Writing and Rhetoric started out as a great challenge. The transfer from high school to college was heavy and present. I was prepared and equipped for the transition, however, I was not expecting to change writing styles so drastically. A large part of high school required writing was reading a passage or novel and writing an essay reflecting on that passage. College-level writing, at least in this course was much more persuasive and personal. I was required to write as myself, to a real person talking about real problems. In my previous writing assignments I was never allowed to or needed to include “I” in my writing, majority of the time I was not encouraged to write my own opinion it was simply analyzing the reading. This transition was difficult to grasp initially but with some effort and practice, I was able to write a proper persuasive paper.
I feel I grew most as a writer in this aspect. I was able to identify a primary and secondary audience and address them accordingly. This clear path made it easier to use impactful pieces of information or stories that would resonate with the specific audience. For example, I was able to directly refer to Walmart’s success rates and revenue in my persuasive essay which to written to Walmart’s own CEO Doug McMillon. This direct writing made my own writing more effective. It taught me how to accurately use ethos logos and pathos in my writing.
In addition to this new writing style, many college students had to overcome the challenge of COVID-19. This lead to new technology requirements and various academic and recreational restrictions. A positive of this new world of learning was the virtual presentations. One of the major assignments this year was a virtual presentation which was recorded over a PowerPoint presentation. I was very fond of this assignment as it gave an opportunity to refine my presentation and removed the fear associated with giving a presentation live in front of an audience. I was able to record and re-record my presentation in order to clearly convey my ideas. I felt I was pretty good at this style of presentation and was able to effectively transfer my ideas and writing into a script suitable for presenting.
I do think there are some things I can improve in my overall writing. I think transitioning smoothly from one idea to the next is a very important part of effective writing which I have not mastered yet. Transitions are incredibly powerful in writing and distinguish good and great writing, which is what I strive for.
Thank you for reviewing and reading through my letter and I hope you have learned a little bit more about me and my experience in ENG170.
Sincerely,
Alex Constantino