When I was in middle school and high school I never really enjoyed writing. I always enjoyed reading, but writing was a whole different story. I was always given short deadlines for papers and never really got to enjoy the progress of writing. There were no real in-depth discussions and I rarely got to choose exactly what I wanted to write about. Due to the experiences I had with writing in grade school, I felt that I wasn't a good writer and it made me want to write less and less.

When I got to college, I was given a chance to start fresh. I was required to take a first-year writing class. That class completely changed my perspective and feelings about writing for the better. The class was a small seminar where my classmates and I got to examine film and photography then talk about each other's plans for writing together.

I was given the opportunity to take my time, plan out my writing, and have helpful discussions. I even went to the writing lab and spent time discussing my papers during my professor's office hours. That class and my experience at UVA changed my writing for the better.

For once with writing, I wasn't afraid to make mistakes and put myself out there. My professors understand that I am human and sometimes I am going to make errors in my papers. What they are looking for is originality of thought, ideas that are planned out, and most importantly evidence that I am knowledgeable and passionate about what I am writing about.

My experience with writing in college completely altered how I felt about writing. Before college, I never would have dreamed of writing for the Odyssey or voluntarily signing up for classes that challenged my writing abilities.

Don't get me wrong, I still have my struggles with writing. I also know I am not the best writer that has ever lived, but you can only get better at things with practice. I still make grammar mistakes and typos. I still struggle with coming up with topics to write about. I still have a love and hate relationship with writing sometimes. But what is important is each time I write I use it as a chance to get better, I put my own voice out there, and I find something about writing that makes me love doing it even more.