Writing in College
Entering Western Michigan University was life changing for me. In high school, everything was done by a schedule, the days spent in class grew monotonous, and our inability to leave the building for seven hours a day was stifling. I loved the freedom that attending classes at a University offered, and I couldn't help but feel that, finally, I was on track to learn great things that would allow me to go on to achieve great things.
I didn't realize that the process of getting there would be such a lengthy one.
When I first came to Western, I intended to study Journalism. I thought journalistic writing would be the perfect career for me. The possibility of traveling internationally and writing about what I had discovered was thrilling to me, and I felt that I had made the perfect choice in choosing Journalism as my area of study.
It took me about two weeks to change my mind. I absolutely hated the Journalism classes that I was taking, and to be honest, I wasn't too fond of my classmates either. I discovered during my one semester in the Journalism program that it requires an incredible amount of snark and an unrelenting competitive streak to succeed in such a profession. I don't consider myself particularly snarky, and I'm kind of a collaboration girl.
As I struggled through this semester, the whispering voices of my family, friends and past teachers were ever present in my mind. "English. You're an English major."
When I switched my major to English in my second semester, the reaction of our good friend Nancy, who just happened to be one of my English teachers in high school, was "Oh, thank God!" I can't think of a more accurate reaction.
In addition to my English major, I kept taking communications classes with the intention of making that my minor. Read on to discover how many hours I wasted on a still incomplete communications minor.
I didn't realize that the process of getting there would be such a lengthy one.
When I first came to Western, I intended to study Journalism. I thought journalistic writing would be the perfect career for me. The possibility of traveling internationally and writing about what I had discovered was thrilling to me, and I felt that I had made the perfect choice in choosing Journalism as my area of study.
It took me about two weeks to change my mind. I absolutely hated the Journalism classes that I was taking, and to be honest, I wasn't too fond of my classmates either. I discovered during my one semester in the Journalism program that it requires an incredible amount of snark and an unrelenting competitive streak to succeed in such a profession. I don't consider myself particularly snarky, and I'm kind of a collaboration girl.
As I struggled through this semester, the whispering voices of my family, friends and past teachers were ever present in my mind. "English. You're an English major."
When I switched my major to English in my second semester, the reaction of our good friend Nancy, who just happened to be one of my English teachers in high school, was "Oh, thank God!" I can't think of a more accurate reaction.
In addition to my English major, I kept taking communications classes with the intention of making that my minor. Read on to discover how many hours I wasted on a still incomplete communications minor.
What Doesn't English Teach You?
The very first English class that I took was a pretty revolutionary course with a pretty revolutionary professor who I call Allen. It was English 1100, "Literary Interpretation". This class challenged me in every way imaginable. I had to write multiple papers, participate in group discussion every day, and even collaborate with classmates to teach a unit on a book of our choice. I learned a lot of valuable skills in this class, and had my expectations of what it meant to be in the English program challenged. But the best skills that I took from this class, and the ones that I have made the most use of, came as a result of the assigned writing on a blog each class period.
You can see that blog right here.
Keeping this blog taught me so much. I spend a lot of time in places on the internet where I can interact with other people. This goes beyond Facebook. I like to visit places like FanFiction, Tumblr and various blogs to really interact with people about art, reading, writing, etc. This blog was an introduction to internet etiquette. The internet is a vast, scary place. When you write something on it you have to be aware of the impact of your presence, monitor the things you say in certain places, and learn how to write for an audience. All of these are skills that I became conscience of, in part, because of my experiences writing for this blog. This kind of interactive writing is very pleasing to me, and I have continued to pursue it even after I was finished with this class.
You can see that blog right here.
Keeping this blog taught me so much. I spend a lot of time in places on the internet where I can interact with other people. This goes beyond Facebook. I like to visit places like FanFiction, Tumblr and various blogs to really interact with people about art, reading, writing, etc. This blog was an introduction to internet etiquette. The internet is a vast, scary place. When you write something on it you have to be aware of the impact of your presence, monitor the things you say in certain places, and learn how to write for an audience. All of these are skills that I became conscience of, in part, because of my experiences writing for this blog. This kind of interactive writing is very pleasing to me, and I have continued to pursue it even after I was finished with this class.
How One Passion Led to the Discovery of Another
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the ideas of the still emerging and highly debated concept of using the English language as a global lingua franca in relation to it’s use in a society where English struggles to define itself: Japan. The relationship between the Japanese people and the English language is difficult to define, but it is certainly a relationship that has evolved through history and is relevant to the idea of creating a global lingua franca, as well as creating language change and possible communication problems.
This was the opening paragraph to an essay that I wrote for my Development of Modern English class with Dr. Lisa Minnick. The class was difficult for me, and when it came time to write the final paper, I was completely stuck. The majority of the class had chosen to focus their paper on some aspect of English in the past and how it had changed since then. But I have never found history to be that interesting, and I wanted to write a paper that would be relevant to me and talked about some progressive issue.
At the same time, I was taking some Japanese classes on a whim, and was mulling over whether or not I should make it my minor. I just wasn't sure that it could be of any use to me in my future.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. I thought about how English is a language that is fast becoming global, and it's many new variations could make for a very interesting study of how the language is being changed, especially of I focused on the changes that were occurring in Japan in particular.
The paper that I wrote would lead to my discovery of how English and Japanese were related, and would prompt me to pursue a career in which I could be immersed in the collaboration between these two languages and cultures. I decided to declare Japanese as my minor (Western was not yet offering a major) and continued the study of the things that I loved. This paper that I wrote for Dr. Minnick would later play a key role in earning her recommendation for study abroad in Japan, something that I am sure will change my life for the better in every aspect. I am beyond grateful for her openness to me writing on my interests and her unrelenting support while I chase my dreams and seize the opportunities that seem to have opened up to me since making this discovery in her class.
At the same time, I was taking some Japanese classes on a whim, and was mulling over whether or not I should make it my minor. I just wasn't sure that it could be of any use to me in my future.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. I thought about how English is a language that is fast becoming global, and it's many new variations could make for a very interesting study of how the language is being changed, especially of I focused on the changes that were occurring in Japan in particular.
The paper that I wrote would lead to my discovery of how English and Japanese were related, and would prompt me to pursue a career in which I could be immersed in the collaboration between these two languages and cultures. I decided to declare Japanese as my minor (Western was not yet offering a major) and continued the study of the things that I loved. This paper that I wrote for Dr. Minnick would later play a key role in earning her recommendation for study abroad in Japan, something that I am sure will change my life for the better in every aspect. I am beyond grateful for her openness to me writing on my interests and her unrelenting support while I chase my dreams and seize the opportunities that seem to have opened up to me since making this discovery in her class.
Learning to Write... Again
Most of these red marks are good, I swear.
The decision to study Japanese seriously has been one that is both exciting and taxing. I have obviously come a long way in my efforts with writing and studying the English language, but it can be difficult to start over in another language, especially one that shares absolutely no written text with your own! Still, I have always been happy with my experience learning Japanese, and the possibilities that it has opened up to me have been amazing. I find it inspiring that, even at my age, the satisfaction of looking at words on paper and being able to say "I wrote that, I read that, and I understood that" is just as satisfying as it was when I was a little girl learning how to read and write for the first time.
Writing for My Future
Choosing to pursue the arts academically is an admittedly risky decision in today’s world. When I tell my peers that I am currently working on my double major in English Literature and Japanese, the common reaction is to question, “What can you do with that”? I have discovered while on my academic journey that there is great potential for success and satisfaction in these areas of study, and have learned the important lesson that the capacity for personal achievement is everything that you make it to be.
I have long had a knack for language and a passion for literature, but if you had asked me in high school what my interests would do for me later in life, I would not have been able to tell you. Upon entering college, the first Japanese class that I took was an indulgence, a journey back to the fun days of playing with simple language in elementary school. It wasn’t until I took a Development of Modern English class with Dr. Lisa Minnick that I was able to fully comprehend the potential of what an education in both English and Japanese could do for me. Under Dr. Minnick’s encouragement and leadership, I composed an essay that explored the theory of English developing as a global lingua franca, focusing specifically on the use of vocabulary from the English lexicon that has been adapted into the Japanese language. I came to realize during this course of study that as long as relations between Japan and the U.S. continue to exist, this exchange of culture and language would continue. The two cultures will change each other, borrowing and learning from one another, and I know that this is something that I want to witness and to be a part of. And so I pursue my studies of both English and Japanese with the determined goal of one day becoming a piece of the mechanism that keeps this exchange of culture happening.
My first step in this journey is my experience at Keio University. I know that Keio will challenge me in my capacity to learn Japanese, and that this challenge will only serve to raise my personal standards for my own education. I also feel that Keio’s central location in Tokyo will give me the best opportunity to experience firsthand the intersecting of the Japanese and English languages that first made me passionate about traveling to Japan. I hope that my time there will be beneficial for learning about Japanese culture and language, but also that I can engage and inspire my Japanese peers with an interest in American culture and the English language. I desire to be pushed to my absolute best in both academic and personal development while at Keio, and want to continue to push higher after my time there.
After my time spent abroad and my graduation from Western Michigan University, I intend to apply for the JET Program and continue this exchange of language and culture through the role of an educator, reciprocating knowledge for knowledge. I wish to work in an environment where I can continually grow and learn about Japan and its people, and I hope that I can spark an interest in Japanese students to pursue their own explorations of the unique relationship between our two cultures.
If you were to ask me today what my areas of study could do for me, I would tell you that along with my personal determination to reach my goals, they could open the door to endless possibilities of life-long learning and cultural exchange. This is the course that I intend to pursue, and I believe that it starts with this opportunity to study abroad at Keio University. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I have long had a knack for language and a passion for literature, but if you had asked me in high school what my interests would do for me later in life, I would not have been able to tell you. Upon entering college, the first Japanese class that I took was an indulgence, a journey back to the fun days of playing with simple language in elementary school. It wasn’t until I took a Development of Modern English class with Dr. Lisa Minnick that I was able to fully comprehend the potential of what an education in both English and Japanese could do for me. Under Dr. Minnick’s encouragement and leadership, I composed an essay that explored the theory of English developing as a global lingua franca, focusing specifically on the use of vocabulary from the English lexicon that has been adapted into the Japanese language. I came to realize during this course of study that as long as relations between Japan and the U.S. continue to exist, this exchange of culture and language would continue. The two cultures will change each other, borrowing and learning from one another, and I know that this is something that I want to witness and to be a part of. And so I pursue my studies of both English and Japanese with the determined goal of one day becoming a piece of the mechanism that keeps this exchange of culture happening.
My first step in this journey is my experience at Keio University. I know that Keio will challenge me in my capacity to learn Japanese, and that this challenge will only serve to raise my personal standards for my own education. I also feel that Keio’s central location in Tokyo will give me the best opportunity to experience firsthand the intersecting of the Japanese and English languages that first made me passionate about traveling to Japan. I hope that my time there will be beneficial for learning about Japanese culture and language, but also that I can engage and inspire my Japanese peers with an interest in American culture and the English language. I desire to be pushed to my absolute best in both academic and personal development while at Keio, and want to continue to push higher after my time there.
After my time spent abroad and my graduation from Western Michigan University, I intend to apply for the JET Program and continue this exchange of language and culture through the role of an educator, reciprocating knowledge for knowledge. I wish to work in an environment where I can continually grow and learn about Japan and its people, and I hope that I can spark an interest in Japanese students to pursue their own explorations of the unique relationship between our two cultures.
If you were to ask me today what my areas of study could do for me, I would tell you that along with my personal determination to reach my goals, they could open the door to endless possibilities of life-long learning and cultural exchange. This is the course that I intend to pursue, and I believe that it starts with this opportunity to study abroad at Keio University. Thank you for your time and consideration.
This could possibly be one of the most important pieces of writing that I have ever composed. It is my application essay for study abroad in Japan, and it was the key to not only my acceptance into one of Japan's top universities, but to receiving a full-ride scholarship for one year of instruction there. Sometimes I look at this essay and just think about how pursuing my interests and passions, and really working hard at what I love, has granted me access to such an amazing opportunity. It's encouraging to me to think that all of my hard work and the skills that I have developed, in writing, language, and life have achieved something great.