Researching for my report was a little bit of a struggle. Some of my research was new but relatively simple, like conducting interviews. Finding and analysing secondary sources was also something I was comfortable with, as I have a lot of practice. However, conducting the surveys was entirely foreign and more challenging than expected. It was rather daunting asking people if they wanted to take a survey; many were too busy enjoying their night and did not want to be bothered, which I understand entirely. Finding people sober enough to give accurate answers was also tricky; I forgot to account for this issue when organising my research. Still, despite my troubles, I was pleasantly surprised by my sample sizes and thought I collected enough data to show accurate trends. Organising my report had to be the most challenging part of the report writing process. I struggled to find the best way to structure my data so it flowed well. However, in the end, I was quite happy with my structure, and my Peer review returned with no mention of the issue. I felt reasonably comfortable writing my report as my major gives me a lot of experience analysing research. One thing I did find challenging was writing with a You Attitude. The guidelines given to me certainly helped, but there are so many elements to remember that it definitely gave me pause for thought. I think business writing is often quite direct, and balancing this with a You Attitude is somewhat of an art that requires a fair bit of practice.

I was a little disappointed with the peer review I received, which I worry will impact my final report. I think I would have preferred a little more explanation and examples. I felt that some of the suggestions were very difficult to understand, particularly the one about my scope section. Despite this, there were still some excellent suggestions that I will certainly apply to my finished work. I find myself getting more conformable with every peer review I write. I see a considerable improvement in my ability since starting the course. The main issue I identified in Juanita’s work was some issues with word choice. I provided multiple examples and suggestions. I was worried about how many examples I offered as I did not want to overwhelm or upset her. However, in the peer review I received in Unit 1, I was told some of my word choices made sentences seem awkward. However, my reviewer gave few examples of what was wrong, and I could not identify what my peer reviewer suggested I alter. I think everyone has a unique writing style, and it can often be difficult to spot awkward phrasing in your own work, so I chose to be thorough to avoid any confusion and ensure that Juanita’s final report is as polished as possible.

Unit 3 was undoubtedly challenging. A significant amount of work had to go into the report, and writing with a You Attitude definitely challenged me. Still, I feel the work is paying off, and I am fine-tuning my skills.

Formal-Report-Draft-MM-1

LinkedIn has always intimidated me due to being marketed toward professionals. However, my research into the social media site has eased my anxiety as I now fully understand how the site works. I feel more confident in making a profile now as I know how to make a standout profile and realise the importance of LinkedIn. I realise the site can help me find like-minded professionals who can guide me and help me find a job. My research into LinkedIn has made me realise that it is not just a social media site for mature business professionals, but a tremendous and resourceful tool.

I have been excited about my report on attracting customers to The Kings Arms. While working at The Kings Arms, my manager has often asked me if I have any ideas on how to attract more customers. I have witnessed the destruction of the COVID-19 pandemic and have often pondered upon what could be done to help The Kings Arms, so getting to write about how I can help the pub is a great opportunity. While the idea for my report came almost instantly, having to look at all the little details of my research was a struggle for me. So many elements go into this report; it can be a little overwhelming and make writing a proposal a little daunting. However, I found the advice from the Instructor’s blog and the textbook very helpful, and it truly helped guide me through the proposal writing process. I also found writing an outline beneficial as it laid out exactly what I had to research and do for my report. Writing the progress report made me realise how much research will have to go into my report, which is a little intimidating because I have never had to conduct interviews or surveys before. I am confident in being able to analyse my research findings because, as a history major, I am often required to analyse research and compile an argument. Thus, I feel that my skills as a historian will aid me in writing my report.

Peer reviewing Danae’s work was an excellent exercise for me. Practising reviewing other people’s work allows me to develop critical skills in editing and reviewing that I can apply to my own work. Peer reviewing is making me look at my work more critically, and I have found myself better able to recognise mistakes. I found it very interesting reading Danae’s work as she is also writing about the struggles of the hospitality industry. It is interesting to see how the pandemic affects hospitality globally, impacting customers and staff. I felt more confident writing my second peer review. Last time I was worried about hurting someone’s feelings; however, this time, I used the tip of avoiding making the review personal, and I found I was much more comfortable writing this review. Overall, I think my proposal was quite good with only a handful of mistakes in need of correcting, most of which were grammatical. Juanita thankful identified my mistakes for me. Juanita pointed out that I fell into an old habit I thought I had broken: using multiple tenses. I have since corrected my work. The peer review of my work has made me realise that when faced with a big challenge with lots of elements, I am more likely to get overwhelmed and slip up. I re-read my work before submitting it, but if I had taken a break and returned to re-read it with fresh eyes, I would have caught more of my mistakes.

Unit 2 has allowed me to practice and learn many skills, such as report writing and creating a LinkedIn profile. I feel as if I have walked away from Unit 2 with lots of new skills that will help me in the professional world, which is precisely why I took this course.

Revised Proposal:

MM Revised Research Proposal

Peer Review of Proposal:

Peer Review of Matilda’s Formal Report Proposal

I struggled more than I thought I would with this assignment. It seemed like a relatively straightforward task. However, I was challenged by thinking about historiography in multiple ways and then writing about it in a non-technical format. Having to think about the intricacies of a term that I had never really considered before actually confused my understanding, and I started to overthink. I realised that I had to take a step back and come back to my writing with a clear mind; luckily, this did the trick. One part of my assignment that I am rather proud of is my visual aid. I could not find a visual about historiography that I thought was appropriate, so I created my own. I used the website Canva and was able to quickly make a visual that I think helped readers better understand. I found the process quite interesting as I was challenged to make a concept into a visual aid.

I have always found peer reviews a little daunting but years of practice must have paid off as I felt relatively comfortable reviewing Peter’s work. I think Peter did an excellent job defining the Medulla Oblongata, as I could easily understand what it was and its function. Going over Peter’s work helped me further understand the assignment and where I went wrong myself, which helped me when editing my work. Correcting my classmate’s grammar was a good exercise for me, allowing me to work on my own grammatical skills. I was a little worried about giving criticism as I did not want to upset anyone. But, I think the textbook gave some excellent guidance on balancing the constrictive criticism by reiterating the positive.

Ethan offered me some great advice in his peer review. A significant issue for me was my grammar and sentence structure. I was not surprised by this as I have always struggled with grammar. Ethan pointed out that I had a run-on sentence that needed correcting. I have often struggled with run-on sentences. I moved schools a lot, so there are gaps in my knowledge, one of them being run-on sentences. I did not even know what a run-on sentence was until someone pointed it out last year. Since then, I have been trying to avoid them, but I am still learning. Ethan suggested I review my word choice as some of it was ambiguous, I edited the example he suggested but struggled to see any other ambiguous word choices. Another suggestion of Ethan’s was to add another example, preferably one more recent. I decided to write about the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, my thought process being that seeing as people are witnessing the event unfold, they might better be able to understand how historiography works.

Revised Definitions Assignment – Matilda

Ethan’s review of Matilda’s definition assignment

Response 1:

Dear Peter,

It is lovely to hear from you. I would be thrilled to accept your offer to participate in your writing group.

I agree that we would make excellent teammates. I noted that you were very punctual in posting your assignments, and I greatly appreciate that, as I am the same way. I am sure we will find a way to help each other improve our grammar, and hopefully, our other teammates can teach us a thing or two.

Have you already formed a group of four? I have been contacted by another classmate who I think would make an excellent addition to the team.

I would be delighted to aid you in pursuing some history courses, I think they would complement your interest in law very nicely, and the history department at UBC is fantastic. It is what drew me to the subject. Is there a particular kind of history you are interested in?

I hope to hear from you soon,

Matilda

Response 2:

Dear Danae,

I would be very interested in working with you.

I agree that our majors complement each other and have a lot of overlap, and your expertise in essay writing would undoubtedly be an asset to the group. Hopefully, we could also aid each other in navigating the world of marketing.

As of now, I have agreed to form a group with a classmate. I have mentioned to him that I am interested in having you join the group, but I am waiting to hear back from him; he may have already heard from others.

I am not sure what the status of your group is either. Would you be interested in joining another classmate and me? At the moment I cannot give you a definitive answer as to whether we could work together, but rest assured, I am very interested.

May I suggest that we keep each other updated while waiting on responses? I hope to hear from my classmate this evening, so if all goes accordingly, I could hopefully update you tomorrow.

Best,

Matilda

Offer email:

Dear Leif Jack,

I am writing with regards to your application letter and would like to offer you a chance to work as teammates.

Your academic record is very impressive, and your teamwork experience leaves me confident that you would be a wonderful colleague.

Our learning philosophies are also very similar; I greatly benefit from visual aids and discussions with others. Likewise, I think our work habits also complement each other as I also like to promptly tackle assignments and adhere to a strict schedule.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Matilda Murray

ENGLISH 301

MEMORANDUM

To: Erika Paterson, Professor

From: Matilda Murray, Student

Date: May 27th, 2022

Subject: Notification of Application Letter post

Please note that I have completed the assignment to write an application letter to my classmates. It can be found posted on my blog and attached to this memorandum.

The attached application letter contains:

• My writing strengths and weaknesses
• My work habits
• My professional interests and experience
• My learning philosophy

Please let me know if everything is in order or if any improvements need to be made.

Enclosure: Application Letter

301 Matilda Murray Application Letter

Oxberry Avenue, London, UK, SW6 5SP

26th May, 2022

ENGL 301, University Of British Columbia, University Endowment Lands, BC V6T 1Z1

Dear Classmates,

Please consider my application for membership in your writing team, as advertised by Professor Paterson on the English 301 Blog. I am currently working towards completing a Bachelor of Arts in History, set to be completed in December 2022, and I am looking to improve my technical writing skills before graduating and hope to do so by working alongside like-minded classmates.

As a History major, I must write long and detailed papers that highlight my research and accurately convey an argument; my experience as a historian means that I am confident in communicative writing. My main weakness in writing is my grammar, though it is something that I have been improving on.

Professionally I am interested in going into a career in marketing with hopes of progressing to a managerial position. I have previous experience as a manager, working as a shift leader at the King’s Arms, a bustling pub in London. Though in a different occupation, I believe my management experience has helped me develop skills that will be applicable in other environments. My time as a bar maid has taught me to work well under pressure, interact with all kinds of people and allowed me to practice working with a team. I have previously volunteered with children at the 21st/23rd Fulham Scout Group, entertaining and teaching a group of 30 5 to 8-year-olds, which has allowed me to build on my organisation and communication skills.

I am a driven and enthusiastic person. I believe in putting 100% into my work and learning as I find the experience is much more enjoyable and gratifying when you try your hardest. I like to keep to a schedule and hand in assignments ahead of time whenever possible, and it does mean that a weakness of mine is that I get easily frustrated when projects are behind schedule. However, striving to get projects and assignments in early means that I am relatively organised and self-motivated. Personally, I consider hands on learning to be incredibly important. I find that being an active participant in my learning is the most effective way for me to educate myself.

I think my organisation and communication skills and my ability to work in a team are assets that will help me work with and aid my peers as we aim to improve our technical writing skills throughout the duration of this course.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my application. If you think we would get along and work well together, please email me at matildamurray1@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Matilda Murray

301 Matilda Murray Application Letter