Letter To Next Year's Cohorts

What I think was most helpful to me throughout this course was peer reviews and feedback from the professor. I would definitely say that you should really consider all of the advice you receive and actually take the time to think about how you can make adjustments to your writing. I noticed that rearranging even the littlest things that your reviewer didn't understand made a huge difference in my papers. Also, make sure you do a thorough job in reviewing someone else's paper because even though it might be tedious for you, it will be of much help to the other student.

The process for the final paper involved several steps and drafts before the final copy was due. I highly recommend that you put a lot of effort into each draft. If you have the mentality that it is just a rough draft and it doesn't really matter how good it is, then it will make writing the final copy so much worse. If you do put a lot of effort into each draft of the paper you write, I promise that the 8-10 page paper will really not be as bad as it sounds.

Also, I would suggest thinking about what you would like to write about for your final paper early on in the semester. This way, you won't have to freak out when your first draft is due because you don't even know what you want to write about. It's never too early to start brainstorming ideas.

post #13

When I sit down to write a paper, I generally cannot do it all in one sitting and I need to take several breaks. After each paragraph or so, I check my email or go on Facebook or just get away from my computer. It is definitely not the most efficient way to get the paper done, but it helps me to write better when I step away from the paper every so often. I don't really have a set order of what I do before I start to write my paper or what I do when I take a break. It's just whatever I feel like doing to take my mind off of the assignment for a little bit. Also, I almost never write my ideas in the order they would come in the paper (ex: intro first, body, conclusion). Even if I am in the middle of a paragraph or sentence, and an idea comes to mind, I immediately switch gears and start writing about that. I know that I can always go back to doing whatever I was writing at first, so I just start writing my new idea so that I won't forget it. Additionally, I never begin with my introduction. I think this is one of the harder things to write, and it is usually the last thing I write in a paper. I think it helps to write your introduction after you have written the rest of your paper because now you have a better idea of what you need to introduce to your audience.

Prompt #8

This weekend my parents and my grandfather came to visit me. We did not do any of the activities that the University had planned, but I did get to spend quite a bit of time with my family so it was a really great weekend. We went out to dinner on Friday and Saturday night and my mom took me shopping (I figured it was the best time to go since she offered to pay for everything I got). I didn't really get any work done while they were here, so unfortunately I will be up very late on Sunday trying to get everything done. Other than that, I had a fun time this weekend and it was really nice to see my family again :)

Prompt #4

The online websites I visit everyday are Facebook and YouTube, and I try to check my email everyday as well, but sometimes I forget. I usually end up going on Facebook several times per day because there is just so many things to do! Especially now that I am in college and away from all of my family and friends, I tend to go on more often so that I can keep in touch with everyone from home. I don't generally post statuses on Facebook, but I do every once in a while. For the most part, I just upload pictures and videos so that everyone can see what I am doing and so that I can share my experiences with my friends and family. It's nice to go through my own pictures and videos every so often because it allows you relive the experiences and your memories of those experiences will never die. I don't just go on Facebook for myself though- I always look at my friends' photos and statuses and I comment on various posts so that I can stay up to date on what is going on in their lives.

I like listening to the radio, but everyone knows that the radio plays the same 10 songs over and over each day and you get sick of them after a while. That's why I like YouTube. If I hear a song on the radio that I like, I go on YouTube and look up other songs by the same artist. This way, you can listen to more songs that you like, but you won't be listening to the same exact song all of the time. I also like to listen to older songs too that you may not hear on the radio very often, so this website is very convenient for me.

I never used to check my email every often, and I'm still not very good about it, but I know that it is very important for me to do. Many people send out important reminders about the dates and times of certain events through email, so I have learned through experience that I will miss out on things if I don't check my email regularly.

Even though these online websites are important to me, they can be very distracting! (Especially when I have and assignment to do and I am looking for anything that will distract me for a little bit) It is so easy to spend an hour online without even realizing it, but no matter how convenient, entertaining, or fun certain things are, they will always have downsides. I will try to cut back on the amount of time I spend online, but I'm not sure how successful I will be.