Reflective Essay: The Drastic Evolution Of Teen Life

To begin with, I joined English 101 because I am doing general studies at the moment. Secondly, I took the placement test and the score I received was best suited for English 101. In addition, writing was never my strongest subject, but I am willing to put the effort to be a better writer. I expect to gain from taking English 101 is to argue and support a position, edit and proofread thoroughly, and understand the stages of the writing process. I’m sure I will have concerns in the future, but I’m not worried about them because I will seek for help when I’m in need. Furthermore, I will use all resources available such as going to the teacher for help, getting toured, EMCC Computer Commons, Buckeye Campus- Student Services, EMCC Library, and

English class has never been my strong suite. I always had to work twice as hard in English then I did in any other class. Writing paper always had me stressed and overwhelmed, I felt discouraged in my work. l never seemed to be able to get to the level I wanted to. I would try my hardest and paid attention in class, but when it came to writing the paper none of that seemed to help. I think that my experience in English Composition 1 has helped gain and grow in some areas, but I don’t think that it highlights a well-written college essay. Some elements that I worked to improving was introduction paragraphs, tone, style, and thesis statements.

One disadvantage of high school was that our teachers focused very little time on grammar; therefore, I never gained a good foundation in correct grammar. Over the years this has hurt me in my writing because proper grammar is crucial in writing. By going to the learning center and receiving help from Professor Cox I was able to recognize repeated grammar mistakes within my papers. One very common mistake I made throughout all my papers was not inserting a comma after a subordinating clause at the beginning of a sentence. I noticed that I had a tendency to always start sentences with subordinating clauses, but would never put in a comma afterwards. Once I recognized this mistake and learned the correct way to fix it I started paying close attention to this grammatical error, making sure I did not make it again. Therefore, towards the middle to end of the semester I no longer made these errors in my papers. A good example of this correct grammar technique can be found in paper number four numerous times, “When applying to PA school, people need to beware of the programs pre-requisites because they vary between programs.” The comma between “school” and “people” is the correct use of a comma after a subordinating clause. Another grammar mistake I continuously made was putting a comma in front of the words “therefore” and “however” when a semicolon was needed. I was taught in high school, that you always put a set of commas around

During the first semester of English 1301, I have learned so much that before I hadn’t comprehended. This class has teached me to write what is my passion and explain my thoughts thoroughly. The classes I took before were mostly teaching the arts of writing essays in which the not much was learned. This class made an exception for me to challenge myself and try to succeed in becoming a better writer. I feel as I have learned more in these 16 weeks than have in the last two years of highschool english.

Throughout English 1010 thus far, I can certainly say that my writing skills have been tested and tried. Writing for fun and composing rhetorical essays for a college-level English class are vastly different styles and require contrasting attitudes, voices, and points of view for each. Before writing essays of the former diction, I must admit that I did not understand the rhetorical strategies and had no idea there even was a rhetorical triangle. The assignments included in this portfolio show the advancements I have made in my writing with an academic tone.

Although I started the semester off not knowing how to write a strong well-written essay, English 101 has expanded my visions on writing. It's helped me grow as a student and what I have learned from it will help me in the future. We wrote many different types of essays with different types of writing styles, which helped me find my strengths and weaknesses. I gain strength in my weaknesses and improved my strengths.

In the summer of 2015 I received a full scholarship to attend Jonathan R. Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison University, an opportunity that shaped a simply hobby into an enduring passion. As a writer, I am highly critical of my work, however being accepted to the eight-day program merely by my own literary merit definitely served as an example that not only am I capable of writing something worthy, but that I have the power to achieve any goals laid before me. While I attended the program I greeted 35 peers from California all the way to Zimbabwe, South Africa. My core classes consisted of Fiction and Poetry, where I was taught by award winning authors and poets. To be honest, I felt entirely inadequate the first few days. Here I was

Writing influences the way humans communicate. Good writing skills are essential in the working world and it’s important for our own self. The love for writing creative stories that engage the reader personally feels like an impossible task. After thirteen years of English I’ve realized that English does not come easy to me. It’s important to note that my writing skills have improved over the years. Going into my first year of college, I was nervous. I knew that my writing needed improvement. During my first semester of college, I was able to take the WAC 101 class. This class not only improved my writing, but it also encouraged me to start reading again. I look at reading as a task instead of a hobby, but I know that it can progress toward something that I like to do on my free time. WAC 101 is a class that helps develop a student’s writing skills. To measure the progress, outcomes in different areas of writing are reflected upon.

I received an acceptance from a US MD school during the 2013-2014 cycle. However, as an international student, I was required to deposit all four years’ worth of tuition in an escrow account prior to matriculation, which I was unable to do. While I was aware of the escrow requirement prior to application, I was on track to obtain permanent residency during the application year per my immigration attorney, which would excuse me from this requirement. However, given the uncertain nature of the residency process, this did not, and is yet to, happen. My family and I had recently immigrated from India, and coming up with the escrow amount was impossible at that time. Loans were also only available on a yearly cadence, not for all four years at once.

English isn't one of my favorite subjects, but it was interesting to learn much more about English through this course. This course, overall, taught me about how to organize my ideas and the importance of clicking the button that checks one's spelling on the paper. Even though, I improved throughout my time in this course in my organization and expressing my ideas. I still have some mistakes to improve on in my writing. English 101 showed the importance of writing and the ability to express my ideas throughout my academic career.

I am particularly interested in the 1st STEP program because of the opportunity presented to acquire advocacy, persuasion and presentation skills that are fundamental not only in the court room but also in all areas of lawyering. As a continuing J.D. student, and ranked 86 (47%) of my class, I wish to engage in the fundamentals of litigation so as to better serve possible clients. Because I was pre-admitted into the program upon my acceptance letter, I choose Golden Gate University to learn and grow and hope this program will further my education.

The dreaded English 102. Could this be my final English course in my career as a student? I don’t know for sure. I still need to decide what my major will be in. There is something that I know for sure, that is, needing to take this class to move on. I am not certain how my time in this class will go, but I plan to work hard to get the best grade that I can. Hence, I have decided to get this out of the way now, I look to fine-tune my writing skills, and I expect this course to help me understand my writing style.

Studying English 1301 has been both an interesting and learning experience. The lessons and practical work learned from the course have sharpened my skills in communicating, learning and analysis. The numerous passages and case studies we did have sharpened my critical thinking skills. The diverse literature I was exposed to has made me learn to appreciate different types of literature and to accept that everyone is unique and gifted in his or her own special way. I have been forced to be creative and authentic in the forms of writing I do. With the knowledge gained, I intend to be among the well-polished writers in the world today. This will be effected through the basic lessons I have received in outlining, brainstorming,

Over the course of this past semester, my ability to write has improved tremendously. Prior to undertaking this course, my expertise in writing was not as fine-tuned as it should have been. I had never previously been enrolled in a class specifically tailored to writing-- which was quite clear. Upon reading my past works, it becomes apparent that my writing style consisted of fluff, small words, and inconsistently structured sentences. These problems have, for the most part, been remedied with the coursework I have tackled in College Writing. Rather than long, drawn out papers that take an eternity to reach the primary point, my recent work is much nicer in terms of composition and grammar. I credit these improvements to the three primary

Since beginning to write papers in English class, I have had countless successes and failures. While many of my English classes have taught me how to improve my writing, I have not learned very much in others. My most recent English class was last year, my sophomore year. My class was particularly undersized; therefore, it gave each student the opportunity to have additional individual attention. Throughout the class I experienced high points, weaknesses, and even difficulties that I never overcame. Overall, my writing skills improved, but only marginally.