Catchy Title Goes Here

I decided to reenroll at UND earlier in the summer of 2023. After poking around my

transcripts a bit, I realized that I had acquired 90 credits since 2008, and almost all of them still

counted towards my degree. All but one, English 110. I talked to my advisor and explained to

her that I took the equivalent of English 110 back in 2009 when I went to the Metropolitan

State College of Denver. I remember the class distinctly because I enjoyed it, and I still have

some contact with the Professor of the course. Upon reexamining my transcript I was correct, I

did take the course, however, it did not count anymore towards my degree at UND. Anyway,

my advisor told me that I could try and test out or I could retake it. Considering it was the only

course that wasn’t transferring, I figured that perhaps it would be good to brush up on my

writing skills.

Upon entering the course, I realized that my thought process was correct, and I

understood why the course did not transfer. I realized that the course was not a traditional

English writing course, but rather a course pushing students to use their voice, and how to use

sources to back up their claims. One of the first pieces of feedback I received was to avoid using

“in conclusion” at the end of my essay, which made me realize that perhaps we were going to

take a different direction than the typical English class and that perhaps I could tighten up my

writing skills while also bringing them from the 2010s to the 2020s.

While writing essays throughout this semester I looked back on my higher education

career, wondering where I could have improved. I think that often when I went to write essays

before I would research what other writers or academics had to say and base many of my

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thoughts or ideas on what they thought. I would regurgitate their information and present it,

and either agree or disagree and move on. I remember spending countless hours doing

research for some projects, that I probably didn’t have to do, to get grades that were abysmal

at best. If a professor didn’t provide feedback for my grades, I didn’t seek it either. If I was

passing, I was okay.

I have realized now that my voice is the most important part of my essays. I think that if

I would have realized that before, my college career would have been much easier. I think that

when I was in my early 20s I lacked confidence in my voice. I had all of these great thoughts and

ideas, but I lacked the confidence and skill to present them in a way that made sense. Often I

would hear feedback from professors that my writing was interesting, and my presentation was

unique and possessed something different. I didn’t realize how to expand on this, and I didn’t

approach anyone to learn more. The feedback that I have gained in this course is what pushed

me in the right direction, to make me realize that my ideas are interesting and unique and that

perhaps if I just get them down on paper, I can create something interesting out of them.

The lessons with the readings helped encourage me to write in some different ways that

I had not before. The lessons also made me realize that many of the ways that I naturally write

are the right way. For example, many times whenever I compose a piece of writing, whether an

essay or something needed for work, I will start with the facts. I will put forward what “they

say” followed by what “I say,” followed by a proposal. Then, I will go back and start the piece

with an introduction paragraph that summarizes the essay, followed by some sort of conclusion

at the end.

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 One of the lessons that particularly stood out to me was titled “You mean I can just say

it that way? Academic writing doesn’t mean setting aside your own voice.” Throughout the

semester I had asked various times “Is it okay for me to say it that way?” The lesson encourages

simply getting ideas down on paper and then going back, reading them, and editing where

needed. To make a unique piece of writing, one needs to be able to express their ideas and

thoughts in their voice. I think that this takes confidence, sometimes feedback can be hard to

hear. It is important to take feedback critically rather than personally.

I expected our final lesson to combine all the essays that we had composed this

semester into a final larger essay. I was expecting to expand even more on the different

concepts of AI, and I was ready. At the beginning of the semester, if you had told me that I

would be able to write a twenty-page essay explaining my thoughts on AI, consciousness, and

what it means to be “real” and experience “time” as a human, it would have felt impossible.

Now, I have a road map to complete that task and have the confidence to do so with other

topics.

Often, I would begin the essays we wrote by talking to friends about my ideas and

hearing what they thought about them. I think that hearing my ideas out loud has helped me a

lot this semester as well. A common thread in my feedback plans was being concerned about

the required length of the essays. I think that talking to different people about my ideas and

hearing them out loud also gave me the confidence to write more on paper. Perhaps what

makes truly unique ideas, unique is that they are a little “out there.”

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 Looking back on the semester and the growth I have had I feel like things have just

“clicked” for me. Usually, there is a reason that things feel that way. When I first started college

back in 2008, I felt like I had to be there. I did not want to put forward the effort to succeed, I

thought that it should just happen. Now I see the challenges of school as more of an

opportunity than a requirement.

As I finish this essay, I am a little surprised the semester is over. It seems like it only

began just a few weeks ago. I feel like I just read a good book, and while it ended on a good

note, I am a little sad it is finished. I am excited to see where the spring semester goes, and I am

grateful for a warm welcome back to UND.