Are You Ready for College Writing?

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Students entering Northeastern sometimes find that they do not do as well in their first-year writing course as they would have liked. There are many possible reasons for this. Sometimes they come to Northeastern without having been taught to write critically - to write in the way that students are asked to write on the Writing Programs' placement exam, for example. In other cases, students have not had enough writing instruction and practice in high school to enable them to perform at the level expected of students in their first year of college - a level more challenging than what is usually demanded of students in American high schools.

Sometimes students, regardless of their status as American citizens or as international students, just need more time to develop the strategies necessary for writing and reading in American colleges and universities. We have courses designed to give such students the time that they need.

Check any of the following statements about attitudes toward and experiences with writing and reading that may apply to you:

I don't do much reading in English on my own for fun.

Most of the time when I read in English, I read to extract information.

When I have reading assignments in English in school, I find it hard to summarize what they say.

English vocabulary is often a problem when I read.

I don't think of myself as a good reader in English.

I was not given many writing assignments in English before college.

I try to avoid writing in English in school.

When I write in English in school, I need a lot of help with my grammar and spelling.

Most of the time when I write in English in school, I have trouble meeting the required page length.

Most of the time when I write in English in school, I know what I want to say but have a hard time putting it into words.

I have some sense of what counts as good writing in my first or home language, but am not sure what counts for Americans whose first language is English.

I don't think of myself as a good writer in English.

If you checked at least three statements as applying to you, perhaps you should consider taking our for-credit ESOL courses that are designed to help students focus on the conventions of writing for American audiences and on English grammar.

Students can satisfy the first-year writing requirement by successfully completing ENG 101 and ENG 102, a sequence that we call the "stretch" version of ENG 102, College Writing for Speakers of Other Languages. Students can also satisfy the requirement by taking either ENG 102 or ENG 111.

You have some options with respect to your first-year writing course:

• Talk to your advisor about your concerns about your writing. Ask him or her to read this page when you meet.
• Look at some sample essays written in ENG 111 in order to get an idea of the level of work expected. If, after looking at the sample essays, you decide that you would be better off taking a course designed exclusively for non-native speakers, see your advisor and/or Ms. Linda Collins (li.collins@neu.edu) in the Department of English, who can register you for the appropriate course.
• Take a placement exam. The Director of the Writing Programs will read your exam and advise which course may be best for you.
• Stay in ENG 111. Your instructor will get a writing sample from you in the first few days, and on the basis of that, and after consultation with the Director of the Writing Programs, you may be directed to take ENG 101 or ENG 102. In the event you remain in ENG 111, the instructor may ask you to attend a weekly Writing Studio in the Writing Center to get additional help. Or you can go to the Writing Center on your own. You may pass the course with this extra help. However, keep our grading policy in mind. You must receive a grade of C or better in order to pass (A grade of C or better in a required writing course is necessary for graduation). If your work in ENG 111 is not up to the level of C, you will receive a U grade (which does not affect your QPA), and you must either repeat the course or take ENG 101 or 102, or both. A U grade indicates that a student has made an effort and has met all the requirements as specified, but is not writing at a C level or above. In effect, the U grade is a kind of safety net, allowing a student more time to work on her or his writing.