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Semester 1 Reflection


Coming into first semester, I was under the impression I wouldn't really learn much because of the new format and the circumstances. In addition, college applications was the main focus throughout October and November. However, I think I have learned a lot of tangible and, I think more importantly, intangible skills. As a writer, I have been able to incorporate more of my voice into my writing. This is because of the writing we do in class, but also because of the sheer amount of college essays I was writing. Along with this, I think I have been able to grow as a reader. Nothing super specific, just a generally better reader. One thing that improved my thinking this semester is the ambiguous nature of this course. There is never one concrete answer, rather, it is up to interpretation and anything could be a correct answer with sufficient reasoning. As my strength has always been STEM classes, I would've thought not having a concrete answer or algorithm to find an answer would annoy me. But, I actually have come to enjoy this about English. It has developed my thinking in a way that I thought it couldn't. Now, I'm able to see that there may be several correct answers and not everything has to be so black and white. I was able to challenge this new way of analysis through my final project with looking at justification and perception, extremely subjective ideas. Through my exploration, I was able to find enjoyment in the reasoning I was able to present and the flow of my ideas. Instead of arguing for a specific side or coming to a specific conclusion, it was more up for interpretation. I used to hate this, but now I can kind of admire it. Although I have not dramatically changed at anything specific, I think that this semester allowed me to expand my skill set and allow me to be a more dynamic student and thinker.

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