Garza 1

Emily Garza

Professor Judith R. McCann

ENGL 1302-203

8 February 2023

Makeup Influences- Reflection

Beginning the personal experiment essay it was simple to apply MLA format, however,

we had to learn to read and understand articles in APA form and then write in MLA. Since we

had already experienced reading peer-reviewed articles last semester. It was simpler to apply for

this essay. Continuing throughout the semester there are more likely helpful aspects of English

1301 than useless ones. On the contrary, MLA may not be helpful for other courses like College

Algebra or Economics. This essay can help me in other courses by learning to combine sources

to prove an idea or question I have. For Instance, If I wanted to research whether airplanes or

cars are safer forms of transportation. I can now apply these skills on how to read these articles

to help me with that specific research. I also believe doing a personal experiment cannot add any

benefits for me when taking any other courses.

When we choose the topic for the research essay it was difficult for me to find something

I was passionate about that I wanted to change for myself. It was difficult to change my routine

because I am comfortable with my way of life. Even though it was fun to experiment with this

type of essay, the experiment itself was not fun. But before I began writing my essay I had to

conduct research; this did help prove points and provide credibility for my essay as well. I

mentioned multiple times in my essays how the authors of the articles I chose cooperated to

prove my points. For example, I was informing the reader how makeup can affect the mental

health of a woman and included an in-text citation from one of the articles. I do believe I was
 Garza 2

able to complete this task; my peers mentioned I had a strong thesis and a comprehensive flow to

the essay. However, I believe my analysis and conclusion were a bit weak but they were

straightforward and expressed what I was trying to. My main problem is still grammar and

spelling in most of my essays. As mentioned before the essay portion was good but the

experiment was not enjoyable. My experiment made me feel disgusted with myself and I want to

change that. And that is exactly what I was trying to prove in my writing. However, it wasn't the

easiest process. The most challenging part of writing this essay other than the experiment itself

was finding the time and not procrastinating throughout the process. I had trouble reaching word

counts for the drafts. For example, my support teacher gave us due dates for the drafts and word

count for us to turn in for the course's due date. Overall the essay was a learning experience and

half enjoyable.