Mid-Semester Reflection

Coming into HACC Gettysburg this semester was unexpected and decided at the last minute. Financial encumbrances held me back from attending Lehigh University for another semester. Not knowing what to expect, I came in with an open mind. Signing up for several general education classes, I thought I could slide by while still doing well. That was not the case; with a full workload I have more on my hands than I thought. Specifically, my English class here is probably the area that I have developed in the most. Entering the first day, I thought that it would be the same run-of-the-mill English class with requirements and papers, along with boring class discussions and grammatical mumbo-jumbo. I was wrong. Different ideas and activities interested me, enabling me to learn because I could pay attention. From the first week, I knew that I would develop from this opportunity as a writer, reader, and a student. Rhetorical strategies were the first topic covered. Never before had I actually thought about the specific ways to get your point across as a writer, and to power written word actually has. Instead of saying this is what you are assigned, now do it, I was actually able to understand what was going on and how it worked. Music that I actually listen to was discussed, enabling me to grasp the concepts in a broader sense. Introductions, literary techniques, and citations are among the multitude of information that I have soaked up during these few short weeks. I am amazed at how much I have already learned and how much I have forgotten from the past. The way I have been learning here teaches me to broaden these concepts to hold onto forever. Personally, I still have a few goals as a writer and student. Procrastination is my biggest problem by far. Scheduling is something I will work on in the future. Repetitiveness is another element I need to reduce in my writing and incorporating more variety. More reading is another activity I will participate in the future. Expanding vocabulary will also allow me to become a more effective communicator. Bias viewpoints hinder our whole society, from the Left and Right. I will work on looking at both sides to get a more realistic view of the world. The worst thing someone can do is make an uneducated decision, this is why investigating the whole picture is the most important goal of them all for me.