"Class, you are going to write an problem and solution essay of 600 to 700 words next week. Try to identify one problematic area of globalization and choose the topic that you are familiar with," said my tutor.
Once I heard these words, I felt very stressful and helpless. I haven't written such a long essay before. Moreover, I did not really understand the definition of globalization. I spent a lot of time on researching the relevant articles online but I could not find a topic which I was really interested. Fortunately, my tutor gave us a lot of time to develop our ideas and discuss on our topics. During the writing process, I made use of what I had learnt in class such as "developing thesis statement and outlines" and "features of academic essay". I learnt how to select the topic that I want to discuss , how to state my stand clearly, as well as how to do citation.
Undeniably, the writing process was such a suffer for me. I had to search articles online, extract the information I needed for my essay and cite all relevant information according to APA style. I truly hate to do citation. It was so troublesome as there were a lot of rules to be followed. I really got sick to it as it took me such a long time to cite properly.
Although I faced a lot of obstacles and time constraint for my essay, I felt happy and contented when I finished it. I learnt a lot of new things that I never learnt in my high school. As a Malaysian, I always worry about my English standard. I am not confident in neither writing nor speaking in English. However, this essay process built up my confidence in writing as I knew how to develop an essay properly. I am improving my English through trial and error.
Besides, this essay assignment exposed me to university writing. I believe that as time passes, I need to write a lot of reports related to my modules. Indisputably, what I learnt in this essay process equips me with better analytical thinking and writing skills to cope with my future assignments and reports. I won't feel loss when I am instructed to write an academic essay in my next few years in university.
In short, this essay assignment brought a lot of benefits to me. Now, I am more familiar with essay writing process and more confident in writing. I believe that I can keep learning and improving myself through every essay process that I will encounter in future.
Thanks, Foo Eng, for this detailed reflection. I'm happy to know that you see lots of benefits in the process-writing approach. You've made a great effort, and the effort has paid off.
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