Name : Rifa Wildanin Naila

NIM : B320050

Good Grades Challenge Me To Improve

I got my first semester’s accumulation grade in enough satisfaction. However, I had to
rise my eyebrow in viewing some of my grades because they are not perfect. It is not that I felt I
should have accepted better grades than those, but it means that I should do better in the next
semester to maintain the good grades by improving my skills in those lessons. What are written
in the grade column is much or less reflect my ability in those particular fields. That is why I
want to achieve in the maximum of two “B”s out of all lessons I take. In other words, I want to
get “A” in most of the classes, especially the English Literature major lessons. I expect very
much to get an “A” in my writing class, because I have struggled more and improved such
percents in this class this semester comparing to last semester. Although common people say
grades are not the most important thing, I somehow think that grades play a role to push me to
improve and do my best effort.
Good grade is not only a written number or letter. My imagination flies at how an
assessor or interviewer will see myself through my grades, for example when I want to apply a
job or scholarship. Grade does not only reflect the ability, but also the discipline and consistency
a student might have. An assessor will find me reliable if he knows I could do every jobdesk
given, attend every meeting, and struggle to achieve more than I might have tried. These sort of
things are accumulated in a grade, so that is why an assessor could see my quality through my
grades as one of the qualifications.
Somebody says a good writer is a good reader. I have experienced it myself, I have loved
reading since I was in elementary school. This habit makes me familiar with a good way of
structuring sentences and choosing words, makes me irritated whenever I see some basic messes
in writing. However, reading is not the only way to be able to structure the words perfectly.
Through many practices in writing, like I do in this writing class, I gained much knowledge
about building sentences. By practicing constantly, I also have to try to find the right structure or
grammar on the internet, and check some words in dictionary.
Even though I am sure I have written a whole essay well and without any typo, I always
check my work at least twice before submitting it. In this process I finally knew I sometimes still
have typos, and that some words or sentences are better replaced with the other or just reduced to
shorter sentences. It also happens when I make the title, I change every title many times in order
to achieve the most proper title based on my own standard. By these technical preparations, I
could have courage to dream an “A” as a result in the end of the semester.
Beside those technical manners, my progress in writing also makes my wish to get an
“A” become stronger. It was hard for me to maintain a good mood in writing, but as I am always
given a writing task every week, I learn how to control it. Mood affects, but I will not let that
linger with me any longer since I have to keep practice writing. Once I succeed to start the essay,
the remaining will be easier. Thanks to these constant practices too, I gained a better confidence
in writing down my ideas. This affects my progress in how I will start an essay, what is the best
title, and how should a sentence is formed to be attractive and effective.
The feedback I got from my lecturer and my friends also strengthen my hope. Even when
my lecturer only said that my writing is “nice to read”, I could not forget it and want to amaze
people more and more with my writing. I also have some writings on a writing platform,
Wattpad. I achieved many viewers, and those strangers are always giving me support on the
comment section. It really warms my heart whenever one good comment put in my stories, “I
love your idea! I want to see you writing more, so keep it up!”. We do not know each other, so I
could see that the comment is given to me not because we are close as friends or relatives. One
of my close friends also ever said something like, “It is just different the way you write. You are
potential.”. After I heard such positive words, I know that I should not stop writing, I know I can.
I could remember how I used to write a text in Indonesia first in the process and then
translate it to English. Now I am sometimes proud of myself because I can do it directly in
English. Then I started to pay attention at the grammar, structure, choice of words which I
previously had so many mistakes. I also progressed in the process itself, including how I should
control my self-confidence in writing. I wish I could get an “A” in the end of the semester.
People have different perspective and qualification in seeing the value of others and I am trying
to accept every view, even if I am given the lower grade than I wish I could get. I know my
writing is far from perfect, but I am probably good enough to achieve an “A” in upper-
intermediate level of this writing class.