FYS Midterm Reflection

So far this semester we have completed a great many papers and group projects, as well as engaged in countless group discussions that all help push me towards achieving the overall goals of the FYS course. Most of our written work thus far has consisted of the response papers, which proved to be a challenge to me at first. Because I am used to my high school writing style and structure, where I mostly had to find textual evidence to support a given argument, the transition to college writing was difficult. I struggled at first with finding and clearly stating my argument. I was able to pull evidence from the text, however, I too often found myself summarizing what I had read instead of making an argument and then supporting it. In addition, I grappled with the 500-word limit because it did not fit with the typical five paragraph essay structure I am used to, as well as the Chicago style citations. However, as the semester progressed, my writing improved as I began to get used to this new style. This is evident in my first big essay, in which I was able to formulate my own argument and effectively support it with textual evidence. Although I missed part of the argument and lacked sufficient counterarguments, the progress in my writing is clear. I think missing part of the argument and counterargument has to do with my reading comprehension and the way I read. I have always been an active reader, taking notes and underlining important lines so that I can better understand and be aware of what I am reading. I mostly have to do this because if not, I know I will not remember anything I read. I am continuing to be an active reader, however, I sometimes miss the author’s argument all together, which was evident in my response paper three. I incorrectly interpreted the author’s point and because of that, I found that I twisted the evidence to make it fit my argument. However, in my most recent response paper, it became clear that I am able to accurately pull out the author’s main argument.

All this writing and reading has definitely helped get me one step closer to the goals of FYS, including being able to better read and think critically, as well as be able to effectively communicate through writing. One aspect where I am lacking in being able to communicate my ideas is in class discussion. Although lately I have been participating more, I know I need to speak up and say my thoughts and ideas more often. This is one of the main aspects I need to work on. I tend to speak up much more in small groups, but I need to participate more in class discussion. This will help me achieve the goal of communicating and getting my argument across through speaking. Overall, I feel like I am progressing and working towards achieving the goals of FYS.