<p>I am sure I am not the only one asking this. But what is the best way to prepare for the class. I have two months left and I am a poor writer. Of course I will give it my all, but any tips on how I should improve myself? Any reference sites or books that I can review over the summer? ANYTHING!?</p>
<p>I liked this video <a href=“http://wp.rutgers.edu/311-uncategorised/558-the-expos-five”>Uncategorised;
<p>My son took it. Best advice is to do the reading early. Plan on reading each selection through a few times. Use post it notes to mark interesting quotes. Listen to your instructor. He/she will discuss each selection in depth and give you hints and quotes to use in preparing your paper. </p>
<p>When the instructor marks up your first draft with edits, make the suggested changes. Don’t be afraid to rewrite portions of your paper. They love editing and rewrites. There are tutors available but my son did not really feel that they made good recommendations. Better to see your instructor at office hours if you have problems. </p>
<p>It seems like each instructor is looking for something in particular. So listen to their suggestions and be accepting of criticism. I think the class made my son a better writer.</p>
<p>This is not a class where you can do the writing the night before. Start early so you have time to go back and look at what you have written before you submit your papers. </p>
<p>Thank you Rualam.I already watched the documentary (you posted it before on someone elses thread) and it was great 
It definitely does make me feel like that A is not impossible to achieve. </p>
<p>My son got an A. And he worked for it. He took a lot of notes during class and did a lot of highlighting in the book. I think his first paper was a C+ but they drop your lowest grade or average the 3 highest out of 5 or something like that. They like to shock you into awareness with that first paper.</p>
<p>Do you know how much time in a day or week he spent on his paper? I am an engineering major, I’d like to know what Im getting myself into. </p>
<p>I received a B+ in the class myself, and I know that I could’ve put in a lot more time than I did: never went to office hours, spent no more than 12 hours on each paper, wrote 4 of the 5 the night before.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the class otherwise you’ll be extremely disappointed in your grade. Also it is VERY important to not compare yourself with your peers when judging your own writing. Often times, your friends will offer advice that is a far cry from what your professor is looking for. Office hours are a wonderful thing so make use of them. Spending an hour or two per week each week will save you quite a few hours when you’re prepping and writing your papers.</p>
<p>In the end, each expo professor is drastically unique in what she/he expects out of students. Learning to structure your writing style to what they are looking for is crucial and MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL showing improvement in your writing by sincerely considering criticism, making conscious efforts to correct mistakes, and taking class seriously rather than just getting by will easily get you a grade over a B. To receive that B+ or A will require a lot of inherent writing talent and knowledge, or the willingness to learn, something a lot of young students don’t have in their first semester.</p>
<p>In regards to the time spent each week (excluding class time), giving yourself a full week to write each paper will guarantee you a grade above a B (A and B+, like I’ve said, come from each student’s own efforts). One of the best tactics I’ve seen is to not take the rough draft very seriously because the best papers are usually written when a draft is completely trashed and a whole new thesis is adopted. This might seem scary, but it’s a good method because it shows that you understand what you want to write about. If you’re able to acknowledge that your draft was arguing a terrible thesis, then you’re well on your way to becoming an excellent writer. Spend no more than one or two days on each draft (approx 3 pages) and don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or structure. Just get all the ideas and examples from the text that are relevant to your thesis down on paper. After reviewing the draft with your professor, decide on a thesis and spend AT LEAST 3 days (2-4 hours per day) working on your final draft. A great tactic, if you have the drive to really get that A, is to finish the paper 2 days before the day its due, and use the day in between going over it one more time with your professor. When professors see students really willing to learn and actively trying to seek guidance, they are infinitely more helpful and the leniency will even translate to your grading. At the end of the day, your work doesn’t decide your grade; the professors do. </p>
<p>Thank you for that long advice. I will definately refer back to this before the semester begins. YOU GET AN A+!</p>
<p>Yes, scarletknight gave good advice. I especially agree with the ‘know your professor’ part. They will make suggestions, and it is easier to follow those suggestions than try to be a renegade. Use office hours! Office hours are underrated.</p>
<p>Another good point is to not overwork your first draft. But make sure you write the required number of pages: they will really downgrade your paper just for not having the required pages. If you can’t think of anything, just try to write about something that caught your attention. You will rewrite later. But this is only for the first draft. Spend time on the rewrites and fine tuning.</p>
<p>Sometimes you will just change a few paragraphs and sometimes you will have to rewrite the entire paper with a new thesis. Just do it.</p>