Throughout school, I never felt really confident in my English skills. When I started kindergarten, I didn't speak English and I felt out of place, because I didn't feel like I belonged. As time went on, I became proficient in English and could read at an 11th grade level in sixth grade. In middle school I was placed in the honor classes, where there were only three other people of color and I felt out of place. I stayed in honors classes until my sophomore year, in my two high school English classes the story hadn't changed, there was a majority of white students. In my junior and senior years I took “regular” English classes. My experience has made me feel like I don't have the skills needed to speak 5A English, I feel like I need more guidance in research skills, grammar, text analysis, and general writing practice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In my high school classes, we were given very limited opportunities to add our own research. Personally, I don't think I can find reliable research to present to professors. In my very few research experiences we have been allowed to use any information, I realize that using unreliable sources would push my professors not to take me seriously. Citations are also a big deal for me, because my teachers always told me to just write the author's name. I know that the way I was taught to quote is not at all acceptable in college. Grammar is something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember, I feel like it's one of my weakest points because I don't have confidence in that part of my writing ability. Most of my teachers informed me of this problem, yet they failed to provide me with guidance when I asked how I could solve my problems. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to enroll in English 5A, as it was explained “none of us are born knowing how to write academic papers… But we can learn and develop skills” (Bullock, Goggin pg 45). I want to expand my writing skills to become a better student, to be successful. This course is designed to equip and enhance students' knowledge about writing, and that's exactly what I feel I need. Another reason I feel like I need this course is because I know I need more practice in writing and analyzing text. In my senior year we only wrote three essays and were almost always told exactly what to do. By taking this course I want to learn how to be more independent in my writing, develop my perspectives and put them in writing; this is something that, unfortunately, has not been my experience. I never received feedback on work from my teachers, which, in my opinion, prevented me from growing as a writer. One thing I struggle with is essay length: I can never write enough to meet the requirements. Even though I really enjoy reading, I don't feel like I spend enough time analyzing the text, which is why I struggle when I have to write an article. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay As I mentioned earlier, I am not conferable in writing, this is due to a number of circumstances. Through this course I hope to address these issues and become a better writer is something. Writing skills are essential in college, and I don't want to regret having the opportunity.