Throughout all my years of schooling, I feel like I have been able to experience the most growth in confidence as a writer during this first semester of my freshman year. Even though I have never necessarily thought of myself as a bad writer, I have always struggled with having confidence in my writing. However, this aspect has thankfully begun to change, and the majority of that is due to what I have learned in this class.

As we all know, this course entailed A LOT of readings. We read from the selections: Understanding Rhetoric, They Say I Say, and A Writer’s Guide to Academic Writing, each of which provided us with an understanding of a variety of topics. Although I most definitely do not remember every single thing that I read from each of these selections, I do know that what I was able to take away will help me throughout the rest of college and as I move into my desired career.

Each of the readings provided me with an understanding of a unique subject that I did not have prior to this course. For example, in They Say I Say, I gained knowledge on a variety of topics that matter the most when it comes to academic writing. I think the most important part I learned from this selection was how to use my own voice in my writing, as I often tend to drown out my voice with a voice that is not entirely mine. In addition to this, in A Writer’s Guide to Academic Writing, I was able to gain an understanding about reading and writing in several different disciplines. As I found out by reading this selection, each discipline has its own unique modes of writing and characteristics of structure, language, and references. I believe this was particularly helpful because it provided an insight into disciplines that a lot of our majors are included in. By learning this information, we have a new knowledge of how writing is most often organized within our future career and what to expect when we finally reach that career.

Outside of these readings, the thing I feel that has served me the most was learning that writing is difficult for everybody. As I am sure many others also believe, I have always thought that writing is something that either comes naturally or is extremely difficult for people. Despite this belief, I was surprised to learn that sometimes writing is even difficult for those who do it for a living. Learning this had a big impact on me, as it validated the struggles I have faced with writing throughout my years of education.

All this new knowledge has only had a positive effect on my writing.  Therefore, throughout the rest of my college career, I believe that it will serve me in my writing and help me in how I go about my process in whatever writing assignments I will receive from here on out.