Least painful English Composition for TESC??

[CollegeKid]

Does anyone have advice for the least painful route to fulfill the TESC English Comp requirement for GenEd? I know the cheapest/quickest is probably the 6 credit CLEP that wipes it out in one test. But I'm looking for an option that doesn't require writing under pressure. I've heard Straighterline is a possibility. Any other options for the non-writer? Thanks!

[laughter]

Does anyone have advice for the least painful route to fulfill the TESC English Comp requirement for GenEd? I know the cheapest/quickest is probably the 6 credit CLEP that wipes it out in one test. But I'm looking for an option that doesn't require writing under pressure. I've heard Straighterline is a possibility. Any other options for the non-writer? Thanks!

Or you could try Coopersmith Career Consulting... it'd be more pricey than the SL version though.

[Kaskadian]

Does anyone have advice for the least painful route to fulfill the TESC English Comp requirement for GenEd? I know the cheapest/quickest is probably the 6 credit CLEP that wipes it out in one test. But I'm looking for an option that doesn't require writing under pressure. I've heard Straighterline is a possibility. Any other options for the non-writer? Thanks!

I took the CLEP English Comp and honestly it's pretty easy even if you're not a writer. I'm sorry that I don't have more experience with other methods, but I don't think you'd have a lot of trouble with the CLEP.

[CollegeKid]

Or you could try Coopersmith Career Consulting... it'd be more pricey than the SL version though.

That's interesting. I looked at their website but it showed nothing under fees. Do you know how much it is?

[DrJohn]

Not to be mean-spirited here, but if you know your writing ability is lacking, why not simply take the time to learn to write at the college level? Yes, it takes longer to learn to write properly, but the benefits throughout life are well worth the effort you put in now. Stop trying to take the easy way out, just take the time to practice writing and master your weakness. In the end, you'll be better off for it.

My second piece of advise, just go take the College Comp CLEP exam, worse case you fail....but then you know what your weakness is and where it is the greatest. That knowledge is worth the price. You never know, you may surprise yourself and pass the exam.

[laughter]

That's interesting. I looked at their website but it showed nothing under fees. Do you know how much it is?

Here you go Costs - Torah College Credits TCC and Coopersmith are the same.

[cookderosa]

Does anyone have advice for the least painful route to fulfill the TESC English Comp requirement for GenEd? I know the cheapest/quickest is probably the 6 credit CLEP that wipes it out in one test. But I'm looking for an option that doesn't require writing under pressure. I've heard Straighterline is a possibility. Any other options for the non-writer? Thanks!

I think English 101 and English 102 are important enough to take as classes. My oldest did SL for developmental first, but then I opted not to have him use them for Eng101/102 because I wasn't really in love with how they "help" you develop. For instance, you don't have 1 mentor, you have a bank of graders. He literally got told opposite suggestions during a paper he had to write. The first one told him to do X, so he changed it, when that draft was turned in, the second guy told him to do Y which was EXACTLY what he had. Seriously. This was a mess. So, I sent him to our community college for English 101 and 102. Having one consistent instructor was so much better for him. He had a bit of writing anxiety anyway, and the thing about classroom work, is that you usually have a bit of time. In our home, he was in high school doing it as dual enrollment, so I could have offered him some help- but instead I was 100% hands off, and in my opinion, those 2 classes really changed how he viewed writing and has more confidence, which will be important later when non-English classes assign papers and such. Just a thought.

[Prloko]

I agree with Dr John and cookderosa. Engish Comp is always the first courses taken in college for a reason. They are the foundation for writing throughtout your college career and beyond. CLEP English ONLY if you are 100 percent competent.

[cookderosa]

I agree with Dr John and cookderosa. Engish Comp is always the first courses taken in college for a reason. They are the foundation for writing throughtout your college career and beyond. CLEP English ONLY if you are 100 percent competent.

...and if you're old. LOL
Seriously, those of us middle-agers with 20 years in our career probably won't get the same return on investment that a young person will. When I studied for the CLEP, I spent some time thinking about whether or not I needed to use the semicolon more. It's such a nice little punctuation mark, and I didn't give it much attention.... naw. Next.
But, a young person has YEARS ahead of them that require written communication skills, so small improvements make the trajectory HUGE. Really marinating in the ability to write and edit a good strong sentence, make a powerpoint presentation, research a topic, draft a proposal, write a resume, write a memo, etc. College really is the time to learn those things. Us adults have probably made enough there, their and they're mistakes by now that we either know the difference or have been laughed at by our colleagues.

[dfrecore]

I agree with Cookderosa. I am going to test out of English Comp II, because I'm old! But, with my kids, I will definitely have them take English Comp at their community college early on in the process.

Going into a college setting (even online) and having a competent teacher who will not only help you with the basics like grammar and punctuation, but also outlining, choice of subject matter, forming more complex sentences - all in a mentoring-type of situation is worth the time. I took English Comp I at my local CC 100 years ago. I definitely felt like a more competent writer after that, and when I took upper level management courses later on and had to write a lot of papers, I earned A's & B's on all of them. I attribute much of it to my English Comp I course.

BTW - I did not find it painful to take the course, and I do not love writing. It was actually fairly easy. What I did find painful was the incredibly slow pace of the 18-week semester format, which is why I dropped out all those years ago! Pure torture.