This semester, I have made a lot of improvements in my writing. I learned that not all the writings I do have to follow the same format. There are other creative styles that I can follow when I’m writing, such as interviews, letters, personal essays, descriptive essays, and persuasive essays. I had a lot of experience with formal writings such as research and persuasive essays but I’m glad I got to experience different formats this semester. The glossary was an important part of this English class. It really helped me a lot to have a place where I can write the definition of words that I didn’t know. The glossary was a good way for me to expand my vocabulary with new words that I now understand and feel comfortable using. There were many instances in a lot of our readings where I did not understand part of the reading just because I did not know what a word meant; having the glossary helped me further understand the readings and made the readings more clear because it was like a mini-dictionary but based on words that the whole class came across.
As a college student, this semester, I learned how to perform better under pressure and how to deal with pressure. I learned how to work faster and come up with things faster. Unlike high school, where I got weeks to do a 2-5 page project, I always had enough time to do multiple drafts when It came to writing projects whereas in college, I a project due each week if not multiple projects due in one week. I also learned that friendships are also a very valuable part of college. Having friends that I can rely on whenever I need something and that can help me stay motivated throughout the year was a big part of a successful first semester as a college student. Another thing that I learned was to be a more organized student. I learned how to deal with a more diverse schedule. In High school, I had the same schedule in terms of hours, compared to college, where I have classes throughout the day, including at night time.
This semester, as a design student in COMD, I got the chance to explore different forms of design. When I made my decision to do Communication Design at City Tech, I joined because I wanted to be a graphic designer and I thought I would only have classes related to raster and vector only. Not only did I have the chance to do raster and vector this term, but I also got to explore other styles of design such as illustration and painting which I never thought I would do. As a design student, I learned to write down ideas and I explored other methods to brainstorming such as using a mind map to put my ideas and thoughts together. In the essay, “Why Collaborate” By Ellen Lupton, she states, “Students create social networks in school that can last a lifetime. The people you hang out with are a source of artistic inspiration, healthy competition, and informal education that could be more important than what you officially learn in class.” I agree with this statement because having close friends is really an important part of being a COMD major. This program requires a lot of communication and a lot of teamwork. Critiquing is also a big part of this program that is why having friends that will give you positive and negative feedback is important.
