Journal 1 

The necessary change that will need to be made to take place over the span of the first semester is organization.  In high school I did not need to be organized. I could just show up and do well. However, college is a completely different animal.   There is more personal responsibility, students’ parents can no longer come bail them out. Also students actions have real world consequences, and can cost time and money. By staying organized grades will improve, stress will go down, and mental health will rise.   

Journal 2

I was born August 13, 2001.  In 2001, the most infamous terrorist attack took place.  911 was a terrible day and changed the lives of many Americans.  Over 3,000 Americans lost their lives on that day. The United States of America has never been the same since.  For instance, TSA in airports was established to enhance the security at airports. The overall hunt and war on terrorism was also enhanced.  2001 was a very hard time for the United States.

Journal 3

For fall break I went to visit my friends at college.  It is seven hours away in a town called Banner Elk. It is thirty minutes away from Boone North Carolina. Once I got there, they introduced me to the volleyball team and other students at the college.  I hung out with the team and watched them practice. Also, we played spikeball and basketball. It was fun to catch up and see them again, since it had been over two months. It was a blast, and I am looking forward to the next time we will be able to see each other.

Journal #4 

Personally, I do not like coffee at all.  I think that it is disgusting and undrinkable.  The smell of it makes me want to vomit, and the taste is even worse than the smell.  If I am forced to go to a coffee place, I chose to go to Starbucks. I go to Starbucks because of the non coffee options they offer.   My friends are able to get the coffee that they enjoy, and I am able to get a frozen strawberry lemonade. I also choose Starbucks because my mom is a teacher and receives  gift cards to there from her students. So I do not have to spend any money out of my own pocket.

Journal #5

The journal topic is to pick up an object and describe it.  The object I picked up was a stick of Chapstick. It is a small cylinder, about two inches in length.  Its cap is all white, and the body of the cylinder is orange with black letters that say “Chapstick.” The bottom is a small white circlet that controls the height of the actual substance.  The substance inside, is an off white color and is banana flavored. I chose this item because it was the first thing that I grabbed out of my backpack when I read the journal topic. I try and use Chapstick everyday so that my lips don’t dry out.  

Reflection Essay #1

My progress in Univ 150 has been a little less than expected.  Coming into this class I expected to already be able to pass the WSPT after only a few weeks.  However, that did not happen, and I still have improvements that need to be made. I have made progress in this class, and that progress is from journals, writing two essays, and giving a presentation. 

Writing journals provide regular writing practice.  Journals allow me to write and just get a feel for the grammar mistakes I make.  Also, Journals allow for me to get my ideas out, while still practicing good writing techniques.  Lastly, Journals allow for me to practice sentence structure, and this is important because it is one of the main reasons that I failed the WSPT. Journals have helped my writing improve in Univ 150. 

Writing two essays has been very beneficial.  The first essay was graded with the rubric as the WSPT.  This helped me see what exactly I was doing wrong and what I needed to improve on.  Also, It showed that if essay one was the WSPT, then I would’ve scored a 1 again because of sentence structure.   Essay 2 has really helped me make progress, because I was able to write it using the rubric, and now that I know my weaknesses I can work to fix them. 

Public speaking is always an important skill to have.  The presentation that was given made progress for me in finding confidence to speak in class.  Also, it made the class more familiar with each other. Lastly, the presentation was an easy grade as long as the information was presented, so that helped improve my grade in the class. 

In conclusion, I expected to have made more progress, but I am happy with how I am progressing.  I hope that I can continue to improve on my essays and eventually pass the WSPT. My progress so far can be attributed to the journal, writing two essays, and the in class presentation.