ENGL 298 B: Intermediate Writing Social Sciences   Autumn 2011, University of Washington

My transition from high school writing to college writing in these past 2.5 weeks has been interesting.  On top of writing after 3.5 months of nothing, these essays have been particularly difficult for me because I am so used to how my high school teachers wanted essays written. It has definitely been an adjustment to stop writing with fillers and poetic lines, and to just bluntly state what I am getting at. I think that is something I am going to continue to struggle with as avoiding bluntness is so engrained in me. Sometimes I even tend to think that a part of me is trying to not-learn how to write directly, as I have always felt that eventually getting to the point is so much more satisfying to read than to bluntly lay it all out there. I guess that’s something that will just come with time, or after receiving more than one paper with a bad grade.

In terms of reading, I think my time in AP English classes has paid off, because I feel like I’m understanding the texts and not just reading them. My only difficulty stems from the fact that in high school we spent weeks pouring over one text, but here you really have to get it, file it away, and then move on. This quick pace is taking some getting used to, so I’m trying to really understand what I can before we move on. I’m also trying my hardest to form good habits now so that they continue through my time here. But I have to admit there are times when I revert back to my high school ways and skim texts without really understanding anything, just to get them over with. As the quarter progresses, however, I’d really like to learn how to read texts to understand them, and to form opinions about them to present in constructive and intelligent ways.