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Mary Chitty

Dr. Angela Miss

UWRT-1102

Transfer/Semester Reflection

Writing is essential for my academic, daily, and future career life. It is important for me

to effectively communicate to those around me through various mediums. I am currently a

Biology student and would like to peruse my passion for science by going on to pharmacy

school. This academic path requires me to participate in composing scientific literature. One I

become a practicing pharmacist, I must effectively breakdown medical and drug information so

that my patients may better understand their medications and the impacts those drugs may have

on their health. The process of decoding scientific information regarding chemical hazards to

human health can be observed in my final inquiry essay. One of my goals in this paper was to

provide the reader with adequate information so that they could make an informed opinion on the

hazards of water pollution caused by coal ash. However, I am still developing my

communication skills as a writer, which can be seen in my rough draft and final version of my

inquiry essay provided below.

During my peer-review session, one of my peers commented that my ideas did not flow

well and I neglected to define or explain certain terms. As a writer I sometimes forget my who

my audience is and that some of them may need an extra sentence or two that explains the

meaning of certain terms such as bioaccumulation or hexavalent chromium. Receiving these

constructive criticisms helped me revise my paper and will also help me become effectively

communicate with others in my future endeavors. Also during this peer-review session, I was
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informed that certain topics, such as the benefits of coal use, were already clearly explained in a

couple sentences prior to full length paragraphs on the same topic. During revisions I was able to

eliminate a couple of unnecessary paragraphs and focus more on my essays purpose.

This course taught me the use of rhetorical questions that may be useful in my daily life.

In class we learned about and developed rhetorical questions that were based on our institutions.

We then posted our responses to these question on the discussion page. My discussion post is

provided below and displays questions that can be used in daily life. We are faced with multiple

stories and issues from new journalists in our society. Questioning a situation or practice tends to

spark personal research to find answers. As a result, one will come to a more informed option on

a particular topic. It is important to question the validity of all statements made in academic and

news work.