I began this course during the last semester of my senior year in high school, which was also the time that I was going through the process of applying to colleges and scholarships. It was a whirlwind, to say the least, and there were multiple times when the stress felt all-consuming, but as with everything challenging to accomplish, every essay I turned in felt worthwhile once I completed it. The course helped with everything from learning to write different types of essays and their structures to allowing me to develop better writing habits.

      I started taking this class while I was writing a lot of essays for my college applications. Because I had finished Comp One more than a year ago, I had a lot of trouble with the essays, and I struggled with basic writing rules. I was in desperate need of a refresher course, especially with in-text citations. In the first essays, I managed to get everything on the works cited page, but I kept making citing mistakes within my paragraphs. Professor Hammett had to correct me quite frequently. During the first essay, I made a couple of mistakes "Some citation errors, but all work is cited, so review the essay for those" (Professor Hammett Feedback). Even with the most recent Rhetorical Analysis essay I completed for the class, I made multiple citation errors occasionally; I even used the incorrect format, "Use MLA not APA format throughout" (Professor Hammett). With so many of the mistakes I made in my essays, I have taken it upon myself to review the citation help provided in the course and with TCC. Although I may still make mistakes with citations, I have been reading through all the materials and taking notes to ensure I can get everything down; that way, it is not an issue in other writing in this course or future writing, like college application essays.

        I initially thought Comp Two would only involve putting into practice what I had learned in previous English and writing classes, but right in the first week of class, I saw that it was much more than that. Something I found very valuable to learn in this course was the Point Evidence Explain format. All the essays in the course, including the first argument proposal essay, are in PEE format, which I had a hard time getting the hang of. It was hard to address opposing viewpoints, but I eventually learned to do so, and it made for great evidence and made the claims in my essays stronger. An issue I've also had in past English classes has been how unorganized my writing was. However, the PEE structure makes for concise writing and covers all the bases for what makes a good essay, especially a persuasive one. The most important thing for any paragraph you write is to begin by making your point very clear. After making a solid point at the beginning of a paragraph, concrete evidence should follow to give the point credibility. Finally, the section should end with everything explained and concluded. I made sure to follow this format, and Professor Hammett's feedback stated I had done a satisfactory job of it "Well organized and all points are backed up with research," (Professor Hammett feedback). There are multiple ways to structure a paragraph, but after this class, I prefer to use PEE as it's concise but helps adequately provide information in a paragraph, and I will continue to use it in my writing.

        One aspect of the class I enjoyed was the theme of absurdism and social epidemics. I realized that all the writing I did before the class was superficial, but with the subject of the course being so relevant today, I found myself far more interested in the writing. As a result, not only was it easier to write, but the investment and relatability to the subject were reflected in my writing and made it better. Furthermore, since we got to choose a specific social epidemic to write about for the semester, I could select a topic I had some experience with. Although the idea of researching Bed Bugs made me uncomfortable, it was also during a time when my school was also in a panic over an alleged Bed Bug infestation. The hysteria that ensued was interesting to watch. No one brought their blankets on campus anymore or took naps on the carpeted floors during free periods, classes had to move while they fumigated rooms, and some of my classmates wouldn’t even sit at their desks in fear of being infested. Fascinated by how everything in my own school turned upside down because of Bed Bugs and wanting to do more research, I went ahead and chose the topic of the Bed Bug epidemic for the semester. When I took to writing the first Argument Proposal essay, I did more research for an essay than I had ever done before, and I realized how I could take my writing to the next level by taking the time to delve into the subject more. And while in a class like Comp Two, the main objective is to learn about writing in general, focusing on a specific topic throughout the semester helps greatly.  

       This semester was the first time in my life that I had to juggle multiple major academic commitments simultaneously, and I did not think I would be able to do it all. Still, luckily as I worked to keep up with the course, I gained the ability to manage my time effectively, and the course itself helped me with everything else I needed to get done. While it was difficult at times, this class taught me many valuable things in writing, which I will need going forward in my academic career. However, I still have a long way to go in bettering myself as a writer, and I have much to learn, but I feel prepared to take on future learning opportunities.