Eastern Michigan University | Guided Self-Placement for First-year Writing

First-year Writing Program :: Fast Track :: Department of English Language and Literature

Which First-year Writing course is right for me?

Important: For the 2015-2016 academic year, the Guided Self-Placement process is available in the Fast Track registration system. You can use this form to learn more about what you will be asked, but for the recommendation to be official and available to advisers, please complete the Guided Self-Placement process inside of the Fast Track registration system.

Eastern Michigan University offers two writing courses designed for first-year college students. WRTG120: Composition I: Writing the College Experience introduces key principles in writing and rhetoric. The class assures students begin college with guidance and support in the development of substantial writing projects, and it both reinforces and builds upon strategies for effective communication primed in many high schools. WRTG121: Composition II: Researching the Public Experience expands upon WRTG120: Composition I to focus on research-based academic writing, citation and source use, multimodal considerations, and ongoing revision and reflection. WRTG121 is a required General Education course in Area I: Effective Communication because many upper division courses at the university expect students to demonstrate independence, competence, and confidence with writing as they carry out the habits and practices they will have gained experience with in this first-year course. The two courses are tightly integrated, with WRTG121: Composition II building upon the foundation initiated in WRTG120: Composition I. To learn more about these courses, visit http://www.emich.edu/english/fywp/outcomes.php.

The decision about which course to take in your first semester at EMU should be made with care, in consultation with an academic advisor. Above all, we want you to have a strong start in college and to be well-prepared for the writing you will be asked to do throughout your time at the university. As such, choosing WRTG120 or WRTG121 ought to take into consideration 1) your experience and success with writing in high school or over the past four years, 2) your high school GPA and ACT score, and 3) your identification with descriptive statements in the Guided-self Placement Survey below. Please choose a response in each row of the survey below. All nine items must be completed. When you are finished, click "Submit" at the end of the survey, and the survey will return a recommendation for WRTG120 or WRG121 informed by your responses. The recommendation is based on the expertise of First-year Writing faculty at EMU. If you would like to begin again, click "Reset." After you complete and submit the form, you should make note of the recommendation, and share it with the academic advisor you see when you visit campus during Fast Track.

Dr. Derek Mueller
Associate Professor of Written Communication
Director of the First-year Writing Program
derek.mueller@emich.edu

Dr. Kate Pantelides
Assistant Professor of Written Communication
Associate Director of the First-year Writing Program
kpanteli@emich.edu

First-year Writing Guided Self-Placement Survey
Select the item in each row that best describes you.
I do not consider myself to be a strong writer or reader.	I consider myself to be a strong writer and reader.
I am not comfortable with my ability to choose and use appropriate language for different kinds of writing.	I am very comfortable with my ability to choose and use appropriate language for different kinds of writing.
Teachers have suggested I need to improve my writing.	Teachers have not suggested I need to improve my writing.
I rarely write and revise for myself.	I regularly write and revise for myself.
I struggle to complete work on time.	I always complete work on time.
I am not very comfortable writing and reading for school-related assignments.	I am very comfortable writing and reading for school-related assignments.
I rarely read challenging non-fiction texts and use them in my writing.	I often read challenging non-fiction texts and use them in my writing.
I have written and revised three or fewer essays of 5+ pages every year for the past four years.	I have written and revised four or more essays of 5+ pages every year for the last four years.
I do not enjoy learning new things and have to work hard to do so.	I enjoy learning new things and feel I can do so quickly.

Which First-year Writing course is right for me?

First-year Writing Guided Self-Placement Survey