Brycen Waters Professor Janis American Radicalism December 10, 2012 e-Portfolio Reflection

In the fall semester of 2012, I was enrolled in a course titled History of American Radicalism. In this course, I diligently researched a topic of my choosing about the American Socialist Movement and the impact that American Socialist and Union Leader Eugene Victor Debs had on it. Through my research, I was able to gain a strong understanding of this time period in history, along with the role that such a controversial figure played in it. Besides the factual information that I was able to obtain throughout this process, I was also able to learn some very important lessons about my research ability. From my research I have learned the value of time management. This being my fourth and final year here at MCLA as a History Major, I have traditionally utilized the convenience of semester breaks/vacations to compile my research into a clear and concise research paper. This semester; however, the due date for my completed draft was due mid-semester, without the luxury of a holiday complete my work. Therefore, I spaced my paper-completion time out over the course of two weeks, in which each day I would write a page and a half to two pages. Religiously sticking to this deadline, I was able to complete my paper much sooner and more efficiently than anticipated. I found the difficult realization of my time management shortcomings to be a necessary task to grapple with, especially this close to graduation. I have prided myself on my time management skills over the past three years in terms of my roles and responsibilities outside of the classroom. I hadnt realized that I was slacking in this area inside the classroom. Adjusting my study skills and work ethic was not difficult at all and I was able to once again make my education the top priority of college experience. An added bonus to improving my time management skills was my ability to write a strongly worded and strongly evidenced research paper for my final history Senior Seminar. I strongly believe that this was important for me to come to terms with due to the difficulties my future in higher education holds. I plan on entering graduate school in the fall, and time management is something that will definitely need to be implemented if I hope to be successful. Recognizing the advantages of planning ahead, I will continue to utilize this type of schedule in writing research papers in the future. This is due to the success I had in writing the paper for this course and I am sure I will have from here onward.