Entering this course, I was a little skeptical about the whole writing process because I genuinely didn’t enjoy writing. I was always more of a math kind of person so when given the task to write an essay, I would usually procrastinate as much as possible. I believe my disliking of writing stems from previous teachers in High School. I was in IB/AP, so when it came to writing, it was strictly on passages and things of that nature, so I never really got to explore in the creative side of writing. In English 170, I learned how to take the arts of persuasion to another level. I always knew how to give a convincing argument, but English 170 helped me achieve a level I never knew was reachable within me. English 170 was able to sharpen a lot of my reading and writing abilities. It pushed me to read critically and be able to understand what message the author is trying to convey, as well as being able to find reliable sources that can prove my overarching message. Throughout the semester, our professor gave us a good amount of essays to analyze and find the “deeper message” at first, I didn’t enjoy it much because it reminded me of high school, but as I look back on it now, it made me a critical thinker. Although I’m a finance major, I believe critical thinking is one of those skills that are just essential for your every day life. English 170 has helped me realize that my procrastination also stems from the fact that I didn’t know how to start an essay or where to start from. English 170 focuses on the outline process, which makes writing much easier. In the outlining approach, I find myself filling up the page with what I want to say. When it comes time to writing, all my ideas are on the paper. All I have left to do if find sources and organize it. English 170 also helped me realize the importance of diction. Diction is one of those rhetorical devices that seem small but can take your paper and writing experience to a whole other level. The way you’re able to express your ideas contributes a lot to the way your paper sounds. If you’re able to express your ideas at a proficient level, your going to sound and look more confident. Although I’ve seen a lot of growth in my writing, there’s still a few areas I can see may be a little weaker such as my research process and my vocabulary. These are both essential pieces to the writing process. It’s needless to say that vocabulary can make your paper sound 100 times better. Higher vocabulary leads to a good-sounding paper. In addition, I noticed I tended to struggle a little with the research process. It wasn’t anything out of this world, but I do notice that researching and finding sources was the longest and most tedious part of my writing process. After completing this course, I’m confident in my writing and critical thinking abilities to further pursue my college career.