Reflective Letter

Dear Future Student,

As my semester of English 125 comes to an end it is satisfying to see the progress I’ve
made as a writer and to think about the progress you too will make throughout this course.
English has always been a subject I have have had my struggles with, however being able to
have access to a teacher like Sarah Hughes and the process she has created for her students has
improved my writing in every aspect of the creative process. Learning how to “read like a
writer” was a concept I was unfamiliar with at first, but as time progressed, I’ve learned what
that truly means. You will read many pieces of literature over the course of this semester each
produced by a writer who utilizes a variety of different techniques. In the beginning of the
semester I treated each article the same as I was under the impression every article was written
by a college educated author with a similar style. The phrase “reading as a writer” changed my
whole perspective and showed my that no two pieces are written alike. Every author is different
in their own way and seeks to convey their message like so. Learning how to take a step back
and view a piece of work through the way the author intended it to be read opened my eyes to the
messages each way trying to convey. This translated towards how I began to write by
incorporating countless new strategies and concepts into my writing. Straying away from your
classic five paragraph academic essay expands who you are as a writer and opens doors to a
variety of new literary adventures.
Two of the most important takeaways that I had while writing essays for this course was
how an outline and rough draft creates a sound foundation for your work and how to take
advantage of resources offered by the University of Michigan. The Sweetland Writing Semester
is a resource I never knew existed here until this semester. By using the guidance of these
professionals I was able to identify aspects of your writing that would have gone unnoticed
without them. They were able to help me find the meaning behind my essay so as I embarked on
writing these essays I was able to keep the purpose of my assignment in the back of my mind the
entire time. This also enabled me to create detailed outlines and rough drafts which would be the
base for my final drafts. Having these pieces with you while writing is always a great base line
and makes the thought of creating a piece such as a Comparative Analysis less daunting.
Finding the right sources and evidence to help with my essay was an aspect that I saw
improvement in during this course. Prior to this class I thought the only way to support my
argument was to have statistics from sources. This class taught me that using dialog from experts
in the field of your topic or from people who have directly dealt with the problem you are
discussing can be more impactful than any statistic. Getting the reader invested in the story you
are portraying is key in writing a great essay and by using dialog from people who have been
impacted by your subject is always able to catch readers’ attention.
An interesting concept that I grasped from this course was how choosing a topic you are
invested in makes writing more fun and interesting. Yes, there are certain types of essay that you
will write during English 125 but what you choose to write about in those essays is completely
up to you. By discussing a topic that I was passionate about writing these essays no longer feels
like a hassle, instead I was devoted towards putting together a final product that accurately
reflected the passion I felt towards the subject. Secondly, I learned the benefits of using feedback
I received from Peer Reviews given by classmates. You will be surrounded by smart, insightful
students in this class. By listening to the comments and questions these students posed towards
my work I was able to further consider ways to improve my writing that I never would have
before.
Sitting here now with few days left in the semester I am able to confidently say that this
course has pushed me to become the best writer I can be. I’ve learned nuances about crafting an
essay that have culminated to improve my writing drastically. This class can teach you many
things about writing if you are open to the changes presented. I urge you to take on this class
with an open mind because by doing so you will gain the most insight possible. I wish you the
best of luck with this course and your development as a writer.

Best,
Alex