Jailyn Hill
123 Rainbow Rd
Norfolk, VA 67890

December 13, 2018

Carrie Emerson-Coyle
456 Pot of Gold St
Norfolk, VA 12345

To Mrs. Emerson-Coyle,

This class taught me how to easily write a paper, and do well. I had struggled with papers and grammar in high school. Now, I can write a decent paper if I put my mind to it. Being able to do so has helped me personally. This class was discussion-based, which I loved. We had debates and strong discussions that helped me see their point of view. It also helped me respect others’ opinions more. I liked a lot of the paper topics we had. I wrote more about the pros and cons in my last journal.

English Composition helped me when I wrote my memoir. It was on a hard subject for me to write on. However, it helped me with articulating my feelings. Writing that paper helped me emotionally. Losing my brother was something almost too difficult for me to deal with, but after writing that paper, it helped shine a light on the positives.

Before I took this course, I had taken a college-level biology course and I’ve had to write a couple of research papers. So I had an idea of what to expect in college writing courses. I also always paid attention to my high school English courses. I knew how to use proper grammar, and I had a pretty good idea of how to use commas. I knew what citing was, although I wasn’t quite sure how to properly do it. It helped when we started going over commas, and I had prior knowledge of the Oxford comma. I could definitely see how this past information connected with my English Comp class.

I had to write a research paper in Introduction to Criminology, and although it was ASA style, this class helped me with the citations. The class also taught me how to be better with expressing myself on paper. I also learned to write a rhetorical, which I had never done before this course. Another thing is my vocabulary. While writing my papers, I would try to look for more sophisticated words and adjectives. While doing that, I learned new words and broadened my vocabulary. I’m a biology major and being able to write a great research paper is important. So taking this course helped me very much and will help me with many papers in the future.

When I set up my ePortfolio, it felt cool to put my work out there for the public eye to see. I set it up with all my formal writings and also included my journals. People can now read my writings and critique me and view things from my perspective, which I find awesome. I also took a photo for my food critique. I think this helped me learn the appeal of helping the reader feel like they’re there. It’s one thing to describe with imagery and another to have something they can see.

This semester was my first semester of college, so, of course, I had my struggles. Although, I wasn’t the best writer in high school, I was pretty decent. People would ask me for advice on papers and trust my judgment. When I took this class, I thought it would be a breeze, yet it challenged me. I struggled the most when I wrote the rhetorical analysis. I had never written a paper like it before, so I had no idea what I was doing. However, when I went to my conference, it was made easier for me to understand. The advice I got was amazing. I went back and changed my whole paper and got a good grade. This didn’t just strengthen my writing skills, but it also helped me realize that I can always ask for help. That lesson is definitely something that I will carry with me.

Having you as a professor has been wonderful, and I’m very grateful for my classmates as well. As I said in my self-assessment, I struggled, but I also grew a lot from this class. It was my first college English course. I got very lucky with my pick of a professor. I learned so much about writing and grew to appreciate it more. It was an overall great learning experience. There’s nothing I would’ve changed. Not only did I learn about the class materials, but also more about myself.

Sincerely,

Your student, Jailyn Hill