<p>ah ok...just making sure. thanks! So I wouldn't need to take the math diagnostic exam right?</p>
<p>Not that this has any relevance now, because it's been so long since I graduated . . . but:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Try to get as much of the English pre-requisites out of the way as you can in lower division, because if you wait and do it all upper division you are screwed time-wise. Trust me on this. Taking 3 English classes a quarter is a killer in UD. I did it and realized after a year that I literally had to read 120 pages a night (yep, I did the math!) to get through the reading part -- and that didn't include time devoted to anything else, like the papers . . . . </p></li>
<li><p>The 10 series (at least to me) was easy. It would have been easier had I done it all in LD.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are not religious and have never been religious, get some religion under your belt. Seriously. My mother was born jewish, became agnostic, then atheist; my father was born catholic, became non-practising, and we were brought up in an environment of complete paucity of religion. Paucity of religion = total inability to understand what the hell Milton is talking about, even if he is an interesting writer, which IMO is not. So, if you've read the Bible, you're good to go. If you have NOT, and if they still have "Bible as Literature" by all means take it because, as you know, you have to get through Milton to graduate. Not just Milton, there's scores of other authors who use biblical references that just went over me.</p></li>
<li><p>Take some history and European studies classes. It all ties in.</p></li>
<li><p>No math. As they say in England (and you'll need some of the lingo): full stop.</p></li>
<li><p>For Chaucer, try to find some interest in French. If you have any language background in French, you will find middle English a breeze.</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, step outside your safe zone. Be risky, be intellectually challenged.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>:D</p>
<p>UCLA77, you just made my day with that post! (And my day needed making.)</p>
<p>Isn't the 10 series lower division by definition?</p>
<p>Glad I made somebody's day! After my many major changes I was really glad I ended up majoring in English. I doubt I would have read all those novels I really wanted to read at some point in my life!</p>
<p>Yes, the 10 series is by definition LD, but do you seriously think only UD students take it? Nah, you get sidetracked or get some of those weird poli sci students that want a little culture (like my husband!) taking it, so you'd be surprised.</p>
<p>Hmm response in sorts to UCLA 77,</p>
<p>Well, this can temper some of your concerns about the reading. English is one of those subjects where there's a high likelihood that you've done the reading prior. For example I'll be taking english 142b and I don't rly anticipate having to do all that much reading, simply by virtue of the fact that well I think most people interested enough in english to study it at uni would've read all of shakespeare before anyway. A lot of english classes like shakespeare, milton, chaucer etc. and some other classes like specialised studies into james joyce etc. deal with seminal figures and you'd likely have had most of the reading under your belt already.
Re-reading, and reading criticism takes less time as long as you have the primary text under your belt already.</p>
<p>I skipped through the 10 series during high school so I can't vouch for how hard it is...</p>
<p>I didn't find Milton tooo hard even though I have a decidedly unreligious background. I found it helpful however that i was doing the History of Modern Thought Cluster at the same time, and had to read Webers Protestant Ethic, that really brought me up to speed on well protestantism at least, and helped a lot. So a suggestion on my part is to give that book a read, it goes through precisely the 'work ethic' aspect of protestantism that is vital to understanding Milton's work.</p>
<p>Oh and for English I'd also suggest German, knowing French and German really helped me through Chaucer when I did it in High school, ( I used to complain that Chaucer was basically half french half german with no english in it) I hear latin is incredibly useful too, but I find it rather intimidating.</p>
<p>and had to read Webers Protestant Ethic, that really brought me up to speed on well protestantism at least, and helped a lot. So a suggestion on my part is to give that book a read, it goes through precisely the 'work ethic' aspect of protestantism that is vital to understanding Milton's work.</p>
<hr>
<p>As did I for Social Theory. -<strong><em>-;
IDK, read the Bible, know your Latin roots, and hopefully know a French/German language (bastions of intellectualism) -</em></strong>___-; </p>
<p>I still want to be an English major; at this rate I'm just finishing history because... I'm almost done with it and honestly, I don't care enough to change tracks... not interested in doing the minor either... and, I hate the content of 10A/10B-ish.</p>
<p>^^ That's good to know (not that I'm going to turn back my page on Milton!), great advice!</p>
<p>About the reading -- yes, as an English major, you've probably had an interest in reading and have already read a lot of the material covered (or some of it at least) in a given class. Still, to me, reading is one thing, studying a book is quite another. So. . . when you need to do in-depth study of a particular novel, play, or author, you need a good re-read of the book looking at it from a completely different angle. And a lot of what you're tested on or must write a paper on is from a comparative angle. It involves not only reading, but some soul-searching as well. Obviously, it depends on the book, the author, etc. Not a lot of "soul searching" in a kiddie lit class, of course, but when you're studying existentialist writers, for example, or motivation of a character, it's a whole different story.</p>
<p>Say you're reading Beckett's Endgame. Interesting fact: he wrote it in French and called it "Fin de Partie" or something like that. If you're versed in French, it's kind of cool to read it in French as well as English, because there's something really interesting that takes place in the French version that doesn't and can't take place in the English version. So discovering that one little word change makes a really interesting thesis for a paper. </p>
<p>Another reason to take French . . . !</p>
<p>As for the German in Chaucer, I didn't notice that before, but you're right. I did take a little German, so maybe that helped too!</p>
<p>^Curious -- what are you doing now post-English major?</p>
<p>Trust & Estates lawyer; periodic op ed pieces; post punk rock junkie.</p>
<p>Also a lot of the analysis for different pieces ends up being rather similar =.=''. Like having analysed one or two of shakespeares tragedies before, and his other ones aren't that hard. You just get to know what to look for, how to express it, and it gets easier. Same goes for other genres, like after having worked on Friel's Translations before, I found Athol Fugard's work easier, as they're both post-colonial plays expressing similar themes and you can see similarities in their methods of expression.</p>
<p>Since all the English Comp 3 classes are full, would it hurt me to start Eng. Comp 3 in the winter? Right now, I'm stuck with taking 3 GE's.</p>
<p>It would delay the time at which you could take certain UD classes that require 4W and 10A-10B. You can strategically pick those UD classes that don't require 10A/10B first. Also, you can take UD classes concurrently with 10C because I don't believe any require 10C as a requisite, only 4W and 10A-B. It stinks how those Comp3 and 4W classes fill up so quickly!</p>
<p>I just looked at the list of classes, and it appears that they are holding several comp3 classes to be opened at a later date (I think that's what the purpose of all those zero-enrolled "closed" classes is).</p>
<p>Would u be able to use Ap English or Ib or sth to take care of Eng Comp 3 btw?</p>
<p>yeah. if u get a 4 or higher, i believe that will test u out of english comp 3.</p>
<p>btw, has anyone heard of the english 10a TA named MOORMAN, J.E? i'm really considering dropping english 10a cuz im burned out. but if the TA is excellent, i might stay. please lemme kno b4 it's too late to drop!</p>
<p>Nah, my school didn't offer AP English. :(</p>
<p>I love your spelling, Changeling. You're not an international student by any chance? God, I wish I had pursued the English major or Comparative Literature. I'm choosing an impractical major (History) so I'm indifferent to the marketability of my reading/writing skills. At this point, my primary concern should be developing my repertoire of our favorite classics. I've been lazy, however.</p>
<p>Does anyone hate Chaucer as much as I do?</p>
<p>Really? Yeah I am, you could tell? Haha I'm still not entirely sure what the differences in spelling are...I just like email by files and run it through a campus computer to "spell-check" afterwards. Though I don't think i've used any of the our/or words yet...hmm...</p>
<p>Haha from what I remembered in High School I concur about Chaucer. Hmm sucks I thought i was home free after passing out of 10A, now it turns out i still have to do 141 blehh..</p>
<p>Using S's instead of Z's and spelling say, color like 'colour'.</p>
<p>So it would be alright to have three GE's as my courseload for Fall?</p>