When I first signed up for this class, I cannot really say that I had any sort of expectations. For many of my other classes, I would say I had somewhat imagined what they would turn out to be. This class, I kept an open mind and was ready for anything. Thankfully, I can say that this class exceeded any sort of expectation. I found a class that would push me out of my comfort zone, with a great professor who makes the class very engaging.

My favorite assignment had to be the interview. I was a nervous wreck because I lack many social skills, and I do not like being in social interactions as I try to avoid them as much as possible. For this assignment, I had to choose a field site and a group to study. I chose the athletes of The City College of New York. This put me in a very good position to be able to complete my interview. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and do something I would not have normally done. I can remember very vividly how nervous I was while waiting for my interviewees. I normally have trouble speaking to people in a professional environment. During this assignment, though, I felt like I was having a regular conversation with the interviewees. I could not help it but felt at ease throughout the whole interview. After that experience, I can say that I feel a lot more comfortable doing interviews.

This course has really changed my perception of writing and English as a whole. Before taking this course, I had always been a math “geek.” I was all about numbers and calculations. If I were given anything to do with reading and writing, I would have looked away in disgust as if I were a little kid being presented with vegetables instead of candy. Throughout this course, I began to learn and appreciate the importance of English and writing through the various readings, exercises, and assignments done throughout the semester. I also began to feel more and more confident with my work and gained a sense of pride in all my assignments. If I were given any other course, I would have just completed the assignment to get it over with, not caring much about the grade.

I soon realized, though, that English, writing more specifically, is like a baby. It needs to be nourished and nurtured. Through various writing techniques used specifically in writing for the social sciences, I learned how to adapt and relate to every assignment I did. I believe that is why I did so well in this course. If I could not relate to my writing, then was I really writing? I needed to hear my own voice in every assignment because if not, I felt like it was not my own writing.

This was especially the case in my Cultural Artifact assignment, in which I was assigned to find a cultural artifact that had sentimental value to me or my family. I chose a baseball I had been given about 10 years ago after a particularly important baseball game. I chose this because in my youth, I was very adamant about sports. I ate, slept, and breathed sports. While drafting this essay, I saw myself in every word. I saw the me from 10 years ago up until the me from today. I was able to finish the essay in less than an hour thanks to this. I felt enormously proud of it as the whole assignment and what I had chosen to write about held such a deep and sentimental value.

I do not think that I struggled at any point during the semester. If anything, I think every single aspect of my writing has significantly improved. I exercised every part of my writing possible in this course, from spell-checking to writing thoroughly without overwriting. If I were to rate on a scale of 1-10 how my skills were coming into this course, I would give it a 4/10. I never really struggled with English, but I had never applied myself because it was never a subject I was interested in. I remember being told last semester that I write how I speak. That really opened my eyes to writing, and taking this course has helped me learn the difference between several types/styles of writing. Now that the semester is ending, I can proudly say my writing skills have grown immensely. I would rate them 8.5-10. I know I have a lot more to learn, but I feel like I have grown so much thanks to this course, and it has put me in a much better position to succeed in life and in English in general.