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Kaitlyn Mata

T. Briones

English 1302

6 May 2024

End of Year Reflection

When you are constantly keeping yourself busy with work, time goes by fast. I still feel

like it is the beginning of this semester. However, I am glad it went by so quickly. In my

experience, English has always been my least favorite subject in school. I always slightly dread it

when I get an English course on my schedule. Fortunately for me, I had just taken the

prerequisite of English 1301 the semester before this one, so the knowledge of writing was still

fresh in my mind. My last assignment for English 1301 was an argumentative essay, and it

required a good amount of academic research and scholarly articles to be cited. As a result, I was

not completely unfamiliar with the academic research process. I knew that my sources had to be

peer reviewed and cited in MLA format. I am still a little rusty, however, when it comes to citing

sources in text. The punctuation within and after the parentheses sometimes messes me up.

Additionally, I also forget that in-text citations go at the end of a sentence instead of in the

middle. But, thankfully, instructor and peer feedback helps me get back on track. The methods I

learnt in this and my previous English course have provided the foundation for using academic

research in my future classes. It is seen as more credible to have multiple, peer-reviewed sources,

so I will be using the techniques I have been taught in my English courses. I am particularly

excited to use these methods in history and government essays, as having multiple sources helps

create a bigger picture and stronger argument.

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One of the most important things I learned about the writing process is that it does not

happen quickly. It can be argued that the entirety of this semester and course was a fourteen

week preparation for only one essay: the academic research essay. In fact, I do not think it would

have been as easy as it was to write the final essay if it were not for the previous two. The

annotated bibliography served as a way of easing into reading ten lengthy scholarly journals. I

think that if I was just immediately thrown into reading all of our sources without preparation, I

would have been overwhelmed and perhaps paralyzed with the amount of work. The literature

review also gave us a first attempt at interconnecting our sources. In essence, these first

submissions were drafts for what would become our research analysis. The in-class and

homework assignments were helpful as well, as they helped me brainstorm ideas. One of the first

homework tasks we were given was to put together a list of topic ideas that we might be

interested in. This was crucial, as our topic would apply to all three essays in the course. It was

also really helpful to have two backup topics, as some of my original ideas were a bit too niche

to garner ten different sources. This also helped me test my skills in slightly altering my topic in

order to make it fit more sources.

For my annotated bibliography, I was not told I had to fix too much. I did not have to

revise a lot other than adding a couple of more sentences to make my summaries longer. For the

next two papers, I had a bit more of a challenge. I definitely had to revise much of my original

drafts. I had to add an extra source to my literature review as I was one below the minimum. I

also split one of my paragraphs since my peer review said that one of my paragraphs was a little

too long. The essay that I had to move around and edit the most was the research genre essay. We

were told that this essay could include as much of our literature review as we saw fit, as long as

we were able to clearly display our stance. So, I got to work going back and forth between my
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old paper and my new one. It was also important that I changed my original thesis statement

entirely in order to make it clear where I stood on the topic. I also cut out some parts of evidence

that were not quite in my favor, and if I kept them in I put in a counterargument. Counter

arguments can actually work in your favor most of the time, as it shows readers that you have

considered all sides of the argument and are informed on your stance.

The most challenging aspect for me in editing this final essay was finding the evidence

that supported my argument, as I had inadvertently chosen sources that were leaning towards the

opposing side of my argument. Therefore, I ended up swapping out one of my sources for one

that I can use to back me up. I also had to find a way to intersect my sources and make them all

connected to each other, rather than just a list of articles. Of course, the easiest part was choosing

which parts of my literature review that I wanted to keep or incorporate into my research genre

essay. The literature review was essentially a neutral foundation for what I was going to write in

my final essay. I also struggled in the wording and organization. I have the tendency to write in

the “stream of consciousness” way, often not noticing if my words come out garbled or

confusing. I have to make a conscious effort into making sure that my writing makes sense not

only to me, but towards potential readers. Peer reviews were really helpful in this sense, as they

are not just a fresh pair of eyes, but a fellow student just trying to pass a class.

When I found out that we would also be building an online portfolio for the work we had

done, I was excited. Building a website gives me an opportunity to showcase my creativity and

graphic design skills. It is also a fun and easy task to do for the final exam, especially after

twelve weeks of constant essay writing. Using Weebly has been particularly convenient for me,

as they already have templates for websites set up. In my previous English 1301 course, I got

overly ambitious and decided to make my website entirely from scratch. Needless to say, it was
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very time consuming. Therefore, I opted for the template this time. I wanted to make my website

visually appealing, but not overwhelming so that it could be easy to read. I chose a floral and

nature theme, and made sure all of the photos I chose do not stand out much and go well with the

color of my text. It was also important to provide prospective viewers with the background

context of this course. As a result, I divided my homepage into three parts and labeled them with

their respective unit number. Below I put a quick summarization of what the goal of each unit

was from the annotated bibliography to the research genre essay. In order to prevent confusion

when looking at or reading my essays, these summaries are the first thing viewers see when

visiting my website. For my homework page, I also plan on putting quick definitions or

summaries of what each assignment entailed.

There are multiple stages when I write an essay: brainstorming, starting a draft, editing,

and finalizing any changes. The stage that is the hardest for me is when I start a draft. Sometimes

I have so many ideas, but have no idea how or where to start. When faced with a blank page, a

word count, and a due date, it can seem very daunting. However, once I start forming my

introduction and thesis statement, it is easier to get the ball rolling. It was a challenge to connect

the dots between my sources in order to support my arguments. Writing individual summaries for

the annotated bibliography is one thing, but when writing literature reviews or argumentative

essays it is imperative that your sources support or connect with each other in one way. As I had

also mentioned earlier, I had to change at least one of my sources in order to better fit my

argument. I also wanted to emphasize my side of the argument, but without making my essay

sound like a plea or desperate cry to support my cause. Tone is one of the main persuasion

factors when writing essays. I made sure to avoid an unprofessional tone by adding counter

arguments and discussing the opposite arguments, but also calmly refuting them with my own
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points. An additional one of my weak spots is revising. In my high school courses, I would

usually write one paper and use that as my final. I did not like to revise. In college, however, it

became clear that my previous routine would not work. I am glad, though, that my instructors

and peers gave us direct feedback, which was something I never got in high school.

Since we were essentially given total creative freedom when it came to our topics, it was

much easier to actually write passionately, instead of pretending to care about some random

assigned topic. The easiest part of any sort of writing happens when you choose a topic you are

passionate about. When you truly care about what you are writing, you are less focused on word

count and are more on conveying your point. Although I did not get to select what I originally

wanted to talk about (fan culture), I still got to talk about a subject that I am a firm believer in:

internet relationships. Some of my closest friendships have been formed virtually, and I make it a

point to message them at least once a day. Since I had personal experience, it was easier to talk

and feel knowledgeable on my topic. Another part of the course that I found easy was the

website building, albeit being assigned recently. As mentioned earlier, it was a great opportunity

to showcase my creativity and build a professional looking portfolio.

Although this is my last official “English writing” course, every single course that I will

take in the future is most likely going to ask for an essay. I think it is convenient that I took these

two courses during my first year, as I assume the assignments I get will only increase in

difficulty. I plan to transfer out to Texas State University in the Spring of 2025, and I want to

minor in medieval and renaissance studies. When dealing with any sort of history, we must be

able to research our subjects well and from multiple sources. Research essays are common in this

area. Even when not writing essays, using resources such as a scholarly article database can

provide endless information from those who are looking to inform others with the same interests.
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I do not know if I am ready to become a full fledged member of the “academic research

community.” Writing papers is still one of my least favorite things to do, and I figure that it will

remain that way for a very long time. But in terms of this course's preparation in specific, I think

it did its job and has convinced me to start appreciating the hard work that researchers do, often

dedicating years to writing one scholarly article. And while I can not relate to this specifically, I

can relate to the feeling of being so passionate about something that you have to get it out of

your system, whether it is in song, dance, writing, or other mediums. And although it is not my

favorite thing to do, this course has taught me the power of writing and how effective it can be

when done correctly. So whatever the future holds for me, I feel assured that I have all the

resources and tools in order to craft the best essay I can.