Qualitative analysis of reflective essays by first-year students in an academic skills course documented outcomes related to the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Student narratives showed how novices encounter the clusters of concepts described in the Framework as "Scholarship as Conversation," "Searching as Strategic Exploration," and "Research as Inquiry." Assessing students' metacognition--that is, their thinking about the learning process--revealed that they connected personal identity with academic conversations, developed strategies for exploring subject classification, and balanced persistence with help-seeking. The open-ended exercise was effective as a collaborative approach to academic engagement and information literacy.