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Kaylee Miller

Professor Jan Rieman

English 1102

March 2, 2011

I feel that “Welcome to College” is the best title I can give my paper because this

English class has been a crash course for me on college writing and research. I kind of

procrastinated on this paper which is funny and sad, because one of the things I wrote about was

how I want to be more efficient when I write which means I need to not procrastinate. My peers

pointed out many of the issues I saw myself in my paper and were very helpful in giving feedback

to improve it.

Welcome to College

Before I came to college I was constantly warned about the numerous papers I would be

required to write and the challenging expectations associated with them. In high school we were

encouraged to write academically and intellectually in order to prepare for complex college

writing. I expected that my professors assumed I could write to their standards and was nervous

that I would not be able to succeed. English 1102, also known as College Writing, has calmed

my fears by teaching me how to improve my writing and will hopefully lead me to be able to

write more intellectually. In class, we have already worked on so much throughout the first part

of the semester and I believe that in College Writing I will improve on my main goals of using

commas properly, writing more efficiently and well focused, and to write intellectually.
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One of the greatest sources in class to help improve my writing is in my peer group. I

have found a great connection among the other members in my peer group. Lauren, Jevon,

Andrew, and I are all very different. Lauren has an elaborated form of writing while Andrew is

very straight forward. Jevon’s writing is very intellectual and it is growing easier to distinguish

the variations between each person’s work. We all have a different style of writing which helps

us to point out different ideas in each other’s work. They are great with pointing out errors in

comma usage they are also helpful in giving advice about when I should elaborate on a topic.

Already I feel that my writing has improved with their help, particularly when it comes to

comma usage on something or remove a piece in my writing. Comma usage is still an issue for

me, but I hope by practicing writing and by receiving advice from my peers and Professor

Rieman I will improve.

Along with working on my basic writing skills I hope to continue to improve on focusing

on my writing and to write more efficiently. The course goals include learning to use reading

and writing to make meaning and thoughtful writing decisions. I believe that in order to

complete these goals I have to work more to adjust my writing habits. In class we have written

and discussed our writing processes, as well as read articles about how to improve them. This

process is about when, where, what, and how we like to write. In one of my early daybook

entries I wrote about how I wanted to make better use of my time and try to use areas, such as the

library, in order to better focus on my work. I have made a schedule with myself on times to

work on papers and work in the library and I also try to write my papers before the rest of my

family gets home. While I have definitely put my personal suggestions to use in order to make it

easier for me to write I would love to learn about more ways I can improve. Sometimes I feel

that even when I do manage to focus my writing leers off the prompt and my train of thought can
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make what I am trying to explain a bit confusing. I hope that during the second half of the

semester I can be inspired with new ways to stay focused and write more efficiently.

On top of improving comma usage and writing more focused and efficiently, I want to

write intellectually. In class we have read many articles that are written with such skill and

intellect. Sometimes these articles are very strongly written, so much that I cannot understand all

the points that the writer is trying to make. While I hope to better understand what I am reading

I would also like to be able to write with the same intellect. My desire to write intellectually is

also inspired by the members of my peer group who write, what I believe to be, very strong

papers. I hope to be able to write papers just as strong as some of those that I have read The

main goal of College Writing is to learn how to be academic writers and to understand what it

means to be an academic writer. We have studied many academic writers and their explanations

of what it means to be an academic writer. In my eyes, my writing skills are far off from that of

those we have read and I am nervous that I am not prepared to write papers for English 1102, as

well as the classes that will require them in the future. I want to improve the way I phrase my

points and choose words that are of higher quality.

Currently I feel that I have learned a lot about writing in English 1102. While I hold my

writing to a higher standard in the class I have noticed that my papers in my other classes have

improved. By taking the class I feel that I am better prepared to face the tough papers required in

college and I cannot wait to see how much the class helps me by the end of the semester.