Taking classes at a community college?

[Relambrien]

Hey guys,

My history class is doing a research paper on the American Revolution at the moment, and after showing my teacher my rough draft, he told me I should take a "Technical Writing" class at a local community college, before heading off to "real" college this fall.

The reason is that, among my class, I am easily the most intelligent. I'm at the top of my class, and I don't have to work nearly as hard to stay there as others do (which I feel guilty about, but that's unrelated). The only issue is that my writing skills are just...average. Everything else I do I'm one of the best, but when it comes to writing, I'm just not as good.

My teacher noticed this and said that his father-in-law had the same issue (brilliant, but had trouble with writing). Apparently, he took a Technical Writing course one summer in high school and it helped him immensely. So my teacher recommended I do the same thing, to help bring my writing skills up to the level of my other skills.

So now my question is: how would I go about doing this? My teacher said I should talk to one of the local community colleges about it, but of the two nearby (Wilmington University and DelTech), I didn't see anything on their websites about offering such a class to those not registered as official students.

Is this a relatively common thing, and could these colleges be expected to have some sort of protocol for this? If so, I'll probably just head in and talk to an official there to see what they say. Also, would you recommend that I do this? I don't plan on majoring in English or anything (Computer Science is my preferred major), but of course I'll have to do a good bit of writing. Is it worth it? Are there any alternatives?

[dore]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

Most community colleges have some sort of summer school get-ahead programs for people wanting to get credit early, or to learn/get better at a skill. I'm sure if you talk to somebody there they'll be willing to help you, if not, well then it's a crappy community college.

I'd definitely suggest that you take that class if you really want to improve your writing skills. Being a good writer will help you in EVERY class you will ever take; being a good communicator in general will help you or the rest of your life.

[sumzup]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

It's actually fairly common for high school students to take classes at a community college, so I wouldn't worry about having to go through any special processes to be able to sign up. Since information is apparently not available online, either call them or visit them, and they should be able to provide you with the appropriate info.

As to whether you should take Technical Writing or not, I can't really say anything without knowing you personally. It appears, though, that you recognize the fact that you need to improve your writing skills, as does your teacher, so you might as well do it. You certainly won't be negatively impacted...and there aren't really any alternatives to improving your writing beyond taking a course of some sort (whether it be at community college, or distance education through something like CTY (it's pretty expensive, though, so I'm not sure if it would be worth it)).

Also,

I'm at the top of my class, and I don't have to work nearly as hard to stay there as others do (which I feel guilty about, but that's unrelated).

This. I'm in the same situation, and now that I'm taking much harder coursework, it's coming back to bite me in the ass since I'm not used to working hard to get A's.

[Crashfan3]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

It seems like I'm the exact opposite as you. I'm a brilliant writer, but I pretty much fail at science, math, etc.
I've never taken this class before, but I'm pretty sure my local CC offers it, because one of my mom's friends took it a few years ago, and it helped her to write a better essay.

[Professor Raine]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

It's a good idea to take classes from a Community College when you can't devote 99% of your time to College classes. Perfect in High School imo.

[MrRubix]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

If you have room and time for it, go for it. It'll help you, and it looks good to colleges that you went outside your curriculum to pursue something more (usually a good sign that someone will be able to take active advantage of resources in college). Even in computer science, writing well will help you. The benefits aren't overly obvious, but nevertheless palpable. What type of writing courses are available to you?

In all honesty, though, the best way to learn how to write is to read often and to practice. There's really no better way. You learn by writing crappy sentences, and then revising your crap. It doesn't have to be a long process, either, if you're smart. A lot of good writing is actually quite formulaic. It's simply a matter of knowing the rules and being able to twist them to maximize utility in the way that you want.

Furthermore, I'd also suggest writing about things you *enjoy* writing about. You'll find that your writing skills will improve more quickly this way. All the normal rules of grammar still apply, obviously, so you may as well operate within a favorable framework. If you want to write about sex, write about sex. Food? No problem. Don't write some agonizing paper about the differences in diction between Huck Finn and The Great Gatsby, because that just sucks.



Here is an example of something I wrote in a Writing Seminar I had taken. It was published in some crap over here from my university for winning some writing sh*t, and there is now a Writing Seminar here at my school that actually makes people do assignments based on a few of my papers (lmao). This particular piece also has a very similar tone to what I used in virtually all my college essays. Here's my piece:



Gripping the back of my chair, I began to slide it out from underneath the table. As I pulled, the chair let out a stuttering squeal as it dragged across the floor, causing everyone to turn their heads. Apologizing, I hastily shifted down into my seat. My Chinese girlfriend had brought me along to a dinner hosted by the parents of her close friend, Ji. I had never before met Ji or Ji’s parents, nor had I ever sat down to a dinner with an entire Chinese family. Rapidly cycling through ideas (Nice tie? The food smells great? The house is beautiful?), I thought of what I could say in an attempt to make conversation. However, what if Ji’s parents were somehow offended by something I said? Unfamiliar with their customs, I was merely a foreigner. Since I was the only non-Chinese individual at the table, I decided it was best to keep silent in order to avoid saying anything foolish.

Meanwhile, quick bursts of the Mandarin tongue flew back-and-forth across the table from various directions as swift hands exchanged plates of steaming food, scraping the contents down into their bowls with chopsticks. The plates contained a vast plethora of foods: gravy-covered chunks of chicken resting upon mounds of rice, wrinkled tan-colored strips of unknown origin, dark brown slices of meat coated in a scarlet juice, tangles of wispy bean sprouts, and heaps of shiny, glistening noodles, among other things. I even recall a crackled, purple tentacle. The language barrier was an obstacle in itself, but I realized that not even the food could provide me with any comfort.

The “Chinese Dinner Etiquette” portion of my brain had not been developed. Was it safe to simply reach out across the table for something that looked appealing? Would it be worth the risk of accidentally dropping food from my chopsticks while attempting to transfer the food from a distant plate to my own bowl? Glancing down at my awkward approach to holding chopsticks, I decided to play it safe and stay close to home, shoveling into my bowl a small portion of what appeared to be golden globules surrounded by a spattering of red and green vegetables. I also reached for one of the wrinkled tan strips nearby, taking a bite cautiously. As I chewed through the strip’s soft, crinkly exterior, Ji’s father gave his wife a nudge, saying something to her in an inaudible tone, glancing at me briefly out of the corners of his eyes. Were they talking about me?

“Ni yao he shui ma?” Ji’s mother suddenly inquired, passing me a glass of water.

My only response was a fluttering of confused blinks. My girlfriend quietly told me that I had taken a bite of spicy cow stomach. I could not tell if my face was aflame from the stomach or from embarrassment. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead as my shirt plastered itself to my back, drenched. Trying to ignore the chuckles around me, I gulped loudly, sensing the burn of the spices against the back of my tongue as the bits of cow stomach slid down my throat. Noticing that everyone was looking at me expectantly, I forced a smile and shoved a thick batch of rice into my mouth, not knowing what to do or say. My girlfriend looked mortified.

Why hadn’t General Tso been there to save me? I was fully versed in Chinese food vocabulary: I knew my Lo Mein from my Kung Pao, and yet, as I looked over the table before me, I could barely distinguish between chicken and tofu. I realized what I knew as Chinese dining had nothing to do with China at all.

[igotrhythm]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

I know what you mean about writing stuff and having it end up getting published, Rubix, though I could never go as far as having courses taught using my poetry as study material. (I think if you dig far enough down in the Lit forum, you might be able to find it. It's called "Destruction of Stonehenge.")

But yeah, I knew a guy in HS who took math classes at an actual college instead of just a community college because he was that freaking smart...and he was a grade under me. I'm no counselor, but this probably shows that you're willing to pursue further knowledge of a field no matter the seeming inconvenience...from what I remember from talking to him, any HS that's worth its salt in dealing with gifted students might even help you make the arrangements to take that college course.

Plus, as has been stated before, being able to express yourself eloquently is a skill that will take you farther in any field than you might originally think.

PS: Excellent short story. How'd that rave go, by the way?

[hostchecker]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

It sounds like a good idea

[sumzup]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

What igotrhythm said is even better. Taking classes at a real college is fun, and allows one to get through lame classes quicker as well as giving more time for one to do the courses one really wants to do.

[stretchypanda]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

On most community college applications there is a place where you indicate whether you are applying to be a full-time student or just take a course or two. Once you're enrolled you can register for almost any class.

Use it to get things like your freshman comp. courses out of the way. I did it for college algebra and Spanish.

[super kid]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

Easiest way is to talk to your counselor. He/she should have a fairly great amount of knowledge of what CC's have the course you want to take.

[cool sam]

Re: Taking classes at a community college?

Its really a good idea....