Has anyone ever had to retake English Comp a second time?

LydiaNN · Dec 17, 2006

It's probably worth mentioning that there is a synergistic relationship between reading and writing skills. When you improve your writing skills -you improve your reading comprehension, and it's reciprocal. The ability to comprehend tedious college texts is critical in nursing school.
I think Commuter's post reminded me of this.

Good point. I really don't think you can underestimate the value of critical thinking skills, in nursing school and beyond. Learning to write well is one component of building those skills.

stpauligirl · Dec 18, 2006

i don't understand why that class is a pre-req for nursing...i think that is stupid. [/size][/b]

:smokin: are you smoking' dope?

CuriousMe · Dec 18, 2006

Are you smoking' dope?

Well that was sure a well thought out and tactful reply. Way to add to the conversation.

rn/writer, RN · Dec 18, 2006

As you might deduce from my screen name, I am very much in favor of professional people in any field being able to express themselves well via the written word.

No matter what skill level you possess in your chosen discipline, your career trajectory will be influenced by the way you speak and write. Nurses, engineers, business executives, teachers (how sad is this!), and others in professional positions have found that no matter how well-educated and experienced they become in their field, their chances for promotion and recognition can be severely hampered by limited writing and speaking ability.

Writing and speaking well instill confidence and invite respect.

Think of communication skills as a social necessity. Imagine having a thought-provoking and productive meeting with someone in your career field, then going out to dinner with them afterward and discovering that their table manners are atrocious. You might still like them as a person, but you'd think twice about their potential for advancement.

Rhythm and beauty inhabit a well-constructed sentence. In addition, being precise and articulate in the expression of your thoughts requires you to develop persistence and organize your thinking. Useful practices in any career choice.

lady_db_programmer · Dec 18, 2006

lol well you really brought out a good point as I actually thought the poster meant to take the class a 3rd time.
on that note I am a student who got a C in english comp 101 a million years ago (ok 20) I also took several other englishes after comp 102 and some lit courses. I am a fantastic reader but my grammer is terrible my spelling is also really bad. I grew up with a learning disability and pretty much got shuffled to the side and not taught the samethings my peers were, so I really struggled for a while in college. I ended up Getting an A in comp 2 also 20 years ago so I passed my english pre req. However I am thinking in the fall while I am waiting to get into nursing school I would like to take English again but worried about it messing up my GPA if by chance I didn't get an A. I was actually thinking of taking something more remedial then 101 even. Is there a way to take a course and not have it on your transcript?

Yes. Talk to the professor about auditing the class. You won't get credit, but it won't affect your GPA either. I audited Italian in college but never received credit for it. Didn't want it; I just wanted to learn.

To the OP:

English Comp is required for almost every undergraduate degree in the country. It may be hard to see how the content of the course is applicable to a nursing (or engineering or other) degree, but the skills you acquire are necessary to complete a degree. If you cannot pass freshman English, you will likely have some trouble finishing a degree because upper division classes require a level of reading/writing ability beyond that acquired in freshman English Comp. You need to talk to your professor and examine why you did poorly in this class, and discuss with him ways to improve your performance next time. Don't aim for a C, either. Aim for an A.

cad4296 · Dec 18, 2006

I had to retake it because I have a D on my transcript. Even worse, it was a mistake on my transcript that I tried to get fixed for 3 years with no results so finally gave up and retook it. I took this class as dual credit in high school and I have a B on my high school transcipt for the same exact class, but can't seem to find anyone at the college with half a brain to fix it. They kept telling me the instructor has to fix it but she's been long gone! I've always been great at English and writing and I actually had a poem published when I was in 7th grade, have always been in honors english classes, yet still had to retake this class for someone else's mistake. The instructor was a nightmare! She had a completely arbitrary system of grading (basically if you didn't agree with her opinion you got a lousy grade!) But I just retook it, got an A in the class, and thoroughly enjoyed the teacher. He gave us so much freedom in our writing I actually enjoyed writing again. It really sucks having to retake a class, but there isn't much you can do about it. I think alot of the classes we have to take are pointless, but they are required. I seriously doubt art appriciation will ever help me in anything, other than learning some basic crap about a subject that completely bores me! I also hated history and memorized enough for the tests, but it was a requirement. What can you do?!

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 19, 2006

I was disappointed with my writing course. We spent very little time on the mechanics or skills of writing. Class consisted of reading a poem, listening to an analysis by the prof, and then writing up his analysis, paragraph by paragraph. He gave us no opportunity to contemplate the poem on our own and extract our own meaning; he read the poem, interpreted it, and then told us exactly what to write. Yes, I'm getting an A in the class, because I will do whatever the heck I need to do to keep my GPA up for nursing school, but I do not think the class contributed anything to my ability to think critically or evaluate what I read. Also the professor just loved long rambling essays and all my life I've been training myself to write clearly and concisely.

IaCountryGirl · Dec 19, 2006

To me, Comp is basically preparing you to be a well rounded person when you graduate. Just like all the other gen ed classes. Comp is not a prereq at my school, but you do have to take it before you can get your degree. I have already taken it and passed with an A but I do agree with the person that said its a pain in the neck class.

My instructor really got our thinking skills going. We had to clear all topics with him before writing AND he made an detailed list of topics he would flat out refuse (Those happened to be all the easy no brainer ones. I found it sad he also had to add for our profile papers that he would not accept a paper written about our living rooms or backyard so someone must have tried it!)

Nurses may or may not write complete sentences in patient charts but they are still professionals and there will be a day that we have to write more then just a few incomplete sentences.

noBS N · Dec 23, 2006

As you might deduce from my screen name, I am very much in favor of professional people in any field being able to express themselves well via the written word.
No matter what skill level you possess in your chosen discipline, your career trajectory will be influenced by the way you speak and write. Nurses, engineers, business executives, teachers (how sad is this!), and others in professional positions have found that no matter how well-educated and experienced they become in their field, their chances for promotion and recognition can be severely hampered by limited writing and speaking ability.
Writing and speaking well instill confidence and invite respect.
Think of communication skills as a social necessity. Imagine having a thought-provoking and productive meeting with someone in your career field, then going out to dinner with them afterward and discovering that their table manners are atrocious. You might still like them as a person, but you'd think twice about their potential for advancement.
Rhythm and beauty inhabit a well-constructed sentence. In addition, being precise and articulate in the expression of your thoughts requires you to develop persistence and organize your thinking. Useful practices in any career choice.

Oh, my God! Will everyone on this forum please take the time out to pray for me, b/c I hate writing(I'd rather tell you what I have to say), I'm not a sociable person (extremely shy), and let's just say when I haven't eaten all day I tend to pig out during dinner. Thank God for your ability to write well. You have a huge advantage over the rest of us. Well you and morning people. The world revolves around you guys. LOL!