Orellana 1

Sheyla Orellana
Professor Lewis
English 115
12 December 2014
Reflection
Being a first time freshman and the first in my family to go to college, I was nervous
because I was not sure what to expect from the courses that I was going take. I struggled a bit in
English because I felt like it was not my strongest subject. This made me worry about taking an
actual college level course if I struggled back in high school. I had written persuasive essays,
letters, and research papers but in this course I learned other genres. The transition from what
was expected of me in high school where a bit different from college. Looking back to the
beginning of the semester I do see some improvements but I know I will still have to work on
some areas in my writing.
Before this course I never had done peer reviews. I am glad that I was able to learn this
technique because it helped me improve my papers. Peer review helped me to clearly state my
point in a fashion that was easy to follow and understand. I was able to get a new set of eyes to
look over my paper and help me improve areas where I usually struggle with like in my
introduction paragraph. After peer reviews I would find myself adding more details and rephrase
sentences to make my paper meet its expectations.
In high school I would usually write three page essays which is the same amount that I
wrote for the essays in this course. I know that as I take more advanced courses that I will have

Orellana 2

to write more than three pages. I feel confident that I will be able to do it. I would not use MLA
format for my essays or cite my sources even though my teachers said they would be useful in
college. It was easy for me to learn MLA format for when I write essays. I found myself having
to use MLA format in my other courses too. I still struggle it with citing sources in but I now
know where to look if I ever need help in the future. I feel that as if I cite my sources more often
that it will get easier for me.
In this course as a class we read Blue Moon Rising by Simon R. Green which I enjoyed. I
liked how we were able to take the concept of heroism and expand it on the other assignments in
this semester like a narrative and ethnography. I found it easier for me to write a narrative
because it was based off my life. I knew what I wanted to write about. I also liked that I was
given specific guidelines of what was expected of me. Which in this case was to imitate another
persons writing style. I had never written an essay where I have to write like someone else. The
ethnography was not as structured as the narrative because I had the choice to choose between
conducting my research through a poll or observation. I did struggle with ethnography a bit more
just because I had never written a paper based off my own observations.
I feel more confident with my writing skills because I did put more effort into my essays.
In high school I would not put as much work into my essays because I would always get all the
points. I know that with time it will get easier for me to write essays. I also think that I will ask
my peers for help and review my essays because it is very helpful to me. Overall I have seen that
my writing has improved from the beginning of the course. I know I still need to work on certain
aspects, but I know I will be able to improve on these areas with practice.