“Self Assesment” by Nery Bonilla 

In this course, I became a better writer because I learned how to use research, different writing strategies, and revision to make my essays stronger and explain my ideas more clearly. Throughout this semester, I worked with many types of writing, learned how to revise my work, and started sharing my ideas in an academic setting.

One way I grew as a writer was by exploring different types of writing and purposes. In this course, I wrote an annotated bibliography, a research essay, and a personal narrative. Each assignment required a different style and approach. The annotated bibliography focused on summarizing and understanding sources, the research essay focused on analysis and argument, and the personal narrative allowed me to tell a story from my own life. Writing in these different genres helped me understand how to change my voice and structure depending on the situation and audience. I also developed stronger reading, drafting, and revising skills. My writing improved as I moved from the annotated bibliography to the final research essay. At first, I focused mainly on understanding the sources, but later I learned how to expand my ideas and add deeper analysis. Revising my drafts helped me organize my thoughts better and make my arguments clearer. Each draft helped me improve the next one.

Another area where I grew was learning how to use rhetorical strategies. In my research essay and personal narrative, I used imagery to help readers picture scenes, analysis to explain ideas, and appeals to emotion and authority to support my points. These strategies helped me communicate more clearly and made my writing more interesting and effective. Collaboration also played an important role in my growth as a writer. I used feedback from my peers and my professor to improve my drafts. Hearing other people’s opinions helped me see my writing from a different point of view and understand what needed more explanation or clarity. This made my final drafts stronger. I also learned how to use print and digital tools to write for different audiences. I found sources through the CCNY library databases and online resources. I wrote academic papers meant for a college audience and personal writing meant to connect with readers on a more emotional level. Using these tools helped me understand how writing changes depending on who will read it.

Research was another important skill I developed in this course. In my annotated bibliography, I learned how to examine each source’s credibility and relevance before using it in my essay. This helped me choose better sources and understand how to support my ideas with strong evidence. In my research essay, I combined my own argument about “The Lottery” with ideas from Michael Robinson and Darryl Hattenhauer. This showed me how to blend my voice with other scholars instead of just repeating what they said. However, one area I still struggled with was citations. I had a hard time formatting citations correctly and was often unsure how to use them properly. This showed me that citation is a skill I still need to work on, even though I understand why it is important in academic writing. Overall, this course helped me grow as a writer in many ways. I learned how to write in different genres, revise my work, use research, and apply writing strategies more effectively. Even though I still have areas to improve, especially with citations, I feel more confident in my writing skills. This course helped me take important steps toward becoming a stronger writer and student.