Every good pastry chef knows that to prepare an appetizing cake you need a spectacular recipe. The same proves to be true when writing an effective essay. Without experimentation, without the right mixture of ingredients and cooking time, neither a successful cake nor a successful essay can be produced. It takes practice and repetition before you nail down the tools needed for a recipe. During my time in WRD 104 I acquired the ingredients necessary to prepare my own formula to create a flawless composition. I have honed old skills, learning and developing new ones that can be added to my writing recipe. Despite some frustrations and challenges, I feel like I'm leaving this course a stronger writer. Through the learning objectives of the first-year writing program I developed and learned the effectiveness of skills such as writing multiple drafts, integrating my own opinions and those of others, and the editing process. I understand that I have yet to find the perfect recipe for writing, but through my hard work and determination to improve myself as a writer through the skills gained from the learning outcomes, I believe I have prepared myself a low "A" in WRD 104. The first step in preparing any cake is experimenting with the right ingredients. However, more attempts are needed before you find the exact recipe for that delicious cake. As I learned in WRD 104, the same is true for writing an essay. Multiple drafts are needed before you finally compose a successful clear and concise draft. In previous courses, whenever an essay was assigned, I typically just wrote an outline with the mindset of covering everything that needed to be said. Little did I know, though, that I was turning out mediocre essays that couldn't really dive into the... middle of the paper... and the alterations. After all, every good recipe takes practice. The most valuable tool a baker has to prepare a delicious cake is the recipe. It is the overall blueprint of what needs to be done to achieve the desired results. Just like the baker, my recipe for writing an essay is highly appreciated. Even though my time at WRD was short, I gained a great deal of knowledge that I will be able to take with me into the future. Thanks to the challenges I faced during the course, I was pushed and motivated to become a better writer. Writing may not yet be my strong point, but I'm a much more sophisticated writer than I was at the beginning of the term. I discovered and acquired the necessary ingredients for my writing. While I would love to earn an "A" in this course, I will be satisfied and appreciative of any grade I receive because I am proud of my progress in preparing my recipe