English 113 Welcome to college

December 19, 2016

Dear Springfield college's students,

I hope that this letter helps you to better understand the struggle it has been to become who I am today. I am enlightened! Yes, look up that word if you don’t know what it means. Young Mohammed, you will travel a path that includes peaks and valleys however, trust me on this one, you will fare better if you just continue.

Writing 113 will lead you along that road and as you travel you will gather information to better prepare you for the future past today. Think about this. Remember whenever someone would ask you a question about how you feel or how something was and your response was usually ‘good’? Guess what is going to happen. You will learn about synonyms and antonyms that will provide you with an improved understanding of the English language. Your vocabulary will improve as will the way you write and your understanding on having a writing focus.

Writing will no longer just be putting words on paper. You will focus on your audience, your purpose for writing, and your topic, just to name a few. In this class, you will also have the opportunity to work with your peers learning how to edit and give and receive constructive criticism. It’s amazing. Just imagine, you write something with a set focus, your peer reads it, you take into consideration what they think, make revisions then hand in a paper. Right now you probably have no idea what I am talking about. Believe me, you will learn and you will appreciate it. Revisions can seem wasteful (at first) but once you do it a couple of times, you will understand why it is necessary. So don’t cheat yourself, try your best and you will see the results that I have experienced.

You will find out that writing is not a hard feat (notice that new word) but something that can be successfully accomplished given the right instructions and support. Everything in writing comes down to a plan – What do you want to say? What stand do you want to take? Who are the readers? What is the topic or purpose of the writing? What format does it need to be? Answering these questions can only help you to become greater so don’t fret if you have to revise. At first it may seem frustrating but after you see the results and how it improves your writing you will be glad you did. Like I said before, working in groups and working with your peers is one of the best ways that you can get instant feedback and understanding on how to improve your writing. This was one of my favorite activities. Also having topics that appeal to you will be easier to write about. My favorite essay will be the should college athletes be paid. You will enjoy this because it your international problem.

The hardest part will be understanding the language and all the words that can mean something different depending on how you use it. You know that there is a language barrier and you will at first feel reluctant to participate in class or to even attempt writing. These are some questions that may run through your mind: Why am I taking this class? What happens if I am not successful? Yes, you will have some fear of failure but my advice is to continue. You will soon find out that Professor Casey Hayman is willing to work with you. He will ask you regularly if you understand or if you need any help. Open up to him and he will be there to guide you. He will not ridicule you in any way. This class will make a difference in your life – not just in academics but also when you are communicating with your family and relatives. I can guarantee you that they will recognize a difference in your writing as well. Well, Mohammed, I hope that my advice has not fallen on deaf ears. Keep an open mind and you will be as successful as I have become.

Mohammed.

Welcome to the Pride

Sarah Roulier

College writing II

Professor Hayman

December 19, 2016

Future Springfield College Students

 Dear Incoming First year students,

                              Welcome to the Springfield College family! When I say family I mean we all act like one big family here. You probably can already tell by what you have experienced during NSO but trust me it only gets better. I have some vital information and advice for you to make your transition into first semester a little better.

 I know you might want to focus on schoolwork or you just may want to isolate yourself from others but try to make an effort to get to know the people on your floor. My floor is literally this little family of misfits but we all love each other. In general try to make as many friends in the building as you can because you might need to borrow something from them someday. It is also important that you try to get along with your roommate. For some of you this may be your first time living with a roommate and you may not know what to expect. If you just respect what they want and respect their space you will be just fine.

Next, Get as involved as you can on campus. Clubs are really fun here on campus. I am on the Campus Activities Board and let me tell you, it is pretty lit. We plan all some of the events here on campus and it is one of my favorite clubs to go to.

I also have advice for college writing. Yes, it is all essays but trust me it is not that bad. Just keep up with your work and don't fall asleep in class.
Now for some general advice. Save your money as much as you can, you might need it for dominos one night. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! It is my biggest problem and it is not fun so please try to not do it. Cheney the dining hall is pretty bad on weekends you may want to invest in some ramen noodles.

All in all just be yourself and you will fit in just fine here at Springfield College,we are excited to have you here!

Dear Fresh Meat

Dear Freshmen,

        College is such an exciting point of your life but careful it can tend to be very overwhelming- while one chapter is ending a new one is just beginning. Leaving home is difficult and adjusting to college may happen be easier for others than some but it eventually happens. When they say that college is different from high school it’s true, believe me on this one. You’re on your own, your parents don’t make decisions for you anymore you’re responsible for your actions and staying on top of your school work. Prepare to know the pizza people by their first names, going to bed at 1 a.m. is considered early, and naps are your friend.

    If you’re someone like me who absolutely hates writing any kind of paper or english class in general, here’s some advice: do not procrastinate. Writing has never come easy to me and I dread writing papers more than anything, more than math. Why did I come into college thinking it would get better? I can’t tell you. It’s not in any way, shape, or form. So do what I didn’t first semester, if there’s a class you’re struggling with make goals for yourself and try extra hard in that class. You’ll feel so much more satisfied getting a good grade in that class knowing you tried so hard to earn that grade. Doing this will save you many sleepless nights staying up the night before working on the assignment due in a matter of hours. Reflecting on my first semester of college writing I regret not trying harder, I know I was going to struggle but more effort could have really made a difference in my grade. So go to class, get your work done early, and write the paper instead of taking that nap. Here’s to a good first semester, good luck fresh meat.

    Sincerely,

        A current freshman

You got it!

Dear incoming Springfield College freshman,

As you enter your first semester of your college careers you may be nervous, excited or a little mix of both. You are going to be starting a chapter in your life and this one is going to be very different from your previous experiences. There will be new people, responsibilities and opportunities to excel in your desired field of work. One of the classes you will have to take is college writing. College writing is a class that explores written communication, sentence structure, paragraph building and the development and organization of essays. The skills you are about to learn are going to help you in the future as your pursue goals in athletic training, physical therapy and any other areas of work. As a student who has completed the first semester of college writing I can give you advice on how to tackle the college writing class. There are going to be assigned readings that you may have to respond to, or talk about in class. Do them! It is also important to go to class. Even if you already know what you want to write about and know when the paper is due, you still need to go. In class is where you gain a lot of tools that will assist you in completing your final drafts. Doing things last minute can seem like the way to go, but it is better to get things done ahead of time. Do not wait till last minute because that can cause you to be really stressed. It is really important as a developing writer to try and experiment with new things. Do not be afraid to change it up som

etimes! I learned the most about my writing skills when I took different approaches in constructing my drafts. They may not always work, but it will help you expand your skills as a writer.

In the class you may experience some challenges. A few challenges I faced in the class was writing to different audiences, having to write a piece without your opinion, having to write a piece against your opinion and having to write things that are new to you all together. domestic violence is. You will get through these challenges with the support of your teachers and by using your resources! College may seem scary, but you will get through it. Keep your head up and always try your best.

Just Keeping It Real

To All Incoming Freshmen

Before coming into college, I had people telling me a lot of different opinions of college. Most said it was the best time of their life. About half of them said the work was not hard because they were learning about information they are interested in. The other half said the work was difficult because of the amount of work and time management. Now that I am finishing up with my first semester of college I am realizing it is a mix of both. There is a lot of work that you are responsible to complete, but it is usually something you are interested in.

The key to being successful in college is definitely time management. With the amount of work that you receive at college, it is important to stay on top of everything. I am not going to sit here and tell you the basic, boring info such as: use a schedule, buy a calendar, etc… Those tips are useful, but I am sure you have already heard all of that before. I am here to tell you how it is, in a more laid back, realistic point of view.

I played sports throughout high school, so I knew how to manage my time for school work and practice. I do not play a sport in college, so I have a lot of free time. There are events almost every day for the students to attend and socialize at. There is the field-house and the wellness center for students to play basketball, walk/run the track, or lift weights. The catch is knowing when to use your time for fun and for work. I know sometimes I forgot I had an assignment or two after I got back from bingo and it was late at night. So it is just important to know how to use your time efficiently.

Coming into college, I never really wrote multiple drafts of papers. I usually just changed a few sentences in the original copy and called the new product a “final draft”. But now that I am nearing the end of my first semester of college, I realized how different writing assignments are. I had to write rough drafts and they seemed really good and could possibly be a final copy, but after doing in class peer reviews, I discovered errors and better ways to write the papers. At first, I hated the whole process of revising my work, but now I appreciate it.

My first semester in College Writing was how I expected it. Knowing I am not a strong writer, I did not expect great grades, but I knew I would not do terrible. I had a rough start with the first assignment. But as the semester went on, I began to write better. I can definitely write even better if I give myself enough time to write a well written paper. I usually hold off on assignments until a couple days before they are due. But overall, the first semester was not that bad. Everyone stresses how crazy college work is, but as long as you stay on top of it, you should be just fine.

Don't judge a book by its cover, literally

Coming in as a freshman I didn’t really know what to expect out of college writing and I wasn’t sure what exactly we would be doing in a college english class. As we went along I really felt my writing was improving. In high school I never focused on the audience and how to specifically shape my argument to address a specific audience. This was something I had never really thought about focusing and working on before and it was sort of a subconscious improvement throughout the class. I didn’t know at the time that I was really focusing on that and really working on shaping my essay until I was working on editing my drafts and I felt the paper was really addressing the group of people I was trying to get my point across to. My advice to incoming freshman is to not be against college writing and actually try to work on your writing. I think most freshman think of it as their “easy class” and that it will be the one you won’t really have to work for, but in reality just as i have come to learn, throughout your major, no matter what it is, writing will never go away. So if you are given the chance to work on your writing and to continue improving it, take the opportunity because you will be thankful.  

Fun Stuff

Mike Carucci

There are many things that I learned this semester in college writing. When I first came into the class, I was unsure about what type of writing that we would be doing. I thought maybe it would be related to my major but, it wasn’t. It was many different writing styles and it has allowed me to improve my writing skills. I can now write in any form and that is a positive, because you never know when you will have to use it in your life or at your future job. It can get stressful at times trying to figure out how how to words your sentences because you might not be used to a certain writing style but that is ok because you are in the process of learning about it.

Many people who were already in college told me that it was difficult because of all the work that you will get and all the time that you will miss sleeping. Since I have been here I have noticed that you don’t lose sleep if you manage your time well and you don’t procrastinate then you will be ok. Many students like to wait till the last minute to start all their assignments and that is the reason why they are stressing out because they have to pull an all nighter just to finish the assignment. It might not be good quality but all that they care about is if it is done and ready to be turned in.

Before coming to school, I never really edited my papers like I have to do now. I always added a little more then changed a few sentences to make it my final draft. Now that I know that I know that I have to do more than that in order to earn a new grade. It might be more work but it is worth it at the end of the day because you will receive a good grade on the assignment rather than a low grade which you might have deserved.