Mid-Session Check In

My English experience in college has been an enjoyable one so far. I never thought that I liked English this much, but after getting through English 100 and English 101 I am finding that I am enjoying it more and more. I wasn’t sure I wanted to take English 102 during the summer because I thought I wouldn’t learn as much due to the fast pace of summer courses. That has not been the case. I have been very surprised at how much I am learning in such a short amount of time. The biggest challenge I have had during this class has been the reading. I am not the best reader. If I am reading just for myself I can get through a book pretty quick, and grasp the story pretty well. When I am reading something for a paper I have to read it over and over, which can get pretty time consuming. The summary and analysis has been tough for me also. I have never written summary and analysis papers’ before, so it was hard to get the correct format. I’m still not sure if I do or not Ha Ha. Although I am not the best reader I have enjoyed the reading assignments for this class very much. It makes it easier to read and write about something when you enjoy the material. The reading thus far has had a positive affect on me. As I have mention before, I am in the National Guard and have been to Iraq. I have been able to relate to “ The Things They Carried ” and “ The Sand Storm”. I have also thought of writing about some of my own experiences, and they have inspired me to do so. I just need to become a better writer and maybe I could get something published. Earlier I wrote how the summary and analysis was hard for me. The only thing that I have done in English that was similar was summary and reviews in English 101. I find the summary part very easy and so was the review. The hard part is the analysis. I find you really have to look at each word very carefully to construct a good analysis of a paper. I feel my work early in the semester was not as good as it could be. I had to play catch up during the first few weeks due to my National Guard training and had to rush through some assignments. I am hoping to be able to take more time with my writing in the second half of the semester. So far I have received an “A” in all my English classes. I hope to continue that during the second half of this class. This class is much harder than the other two, but I think if I apply myself I could make it happen. I am also looking forward to reading “ The Handmaids Tail ”. At first I didn’t think I would enjoy it, but so far I like it a lot. All in all I am very pleased with the quality of this class and what I have learned. I looked forward to the challenges ahead the lessons I will learn.





Sincerely, Chris Mattson