As Bart Simpson once wrote on the chalkboard during detention, "Grammar is not a time of waste." Neither, for that matter, is the one class that almost every first-year student in every American college and university will be required to take this fall.
That's right--freshman composition, also known as college composition or English 101.
If you happen to be one of those entering freshmen, you might be wondering why, after all these years, you should have to take yet another English class. Obviously you know how to read and write. You probably have no intention of majoring in literature or creative writing. And you may think that English has little to do with the rest of your life.
Well, as Bart would say, if that's what you're thinking, "you're thinking wrong." Here are four good reasons to take freshman composition seriously:
- Your English 101 course will help prepare you for college-level reading and writing assignments. Success in college depends largely on how well you can read, comprehend, and recall sophisticated texts (in any discipline) and on how effectively you can communicate that knowledge in writing.
- Both in college and at work, you'll be called on to write--in different formats for a wide range of audiences and for a variety of purposes. Your English 101 course will help you become a more flexible writer, attentive to the needs of all your readers.
- Although studying literature should be enjoyable and intellectually challenging, the purpose of freshman composition isn't to convert you into an English major or train you to be a creative writer. It's to help you develop the critical thinking skills required of every major: identifying problems, exploring new ideas, discovering fresh solutions, and communicating those discoveries to others.
- Finally, English 101 should be one of the most rewarding courses in your college life. Learning to express yourself more clearly, confidently, and persuasively will help you long after you have earned your A in the class.
For advice on how to earn that A, visit Seven Secrets to Success in English 101.
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Comments
Another benefit that has the potential to become priceless in certain conditions is reserved for the person, or those, who goes on to get the highest grade: that fellow can continue to make bold statements about one’s abilities as and when needed.