That Code Review Changed Me

Last semester, in a Python course at my university, I had the opportunity to write code with a friend for the first time in my life as part of a project assigned by our professor. We followed the commonly preferred method: while my friend wrote the code, I reviewed it and tried to give it meaning. It was quite clear that he was more skilled at coding than I was. This way, I got to take part in a serious code review process for the first time.

While he was writing, I had to stop and warn him multiple times. Technically, there wasn’t much wrong with his code aside from the occasional comma or parenthesis issue, but I had difficulty understanding what some blocks of code were doing. He often used vague variable names, and to keep things short, he chose complicated techniques that we hadn’t even covered in class yet. I kept pointing these things out whenever I didn’t understand something, but after a while, I sensed that his enthusiasm was fading. Before long, he said, “That’s enough for today.”

I knew I had to encourage him again. I said, “Dude, you write great code—maybe even the best in the class. But that’s actually part of the problem. We’re still learning, none of us are at your level yet. But we still need to be able to understand the code. It needs to be readable.”

I managed to convince him. We sat back down, and this time, we didn’t just point out the mistakes—we restructured the code. We split some large functions into three smaller, helper functions to make them more readable, changed the variable names so their purpose was clear at first glance, and added some comment lines. That day, we spent nearly all our time reworking a project that was almost finished—just to make it cleaner and easier to understand.

Just the other day, my friend told me, “Now, when I write code, I don’t just think ‘Does this work?’—I also think, ‘Can someone else understand this easily?’” The strange part is, I also started writing my own code in a more readable and descriptive way after that experience. We both learned not to take criticism personally, to listen before reacting, and to accept our mistakes and improve when necessary.

In short, that code review didn’t just help us grow technically—it helped both of us become better team players.

AI Reflection

While preparing this piece, I used ChatGPT for support on a few points. First, I asked for an example story about a meaningful code review experience. This helped me better understand the tone, structure, and which words or expressions might be more effective in writing. However, instead of using the example, I chose to write about a real event that happened to me recently.

The most helpful part for me was the grammar support. Even though I have a good level English, I still do awkward mistakes. ChatGPT placed certain words in ways that made my writing feel more natural.

In short, the AI assisted me with structure, grammar, and inspiration—but the story itself and the way it is told are entirely mine. Through this process, I not only improved my writing but also learned how to use AI thoughtfully and effectively in my work.