Written
Do you have a piece of writing, presented in any context, for which you are particularly proud? How would you compare your writing skills relative to your classmates? What kind of feedback have you gotten on your writing from experts like professors or editors?
A piece of writing I’m proud of is my first year seminar paper titled Bilingual Education in Mongolia: Balancing English Proficiency and Native Language Preservation for a writing class I took with Professor Elizabeth Hepford.
The initial prompt for the essay was to write an argumentative essay that related to the readings we had in class. The topics included immigration, language barriers, and social change. At the time of writing, the debate of bilingual education was still a heated topic in Mongolia, and I saw it as an opportunity to contribute to the discussion with more than a social media post. As I conducted my research, I discovered that this problem wasn’t unique to Mongolia but also prevalent in places like Native American Tribes in North America, India, Pakistan, and many other countries. My personal goal in writing this essay turned into contributing to a cause I deeply care about – the continued preservation of the beauty and diversity of languages. That’s why I’m particularly fond of this essay.
If I were to compare my writing skills relative to my classmates, I would say it is average. The above essay was runner up for the FYS prize which I was very excited about but my writing still has a long way to go. I submitted two drafts to Professor Hepford and revised my essay according to her feedback three times before submitting it for the FYS competition. Professor Hepford’s advice helped me tremendously and I have grown as a writer as a result of her course.
Oral
Have you had the opportunity to present information orally to a group? How confident were you about your content? Your personal presentation, including body language and voice modulation? How was the material received?
Yes, I presented for my finance class final project. I was confident in the content, having received positive feedback on our presentation deck. However, I realized my delivery needed improvement. While I maintained a steady tone and cadence, I noticed my professor appeared disengaged, which concerned me. Additionally, I exceeded the time limit slightly, possibly affecting her enthusiasm. Despite these challenges, the experience helped me refine my presentation skills. It taught me the importance of dynamic delivery to keep the audience engaged and respecting time constraints. Moving forward, I aim to practice more effective presentation techniques to better convey my ideas and maintain audience interest. This experience underscored the value of adaptability and continuous improvement in academic and professional settings.
