I’ve made it to the end of the semester, WOOHOO!! I’m just going to pat myself on the back really quick, don’t mind me.- Jokes aside, I guess I have to start writing my final reflection so… here I go.

In truth, I don’t believe I learned much more about myself as a reader, writer, or student this semester. Instead, I think everything I learned about myself last semester in ENG 1101 has been enhanced thanks to ENG 1121. I say this because the projects I’ve done this semester are nearly identical to the projects I’ve done last semester. The first project in both classes was a narrative about ourselves and how it helped us develop as a person. The second project was some kind of research paper with a topic of our choice. Lastly, the third and final project was a reiteration of our second project. I’ll admit, it was a little disappointing that I didn’t do anything completely new, but it did make the class a bit easier for me since we went over things I was already familiar with. Anywho, let’s talk about my projects and what I’ve done this semester.

In Project 1, I wrote a narrative about my struggles to belong in my major due to my recent interest in criminal justice. In my narrative, I wrote, “Though I’ve learned countless new and amazing things from COMD, I can’t help but feel like an imposter. Unlike the rest of my friends and classmates, I do not find myself enjoying the major. In fact, I don’t even find myself enjoying the typical art I do. This conflicted with where I wanted to go in life… I could change to criminal justice, but throw away the 16 years of skill I’ve worked so hard on or I could stay in COMD, but not enjoy what I used to love.” This part of my project really got me thinking about where I wanted to go in the future. It also allowed me to open up to my options. Originally, I thought I had to have my life set and ready. Coming from a household with the typical Asian stereotype of having my career picked and chosen for me whether I liked it or not played a huge role in my mindset. However, being able to write out my struggles and slowly realizing all my thoughts really helped me understand the whole point of college. I don’t have to know what I need to do in life. Of course, it helps to have a set path, but college is about connection and figuring yourself out as an adult. I’m only 18, I still have plenty of time to decide and change what I want to do in the future. This helped me better myself as a student and as a young adult facing the struggles of everyday living.

In Project 2, I wrote an opinion essay about how emotional support/therapy animals should be available in colleges for students. Though this topic was interesting to learn about, I equally felt uninterested and even bored of this project. This is nothing new to me. Similar to my second project in ENG 1101 with the research paper, I learned I just don’t like writing super informative essays nor do I like doing the research for it. I remember complaining about this project to my best friend and she asked, “Why did you choose a project you didn’t like then?” It wasn’t that I didn’t like my topic, I struggle a lot when it comes to researching. Especially if we had to use the student library because I think it’s tasking and tedious. If your topic is too specific, you won’t find any information you need, but if you’re too vague, you still can’t find what you need. The only part I enjoyed about Project 2 was when I was talking about a personal experience, aka a mini-narrative. I also have dyslexia which already makes reading a little less fun, but it gets worse when I’m reading formal or wordy passages/articles. Nonetheless, the point is I don’t find research super fun, but it’s good to know how to do research in general and learn what to look for when researching. I’m going to have to get used to it if I decide to become a detective since almost everything they do is researching and puzzle-solving. 

Last, but not least, Project 3. In Project 3, I made an infographic poster about my topic in Project 2. Unlike Project 2, I enjoyed Project 3 way more since I got creative liberty over what I wanted to make. Making the poster was pretty fun and refreshing since it gave me the motivation to draw and express my art style. My COMD classes also came into play since in my Graphic Principles II class, most of our projects were about advertising our designs and how we could incorporate information into designs. I don’t have much to say about this project since it was a breeze for me. I didn’t learn anything super new or worth sharing. If anything, I can say I like doing creative projects. I like to express myself on my own terms and share my thoughts to others. However, that is a pretty obvious response coming from someone was majoring in graphic design.

All of that being said, it was nice to have diverse projects to teach you different types of writing or expression. The narrative can help you journal your thoughts and even help with communication. The opinion/research essay teaches you how to do research and how to incorporate that research into an informative piece. The multimodal works gave us a further understanding of how we aren’t just limited to writing and there are plenty of ways we can express what we write. Furthermore, if I were to highlight one piece of work from ENG 1121, I’d highlight Project 3. It demonstrated my artistic skills and advertising skills as a COMD student. It’s also just visually more pleasing to look at since there aren’t as many words as a narrative or essay.

Nevertheless, though I believe I didn’t learn anything new, I did enjoy some, if not most parts of these projects. It wasn’t the most talkative or expressive class, but there were a few moments where the class really got into certain conversations and it was always nice to hear everyone’s opinions and thoughts. English class is and always will be one of my favorite subjects since it’s just another form of art. I’m glad I was able to express myself in my work, for it made up for me not talking much in class. Thank you, Professor Rosen, for being so kind and patient with us. Thank you for pushing us to do our best and rooting us on.