Application Essay Unit Reflection

Dear Mrs. Windust and Mr. Arleth,

During this unit, I learned so much about the interesting blend of narrative and reflective writing and the process of writing an application essay. I have learned so much that I can’t fit all of the learning in this one letter. From the high schoolers, I’ve learned that you should write the essay so that it reflects how you think, your personality, and how you communicate. At first, I tried adding all of this vocabulary in my essay which I later then found out was a bad idea because the essay started to not sound like me anymore.

On top of that, I also learned about the transitions and the basic structure of an application essay from you guys. There should be both reflection and narrative writing in the piece. In my opinion, the long hours of revising and editing my piece was all worth it, but If I could go back and do something differently, I would cut more fat, add more reflection, and get feedback from you in the mornings or after school.

Looking back at my On-Demand, I noticed how my On-Demand didn’t have much reflection while my application essay did. That was something I was really proud of. As I revised my essay, it watched it transform from a very narrative dominant voice to a mix that sounded more like Armpit Hair. The moment I took a step back and realized the difference between my first draft and my final essay was the best part about this unit for me.

Overall, this essay taught me so much about reflective writing and I am very thankful that I got to learn more about this new style of writing.

Your Dedicated RLA Student,

Johan Chua

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Here is an excerpt that comes from the middle of my essay:

"That day, it was finally time I accepted the fact that there are no shortcut around waiting and patience. It is inevitable that one would experience delays and the need to wait. You just have to learn to deal with it.

Climbing Reflection

One thing I thought I did well during my climb was that I used both my arms and legs to climb up the wall instead of only pulling myself up with my arm strength. However, I could improve my technique by using more leg power to get up the wall by pushing myself up with my legs and then reach higher with my arms. I felt that I kept my body close to the wall most of the time until the wall became steeper and I started hanging, which caused my arms to get strained. I could also work on saving my energy for the harder parts of the wall - the part where the wall gets really steep and I start to hang - so that I could get higher up the wall instead of falling quite low in the wall due to fatigue.

Overall, I feel that my climbing has improved in the short three days we've been in the climbing gym, and that it has significantly become better since the first time I've been in the gym in sixth grade. In sixth grade I only could climb up to the red line, now I can go way higher. This improvement is one thing I'm very proud of.

MS Fitness Card

Ellis Island Reflection

How do you think people felt upon their arrival to Ellis Island? 
I think that people felt excited and happy as they made it to the land of USA and completed the long journey from wherever they came from. For me, completing the journey is like being halfway to where you want to go; and the other half is getting through immigration. However, I also think that they felt fear and nervous as they could get deported at any time. One wrong action can get you deported and that is life-changing for someone.

What do you think the immigration hall screening was like? 
I think the immigration hall screening was stressful for everyone which created a stressful atmosphere and made others feel even more pressured. I also think that it was a scary place to be knowing that one mistake could end your hope. If I were in a stressful, scary environment and I had to answer an official's questions knowing that if I don't act in a calm manner, I can get deported, I would be scared to death.

How did you feel when you arrived at the classroom and learned about your fate?
I felt relieved and very thankful as I ended up getting US citizenship. I felt thankful because I knew I wouldn't have to go through all the trouble other people - people who got deported - would face. I felt safe knowing I was out of danger and trouble of getting deported and denied US citizenship.

Wellness Prezi