Livingstone 1

Alyssa Livingstone

ENC1101 – 10097

Professor McGriff

November 17th, 2018

Personal Reflection Essay – Growth as a Writer

Throughout my time in composition one, I have figured out how to grow as a writer and

as a student. Three things that I have learned in the duration of this course is how to understand

what I was learning, how to apply what I was learning, and how I need to study to absorb

information better. I have always had issues in writing with understanding what I was learning,

which affected me because I was never capable of writing effective papers. Throughout this

course, I have learned how to craft a thesis statement and base my paper largely off that. I have

also always had troubles working with multiple people to create a group effort. The Narration

Collaboration taught me how to listen to other people’s input and incorporate that input into a

paper.

With learning these things in Comp 1, it has helped me with a ton of things in my daily

life. When an argument arises, I have learned how to listen to the opposing side and then give my

view on the conflict afterwards, and I have also learned how to agree with someone to disagree

without presenting any new and conflicting issues. Also, with writing effective thesis statements,

I can create a flow within my writing that makes it easier to read and understand, while also

arguing my side of an argument effectively. Lastly, with all of the writing that has taken place

within my Comp class, I have been able to write papers in my high school classes much easier
 Livingstone 2

and more effectively. My teachers are very impressed in how the context of my writing has

improved over the last semester due to taking this course.

All in all, the most important thing that I have learned in this class is how I need to study

to be capable of passing a class. One method that I have used to study material presented in this

course is rewriting my notes when I have spare time. Rewriting my notes has given me the

ability to review the information twice while also absorbing it as I am writing it again. I have

noticed that with the topics that I have done this with, I have performed better on quizzes and

worksheets than I would have if I wouldn’t have rewritten my notes. I also learned that

continuous practice of a topic is another thing that really helps me intake information and

perform better when I am being tested on it. Whether I am struggling in another Comp class, or

any other college course I may take, I now know how I must study to be more effective in my

work and perform better in my classes.