Outside of the Minor in Writing courses, I haven't done much other serious writing. Sure, I would turn in hastily written papers or submit careless blog posts, but few classes really pushed me to produce my best work. Two classes that really drove me and challenged me ending up being two of my favorites. English 225 focused on the academic argumentation found within the musical genre of hip-hop, and we not only analyzed rap songs but used the works of hip-hop scholars to understand the societal implications of history and race. MCDB 397, or Writing in Biology, was starkly different but similarly stimulating. It introduced me to the world of scientific research, and I learned the requirements of writing a good journal article, submitting a successful grant, and communicating not only within the scientific community but outside of it as well.