UW Evaluation

I'v enjoyed UW this semester. I think the biggest part of it was because it was such a small class. It was easier to get to know my fellow classmates and my professor. Compared to my other classes where my teacher doesn't know my name let alone how I am doing, I enjoyed conferences and book reviews with my professor.
I learned alot about the writing process in general. I finally realized that no matter how annoying it is, writing a rough draft really does help! Learning about drafting and editing and re-drafting as a whole was beneficial not only to my assignments in UW, but assignments in all my other classes. I learned about including a concession in my paper, how to write a lit review and about fan boys. I can now do both in-text citations and a works cited page correctly and easily.
We also read some great literature over the semester. I had always wanted to know more Sylvia Plath, and now I do. I also loved reading Julie and Julia and I now want to read Straight Up and Dirty. After writing my research paper, I now know more about Princess Diana than I ever thought I would!
I also learned a lot about using the library resources. I am now able to use the databases with little confusion and find what I am looking for. I also learned all about consortium loan and will definitely use it for research papers in the future. As simple as this may sound, I also know that if I need a book from Gelman, I will be able to find where it is located! I wasn't able to do that in the beginning of the semester, so Ann Brown and Bianca were a great help to the class as well.
I've gotten more confident about my writing as a whole over the semester. While I still don't think I am the next great American author, I don't dread writing papers for fear of completely failing anymore. By embracing the entire writing process, and of course including a "so what factor" I think I will be successful in my writing in the future.

Writing Assignment 4

The "blog book" I was assigned to read was Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I really enjoyed it. For writing assignment 4, writing a book review, I know I want to give Julie and Julia a positive review. It will be very different compared to my negative review of Searching for Debra Winger.
The most obvious reason why I loved Julie and Julia so much was Powell's writing style. It was very casual and easy to relate to. I even liked the profanity! Some readers may be offended by the profanity, even she mentions that in her book, but I thought it added to her character. Powell is also very humorous, which made some of the book's more serious parts more enjoyable.
A small problem that I had with the book, which will be part of my concession, was the ending. I felt it was a little abrupt and inconclusive. I wish she had written a little about what the journey of completing all 564 recipes did for her. The fact that there were two endings was also a little irritating to me as a reader. However one could argue that it was fitting because of the way Powell wrote the book. Her writing style is a bit jumbled and disorganized- just like the ending.
Overall, I will give the book a strong review. It was so fun and enjoyable to read compared to the textbooks I've been reading all semester.