Gonzalez 1

Aulora Gonzalez
Professor Beadle
ENGL 113A
December 8, 2015
Reflective Essay
Before the semester began, I expected this class to be more difficult. I thought there was
going to be essays assigned more frequently. From experience, I have had to write an essay every
week or two. I did not expect to have constant writing exercises and assignments instead. I prefer
this method because it helped me think the topic through.
What I like about writing is that, as I am writing, I learn about the topic and, with
practice, I simultaneously become a better writer. It is also a good way to think critically and
creatively. What I do not like about writing is that I take long to finish my work.
In this course, I learned the term gender construction. I had a slight idea of what gender
was but I did not know there were roles that society expects to follow. I also learned about binary
pairs and that gender is considered one.
Some challenges that I experienced were that the required lengths to each assignment
were longer than what I am used to. I overcame these challenges by making sure I had enough
time to finish all of my work.
As a writer, my strengths are my organization. I have had a lot of experience writing
essays, therefore I know how to structure my essays and how to make sure I have all the the
requirements.

Gonzalez 2
The areas I feel that I improved in were lengthening my writing assignments and essays. I
will continue to work on properly revising my work. I will also make sure that I include a
counter argument in my work.
One aspect of my writing that has made me proud is the structure of my essays. First, I
make sure that I have a strong thesis. Next, I make sure I mention each evidence that is listed in
the thesis. Then, I double check that each body paragraph connects back to the thesis. Finally, I
check that there is enough evidence to back up my argument.
The skills that I will apply from this class to other classes is my revising. I will make sure
to reread my essay as I am working on it and reread it as a whole when I am finished. Also, I will
do writing exercises to help me development ideas and an argument for my essay.
If I could give advice to a new student on how to succeed in their writing class, I would
highly suggest they get as much help as possible. Receiving editing and advice from many peers
is essential to improving your work. Another guidance I would give them is to ask questions to
their professor. They would be more likely to know exactly what the professor is expecting of
them. I would emphasize that they should check when assignments are ahead of time so that they
have enough time to plan out their work. By doing so, they are more likely to have a well
thought out essay.