Dear Reader,

Before attending English 170 at Suny New Paltz, I never gave writing a second thought because I always viewed it through the lenses of boring academic work. Once I was taught the full proof formula of how to write an essay in my freshmen year of high school, it was smooth sailing from there. At the beginning of crafting my skill for academic writing, my toolbelt only consisted of the 5-paragraph MLA format that I used for everything. Once the first day of English 170 was over, I felt a stinging slap of realization leaving me dazed and surprised. I knew that this course was going to take much more effort than what I previously grew accustomed to which was scary but surprisingly exciting. I have never taken a course that encourages thought about the intricacies of our society in a way that is interesting and appealing to the student. I was delighted when discovering how tailored the writing and research was to what I found fascinating, my indifference towards writing grew into curiosity and enjoyment. 

        As the semester went on, I noticed I was experiencing similar issues in my papers which was struggling to transfer all the ideas in my head onto paper. Due to a lot of the assignments being research-focused I had a difficult time articulating what I wanted to convey to my audience in a way that wouldn’t result in confusion. Through trial and error, I’ve figured out that I need to outline all my ideas on pen and paper before I can even start typing. A planning stage in between researching and writing proved immensely helpful in articulation and clarity in my writing. Learning how to engage the reader and play around with writing styles only proves to be possible if you can articulate what you want to say. It was imperative to hone this skill, in my contextual analysis because the flood of research and information became overwhelming, the hour or two I took to plan and organize made all the difference. The research focus curriculum encouraged the use of scholarly sources and efficient research, naturally, that skill transferred to other parts of my life. In my other classes, I began finding it easier to look for credible information and communicate it through means of a presentation, essay, poster, etc. 

       I’m studying to become a geologist, I aim to work with the general public so one of the key skills I am going to need for this job is communication. I will be having to conduct my scientific research and communicate these findings to my colleagues, superiors, clients, and the public in a coherent manner. Having to narrow down research topics, analyze different perspectives, and talk to groups of people are not just pending for my job description but for everyday life. I’ve also learned that writing isn’t getting things right the first second or even third time around instead it is something you craft gradually over time. I’ve struggled with accepting this notion coming from someone with an all-or-nothing mindset, I walked into this course believing that writing in one sitting will lead to the final draft of my projects. Now that I’ve embraced revisions and see them as something that will only enhance my initial thoughts, my writing has grown. 

       I feel I have developed major strengths in coming up with ideas, making and questioning my observations as well as organizing and outlining. A lot of ideas come with a lot of opportunities for disaster, to combat these opportunities is to carefully organize and outline what to do with them and go from there. I feel that creating and organizing these ideas creates interesting and engaging writing pieces that allow for creativity and thoughtfulness. A weakness that needs improving is writing analytically in the regard to specificity, my writing style tends to lean in the categories of broad and vagueness. 

       Upon completing this course I no longer feel the sting of realization of academic writing nor do I feel dazed or overwhelmed by what is expected of me in the future. My toolbelt has been stocked with the tools of research, reader engagement, citations, creating logical and sound arguments, and more to assist me in my academic and soon-to-be professional life. I intend of using all the skills I’ve sharpened over the time I’ve spent in English 170 to further my curiosity and communication through writing.

Sincerely,

Ashley Vidal