According to The New York Times, of the students that attend some form of post-secondary education, “Less than two-thirds end up graduating” (Porter). Considering these high dropout rates, students are having some form of difficulties with college. These difficulties can range from changing work schedules to prior commitments and priorities. In Ms. Fox’s College English course, this is no different. Ms. Fox’s college English course is difficult because of the time consuming work, the importance of writing assignments, and the technology used in the course.
Fox’s English class is hard because the course can be very time consuming for students. Writing papers, finishing assignments, and reading the required materials may take up a large portion of the student’s time at home. According to the professor’s syllabus, “Students should expect to work 4-6 hours every week outside of the class” to finish work assignments (3) (Fox). The professor’s college English course can be especially time consuming for students that work full time jobs to take care of themselves and their families. This can become difficult for students that have other courses and work full time jobs outside of school because they must learn to prioritize their commitments. Reading the required material and finishing assignments could mean a couple of hours less sleep or even family time for students that work while going to college. Many students are fresh out of high school and are not accustomed to prioritizing
When I first got accepted into Stuyvesant High School, I heard countless of rumors stating: “Oh the workload is terrible”, “The competition is so fierce” or “Out of schoolwork, extracurriculars, or sleep: you can only pick two.” I found it hard to let it faze me, since I graduated from one of the most prestigious middle schools. However, the rumors transformed into reality when I stepped into Mr. Nieves’ Freshman Composition Class. The workload at the beginning of the year was brutal, coupled with assignments from other core classes that seem unaware of the workload of other teachers. Reading assignments were a regular, and there were journal entries and occasional quizzes to keep us in line. What made it bearable was the friends I made in that class; everyone had their own opinion about the topic we were talking about, and listening to other perspectives really broadened my horizon and enriched my learning experience in Stuy. Another thing that this class has taught me is the importance of time management, a skill that I will carry on for the rest of my high school career and life. When I choose to sign up for Mr. Nieves’ AP American Literature class in my Junior Year, I was hoping to relive the discussion-based lesson plans and meet more outstanding peers. I was not disappointed, to say the least, reflecting through all the experiences at the end of the course. The lesson plans he laid out for us were an interesting mix between small lectures and class output, and what I
Students are required to take English all four years of high school to improve and develop skills for higher education. We read different types of literature to learn morals and explore new ideas. With writing assignments of résumés, formal letters, and essays, students establish a foundation for future responsibilities in college or a job field. Vocabulary expansion is woven throughout everyday tasks in the English classroom; word choice is crucial to our professional and educational futures. Accumulated writing and reading skills are used in preparation for standardized testing, such as the SAT and ACT. English class improves the confidence in students with reading, writing, and speaking skills. In four years of English, written literature greatly impacts one’s learning experience.
This English class was the best English class I have ever had. There were no tests, vocabulary quizzes, or in class essays, which made the class less stressful. Before this English class, I was afraid that I would not enjoy writing many essays or writing so many words in one paper. Afterwards, essays have become something that is not so much my favorite task in the world, but it has become more enjoyable to an extent. Professor Sullivan’s class has taught me to formally write a research paper, to analyze a book through responding to different quotes from the story or novel, to understand magical realism, and to understand my own passion for school and how much effort I will be willing to put out in years to come.
Fish’s piece reflects upon most of college-level English courses lacking in their focus on composition and the craft of writing (n.p.). Stanley Fish’s “What Should Colleges Teach?” makes a lackluster claim by having insufficient evidence to back said claim
One of the challenges high school seniors face is to choose whether to further their education or not. Many students choose to go on to college to get degrees or certificates, but many do not. College certainly is not for everyone. College is important though for people who want to obtain jobs that require getting a degree. I am a person who wants to get a career that requires a quality college education. I will experience many challenges and obstacles throughout my college education. I know taking a Composition and Rhetoric class will be one of these challenges. I am taking English 1101 because I have to in order to get my degree, because I want to get ahead, and because I expect to develop better writing and communication skills.
Having such a hard English class really opens student’s eyes to how easy they had it in the past years of their life. Many college students take several classes throughout the week. Therefore, it is going to be hard to keep up with all of them. Especially when it is hard enough to keep up with one. Students that are coming straight from high school are going to realize that the classes in college are harder than what they have been used to. They will finally understand why everyone in the past had told them that it was going to be so much different than high
Composition 1, also known as English 101 or FYC (First Year Composition) is an entry-level course taken by a majority of college students to introduce them to college-level reading and writing. FYC is a prerequisite course at many colleges and universities and therefore must be taken before students can enter into courses specific to their major. Though FYC serves as a bridge to college-level reading and writing many students and even some compositionists (those who teach writing in a college or university) do not see the relevancy of the course and instead view FYC as a course with very little applicability within the majors and future careers of college students. Others, including Nathalie Singh-Corcoran, believe FYC is a crucial prerequisite course that does teach skills crucial to the futures and lives of college students. In her essay, Composition as a Write of Passage, Nathalie Singh-Corcoran first, speaks to the purpose and overall goals of an FYC course before explaining how the skills learned in FYC can actually be applied to the majors and future careers of college students. From the very beginning of her article, Singh-Corcoran establishes a strong foundation from which she can reach her main audience, but, she fails to support her main points in the best possible way by a very sparse use of non-anecdotal or personal experience based evidence.
As a University of Tampa freshman, I would have never guessed how much progress I could have made as a writer in class FYW 100, taught by Professor Birnbaum. Coming out of high school from one of the most prestigious, well-known schools in the nation, gave me an ambiguous amount of certainty to receiving an A in her class. Before beginning my journey in college, Jesuit, which was a college preparatory high school, gave mandatory four-year English courses to every student. With that being said, there was no doubt of me coming into freshman year of college with high confidence in my English skills.
In recent years, the majority of students enrolled in dual credit classes at Carrizo Springs High School, specifically the English class, have shown that they are not prepared for the workload and expectations of this college level class. Consequently, many of these students end up dropping the course after the first semester and find themselves in overcrowded “regular” English classes. If these students had received proper preparation and instruction in writing prior to their senior year and enrollment in ENGL 1301 Composition and Rhetoric, they would have been more successful in dual credit English, upper division courses, and future careers.
Some future college students are born with a natural talent in the subject English. Which includes critical thinking, writing, and reading. While for others, possibly being mathematicians, English is and probably will never be their keen subject in life. Students find more passions in sciences, arts, and medical teachings which is not something to look down upon. Although, many students forget that English is still a huge part of all these subjects. Where ever these students go they will find the necessity to read something or to write something. That’s where college English comes in handy. College English prepares students for academic writing at a university level, and also for their careers when formal writing is required. Many students fear college English classes, but there are many ways to succeed in these college English classes. Looking over the articles Becoming an Active Learner by Skip Downing, Brianology by Carol S. Dweck, and The Right to Fail by Willliam Zinsser, these authors express their feelings on being able to succeed in life in a general view. Mainly taking education into consideration. Students should not be afraid of college English classes because their are many ways to succeed in them by establishing a growth mindset, creating an active learning pattern, and having a positive and mature attitude.
The audience screams encore! The crowd goes wild! The performance, located in the Chamber Theatre in Pittsburgh, was a great hit among all the people in attendance. This journey into the heart of Pittsburgh to see a collection of short stories by famous authors would be a fantastic opportunity and a great chance to learn about literature!
In today’s society, there is a stigma that one needs a college education to be successful. Due to these overwhelming societal pressures, college students encounter numerous challenges. Two authors who explore these challenges are William Zinsser in his article “College Pressures” and Eric Greiten in his book “The Heart and the Fist”. Both Zinsser and Greitens consider the everyday struggles that college students face. While discussing the same topics, the authors use different writing styles and techniques to illustrate the same idea.
To start, I chose this class because I knew that eventually I would need to complete it. What better time to do it, than right now? I had recently completed a math course this past semester, so I did not want to take another stressful class that I find to not be my strongest subject right after. My brother and some friends have mentioned that this course isn’t as bad as it is said to be. That is what pushed me to sign up and attempt to complete this course. Being a part time student and working full time is a lot to balance on ones plate. I have learned that from experience. I formally was a full time student and worked part time, but the roles tend to reverse once you find yourself struggling to pay bills. Seeing that this class isn’t as costly as a math course, and isn’t as time restraining either. This course will give me more time at work and more time to study. This sums up the reasons I chose to complete English 102.
I feel very fortunate to have been selected to participate in this program and educational opportunity, in which there were only 15 spots for my high school. Since junior year, I have been taking two classes at the community college, along with my high school classes at Dougherty Valley. This experience is extremely invaluable, and I firmly believe that it is positioning me to succeed in college because now I know how rigorous college courses are. At the start of my first semester in the program, my college freshman English professor proclaimed, “This class will be unlike any high school or college class you have taken. Much of what you learned involves unlearning.” Boy, he was not kidding! After countless sleepless nights and many stressful days, devoting the bulk of my time to reading pages and pages of literature and writing draft after draft of essays, I ultimately figured out what was necessary to succeed in his class. There were many times, when it seemed hopeless, to not only my classmates, but to me. But I would not give up, no matter how hopeless it seemed. To overcome a challenge, is not only about putting in the effort and properly managing the time, but also about asking for help when needed, being curious and engaged, and more importantly, believing that one is capable of overcoming any challenge at which one
When I first started college I did not know what to expect with an English class. I liked writing about topics that interested me, but high school did not allow me to do that. I took American History and we would have to write