Online Course! :)

So far, I have really enjoyed the online course. I have learned a great deal of new information and I am very impressed on how organized the course is. Also, it is very helpful and has a lot of individualized help. This is very beneficial to me because I am already taking a lot of courses already at the university and playing club softball so I am very busy, so this course is very convenient. Also, I feel that I benefit from the individual help. I do not have any suggestions to make because I like every part of the course.

Differences in essays and writing process

I think that one of the main differences in the second essay is that the topic is more broad. It is not just based off of your personal experiences, but from sources as well. I think that to start out, most people know less about their topic for essay 2 than they did for essay 1. I feel that my writing process has been the same for essay 2 as it was for the first essay. I made an outline, did a rough, rough draft, a rough draft, and I will then do more revisions for my final copy. However, for the second essay I did have to find sources and do research in order to back up my argument. Also, after I did my first essay, I learned new things that I will apply to my second essay. For example, for my rough draft for my first essay, I had proposed solutions for the problem, however, for this essay, I know now not to do that!

Sources for Essay 2

For my second essay I was going to write about how free birth control methods, such as birth control pills and condoms, should be passed out at high schools. I was planning on using mostly magazine and newspaper sources for my essay. Also, I was going to use the Academic Search Complete through the BGSU library to find journal articles about my topic. If I get my sources through the BGSU library, I will know they are credible sources since the library only provides credible sources. Credible sources are so important to academic writing because you want the information in your essay to be accurate, and if you get your information from non-credible source, the information could be very inaccurate.

Source introduction: In her article "Free condoms for teenagers" Sarah Kraszewski argues that making condoms easily accessible to teenagers helps reduce teen pregnancies and STD's.

Essay 1 Final Draft

I felt pretty good after I turned in my final draft for our first essay assignment. I am confident that I made many good revisions to my rough draft to make my final draft a success. As I was revising my paper and writing my final draft, I would figure out key things I would need to revise in my paper. Then I would go through and concentrate on one thing at a time, and revise what needed fixing. For example, I proposed many solutions throughout my paper. However, there should not have been an solutions in the paper, since I was just arguing a position. I would then go through and focus on the parts where I proposed solutions and make revisions to those specific parts. Then I would move on to the next thing that needed revising and concentrate on that. Overall, I think I would keep all the steps I took for my writing process for this first essay the same. I would still do an outline, a rough, rough draft, a rough draft, and the revisions of my rough draft (as stated above). I feel that these steps worked really well for me and helped me complete a successful final draft! :)

The Rough Draft!

This week I wrote my rough draft for our first essay assignment. For my essay, I am arguing against the BGeXperience being mandatory for first year students. Before I started writing, I made a general outline and wrote down the main ideas that I would have in my paper. From there I was able to organize my thoughts and begin writing. I made a couple of changes between the rough, rough draft and the rough draft I turned in this week. Although I made an outline before I began writing, I changed the sequence of my ideas after I wrote the essay for the first time. After I wrote it, I realized it did flow very good, therefore I changed things around. However, I feel like I could still get it to flow better than it does now. Another change that I made was that I provided more background information on the BGeXperience program. I still think I need to make a few changes before I turn in my final essay. I think I need to make better transitions between my ideas and I think develop my ideas more.

Essay Thoughts!

As I begin to start my first essay for this course I am a little nervous. I feel that the first time you either take a test or write a paper for a new course and a new teacher it is always a little difficult. However, at the same time, I am excited to begin my essay. I am also excited that we get to take a stand for or against a policy that we choose. Therefore, it will be fun as a writer to write about something that interests me. Furthermore, I am not as apprehensive as I was going into the first essay because I know that if I need help, I can use the writing center. Overall, I am eager to begin my first essay!

Course Expectations

My expectations for this course are to become a more improved writer and to learn new ways of organizing my ideas into a clear essay. I expect to learn how to clearly establish my ideas and how to prove my point throughout an essay. I expect that I will be successful in creating thesis statements, however I will want to work on organizing my ideas throughout the essay. Also, I will need to work on my transitions. From the instructor, I expect that I will be assisted with the certain parts of my writing that need improving so I can become a better writer.