| Directed Self Placement Guidelines
How to Choose Your First-Year Writing Course in the English
Department
It used to be that you would take a set of three
placement tests over a two-hour period, and the English Department would
determine the best course for you to take. You would have no choice in
the decision. Many colleges around the country are using a new system,
called "directed self-placement," which makes students part of the
placement process.
The choice we are offering you is an important
one. Your first English course at Seton Hall will help prepare you for
every course in which you have to write. Succeeding in this course will
be important to your success in college. Choosing a course that is
appropriate for your abilities and academic background will be crucial
to this success.
What follows is a series of exercises and questions
that will help you evaluate yourself as a reader and writer and help you
decide which first-year writing course is best for you. Set aside an
hour to complete the survey. Steps 1 and 2 will help you evaluate
your reading and writing background. (You will be asked to read a
brief passage and write a short essay at one point.) Steps 3 and 4
will describe the choices you can make and will help you match your
background with the best course for you. In step 5, you will choose
your course.
Please realize that if you
don't do all the steps carefully you may place yourself in the wrong
course or you may be asked to take parts of the survey over again,
making it harder to get the schedule you want. So do it right the first
time!
To begin the process of placing yourself in
English,
click here. You can enter any password you like! |
