Strengths & Weaknesses

Learning Process

Admittedly, when I signed up for this class and learned that the entire course would be “just writing” in a blog format, I was dubious about the teaching strategy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I know I learn by doing and practicing, and this was the perfect format for the course. My strengths lie in my tenacity and resilience in ensuring my writing pieces are as perfect as possible. Because grammar remains my biggest weakness, I have learned to utilize Grammarly to check my assignments. I do not have a paid version, so only a little gets corrected, and the rest I edit myself. I have sometimes spent upwards of four hours compiling and editing my peer reviews and blog posts, so I can eliminate as many errors as possible. By editing them in Grammarly, I’ve learned a little about punctuation from trial and error and better synonyms that sound more professional than what I usualy use. ENGL 301 taught me a lot about professionalism, formatting, etiquette, and courtesy in writing. This course did not teach grammar; it is something I know I will have to continue to learn. 

Assignments

I did surprisingly well on most of my assignments, as reflected by the high grades I am currently getting. My strengths lay in writing memorandums and blog posts. The peer reviews and the formal proposal were my biggest challenges, but simultaneously the more satisfying assignments to complete. Rereading my peer reviews, I can see how well I progressed over the three. I no longer fear offending my peers because I have learned how to properly format the feedback in a courteous and friendly tone. I am most proud of the effort I put into these reviews to help my peers. The formal proposal report was a challenge to keep in the correct tense. I struggled to write between past and present tense. It sounded as if the survey results needed to be written about in the past tense – however, the results represented the present and were, therefore, written in the present tense. It took me several days of editing and re-editing to write it perfectly. Ultimately, I was proud of what I delivered.

Skills & Strengths in My Career

As I am already in a professional career, I can only speak to how this course will help me going forward. Developing my writing skills with a YOU attitude will be invaluable in my career. Using this strategy in emails and proposals will be far more beneficial in obtaining the desired results than my current approach. Previously I would have focused on the pain points of my problem, but now I know to focus on the benefits the problem solver will gain. Having learned the importance of editing, I now ensure my writing is well thought out, clear, concise, and as free from errors as possible; this includes my legal charting, emails, and educational material I compose. If I apply for my master’s degree, ENGL 301 has provided me with the foundation to write the proper correspondence for admission and a strong application letter. Most of all, I have developed the skills to write an excellent cover letter and resume. I have compared my writing to previous iterations of an old cover letter I had and can see that I have progressed. I am excited to apply my writing skills to all areas of nursing.