I was born and brought up in a Mandarin-speaking environment
and thus, conversing in proper English has always been a problem for me. That
being said, I feel a lot more confident writing in English partly because I
love reading.
In my three years as a polytechnic student, my English
writing skills was considered my source of pride because I frequently helped to
edit group business proposals and reports.
Although I fulfilled my goal of entering a local University
with a diploma, I am deeply aware of certain inadequacies I may face as a
Geography major since I am required to have strong writing
skills. After all, I did not go through formal English lessons and General
Paper unlike my peers who studied in Junior Colleges. Receiving a Band 2 for
the QET further contributed to my uncertainty and self-doubt.
Nevertheless, through reading academic journals, I picked up
key words, ideas and different writing styles. With experiences accumulated over
the semesters and feedback from the professors, I have learnt to question the dominant
narrative, develop critical thinking and write relatively good essays.
Due to timetable clashes, I am only taking ES1102 in my last
semester. Despite this, I hope to improve my writing and
communication skills because English is an important component in everyday life
and the workplace.
(221 words)
Edited - 3rd Feb
