<p>Should i opt out of English 1? I received a 4 on my AP Language test last year, and still awaiting my Lit grade from this year (probably a 4).. also got an 800 on SAT Writing section..</p>
<p>is it smart to opt out of English 1? Do a lot of ppl who qualify to opt out actually do it? I feel like i might be missing out on something? I dont know -- can anyone offer me some hindsight as to whether or not it was worth it or not?</p>
<p>if i do opt out of it -- on the online survey that asks which course im taking in the fall -- i should put None right? or should i try to get into Eng. 2 in the fall? or just wait till the spring semester?</p>
<p>I’ve never taken an English class here, and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. Most people who did take the writing requirement didn’t seem to value it all that highly (in fact, my freshman year roommate used to come home and rant about how much of a waste of time it was), though a lot of people did enjoy Intro to Philosophy (which can be taken instead of English 2).<br>
Generally speaking, if you feel that you’re a strong writer, don’t waste your time on it. If you feel like your writing could use help, that your standardized test scores were flukes, then go ahead and take it.</p>
<p>okay great – when the site says “English 2 is offered
both semesters, with substantially fewer sections in the fall.” </p>
<p>does this mean that there are fewer seminar choices/selections? or fewer times of classes.</p>
<p>i am going to opt out of eng 1 – so should i take english 2 in the spring and fill out None in the online survey for which class i’ll take during the fall?</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“Tufts University”>Tufts University]Here[/url</a>] are the possible options for English 2. Not all of those options are offered every semester; and fewer options are offered in the fall, meaning that there are both fewer selections and fewer times you can take the course.
Note that you don’t actually need to take English 2 at all. I believe English 4 can be substituted for English 2, I imagine English 3 is an acceptable substitution, and I know for a fact that Philosophy 1 (Intro to Philosophy) is an acceptable substitution. I am biased as a philosophy major, but people generally seem to prefer Intro to Philosophy to English 2. Many sections of Phil 1 are taught, and each professor is free to devise their own curriculum, so the experience is heavily dependent on the professor you choose. As not all sections are finalized yet, it would be difficult to make a choice, but Russinoff always offers a course and it always gets high praise. Jeff McConnell offers two choices for Intro to Philosophy, one grounded in metaphysics and epistemology, and another that’s an exploration of philosophy through film. I’ve taken a philosophical film class with him before, and it was quite enjoyable.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt the online survey matters in the slightest. You won’t be held to it.</p>
<p>I think Snarf’s suggesyion is the way to go. Skip English 1 and take Intro to Philosophy with a good prof. I think it would be a mistake to fail to take some philosophy at Tufts and this is the perfect opportunity.</p>
<p>awesome - yeah i definitely agree with you both, i think it would be a good idea to take a philosophy class at tufts, especially since none of the english 2 topics seem particularly interesting… thanks a lot snarf (you’re very very helpful on these forums!)/wcasparent</p>
<p>I agree with what everybody else said; I took English 1 because I’m an engineer and I didn’t take either of the AP’s (which I should have…). I don’t think I really gained anything from it other than wasted time and a lowered GPA.</p>
<p>My pleasure, Acceptd. Once the Philosophy department announces [all</a> their course offerings](<a href=“Homepage | Department of Philosophy”>Homepage | Department of Philosophy), I might be able to suggest a good section to take. As I mentioned, I’m a philosophy major, so I’m pretty familiar with the faculty. Of the current offerings, Jeff McConnell really has a knack for drawing out cool philosophical statements from films in a very interesting way, has stellar taste in classic movies (think 30s to 60s), and is a very easy grader to boot. On the other hand, he’s really terribly disorganized, and he speaks quite slowly and tortuously so it can be difficult to pay attention to him.</p>