Reflective Cover Letter
The following guidelines will be critical in enabling readers and students obtain insight into how to write a reflective cover letter.
Personal introduction
Writing is not easy, it requires commitment and consistency which is achieved by constantly focusing on personal improvement through practice. In my personal journey as a writer, I have handled several tasks that have been a gateway to perfection. I have also been able to acquire a wide range of information from different realms of knowledge. Besides learning, writing has also contributed in a great way to the improvement of my cognitive ability. Before starting this class, I had different perceptions on the experience and the activities that I would encounter in this class. However, I was quite sure that I would be engaged in various writing practices which would have a great impact in my writing experience.
Skills and knowledge acquired
For this class, I decided to focus on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the effects that this condition had on the victims of the 9/11 attack and Hurricane Katrina. Before coming up with the final research paper on this topic, I handled various tasks that were essential in the preparation for the final paper. I managed to acquire a lot of information and knowledge associated with PTSD in relation to 9/11 attack and Hurricane Katrina. I also acquired a number of insights based on how various individuals responded to the treatment that was offered after these incidences occurred (Hartocollis, 2011). The portfolio that will be created will feature various research papers that I came up with after being actively engaged in research which was coupled with learning. By featuring the various papers that I handled, I will be able to demonstrate the learning process that I engaged in. I also acquired the ability to come up with effective MEAL plan paragraphs. Based on this format, one must highlight the main idea, evidence, analysis, and link (Walden, 2018). This is essential in coming up with a paragraph that adequately highlights all the important issues. In future, I hope to apply this MEAL plan strategy while formatting paragraphs and coming up with argument to support the issues that I may raise.
Areas of growth and success
Alongside acquiring information on PTSD, I learned a lot in relation to how one should come up with a research paper that adequately discusses issues that are based on a certain topic. I am now able to come up with comprehensive research papers with ease and at the same time while meeting all the requirements that should be met such as grammar, quality, and relevancy among others. By successfully coming up with a research paper that discussed all the issues that were important, I was able to exercise my writing skills that I have learned in the past. This is quite commendable since it serves as a proof that the writing experience that I have had in the past have had a positive impact. Judging by my ability to articulate and discuss essential issues in the research papers and the power point presentation, it proves that I have managed to grow is as far as writing is concerned. I also hope that I will be in a position to employ the MEAL plan paragraph strategy while coming up with research paper with effectiveness.
Areas of struggle
However, I also experienced a number of challenges, where one challenge was connecting various issues gathered through research to come up arguments that offer support to the main topic. For instance, even after coming up with proof on the effect of PTSD on the victims of 9/11 attack, one has to come up with an argument that sufficiently connects the issues involved. Another challenge was in the time taken to come up with a research paper. Apart from conducting research on various issues relating to PTSD, there was a need to coordinate this activity with other activities involved such as drafting the work and ensuring that the work was free from different errors. To deal with these issues, I always ensured that I adequately prepared before embarking on the research paper.
Application of skills learned
My experience in this course allowed me to acquire various skills which will be helpful as I continue my journey as a writer and in my future career. One of the skills that I acquired is the ability to conduct research and to come up with arguments to support the findings. With this capability I will be able to solve various challenges that I may come across in my course work and later in my profession. In addition, I have also gone a step further in the mastery of the art required to come up with research papers and presentations that are reliable and valid. With such a quality, I will be in a position to make reliable presentations in the future.
Areas of improvement
However, although I did a commendable job in as far as the tasks involved in this class are concerned, there is a need to improve in some of the areas. One is precision, where I should improve on my capability to raise issues with clarity. This will increase the validity of the research papers developed. I hope to build on my ability to conduct research and to come up with valid findings and arguments that are useful in supporting the findings made. Another important quality that I wish to develop is the ability to come up with quality work within the shortest time possible. However, I hope that I will derive value from the activities handled by acquiring essential knowledge and skills.
References
Hartocollis, A. (2011, August 9). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder From 9/11 Still Haunts. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/nyregion/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-from-911still-haunts.html
Walden. (2018). Walden University Writing Center. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs/organization