Colin Gallagher

Ms. Boyle

ENG 160

December 2nd, 2021

 

Reflective Cover Letter

 

Dear Reader,

 

I am a freshman attending SUNY New Paltz. English Composition 160 was one of the first courses I registered for, and as the semester draws to a close I can proudly say that this class was worth something. Not worth a whole lot to me individually, but this class has definitely affected the way I write and will continue to write. Before the course I knew I wasn’t going to like it because writing takes a lot of thought. It’s not hard, it comes naturally to me, but it takes time. Unlike math or science where you can just do the homework in a half hour and be done with it, these English assignments have taken a whole lot out of me. I knew it was going to be time consuming but that’s just the way it is, you have to take this class to graduate. 

I changed my process a few times throughout the duration of this course. In high school we were taught the hochman method, which was a template you would memorize to write a very generic, boring essay. In this class I knew I wanted to break free from that, so I did. Using the MLA format which I learned this year, I created my own structures for each assignment. The letters didn’t really need much planning as much as the argumentative essays did, because with open letters I like to just speak my mind (like I’m doing now). With the argumentative essays, I created a list of talking points I wanted to address, then I eliminated a few of them that weren’t that important or particularly interesting. Then I would just write the same as I always do, putting my thoughts right down on the paper. I don’t need a formula to write an opening paragraph or a concluding paragraph. When I write I like to use a rhetorical voice and really tell a story, and engage the reader. 

Throughout the semester I succeeded the most in two areas. The first area was language use, tone, and audience. I feel like I really grasp how to speak academically now, and how to tailor my language to the audience I am addressing. I learned you cannot always assume the reader is as knowledgeable as you are on a particular subject. The second area I succeeded in was conventions. Thanks to this class I now know how to use the MLA format to make my papers look academic. I also learned a little bit more about punctuation, such as proper use of semicolons.

With my essays I would still like to revise a little bit. I think for my first few essays I could figure out the spacing between paragraphs. I was never really comfortable with paragraphs not having a space between them, having no space gave it the appearance of it not looking separate. I would also revise the opening and closing statements to be more thoughtful. I feel like I could also do a better job of introducing more ideas and wrapping up all the loose ends instead of leaving some thoughts unfinished. 

I’m comfortable with having an ePortfolio and letting my work be public. I would describe this process as natural to me. I want my work to be read by more people, not just the professor grading the paper. The online medium did not really change my writing process, I didn’t tailor my work to the blog format. However, I did have further consideration with the ideas I would be sharing. I knew if more people would be reading this paper, I should try to be as formal as possible.

I feel prepared to go onto ENG170. I really needed this class to help me get back into the writing mode after a whole year of not having to write much. I now understand the workload and will consider this moving on so I know to balance schoolwork and freetime. 

My attitude towards writing has not changed after completing this course. I will continue to think about writing the same way as I always have. It’s hard work and sometimes not fun, but when you sit down and you’re in the right mood, writing will come natural. I suppose I’m prepared for college-level writing. I mean, high school prepared me enough so that I could just come in here and write decently. Now I understand what is required of me.

I will remember certain concepts from this class moving forward with my life. The most important information to me was the 10 fallacies. I memorized them all and now I’m able to point them out in real life. If I’m ever listening to a debate or hearing someone make a claim, I always think about the fallacies. I also consider bias more when considering arguments and my position on them.

In conclusion, I say ENG160 was a very useful class to me. Although I don’t have the same appreciation for it as other people might, it was overall a great experience. The work wasn’t too challenging and I had a great, helpful professor. I honestly feel like I’m ready to move on from this class and explore more English courses.

 

From,

Colin