My first semester at Old Dominion University is coming to an end and I can already tell that I improved dramatically in many different ways. Although I have been learning English in my home country since I was about eight years old, when I first came to ODU my use of English was not really effective. I attended a seven week program for English in the English Language Center at ODU in order to improve my English skills. My first big improvement was seen on my TOEFL score, when I improved from thirty-four to eighty-six points in just two months. That score got me fully admitted to ODU and it was the first step to releasing my stress of learning, speaking and thinking in my second language.
In the first semester, I have been attending a begginers‘ writing class for freshmen. Over the course, we have learned a lot by writing four essays. In the first essay, I wrote about my high school experience and my adaptation to college. My second essay was the most significant to me because I had to describe the role that language plays in my courses I have been taking. Writing that paper helped me think about and learn what I need to do to succeed in college. The third paper was unique to me because I talked about a topic that is very close to me. Lately, I have seen a lot of debates on the internet about golf not being a sport. There is a lot of criticism world-wide that golf should not be considered as a sport, so I tackled the main reasons why I think it is a real sport. The fourth essay talked about taking initiative to register for spring classes. This assignment was fun to write since my registration process took a lot of effort so there was a lot to write about.
Part of our grade in this course included the creation and maintenance of our e-Portfolio in WordPress. E-Portfolio is a web page where individuals or groups can share specific items with others. For our class we were supposed to publish at least three pages. My e-Portfolio consisted of a Home Page and an About Me Page where I talked about myself, my family, the country where I came from and my accomplishments in golf. Another page, UNIV150, included the first draft, the final draft and the comment sheet for essay one. I also discussed how I improved. This Reflective essay will later be part of that page too.
In the classroom, the professor shared a lot of Powerpoint presentations and materials to make us better writers. I have learned much about sentence structure, punctuation, phrasing and also about what it takes to write a good essay. Before this class I often mixed past, present, and future tenses. Now I am much better at grammar usage, punctuation and tenses. My confidence level has grown significantly through-out the semester. This course has set a new foundation for my college writing as I proceed my ODU education.
Overall, the class was entertaining and educational. I think it had the biggest impact on me because of my foreign language. In the beginning the papers were tough, but as the semester progressed they became easier. The average student could complete a two page paper within an hour, but as for myself it could have taken even four to five hours. This was frustrating at times, but it has clearly paid off.
