Looking back on this past semester, I feel that I have noticed a lot of growth in myself as a writer. Beforehand, I only really focused on completing the assignments rather than actually taking the time to think about my work and writing. Ever since I have begun this course, I have started to see myself become a lot more aware of how my writing has changed. One thing I have realized in my writing is that I need to change it according to the audience I am writing to and the message I am trying to portray. This has been beneficial to me. Knowing this now has helped me to become a more confident writer because I understand the purpose of certain writing styles and structures.

One area I also have grown in is the ability to organize my ideas efficiently. At the start of this semester, my writing lacked a lot of solid transitions between paragraphs. Even though it is still not perfect, I feel like I have still grown a lot the past few months. Now, I feel a lot more confident in being able to outline the plans for my paper and ensuring every paragraph has a purpose. Overall, this has helped my writing to feel more focused on the topic and easier to comprehend. I also feel a lot more comfortable with revising my writing. I understand now that rewriting is a big part of the process when writing and it often can help to enhance the overall depth and understanding of my writing.

Lastly, one thing I have learned and found important is my understanding that each specific field and discipline has a specific kind of writing. Again, when I first started this course, my writing was honestly the same no matter the subject or the audience. Now, I understand that each academic field requires specific things, such as structure, evidence, and references. A very good example of using this knowledge in other classes would be when I was asked to write a research paper for my criminal justice class. Having spoken about this in class, I was confidently able to write a paper in APA with a title page and a specific references page with the required citations. Being able to understand these differences has helped me feel more prepared when I am asked to write in other college classes.