English Composition vs. Freshman Composition

[n_runner]

Hey everybody, it's my first post on the site, and I can't wait to dig into the wealth of information here!

I've been searching the forums for a little while, but I haven't found anything quite like what I'm looking for. If I ask something that's already been answered before, feel free to link me to that thread.

I'm trying to decide whether to take English Composition or Freshman Composition. Which of the two is more popular, or more often required by colleges? And do most colleges/institutions require the essay version of the tests, rather than the all multiple choice version? Also, is the material covered pretty much the same between the two tests? (I.e. would I be able to study for English Comp. by using REA's Freshman Comp book?)

Finally, any resources or study materials (preferably free) that can be recommended are greatly appreciated!

[94steve]

English Comp w/ essay is generally the more popular one. Check with your institution about that before you sign up. This question is 100% specific to your college.

The "syllabus" is slightly different for each exam:

CLEP: Freshman College Composition

CLEP: English Composition

IMHO, writing is writing. The rules regarding grammar and style shouldn't change regardless of which test you take.

Now, on to study tips. The multiple guess portion of the test is more than adequately addressed y a certain tome of ancient wisdom entitled "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. It sells for an MSRP of $15.95 and rumor has it that a free copy of an early draft of Strunk's original text is floating around on Guttenburg somewhere. Read it, Apply it, Read it, Apply it ad nauseum until you get it. That book is terrific and once it is pounded into your skull sufficiently you'll notice that your multiple guess practice test scores rise markedly and that sentences that once appeared error free or murky now stand out clearly as to their correctness or incorrectness.

The essay is a totally different animal. You'll be asked to disagree or agree with a topic and given 45 minutes to write an essay supporting your agreement or disagreement. For example "Affirmative action is no longer needed to address racial and gender inequality in the workplace." Take the left wing side as you always have to write to your audience, in this case college professors who trend toward the left side of the political spectrum. (See CNN.com Election 2004)

Make up your mind quick, almost instantaniously. You need all 45 minutes to plan and write this mother. Stick with the traditional tried and true opening-detail-detail-detail-closing 5 graph format. Now is not the time to get cute with structure when you're under the gun. Then pick 3 details in support of your agree/disagree. In this case we've decided to disagree, as that is the position of the left. Our details are going to be that women and minorities still face a glass ceiling when it comes to attaining high ranking positions in business and government, that the case of that Harvard professor guy demonstrates that minorities still face discrimination in America, and that bias in promotion tests continues to keep minorities out of leadership roles in civil service institutions such as the FDNY. Then we must draft a thesis to state our case. "One cannot expect less than half a century of civil rights progress to undo eons of discrimination against women and minorities" should do just fine.

From there all you have to do is get typ'in, keeping in mind proper style, tone, and of course spelling and grammar. Count on having maybe a minute or two after the concluding graph to make revisions so practice getting it right the first time under test conditions. This is exactly what I did and if the college board ever gets around to grading my essay I will kindly let all of you know if I am on the right track. ;-)

[Chebasaz]

I've taken both (was bored) and I thought the material/difficulty was about the same.

I always recommend taking the A&I Lit exam first, since the same skills you study for for that are used on the other two (that and it's an easy six credits).

[94steve]

Oh, and along the same lines as what Chebasaz said, knock out DSST Tech Writing while your there. Same stuff, different test.

[n_runner]

Thanks guys...FWIW, I've already taken (and passed with flying colors) the A&I exam.

Would I be able to skip the political correctness on the essay if I had Thomas Edison grade it instead of CLEP? (And could I take the Thomas Edison score to a different college, or is that grade only good if I enrolled with Edison?)

[94steve]

Thanks guys...FWIW, I've already taken (and passed with flying colors) the A&I exam.

Would I be able to skip the political correctness on the essay if I had Thomas Edison grade it instead of CLEP? (And could I take the Thomas Edison score to a different college, or is that grade only good if I enrolled with Edison?)

Do so at your own peril. Others on the forum have reported lower scores after writing from other than the left. This could be because of an otherwise weak essay and have nothing to do with the point of view expressed. It could be because the grader is a communist. We shall never know. I say play it safe but that's just me.

[n_runner]

But is that the case just with CLEP doing the grading, or even with Thomas Edison?

[94steve]

Eh, I don't know for sure. What I do know is Thomas Edison employs professors and I don't see any reason why those professors would be any more likely to be on the right side of the political spectrum than professors elsewhere.

Think of it as an acting assignment. You'll be living out your very own hollywood dream ;-)

[n_runner]

OK...I didn't know if Thomas Edison was a little more conservative/Christian than others...(but I just found out about them, so I wouldn't know.)

[SIZE="1"]BTW, your Hollywood analogy doesn't really ring with me; my dream is to be an independent Christian filmmaker, so Hollywood is the last place I would want to go.[/SIZE]

[94steve]

They're a state run school in the conservative bastion known as the People's Republic of New Jersey, my home state.