Sadaf Nizam 

Writing For Engineering

Professor Bubrow

05/06/2023

Looking Inward: A Reflective Essay on my progress throughout this semester

As an engineering student, I initially approached my writing class with skepticism. After all, my focus was on mathematical equations and scientific theories, not crafting a well-written essay. However, as the course progressed, I realized the importance of effective communication in engineering. I learned how to write technical reports, proposals, and presentations that would effectively convey complex ideas to a non-technical audience. Also, I had to consider the purpose of my projects to make sure it is specific enough to influence the targeted audience. Lastly, I learned how to properly cite my sources in APA, since most assignments required citations. Looking back on my experience in the class, I am now able to reflect on the skills I gained and how they will serve me in my future career.

Writing a resume was very challenging at first. Since this is my first year in college I didn’t have much experience to put in my resume. Therefore, it was challenging to make a beefy resume at the beginning. After I spoke to Professor Bubrow, he suggested I put my volunteer experiences to add more weight to my resume. In high school, I did a lot of volunteering so I was able to gather my professional volunteer experiences to create a decent resume. Additionally, the textbook “Technical Communications” by Mike Markel was a valuable book because it helped me significantly. The book provided examples and bullet points on what should be on a professional resume which helped me complete my assignment. This assignment was the most significant to me because it made me realize what I have to do for the next years of college and make sure that I get a lot of professional experience. 

Writing a lab report was a very knowledgeable experience. It assisted me in recognizing my areas of strength and weakness, developing my scientific writing abilities, and learning more about the scientific method. Additionally, it was hard to find an article to support my argument in the CCNY library database at first; but eventually, I found one that contained the perfect amount of information for my project. My ability to think critically and generate conclusions based on evidence was significantly aided by the process of arranging and presenting material in a clear and straightforward manner. Overall, creating a lab report is an essential part of conducting scientific research, and thinking back on the experience can help one become a better writer of scientific papers and comprehend the scientific method.

The Proposal project was the most tedious assignment I received in this class. However, it was also the assignment that I learned the most from. From this assignment, I had a glimpse of how people with professional jobs write their proposals. Also, I learned how to use the CCNY library database more proficiently to gather evidence to support my claims. Additionally, since it was a group project I enjoyed doing it because I love interacting with others and working together to complete a project. I don’t have many group work assignments in other classes, so this was a perfect opportunity to make more connections with my peers. Overall, doing a proposal on building a student center was very exciting because I can let my creativity run wild. I not only learned how to write a professional proposal but also learned how to make my writing better through revising and drafting with my group mates.

The Technical description project was the most creative assignment I did in college. This project gave me an opportunity to express my interest in 3D printing by doing an 8-minute presentation 7 times. The use of poster paper and decorations was very exciting because I had so several different ways to present. I thought I knew a lot about 3D printers before, but after doing my research I learned a lot more fascinating facts. The most exciting part about this project was listening to my classmates’ presentations and learning more about their topics. Everyone in my class has their own distinct background and this assignment gave the perfect opportunity for them to express their interest. Lastly, this was my best project since I used everything I learned from my past assignments such as research, citations, and how to present key points. I also learned from the mistakes I made on past assignments and made sure not to make the same mistakes in this project.

While I was doing my English assignments, I was still loaded with assignments from other classes. It was very hard for me to balance everything but it made me realize what it’s like being a college student. I was able to apply the APA citations I learned in this class to assignments from other classes such as history. The workload from this class was not as heavy compared to other classes since the syllabus was not too strict. The most challenging part about this semester was balancing my Chemistry and Calculus classes since both of those classes are difficult.

Overall, I gained a lot of helpful information this semester. I did not have a professional resume before I came into this class so I am glad I was able to create one. I learned how the real world works because Professor Bubrow kept on emphasizing how it will only keep getting more difficult from here on. The skills that I learned in this class will stick with me for years to come and they will help me excel in the future.