In the four months I spent in English 201, I can confidently proclaim that I have grown into a well-rounded student. As a writer, I am much more critical of myself when I approach the revision stage of writing. However, that’s not to say I’m overly judgmental. Compared to how lackadaisical I used to be when I tried to revise, the current methods I employ are much more effective. As a reader, I’ve learned that reading involves more than just retention of main ideas. I am now able to dissect a passage and discover an author’s purpose as well as the main idea behind their work. In terms of research, I’ve learned to use the resources I’m provided to help me in my research. For example, one of the Pace librarians helped me set up an account with the inter-library loan service. While I originally thought I wouldn’t use it that much, it became an absolutely necessary component in research all throughout the semester.

As a writer, I feel as if my works are now more colorful or interesting for the reader to dissect. By varying up my sentence structure and overall just experimenting with the language, I believe I have broken free from my mundane and formulaic approach towards writing. As a student in a classroom, English 201 has opened my mind into new areas of interest. Our brief forays into the socio-philosophical discussions of the environment and ethics have really intrigued me.

Without a doubt, the feedback I received from my peers as well as Dr. Anstendig proved to be the most helpful. In particular, I recall the instances in which I had met with Dr. Anstendig to discuss the status of my assigned papers. Like the discussions I had with some of my fellow classmates, the collaboration between other, unique perspectives were monumental is guiding me along.

One of the biggest adjustments I made in my writing was the way in which I structured my sentences. My writing is prone to create very wordy sentences. In fact, it is not unusual for me to stumble over the structure of my sentences as well. Although I still do naturally write in convoluted sentences, I am more aware of it now. In terms of research, I am far more aware of the proper procedures when finding resources. I have learned the distinction between different research libraries and how one particular database may assist my research more favorably.

Another strategy I learned in my research was applying Google to my list of databases. Although I’d much prefer the Pace library databases, I severely underestimated the helpful nature of subsections like “Google Scholar” or “Blogs.” For revision, my general strategy is to isolate myself from the assignment immediately after completing it. I strongly believe that a few days away from my own material enable me to be more critical of what I’ve wrote. Therefore, I try to distance myself from my work for as long as possible.

I believe that my ePortfolio doesn’t necessarily highlight each one of those skills by themselves. My portfolio portrays me exactly how I am, as a student. All the methods that I undertake all contribute to the single entity that is myself. For instance, my research skills are not clearly demonstrated so that they are easier to judge. Rather, the essays and other various work I have completed all consist of my ability to write, research and learn.

As a history major and political science minor, every skill set that I have worked to evolve are going to be immensely useful in the future. The most simplistic goal that I can offer is “to never be satisfied with my current level of ability.” Because I believe that there will always be more information to learn and apply, it would be foolish to believe I can somehow reach a level of perfection.

Overall, I think the variety in which I can write a paper has gained more options. For example, I would typically introduce and implement sources the same way throughout a single paper. In retrospect, it seems a little redundant and bland to subscribe to only one method of writing.

Personally, I think the most useful thing I learned in terms of revision is the different type of sentence structures. In the past, I had often felt as if I kept repeating the same types of sentences over and over again. As in, the content of the sentences may have changed, but the formula nearly mirrored each other identically. I am confident that previous and future essays will greatly benefit from this newfound knowledge.

I will often encounter new and different problems every time I attempt to write something, but I do believe that I frequently have trouble finding a definitive and clear focus of my essays. A topic will be too narrow, open, or ambiguous that I often trail off into other topics as I progress through the paper. This isn't always the case, and I find that it all works out relatively well in the end. However, I will attempt to fix that obstacle in the future.

Feedback from both Dr. Anstendig and my peers has helped me immensely. Like many others, I find being critical in my own essays is difficult to do. I can judge my writing from a grammatical standpoint, but it's hard to detach myself from my own personal writing. Therefore, I always look forward to the advice from people who have no personal affiliation with my writing.

I haven't found a definite strategy yet, but I will very often try to remove myself from my writing for a couple of days after finishing a draft. Like I said, I find it difficult to criticize my own writing. But I find that it's even harder to accomplish when I had only just recently finished writing the draft. Consequently, I'll finish a first draft and then come back to it two or three days later to analyze it. I typically start with conceptual flow and logical progression of ideas, then I'll make my to the finer points like grammar and sentence structure.

I don't believe in perfection, but I know that my writing is far from it. I may be taking a simple perspective, but any area we cover in future classes will likely be important towards my writing. Even aspects that I feel I have gotten the hang of, I'll still be open towards taking in new perspectives and methods.