English has always been difficult for me growing up. I struggled with writing my ideas on paper and having it come out as I envisioned it. Lately, I haven’t practiced writing and haven’t had an official writing class in years. With the rapid growth of AI, at work it is encouraged to use ChatGPT for emails or any formal notices so we present the company well. It is easy to lose interest in strengthening my writing skills.

When I registered for this class, I was a bit concerned that I had to dust off the spiderwebs in my brain and open all the information that comes with writing. I didn’t feel like I had to put much effort into this class since it was just another writing class. Writing, to me, was a topic that didn’t need much effort; even if I wasn’t good at it, it wasn’t something I cared for.

As we progressed through each assignment, I felt like each one gave us something different. Although the letter of introduction was due in the first week, it helped me learn how to fit important details onto a page. Having this skill helps us summarize things we need to get our point across. It also helps us with interviews , such as when the interviewer asks us to tell them something about ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, we can think fast and summarize something small and meaningful.

The technical description is probably one of my favorite assignments in this course. I loved the part when we shared our ideas with our classmates around us. Some were creative. I loved this assignment since I picked a toy and had to describe it as if I were telling a 5-year-old, which was a cool concept introduced to me. Trying to find the audience as well helped create a great piece. Having the time to peer review was good. I was stuck on adding information, and my classmate suggested some topics that were really good to write about, and my assignment ended up being great. I felt like this assignment taught us how to describe something with little knowledge, especially when creating a complex device and pitching it to sellers. Someone who invests wants to know what they are investing in—they don’t want to be left in the shadows.

We then moved on to the memo. This was my first memo, and I have always complained about not knowing where the shuttle bus was. It wasn’t a big deal, but it would be really great to know, especially in cold weather. With this assignment, it taught me how to compose a letter to someone in a higher position. This assignment taught me how to explain a problem and a solution without being rude or pushy, and while still being informative and assertive. I believe this is one of the biggest skills I learned in this course, and it can really help me in my “big girl job” someday.

The lab report was one of the easiest assignments. I have always written lab reports and was able to place facts into them. I felt like this assignment was something I was good at and didn’t learn much from. It was still a good assignment to do to refresh my brain a bit and not forget a lot of it.

Finally, the group proposal, the part that took the most time this semester was an interesting assignment. It was difficult at first,  I hadn’t done a group project in years, especially for writing. Although it was challenging, it helped me learn how to find research on a topic and introduced me to Engineering Village, a database I had never heard of before. This project taught me to listen to my peers and consider their ideas, and it helped me understand how to structure a research paper. It combined what I had learned in my previous assignments and put it all into one project.

Working with classmates I hadn’t spoken to before was difficult, but it prepared me for the future. In the real world, you will often have to collaborate with new people, and having the ability to communicate and work with anyone is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Listening to ideas, collaborating, and creating something strong together was a great experience. With the finishing touch of developing a pitch for the class, this assignment felt like the culmination of everything we learned. It was the most rewarding project of this class, and I really appreciate it, even though it was long and challenging.

I really liked that this course introduced us to different types of formatting, from introductory essays to research papers. I had never written a memo before, and it was fun to pretend I was reaching out to someone about an issue. As a future engineer, I used to think that writing or putting your ideas on paper wasn’t that important, if you’re smart and know your stuff, that should be enough. But little by little, I realized that even in complex projects, you need to be able to pitch your ideas clearly. If your idea isn’t presented well, people might not hire you or give you funding. A memo is a great way to get your point across when there’s a problem to solve. The research formats we learned are also useful for new projects, applying for jobs, writing cover letters, or introducing yourself in an interview. Without practice, these situations can be tricky, but now I feel more prepared.

Overall, at first I felt like this class was just another writing class, but it developed into more. With every assignment we created, it showed me how to grow and develop my writing even more. Although I believe I still have a long way to go in practicing my writing, this class made me get one step closer.