Katya Cepeda

UWRT 1101
April 27, y

Midterm Reflection
It is almost difficult for me to grasp the fact that it is already halfway through the
semester. By taking this course, I feel like I have developed significantly as a writer. I never
knew how important it was to actually know what youre talking about when youre writing a
paper about something, so learning how to do proper research and absorbing the knowledge has
been a particularly knew skill that I tried to master. Ive also learned that its incredibly vital to
be organized and prepared when trying to write a paper, unless you want to set yourself up for
failure. Throughout high school, I was always told that I was an incredibly talented writer. I
passed English classes with flying colors and constantly received praise from my teachers and
peers when it came to the papers or speeches I would write or give. This class, which is what I
have perceived as the equivalent to those high school English classes, has shown me that I am
most certainly not the best, and that I need to realize that I will never again be Katya, the girl
who could write great papers with little effort and come out on top. It showed me that I need to
stop being the lazy, apathetic, too comfortable girl and begin getting my shit together, because if
I dont then I will definitely be a failure. I am now at this point in time, a mediocre writer. But
mark my words, I will overcome this obstacle, and I will be a great writer by the end of this
course.
I have learned a lot not only about writing papers and doing research, but a lot about
myself from this class. Ive learned about my own strengths and weaknesses, and the effort and
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dedication it takes and is going to take to want to better myself. So far, in all honesty, I have not
given my 100%, and I am incredibly sorry for that. When I apologize, I am apologizing to
myself. Isnt the point of an education to create a successful result for myself in the end? I have
given only half the effort that I should because I am still in the very poor mindset that I will do
well even if I dont try. As a result, it has been very ineffective. It has poorly effected my grade,
causing me to realize that I need to step my game up. Although, I would say that my effort when
it comes to class discussion is much greater than any other effort that I put in. I am always eager
to participate because I like to share my thoughts and opinions with others, as well as learn about
other point of views. In order to improve the effort I put into things such as assignments, I will
try and look at assignments with the same attitude that I have with class discussions.
The writing process is complicated to me. It always is. I always dedicate too much time
to reading and research, but not enough to the actual writing part. I would say that drafting has
been the least productive aspect of the writing process. This is because I despise drafting, I
always have. A majority of the time, I skip the drafting process all together, much as I did when
writing my genre analysis. I always say that drafts are beneficial to any assignment, because they
allow the writer to see what he/she needs to improve on, adjust, omit, or add. I know its terribly
ironic that as much as I support the drafting process, I hate it. But, for the sake of my grade and
wanting to improve as a writer, I suppose I will start drafting, and at least trying to enjoy it.
I could honestly say that I love this class, although sometimes my effort does not reflect
that. I enjoy walking in every morning, sitting down at my desk, and starting my daybook entry
(which never fails to interest me) at the beginning of class. I look forward to class discussions
about writing or culture or whatever the topic may be, and I dont ever have a problem with
group work. From this class, I hope I learn how to love learning and writing and reading in every

class, like I have during my time in this course. I want to learn how to respect and reflect on
everybodys opinion, no matter how ridiculous it could sometimes be. As for writing, I simply
hope that I learn how to become the best writer that I can possibly be. I hope that from this class,
I finally learn how to execute every single idea that I have and turn it into a writing masterpiece.
I want to leave this class knowing how to write a paper in a format different from the fiveparagraph essay that I have become so bonded to. I want to become my own writer and have my
own style and influence, and I want to be able to be proud of that.
As of right now, I deserve a C in this class. I dont deserve an A or a B because I havent
put in that type of effort that so many of my peers have. Sure, I participate in class every day and
do the discussion forums, but I dont try as hard as I should when it comes to assignments. Ive
underestimated the effort that I need to put forth in order to succeed and get a good grade. Ive
been nothing but mediocre. Although I say that with all of the honesty in the world, I do not want
that C. I look at the C that Ive written and I cringe. Im going to change that C into at least a
high B. I have to. In order to do that, I need to actually buckle down and give not 100%, but
200% of my effort. I need to dedicate so much more time and work and dedication into my
assignments and this class itself. By the end of this class I will be at least a B student. I am so
much more than a C.
Overall, I have really enjoyed my time in this class, whether its participating in class
discussions with my peers, whove also taught me a lot, or listening to instruction. Olivia, youve
proven to be a great teacher, and its obvious that you enjoy teaching this class, and all of your
time and dedication is really appreciated. Its great feeling so comfortable in a classroom, and the
energy within the class is nothing but positive. Im learning so much in this class, not just about

myself as a writer, but about what Im capable of and what I want to be able to push myself to
do.