Juarez 1

Miriam Juarez

Professor Beadle

English 115

4 December 2019

Reflection essay

When I first began this class, I didn’t know what type of writer I was. I didn’t really feel that I

was bad, but as the first essay came along, I realized that I needed help. From the first essay to

the last essay I felt as if I have changed dramatically. When I was in high school, I always

thought that writing was one my strong suits, clearly, I was wrong, but this class made me realize

the mistakes I have been making as a writer and how, sometimes I just rush into things. When it

comes to essays, I don’t seem to read the prompt carefully or I just type up the paper the night

before. Every single comment that I have received from professor Beadle I felt has changed the

way I write. From my growth from the first essay to the last essay.

I start off with my first essay, clearly, I wasn’t sure as to what I was doing. I felt as if it was

the same in high school you write an essay and you hope for the best. For this one I didn’t

understand the prompt. I attended tutoring sessions at the LRC, and even after Dennis (tutor at

the LRC) explained it to me and helped me create a thesis, I still didn’t understand what exactly I

was supposed to answer. I went over the prompt in my head over and over again and I still

couldn’t understand exactly what he wanted us to answer. I felt completely lost, I have never felt

this way when it came to a paper. I felt clueless and for that I think I hide away from ever asking

you for help. I didn’t want to ask for help because I felt that I should take care of it myself, I was

in college and I didn’t want to seem as if I didn’t belong here, but I wasn’t the only one. For that
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it was my mistake and I made a tone of them in this essay from the spacing to the citations and

even making the essay go off topic. Even after all of it I still didn’t feel happy with my thesis, but

I didn’t want to change it up, and for that it cost me my grade. After my first essay and the score

I received I understood why I got that grade but I didn’t want that to define what work I could

do, I knew that I could do better and so then came along my second essay.

For my second essay I felt that I could do better, I read over the revisions you suggested that I

am going to incorporate into my final portfolio. With this essay I scheduled more visits at the

LRC with Gillian (tutor at the LRC). She helped me understand the prompt a little bit more and

helped me create a thesis, she even helped me find sources that I could eventually be able to

connect with my thesis, but even after her help, I still made certain mistakes with this essay. I

made the same mistakes again with the citations and my thesis not connecting. This time around

when I turned the essay in I knew clearly that I was going to receive either the same score as

before or even lower. I gave myself low expectations when it came to this essay and for that I

blame myself, even with the help I received that gave me a good start to it, is til managed to mess

up. After I received the essay back I knew that I would receive a lower score and after reading

over the essay I knew that I went off track, but I wasn’t going to give up and for that came my

final essay, the third essay.

The third essay aka project media. I turned the table for this one and immediate made

appointments at the LRC with Gillian right away. I felt a little more confident with this in terms

of having to write on symbolization in a movie. We created a thesis right away after we had

received back project text back. I made sure that I can connect it and for that reason I went to

your office hours to make sure I was in the right track. From then on, I began to search for my

secondary sources. I continued on with my search and after me and Gillian created a thesis, that
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night I wrote my first draft of my paper with my citations and everything included. The

following week I showed Gillian to see if I was on the right track if this essay answers the

prompt and gives a counter argument. She told me she liked it, afterwards I went to your office

hours again and you said that it was good to just add more of the counterargument. Afterwards I

felt more confident and I finally felt as if I understood this essay.

With all these essays I feel that I have improved more then before. I have a better

understanding of this class, and even though it wasn’t easy, this class helped me realize the

writer I can become.