Dear Eng 101, 

Throughout the semester, I have probably written more than I ever have in my 4 years of high school. I was always used to writing 1-2 page papers. I only used MLA format once in my senior year for my research paper but I don’t even think I did it right. And, I never knew what APA format was until I had English 101. I’m glad I was able to learn a little more about those formats but I wish I was able to practice them and learn about them even more. The fact that I am not quite skilled in those formats makes me nervous for what’s to come in college. But one of the many things that I did learn was how many rhetorical devices there are. Submitting some every week helped me gain a lot more understanding as to what they were and how they are used. I also enjoyed how we were able to write papers in whatever format we chose. I like to write my papers like I am talking to someone through my paper. I envision myself talking as I write my papers and I feel like that is a great way to showcase my personality in the writing. I was never able to do that in the past because I was always writing really boring papers about the main ideas of specific readings. But, Olivia helped me realize how much I actually enjoy writing.  

According to the course objectives, I do feel like that we were able to use the conventions of Standard Academic American English in our writings. We were also able to evaluate texts using fundamental rhetoric concepts with the help of our homework. Also, we were able to appraise their own composing abilities, processes, and goals through critical reflection.