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Ekaterina Cunningham

Professor Massie

English 1301, FAM 3

2 January 2020

Practice Makes It Perfect

When I decided to take the condensed English course, I knew It was going to be difficult,

as English is not my first language. Even though, I have no problem communicating through

speaking, it has proven to be a great challenge to use writing as a form of communication. In this

course, I have learned about writing in different genres, organizing information and using MLA

format, which has helped me to better my communication skills.

Each week, I learned a new writing genre. While working on a first week’s review, I

learned about developing appropriate criteria and I also learned how to use supportive evidence.

The second week’s report made me dig dipper into conducting proper research on the topic and

to document each source carefully. The biggest challenge of reporting was removing my own

opinion and representing both sides of the story equally. The feedback like “seems like you have

a bias "made me work much harder on the next assignment. Furthermore, the third week’s

analysis assignment taught me how to think and write analytically while using logic. By the

middle of the third week, I received "You've done a phenomenal job with the analysis” from

Professor Massie, which showed improvement. Overall, taking this class helped me to

understand that each genre has its unique purpose and audience.

The other area of improvement was writing the thesis statement and the organization of

the essay as well as learning MLA format. Using introduction, conclusion, thesis statement along

with topic sentences and transitional words helps to organize ideas logically, so that the reader
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can understand and be able to follow a writer’s thinking. Weekly feedback such as "Thesis

doesn’t quite follow the guideline," and “very organized” was a reminder that I may fell at some

tasks, however, I continue to keep improving in other areas. Learning how to write an essay in

MLA format is also important, because it makes the essay easier to read. In addition, the essay

looks more professional and shows the effort that have been put into the paper. Learning correct

organization, how to write a thesis statement and presenting an essay in MLA style helps every

essay look professional and intelligent.

Overall, this class has helped me tremendously in improving my writing, organization

and presentation skills. The knowledge that has been taught by Professor Massie is beneficial in

understanding my future coursework. In addition, the ability to communicate, explain myself,

and work with classmates on a project at a professional level is valuable in the academic circle.

In the end, the skills that I have learned in these last three weeks will be practiced daily in

college and in the work environment for the rest of my life.