Final Semester Reflection

Alicia Birch

aliciabirch@mycwi.cc

English 102

Final Semester Reflection

May 6, 2013

Final Semester Reflection

            When I look back on this last semester of English 102, I honestly can’t believe how fast it went by, yet so very slow at the same time. I remember working on one of the first assignments of the semester, the “Obstacle Course,” and wondering how in the world I was going to survive this class. I remember thinking about how tedious and time consuming it was, and worrying that every assignment would take me as long as that one did. J Despite my worries at the beginning of the semester, I kept going and am so glad I did. I have learned so much this semester about improving my writing skills, effective research, and about who I am as a writer. I also learned that I have many areas to improve upon, but that I have accomplished so much throughout this class and am taking away many skills that will benefit my future college courses as well as future jobs and careers.

            Some of my proudest accomplishments this semester include the improvement I made on writing effective thesis statements, and also the self-discipline I proved to myself that I could have throughout this semester. From my first local research essay I went from writing a thesis that wasn’t even an argumentative thesis like we were supposed to have, to learning how to write effective argumentative thesis’ for my last 2 essays. For example, my thesis for the local research essay read, “While many would argue that there is no problem with poverty and hunger, poverty and hunger is indeed an ever-growing issue that with the support of many, can be improved and eradicated, making Idaho a better place for all to live.” This thesis now seems vague and hard to write an essay on. My thesis for the global essay read, “In order for the eradication of hunger and poverty to progress in Africa, it is necessary for affluent countries to devote more money, resources, and dedication to the cause.” This thesis is much more specific and provides more of an argumentative viewpoint to base my essay off of. In addition to improving my thesis statements, I also proved to myself that I could stay on top of deadlines and that I have the ability to succeed if I put forth the effort and determination. I learned that even though writing scholarly essays does not come naturally to me, if I put forth the time and effort I can succeed. I have never been the most confident writer but this class has taught me to be proud of my accomplishments.

            After taking this course I have learned that despite my achievements, there are still many areas that need improvement in my writing. One area that I realized needs improvement is the ability to write with a scholarly tone. I feel that I could improve upon my word choice and sentence structure in order to have more of a scholarly tone in my essays. Another area that I feel is still developing in my writing skills is the ability to condense information and effectively summarize points in my essays. Sometimes I tend to overwrite and am redundant in the way I explain information in my essays. While I still feel these areas need improvement, I am proud that I have at least seen some improvement upon these areas during the course of this semester.

            From this course, I think there are many aspects that I can take away that will benefit my future college courses as well as my job and career. First, I feel that the ability to write an organized and effective essay will come in handy in both my college courses as well as my job. I feel that I now possess the strategies for how to write an essay- including both the research process as well as the writing process. I used to get so frustrated with writing essays because I had no idea where to begin. This course has helped me with organizational skills and strategies that will benefit my future courses as well. Having effective essay writing skills also benefits my work environment as I compose emails to coworkers and write letters home to parents of students I work with. Another aspect from this course that I feel will benefit my future college and work endeavors are the ability to find effective and accurate sources when researching for an essay. This course has taught me what to look for on websites and how to find reliable and valuable sources. This will be helpful in future college writing classes that require research before writing essays.

            Despite the hard work, frustrations, long nights, and countless hours spent on essays and assignments, English 102 has been a great experience! I have learned so much throughout this course and have enjoyed getting to know my classmates, instructor, and everyone involved throughout the semester. I am excited to now be able to take my achievements and what I have learned from this course and use it to benefit my future classes as well as my future career.