Goucher College Writing Placement Essay

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Answer: All incoming freshmen and transfer students must write the Writing Placement Essay. No single course or test can accurately predict the way a student’s skills will match the writing requirements of Goucher’s curriculum. The only way the Writing Program can be sure students will receive the support they need to do well is to actually read their writing in response to a standardized assignment typical of work students do for Goucher courses.

        Also, the Writing Program uses these essays to track the overall skill levels of each year’s entering class to adjust the curriculum to students’ needs. Writing teachers from the program score these essays, and their experience reading these essays is important to their ability to create courses suited to students’ typical needs.

What kinds of placements are there?

Answer: Roughly 80% of incoming freshmen typically are placed in English 104, "The Academic Essay," which teaches the strategies of analytical writing students need to succeed in their freshman year. Some advanced freshmen may be placed in English 105 in the Fall, and the rest will take English 105 in the Spring. English 105 is the course which typically satisfies the College Writing Proficiency requirement for graduation. Freshmen who need additional work to prepare them for English 104 will be placed in English 103. A very few students may get the placement abbreviated "WAC/PORT," which means they probably write well enough to be able to satisfy the College Writing Proficiency requirement in a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) course or by submitting to the Writing Program a portfolio of three (3) non-fiction prose papers including at least one research paper (any subject, any documentation style).    This enables the readers to determine whether the writers meet the independent research and documentation portions of the College Writing Proficiency criteria.   Students who receive a WAC/PORT placement may drop any composition courses for which they pre-registered.

            Transfer students ordinarily never are placed into English 103, 104 or 105 unless they have only a semester or fewer credits.  Transfer students with very strong writing skills usually receive the WAC/PORT placement.  They should take a Writing Across the Curriculum course in their first year, or they immediately should begin assembling papers for their Writing Portfolio.   Usually, courses taken in the first semester at the 200- and 300-level will provide students with enough papers to complete a portfolio.  Transfer students who need additional writing instruction to prepare them for Goucher courses' assignments usually are placed in English 201, an intermediate writing course.   Transfer students who are not confident in their skills, or who know they will be bound for writing-intensive careers and want to enhance their chances of success, may take English 201 regardless of our placement decision.  .

I never write my best under pressure in impromptu assignments. What if I do badly? Can I ask to change my placement?

Answer: The essay’s score is only one factor used in determining a student’s placement. The Writing Program also consults Admissions information including SAT Verbal, ACT and TOEFL scores, grade-point averages, and transfer students’ transcripts when they are available. If students believe the essay and the resulting placement do not accurately reflect their skill level, they can request that the placement be reconsidered by submitting a portfolio of papers to the Writing Program just like those used in the cases of WAC/PORT placements (i.e., three [3] non-fiction prose papers including at least one research paper, on any subject and in any documentation style).

I have a learning disability or other difficulty that requires me to take more time on in-class assignments or that causes me to need other special assistance to write. What should I do?

Answer: Before enrolling in the college, students with disabilities should be sure to submit appropriate documentation of the disability to Frona Brown (Van Meter G20, x6178) so that the college can provide appropriate support and accommodations during the school year. Without documentation, teachers are legally prohibited from making special exceptions for students claiming disabilities.  However, if you have not had time to do this yet, you still can request additional accommodations at the time you write the essay.  Before the essay session, explain your needs to the people running the session and they’ll help you find a way to write the essay.  If you need to use a laptop computer but are not able to provide one, we will need at least 24-hours notice under most circumstances.

What happens to the essays after they’re scored?

Answer: Essays are stored by the Writing Program for comparison with future year’s incoming classes, and to support research on important features of freshman writing. The essays authors’ anonymity always is protected in this process, chiefly by the separation of the "identity" sheet from the essay before it is released for study. Some students want a copy of their essay, and the Writing Program is happy to provide it if they will give us a self-addressed envelope large enough to hold the essay.