English Class for Sophomores - Personal Statement Example

It is worth noting that writing an academic paper is not as easy a task as I thought before taking this class. With the help of a friendly professor, I have learned to conduct thorough research using library resources and online search engines. Now I am able to produce a well-researched paper on any topic. In addition, I realized that writing the research paper requires intensive investments of time and effort - it is not enough to locate several articles and summarize them - it is necessary to review the major points as well as pay close attention to the details.

Thinking logically and reasoning critically are two of the skills that have helped me to put information from different sources into one flowing essay. While being in this class, my perception of world issues and of American culture has much enlarged. I have spent three years in the United States already, but I cannot claim confidently that I have enough knowledge of culture to understand it. Numerous discussions in class have helped me to make one step towards a fuller understanding of the American culture.

For example, when we were discussing the war in Iraq I have heard completely opposite opinions on the issues - some of the students perceived the actions of the American government as the mission to introduce democratic principles, for others, the war was no more than revenge for September 11. It is true that America is the most diverse country in the world and everybody has the chance to have his own opinion - I had a chance to get the proof of this. Even though I was not active in discussions, I have gained a lot of knowledge and have learned to look at the different issues from a versatile perspective.

My fellow students have expressed many intellectual ideas and sometimes I realized that I would never think of the issue from these angles. My knowledge of American culture was definitely enriched through such discussions. In addition, I was taught how to put my thought into writing and express myself clearly. I thought that writing skills cannot be taught - the person is either able to write clearly or he is not. Now I have changed my opinion - with the help of the caring teacher everybody can be taught to express his ideas in written form.

In conclusion, I want to say that English class was not limited to teaching about writing skills - students have acquired much more. I have learned about American culture as well as global affairs, I have learned to listen and tolerate the opinion of others, I have become a better person. The issues we discussed were of recent occurrence and of high importance not only to the American people but to the whole global community. While forming an opinion on any issue, I have learned to take into account all of the possible aspects.

In few words, my experience in this class has become very valuable to me.