Throughout this semester I have really enjoyed your class. Your classroom’s atmosphere was always inviting, and a place where I felt I could openly express my thoughts on whatever topic we were covering that day. Over the course of each seventy-five minute class, every discussion developed into a cornucopia of ideas and opinions. Since each student brought a different perspective to the classroom, fruitful conversations unfolded. There were a countless number of times that other students brought to light viewpoints that would have never crossed my mind otherwise. This did not only broaden my knowledge on many topics, it even influenced my standpoint on some issues. I was often surprised that I had the same point of view on a topic as someone else in the class, who I initially would not assume we would. These occurrences were unexpected, and made me take a step back to reconsider why I had assumed our differences in the first place. I realized that my quick to judge subconscious was holding me back from people that I presumed I would have a different frame of mind. I believe that this can be contributed to the fact that I came to the University of South Carolina from a small private school that I had attended for sixteen years. I had gone to school with thirty out of the eighty-nine students in my graduating class since I was two years old. I adored my school, but I now see that it immensely limited the range of influential viewpoints on my own. This was an upsetting realization but steps to improvement had to be made. I am now working towards eradicating any preconceived opinions about individuals that I have never met or had a conversation with. This new ambition will have an everlasting impact on my life, and I aim to achieve it because you never know who a person really is until you get to know them. Additionally, it will open the doors for me to gain greater insight on a myriad of controversies considering that every new person I meet is not going to have the same stance on topics as I do. Over the course of this semester, I have developed both an interest in reading and research skills that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my lifetime. This was the first english class that I have ever been in that did not make me read a single book, it was awesome. I am naturally a very slow reader so the weight of having to read large sections of an uninteresting book in previous english classes was terrible. Even though we read a lot of chapters out of the Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr, and other like minded works, it never felt like the burden of having to read an entire book. Likewise, nearly every article you assigned was interesting, and I actually enjoyed reading them. A lot of the time I did not agree in the slightest with what many of these articles were claiming when I would first read them on my own. However, once we discussed them in class, I began to understand the reasoning behind their assertions. Lastly, from your class I learned about and how to use databases other than JSTOR. The school I previously attended focused primarily on that one database, therefore being introduced to other databases rich with relevant and usable information was academically life changing. Additionally, the class we had in the library taught me how to actually use the databases and get the most out of your searches. These skills have not just saved me time on the research paper for your class, but also for two of my other classes as well. Thank you so much for teaching me such valuable skills that will help me throughout the rest of my academic life time. I hope you the best with your classes next semester, and have a wonderful and relaxing winter break.