What I Learned in English 1100-40 in College Essay

Upon entering Columbia College, writing was one of my weaker areas. It was very important that I gained the necessary knowledge and confidence to become a better writer. I didn’t know how to express myself and felt as though my writing was not my interest. As a result of taking English 101, I have gained a better understanding on how to properly research and build a satisfactory paper. Every paper that was assigned seemed like a struggle to complete. Before entering this class, I did not know the meaning of a thesis or why it was important, however, I obtained this skill quickly. I noticed that every paper has an argument and the thesis helps clarify the rebuttal. Now, I have a new outlook on writing. It’s a way to express my thoughts and allow others to see things through my eyes. There is no doubt that I still have a long way to go, but I know if I continue to write, I will get better. Just as I developed more skills in class, the various papers assigned helped to better structure the writer in me. In addition, the subject areas were not only interesting, but very informative and made it much easier to write about my experiences.

Over the past year I had a chance to develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to develop successful paper. Taking English 1010 was a great experience because it prepares students on becoming better writers through college life. Even though this is my second year in college I was unable to take English 1010 the first year, but taking this class truly show me what college professors are looking for when we are ask to write a successful paper. College professors expect every student to be able to evaluate each topic and be descriptive in their essay.

Like transforming from a caterpillar to a butterfly, my writing style transformed from something mediocre to something quite exceptional. In high school, even when I took advanced placement English and Literature courses, I was never good at writing. My writing would lack structure, reasoning, syntax, and a well-defined thesis statement. My inadequate grades on writing assignments lowered my self-esteem, so I assumed I would never enjoy writing papers because I believed I could never improve. However, since attending a university my writing style has improved far beyond my expectation. My EN 101 course enhanced my understanding of the different ways I could approach my writing. Also, it enhanced my comprehension of outlines to complete assignments. Investing quality time into my writing made a substantial difference because I became a stronger writer. Through the late nights, constant revisions, and agonizing head traumas, I learned that my writing is truly spectacular whenever I incorporate well-defined thesis statements, provide sufficient supporting evidence, and maintain a clear focus in my assignments.

During my time spent in the English 110 I endured a writing style of APA that was barely introduced to me in high school. The most beneficial things I learned throughout my research process this year is the use of the writing center and librarians , the online databases, and the moodle forum post allowed me not only to succeed in English 110, but will give me beneficial techniques to use in future papers I will have to write.

Good writing is writing with simplicity. It is taking out every word that adds no meaning, every verb that’s too abstract, and every sentence too full of clutter that it lost it’s meaning. Some may believe adding extra fluff to your paper makes it sound more sophisticated, but William Zinsser, in his article “Simplicity”, argues quite the opposite. He does not see it as fluff, but as fuzz- fuzz that only clogs up the machinery. If we learn how to stay simple yet powerful in our writing, we would be making the job of the reader much easier and more enjoyable.

While writing is an essential part of a student’s success I managed to avoid papers as much as humanly possible. The reason I have avoided writing isn’t that I do not like to write but that I am not comfortable writing papers that are going to be graded because I have a hard time putting down what I am thinking so typically it is a grammatical mess. I often over use or do not use enough punctuation and have poor choice in wording. Throughout the next fifteen weeks my personal goal is to be able to write a paper with proper grammar and be able to balance my paper.

Your inner voice is crucial when it comes to crafting a strong paper. It is how you craft a powerful story, with the powerful mindset of emotionally driven thoughts. Execute the passion on paper which would represent the seriousness and maturity within. observation I made in Cal Newport’s How To Become a Straight-A Student, related to a quote that really stood out to me. “In order to write a greater paper, you really need to make connections that other people have not made, and the only way to do that in to think.”

As I embark in my journey through the first year composition at SFSU, I intend to maintain my previous academic goals to improve myself by practicing and taking risks. Having the willingness to drastically improve myself through a small set of goals and having the philosophy and ideology from high school literature, I intend to use these tendencies to to be successful in college level English. Reading constantly and using the the writing format as a guide to express my of individuality is what I hope in the long run makes me successful in first year composition.

Diction is what separates good writers from great writers. For almost three years I have received a small comment on approximately every essay I wrote. The message read, “ ...up your diction.” (Dayna Hendricks) This small message made my vocabulary sprout its leaves and create a beautiful word tree. This being said, I still have a prolonged journey until I reach my ultimate diction goal. “Besides, proper diction or proper choice of words is important to get the message across.” (Literary devices.net) I have found that readers become more intrigued into reading my essays if my diction content is high. Diction enhances the writing into becoming more elegant and interesting.

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

Staying on the right path in one’s classes is fundamental as this is one of the most important times in education. Rewarding oneself is one out of the many ways that students can accomplish this difficult, but crucial task. Assignments are to be completed in a timely and organized manner. It is essential that students take the time to grow as writers and change the necessary details to improve their writing skills and adapt to the changing atmosphere from high school to college. During ENC 1101, I am sure that students will undergo various ways of analyzing their writing process just as I did. I learned plenty about my writing during this journey and now I am making changes to improve my process and to become the best writer to my fullest

First, we must be able to write clearly and concisely for our readers to understand. The author stated that “a commitment to express our ideas, with clarity, directness and precision” (Rose Ragins, B., 2012). Understanding that writing is hard for some of us and it takes practice to become a better writer. “The first challenge of clear writing is to understand your reader” ( Rose Ragins, B., 2012). We have to be able to take the reader on a journey with us in our writing. Furthermore, “some writers use foggy writing which stems from to impress rather than express” (Rose Ragins, B., 2012). The most important part of being a good writer is selecting your words as to not make the reader confused on the point you are making. We as writers have to be careful not to use jargons in our papers and make our writing as simple and understanding as possible for the audience.

Senior year of highschool is time to decide where you will continue your education career, but it is also the last chance for you to fix your writing and study skills. When your annoying English teacher gives you an assignment that looks daunting because the page count and the list of sources we have to use. Not only was this assignment given in the last semester of my high school career, but it was a necessary because I learned key things about writing a paper. The things I learned is what can help me succeed in my college and future careers.

Writing papers is definitely my weakest skill in school. At the beginning of high school, I had already acquired plenty of experience writing and had found my style of writing. High School has given me a chance to further explore different ways to write and allowed me to learn what I do and do not like writing about. This past semester of DE English has felt like the next step in my evolution as a writer.

Unfortunately, “about 60 percent of first-time freshmen do not show entry level proficiency in [college-level English] assessments, even though they have earned at least a B average in the required college preparatory curriculum. As a result, many students must attend remedial classes, which do not count for college credit and add cost and time to earning a degree.” (Kautzer, 2010) In high school, you were given a specific formula, rules, and guidelines to follow in pursuance of a “perfect” paper. Due to vast differences in the expectations of college professors verse high school teachers, be prepared to make changes in your writing styles, structure, process in order to be successful.