"Everyone--social, professional, academic--needs to get
to the point! These are skills I will use for life and will benefit
me for life! Thank you!"
"The writing skills I learned are very practical for
any profession. The only negative aspect of the course is that
it is worth 3 units when it should be 4 units."
"I pay closer attention to detail and know the standard
professional formatting for memos and letters. Organized, purposeful,
students are given reasons for why certain protocol should be
followed. Learned life lessons that can be used forever after
the class. Taught me life skills I never knew before, but too
strict with due dates, Wild Cards, etc."
"I learned to critically read documents. I also learned
strategies and techniques to generate reader-oriented, concise
and professionally formatted documents. Also learned how to edit
my own work."
"I've learned the structure of professional communication."
"We did lots of writing and lots of revising. The revisions
allowed students to view writing as an ongoing process. I've
done a lot of writing before, but this class taught me how to
pay attention to clarity and conciseness."
"I have learned how to write to any audience and be clear
with my ideas. The skills taught in this class have taught me
how to write to someone and not just myself. I learned more than
I thought I would from this course. When I look back on my first
documents, I know I couldn't have absorbed everything taught,
but I developed an important skill set."
"I am more aware of what makes a document effective and
am able to insert into the documents I write these effective
elements. Almost everything we covered was new to me, and I can
now implement these things into my daily life. Most worthwhile
were components that pertain to finding and obtaining jobs and
those that dealt with writing persuasively."
"The most useful skills I learned from this class is
to write a cover letter and resume. This is a 3 unit class but
[the instructor] makes this class turns [sic] out to be like
a 5 unit class. There are too many HW [sic].Your can learn a
LOT from this class but you have to make sure your are able to
put time & effort on this class."
"A lot of writing practice...a lot of work! Students
looking for an 'easy A' should not take this course. Yes, you
can get an A, but you'll work for it!"
" Everything was worthwhile."
"I learned how to write concisely in a professional manner.
I learned how to format documents. My style of writing became
more elegant. [This class] equipped me with the skills needed
for surviving in the world. The class has been most practical
and rewarding."
"The fact that I could practice a variety of documents
and learn correct grammar helped me tremendously since there
has been no other course that has been so thorough in teaching
me how to become a better writer. Every Cal student should take
this class!"
"the structure of grading [not worthwhile] and too much
homework"
"This class has taught me more about writing and professional
writing than any other. Very organized and effective teaching
method. Great class. Very helpful writing tips and resume building."
"The course itself is good preparation for business writing
but [the instructor] was ineffective in approach."
"The course content was very practical for the work force.
However, sometimes the course gets tedious because students revise
documents over and over."
[Specific areas of the course found worthwhile...] "multiple
revision opportunities and chances of improvement."
"Most importantly, I learned to write to the needs of
the reader, and more concisely. This class is very helpful, especially
for juniors and seniors. Though there is a lot of work, it helps
in the long run. Students can take the writing skills with them
to the workplace."
"Lots of work, but it's worth it. Very helpful writing
tips. I learned so much about professional writing. I have definitely
become a better writer because of it. You learn about writing
in the professional world (memos, letters, resumes, cover letter,
etc.) Very useful stuff!"
"Before this course I had no professional writing skills.
After this course, I learned valuable skill, such as memo writing,
complaint letters and proposals. I learned the most in this class."
"It was useful writing practice. Whenever I write an
email or class paper, I find myself instinctively trying to apply
the principles I learned in this class. The amount of revisions
help you improve as a writer. I am glad to have learned about
cover letters and other application documents. Also, although
difficult and stressful, the group project taught me how to work
better with team members and how to work with clients."
"I learned to make my writing more concise and organized.
Tips on job interviews were most useful, but the course will
greatly improve your writing skills."
"I have always felt that I am an articulate writer; however,
through this course I have realized that writing an English paper
is much different than being able to communicate effectively
and clearly. Elements learned in this course can be applied during
a student' time at Cal and after--they are skills to carry into
the working world. Grading system did not allow students to get
by without trying. Too much time on concepts at beginning led
to a rush of application of skills during group projects."
"Professional writing helped me improve my use of active
voice, you attitude and relative terms. The final group project
summarized and enforced principles learned throughout the semester
and was worthwhile."
"The course really helped me grow in my ability as a
writer. Specifically, it taught me the principles of effective
writing. One of the best courses I have taken at Berkeley. The
best humanities course I have taken here. This course was absolutely
amazing at explaining principles of effective writing."