Value of First Year Composition Courses by SG

First year College Composition Courses are usually stepping stones to help you become a person who knows the basics to write well. Most Students now and days either dont go to school enough or were not taught correctly how to write for a college course and many fail their first writing courses. The first year course is used to teach you how to write mostly essays correctly, like argumentative and informational essays using info or readings to support your points and or argument. It is also used to correct any bad habits from lack of high school  training with grammar, and punctuation and so forth. Also the first year lets you know what kind of writer you are if not already known, you write a array of papers from nature to medical if chosen.

This semester i just went through was alot better than the first course i had taken, for me i learned what kind of writer i am. along with my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Not surprisingly i realized i am a informational writer based on info i can make a point and explain it well, along with being able to get my point across. my best papers were analyzing stories, essays, and opinions and breaking down their meanings. along with argumentative essays i find to be a strength.

But this Class also pointed out my weaknesses, for me i learned my grammar and form of writing was very faulty. it could be due to high school not preparing me but regardless those are large weak points. Also i have found i am not a creative writer, i cannot do poetry and nature writings with lots of descriptions and personifications my imagination does not allow it. I believe to be a realist and reality is were i do my best work. the class overall was a challenge but as well as enjoyable. i was able to enjoy most of the writing assigned and understand what needed to be done. but there is no mistake the course gives a challenge if your are not prepared.

Value of Research In a First Year College Writing Class by SG

Most First year writing courses are main focused to fine tune what you have learned or havent learned in your high school years. Most kids come into college with less knowledge then needed which makes these classes that much harder. I know for me in my first year i was constantly struggling to keep up because high-school didn't prepare me what so ever. I was lacking in the basics of format for writing papers and the correct ways to cite and research topics to get the most information out of them as possible. Most first year writing courses are set on narrative or compare and contrast writing along with argumentative writings, so you need to know how to research correctly. The significance of knowing how to research and find what you need in a timely and correct manner can mean the difference between a letter grade. Most assignments will call for you to research the topic, and knowing how to work databases and the internet for safe sites is important even after college, in all job fields at some point in you life you will need to know how to properly research anything. And knowing how to do it in college for a class just makes it better all material you need for that class will most likely be researched in a library or some internet form. research can also help you in the format of your writings and so forth, there are sites that allow you to correctly use the write form of writing or help you cite that you can use for help as well. so i believe that research is the key to first level writing classes because thats when you learn the basics to becoming a good writer for whatever reason you may use it, knowing to research can give you a huge advantage in the course. And if you have a hard time with research or knowing how to use research tools its a good idea to practice.

Change in the SAT or ACT college qualifier tests by SG

As a second year college student a few years ago i had the pleasure of taking the SAT. A test that is supposed to tell colleges how we will perform academically once we reach there or sometime the test that will get us into a college.  i took the test my senior year around September and i had a average score around 1500 and was lucky enough to only have to take it once. when i took it i felt the test was difficult in some areas but i felt prepared, in school we prepared for the SAT and ACT since 8th grade. but the only problem is most of the material on the test did not translate to college, a lot of it was never used. it grades you on material that wont be used at a college level or that can give signs to how you will do at the college level. before and during the test i was nervous and after i felt like it was a waste of money and time, the test is time consuming which was expected but i just do not see how that one test can determine so much of your future. i have friends that have scored in the upper percentile but have flunked out of college. the test only shows you can take a test well not how you will do and learn in a everyday college. so i believe both the ACT and SAT need to be changed or revoked, the change has to help prove if a kid knows enough to get into college and has been taught what is needed to move on. when i got to college i was behind the curve in math and english and i scored highest on the SAT in both of those section. so i feel that a test shouldnt prove your "smart enough" for college only prove if you know the material needed, it should be up to the student if they are smart enough for college and shouldnt have to take a test to be able to be admited to a college. admission tests i believe are only needed for upper degree works not a basic degree, doctors, teacher and lawyers need to have admissions tests because its thier job to know all of whats on those tests because if they do not they cannot do their job correctly. and usually people who take those tests are applying to a new college anyway not their college they got their graduate degree from.

What people perceive as a good president but don't realize why? by SG

        Every american who follows politics usually is a person who will also complain about the president a good bit. unless the country is in a huge economic uprising the president is not a very liked person, presidents have the weight of the country on their shoulders even for something he was never involved in. they are the face of the nation, every action, phrase or look is scrutinized. on constant watch everyday and we all know every one has dirty laundry or something the public shouldn't know, and these men are the same as us. to really tell what can make a good president you need to understand the light and darkness of being the president, and the everyday struggle to keep a country and dirty laundry under wraps.
        Economically our presidents have been hit or miss. the only presidents that are stand out are usually the ones in term during high economic periods, but people never really tend to think about the presidents before the good period. they are forgotten due to the economic shadow, but in reality their efforts lead us to the high times and the person after takes the credit. also people need to understand the president cannot directly effect our our employment rate, or GDP (gross domestic product) and our debt. all he can do is point us towards the right direction and hopefully the dominoes fall correctly. its directly up to the american people to effect our economy, spend more, actually go look for a job instead of collecting your welfare checks. yes its easier said then done but it can defiantly be done.  the president can only give us the steps we have to go up them.
        But i think there is just 2 types of presidents, ones who do what they need and ones that do not. a president that does his job is one who can do his best to keep "dirty laundry" to himself, he needs to do his best to keep clean, that doesnt man he cannot have a life. and he needs to have a firm image, keeping the weight of the nation on his shoulders is strenuous. then last he needs to be able to set the correct economical step to always improve our situation as a country, including making decisions he knows in the public eye will look bad but in real sense will put a foot forward. being the favorite and best looking is not being a president its being a flashy symbol. a president needs to do whats best in any situation for the well being of the people. not his image to the public eye because many of those decisions will be conflict for some of the population no matter what. most presidents are not appreciated until years after their terms are over, and thats the mentality all presidents should have to be relished in the past for their good doings not their image and popularity in the present.
        

Freedom by SG

Freedom is a word with many different interpretations for different people. freedom to me is the right to live, speak and feel how you want to and choose to. i believe people like nelson Mandela who were imprisoned are still free. because he went to prison for something he believed in, he knew he would go and he was okay with it. he did something he wanted for what he believed in.  and it bothers me that today Americans do not get  the freedom they had in the past or that we deserve as people and never have had. in the past the american people had freedoms, if chose no one was bothered or persecuted for saying a word or two. now in the present a person cannot walk 30 feet without someone on a social network or a camera seeing what you do and if you say a word or two that a couple people don't agree with you can be arrested or socially outcast-ed. for me freedom of speech and right to protection are my main concerns.  i want to be able to say what i want and have the right to protect myself, you never know what may happen in a crowded area or a local store. and i feel if i have something to say i should be allowed to without looking over my shoulder, as we grow as a nation our freedom diminishes just as fast