Richard Contreras

Dr. Walker
College 1
12/1/14
Successes and Failures
a) In English 100, I submitted a bullet point essay. The essay was structured as bullet points
as opposed to paragraph form. This was my first time writing this type of essay. In high
school, I was taught how to write a traditional Modern Language Association (MLA)
style essay. This assignment, in particular, was to be submitted in class via Canvas. I felt
a little intimidated attempting a new type of essay that I have never written before. In
order to meet the deadline and submit the assignment with confidence, I researched
sample essays that were written in this format. I found two types of bullet point essays.
One was an informal essay while the other was a formal essay. I showed my professor
both essays and asked her which she preferred. She told me that either way would be
acceptable. I chose to write a formal essay. The next thing I did was looking at the
prompt and wrote my thesis statement as my first bullet point. Then, I supported my
thesis with the rest of my bullet points. The following week, I received my score. My
score was 14/15. I was amazed of my first attempt at this style. I asked my instructor
why I did not score 15/15. She told me that I could have tried to reorganize two bullet
points in a different order. I revised it and resubmitted it to receive the full 15 points. I
learned that, even though a new challenge comes my way, I should attempt to overcome
it. Also, that I should also ask questions when Im confused.
b) I was not always successful at solving word problems. I went to the R building, room
R408, to talk to math tutors. I asked them if I could look at my previous test and if they
could go over the word problems with me. They were patient and taught me how to
analyze certain words to construct an equation. Two tests later, I had another set of word
problems. I used my tutors advice and was able to construct an equation. When I was
able to look at the results, I noticed that I solved the word problems. I learned that I have
a growth mindset. Also, that I cant give up due to one failure.