Reflection

This semester, I have learned how to write many different types of ways to accommodate a  multitude of prompt types. This has proved increasingly helpful because the nature of the writing I will be doing from here on, will require me to be able to differentiate between the way to write a profile and the way to write a rhetorical analysis. Through our 14 writing projects, we have seen various types of writings as well as plenty of different ways to write to them. The importance of being able to write a certain way will help to guarantee success, because you will be able to not only deliver the content that is being asked for efficiently, but your writing style will also be recognized as that of someone who is confident and knows what they are doing, just due to the organization and presentation of the information.

I believe that learning about the different things to write to and about is incredibly beneficial because it helps you to be clear and to the point when you need to, while also including enough support and description where it is needed, without wasting words. Also, a five paragraph essay, which we learned how to do in middle and high school, will not suffice for most of the writing types we are presented with, so it is important that we learn the appropriate structures in order to write an effective paper. Without this, it will be very hard to prove ourselves in the professional world as someone who clearly knows how to communicate their ideas through written work.

No one wants to look like they don’t know what they’re doing, especially when it could decide whether or not you get a job or scholarship or what grade you’re going to get for the semester, so learning to distinguish between how to write a lab report and a cover letter and everything in between is very important. Not only is the specific content different, but also the structure and writing style, which can make or break a paper. If you’re writing a lab report, but you’re using excessive detail and sources such as Wikipedia and social networks, you will fail because of the way you are presenting the information you have discovered. You may have done extensive research and the content can all be there, but if you don’t present the information in the correct way, your entire paper can be discredited before it is even entirely read through.

On Campus Housing

In many colleges and universities in the United States, there is an option for attendees to either live on campus or commute to school, and depending on many factors, they can make a decision that best suits their situation. One problem that repeatedly arises with living on campus is finding a roommate. Whether it is a random roommate or a friend, problems are bound to arise when one begins living in small quarters with a person they are not used to spending so much time with. On Connecticut College’s website, a post about advice for new students stated that “more than 95% of entering first-year college students have never shared a bedroom.” With that being said, difficulty adjusting is expected, but there could be a way to make this easier.

First, the use of a good roommate survey could prove beneficial in matching people who would live well together by gathering people’s sleeping, working and cleaning habits. Finding someone that is similar on these levels would definitely improve the chances of a good relationship because the living space would be respected due to similarities in values. However, this method won’t always work, which is why the actual structure of a dorm room should also be refined to create optimal success in living with more than one person. The size of an average double should be expanded so there is more personal space, creating a more comfortable atmosphere. It is harder to get along generally if one has to accommodate another at their own expense. Along with that, most rooms should be doubles with a few triples and little to no quads. In order to do this renovation, grants would be needed from both private and public donors. Although it would be hard, these renovations would help better guarantee the success of the students in a given institution. A Huffington Post article wrote that “There is no shortage of research to prove roommate relations factor heavily into a student's overall sanity.” That being said, if we can create a better system that ensures more positive roommate relationships, we should jump at the chance.

Improving the roommate survey as well as the size and structure of the room will not only benefit the students living on campus, but also benefit the institution itself. With better roommate relations, students are more likely to be successful in their academic and extracurricular careers on campus, and will bring positivity to the campus atmosphere. Along with that, students who are happy living on campus will bring a better retention rate, thus more money to the institution. It will also make things easier for the housing directors, RA’s and RD’s, because less time, energy and money will be spent on room changes, disorderly conduct and reports on behavior and other things that come with roommate issues. Also, there will be less peacemaking and uncomfortable situations between students and ResLife personnel. This switch would make on-campus life a lot easier and definitely worth it for current and prospective resident students, and for the student body as a whole.