Over the years, I have gained many skills in multiple areas of my life. But most importantly, through classes I haven taken this year in college. In both my English and Intro to Liberal Arts class, I have had to read a lot. And I won’t lie, reading isn’t my best strength. But after reading multiple readings, I have been able to get through the task of reading lengthy materials. Another skill I gained from reading a lot was to remember important information to be able to use it in discussions in class and to be discussed between my classmates.
Another skill I would like to share is to be able to write more than just five paragraphs, like what they didn’t teach us in high school. In high school, teachers gave out outlines for a 5 paragraph essay, and it was very useful, and I still sort of use it, but teachers should elaborate on it more so that we know what to expect when we get to college. And since of course, high school is supposed to prepare us for college, they should go over of what to expect when it comes to longer essays in college.
Recently, in my English class, I learned about two very important essay outlines: Linear and Spacial outlines. With this, I gained better organization skills when it comes to writing an essay. Spacial outlines are more useful for visual learners, like me. So I was able to organize my thoughts and ideas of what I wanted to write about so I can have a really good essay.
In my art class, my art skills have gotten better. I used to be able to know how to shade when I was younger, but with this art class all we had to draw with was charcoal. So I learned the skill of making objects look three-dimensional by manipulating charcoal to create different shades to create different effects to my drawing. I also gained the skill of drawing from a still life. This means drawing whatever objects are set up in front of you, like a glass cup, or bowl, or both. And I had to make sure I had a good light source so that shadows would be created so it looks more 3D.
Now, making a blog page is a new skill that I gained by making this web site. It was difficult at first, but after a while I got the hang of it.
All of these skills I gained from this semester in college will help me further in my liberal arts education because they are skills I can take with me wherever I go so that I can succeed in whatever career path I choose to follow. I will have background knowledge and skills I’ll need to take on whatever challenges or tasks come in the way.