Dear Ms. B,
Today I write to you smiling. I edge closer and closer to the end of my first collegiate semester and my first half a year (almost) of living without my family beside me. The profound nature of these two changes will, undoubtedly, yield profound results. To have my writing judged and critiqued such a higher level has forced me to will myself to live up to such standards. There is no greater incentive than proving I can be better to myself and to those around me, and it is under these circumstances that I am my best.
The first mistake I made was being a narrator. I assumed I was talking to a person when I was writing a paper assignment. I would still commit such unspoken mistakes if not for your influence. Another change I made was my approach to writing in general. It used to be subjective and emotional all the time, but now I right with objectivity where it is needed. I do not dispute that opinions and emotions have a place when it comes to writing, I just think that being objective is more beneficial in most assignments. A third mistake I made was assuming that everyone shares my knowledge. Making jokes about palm trees would be funny back home, but since palm trees are as relatable to Iowans as little green men, no one would find them funny. My main qualms with my writing are my drafting and editing processes. They are virtually nonexistent… I don’t do a lot of brainstorming or revision when it comes to assignments and have a come-as-you-are attitude towards them. Peer reviews were a God send Ms. B. I rarely volunteer for anything, and the fact that you gave up class time for peer reviews definitely meant no volunteering was necessary! As far as reviewing goes, peers were as far as I went.
When it comes to my strengths and weaknesses, I think English has a healthy mix of both. Since we stopped studying grammar at eighth grade (you must have a PhD in Arabic to understand all the grammar), all that was left was literature. I don’t often read books. I do the assigned readings given to us as part of our syllabus, but that is pretty much it. When it comes to writing, however, I think I have a knack for it. I think I have an above average retention, so there are many random facts in my writings. When it comes to how I write, I almost always write as if I am giving a lecture or a speech. I often read to myself as I write like I’m doing right now… I find it hard to stick to a subject and diverge to another one unless I have done the brainstorming and bullet points requires (which I already said I’m bad at). When it comes to writing, it can be difficult to be objective, especially since most assignments we undertook were about us; where are you from, how do you like the place you are in, and where do you see yourself going. I might be biased, but talking about myself makes it hard to see everything as an observer and not an actor. Peer reviews helped, however, in mitigating the bias in my assignments.
Speaking of peer reviews brings me to my next point: discussions. We held many of these in class about many subjects; art, home, trajectories in life, etc. The variety of opinions in class between us gives all of us insight into different opinions from people who grew up in different cultures, with different families, in different weather, with different talents on the other side of the world. For us to come together to discuss one topic from many different angles is definitely an altering experience. The variety of these people makes us wish we were better in some aspects of our lives, which brings me to another difficulty in my English class: my creative execution. I am a creative person in many ways, but applying my creativity can be an issue for me because I have no artistic talent whatsoever. I am a very calculated person and I like myself that way, the problem is that sometimes a smidge of artistic capability would be welcomed in my life.
This was my first semester, and now I know what I should expect. Nine more to go. Nine more I shall welcome with open arms. Collegiate education if different, but the people around me have all been (mostly) awesome from instructors to my student friends.
Sincerely,
-Ahmed Al-Khalili