless of my target audience.
This semester has also changed the way I view writing, particularly its flexibility and it’s collaborative nature. I used to think that writing was a stand alone process with rigid rules, but I’ve learned the value of feedback in improving and refining my ideas. For instance, when I shifted the tone of one essay from casual to more formal based on feedback, I saw how much more persuasive my argument became based on my grade. I now understand the importance of “code-switching” to adapt my writing style and tone for different rhetorical situations, which has made my work more effective. Writing is no longer just about meeting a word count or assignment guidelines—it’s about clearly communicating ideas and connecting with the audience. These lessons have helped me see writing as something dynamic and collaborative, rather than a fixed and mechanical process.
In conclusion, I believe that I have achieved the course learning objectives by bettering my understanding of writing and learning more about its fundamentals. My perception of what writing is has become more complex, as I now see it as a way to inform an audience in order to convince or explain a point. Writing can do many things, from sharing ideas to creating meaningful connections with readers. This class has shown me that writing is not just a skill but a process that evolves with practice, feedback, and reflection.
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