My Key Experience

Comp I was my first experience working at a college level. Throughout the course, I learned to take personal responsibility and to write at a higher level than required of me previously. With the new experience of working through an online course came several positive and negative events that I learned to overcome. I then used those events to my benefit as a student and a writer. Overall, Comp I had several advantages and disadvantages as well as difficulties that I had to navigate that have prepared me for the Comp II course. Comp I provided an uncomplicated progression into college work. Having Mrs. Fleming in class to guide us through our first college assignments made transitioning into more polished essays much less painful than if I had waited to take Comp I at a four year university. The Comp I modules were overall very helpful in preparing me for my first midterm as well. I genuinely enjoyed In the Sanctuary of Outcasts ; the novel was much less dense than what I would expect from a college course. Furthermore, having a tool like Nettutor at my disposal helped me to painlessly find ways to strengthen my writing. Oftentimes, peer review in a classroom setting can lead to incorrect changes being suggested, so I really enjoyed Comp I giving me the opportunity to use that program. Unfortunately, the course did not always
work in my favor. I was not accustomed to having a rough draft graded. My first rough draft I turned in was, of course, rough. I received an uncharacteristically low grade, and I initially felt cheated and misled by the assignment being called a rough draft. However, by the next module I understood that a rough draft should still be heavily revised, and I made sure all my future assignments reflected my best efforts. Another low point of the course was my instructor’s use of the rubric. I understand and support the use of the rubric; it makes grading much more uniform and objective. However, there was an occasion where I received feedback pointing out an error on an essay, directly contacted the instructor about the specific feedback, revised exactly what the feedback suggested, and still received deductions for the error mentioned in the feedback. In that specific case, I felt like my instructor graded subjectively and used the rubric as a scapegoat when I went to her about the deduction. Of course, mistakes happen, and I did well in the course, so I cannot say that incident lowered my opinion of the dual enrollment program. In fact, some aspects of the course that I struggled with the most helped me more than the easier assignments. I have always been the child that was too afraid to ask sales associates for a fitting room, so I initially struggled with having to take personal responsibility for working with my instructor instead of having my mother vouch for me. I learned to work through my own problems without constantly relying on a teacher or parent to reach out to the instructor personally. I Having to ask for feedback and clarification forced me to step out of my comfort zone and take responsibility for myself like an adult. Comp I was a challenging course in which I had both positive and negative experiences that guided me towards personal responsibility and a better grasp of my writing capabilities.
I genuinely enjoyed learning to work at collegiate standard, and I am thankful for the course facilitating personal growth as well. I did not enjoy every assignment. There were some days when I even considered dropping the course. However, I overcame all of my difficulties with the class, and I earned my first “A” in college. Also, I know I will not regret taking both Comp I and Comp II as I prepare to leave high school and transition into a four year
university.