Prior to taking college courses here at New Paltz, specifically English 170, I had always thought highly of my writing ability. I always received essay grades that were near the top in all of my classes without putting in my full effort. In high school, I’d knock out my 1500 word essays in my two study halls that I had right before English. Coming into college I thought that my writing ability was my strongest academic tool. However, shortly after starting college I learned that my writing left much to be desired. I realized that there were (and still are) many things that I can continue to work on and improve. My conception of rhetoric is probably the most important thing that English 170 changed about my writing and me. Looking back at all of my past papers, including the first rhetorical analysis that I wrote for this class, it’s obvious that I didn’t have an amazing grasp on what “rhetoric” truly is. In all honesty, I’m still unsure if I understand it completely, but my understanding of it has increased drastically. Thanks to that, my writing has improved immensely, which is important in my other classes as well. My better understanding of rhetoric has allowed me to write stronger papers in all of my other classes, and it has allowed me to have a stronger argumentative base in general. The improvement in rhetoric can be seen even by just looking at my first rhetorical analysis paper for this class and my second major paper. My argumentative structure is sturdier, and I feel as if I am much more persuasive in the latter essay compared to the former. I believe that the change in my argumentative structure comes from both my better understanding of rhetoric, and the fact that I’m being pushed harder now than I had ever been in high school. I’ve been forced into putting a full effort into every paper that I write for my college courses, and like everyone says: “practice makes perfect.” The critical and analytical thinking that I’ve been pushed to experience in this class has also helped create a stronger base for my future in both college and the real world. The second major paper specifically tested my analytical thinking abilities. Using TV shows as evidence was something that I had never done before, which created a small dilemma for me when I first started writing my essay. However, I took what I was taught in class and used it to break down these television shows to help prove my point. I also believe that my analytical thinking in regards to breaking down articles and journals has improved as well. As the semester progressed, I noticed a steady increase in my ability to create an argument out of articles, some of which had no intention of arguing on that specific topic. English 170 specifically has made me realize the importance of both brainstorming and outlining my papers before jumping straight into them. After this semester, the notes app on my phone is filled with notes concerning ideas about my upcoming papers. Specifically, I have an abundance of notes that are about how I planned on proving the idea that the nuclear family is natural. I’m extremely happy that I have come to find the importance of just writing down the random thoughts in my head that have even the smallest chance of helping my essay because it has made the following steps in the writing process that much easier. I have also come to realize, thanks to my semester in English 170, that outlining an essay makes it much easier to write when the time comes. I’ll be honest and say that for my first two papers of the semester, I had no outline. I just sat down and wrote them with little preparation and an unclear sense of direction, which is evident when reading them over. Thankfully, I finally began to create even just rough outlines of all of my papers, not just those for English 170, in order to maintain a somewhat steady train of thought. Both brainstorming and outlining have helped develop my writing by giving me a strong foundation to build my essay upon. Right now, in my eyes, my ability to interpret pieces in a manner that supports my argument is my strong suit. I believe in my ability to find relevant meaning from almost anything, and I also feel as if I’m good at explaining how that information can be used to support my thesis. On the other hand, I think that the weakest part of my writing is diction. I often find myself repeating many of the same words and phrases over and over throughout my essays. My next goal is to eliminate that unintentional repetition from my essays in order to make them more entertaining to the reader. As the semester and my time in English 170 comes to an end, I feel much more prepared to move forward in not only college classes, but the professional world as well. I feel as if my writing skills have increased heavily and I am much more confident in my writing abilities for the future.