Basic Skills for College Edith Wagner Jessika Sobanski Erika Warecki New York Copyright © 2001 LearningExpress, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Wagner, Edith. Basic skills for college / Edith Wagner, Jessika Sobanski, Erika Warecki—1st ed. p. cm. ISBN 1-57685-388-8 (pbk.) 1. Universities and colleges—United States—Entrance examinations—Study guides. I. Sobanski, Jessika. II. Warecki, Erika. III. Title. LB2353.2.W37 2001 378.1'98—dc21 2001038243 Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition ISBN 1-57685-388-8 For Further Information For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at: 900 Broadway Suite 604 New York, NY 10003 Or visit us at: www.learnatest.com The following individuals contributed to the content of this book. Edith Wagner is an instructor of English at Tusculum College, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, and Maryville College in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. Jessika Sobanski is a freelance writer and has written several LearningExpress titles. She has a degree in Biochemistry. Erika Warecki is a freelance writer and has a degree in Anthropology. LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS [...]... credit hours Doing well in college takes a commitment outside of the classroom Make sure you can set aside enough hours to study for each course you enroll in TEST SCORES In some of your more difficult college classes, however, you may panic when you get your test back with LearningExpress Skill Builders • INTRODUCTION xi BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON A TRUE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WHEN... LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 13 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE I JUST KNOW I MADE MISTAKES THAT WILL RUIN MY PAPER It always helps to know beforehand just how you are going to be evaluated before you begin any assignment, especially a writing assignment What criteria will be used to judge your work? Most, if not all, English departments have set standards for evaluating student writing and most... cuts And then I wanted another computer class but they said they didn’t have money for LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 19 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE them either If I were on the school board I’d be sure there was enough money for Spanish classes and computer classes so that students would be better prepared for their futures The three biggest problems in public education today are overcrowding... What do you think has caused this problem, and what do you think can be done to prevent future tragedies? LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 15 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE 2 Dress codes for public school students have become a number one priority for school boards across the United States Why do you think dress codes have become an issue? Do you think they are an answer to school or society’s problems?... another way to use prewriting for this prompt would be to create a cluster map that looks like the one on the next page LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 11 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE My friends, Jenna and Jimmy My Family Reading Stephen King and Anne Rice What’s special about me? Music camp— music lessons, music scholarships School band and musicals— lead guitar for Grease My clothes—always... they feel unprepared and uncomfortable No matter what their intentions are when they sit down, they do not feel that they are in control of the outcome WRITING COMFORT LEVELS To find your writing comfort level, answer yes or no to the following questions 1 Do I beg for time to write any place and any time other than where I am? 2 Do I get a knot in my stomach before I begin to write? 3 Do... be expanded For example, you may think the idea that you never CHAPTER 1 • LearningExpress Skill Builders –IMPORTANT WRITING PRACTICE– learned anything useful is a concern for you as well as others You develop another list that looks like this need for the real world, and school can be a dangerous place I really wanted more foreign language classes, but they said budget cuts wouldn’t allow for such small... because the school was just too big My English class had LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 17 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE like 34 kids in it my teacher never could give us back our papers with comments on it I wanted to learn more about why I only got 70’s on my papers but she never had time for me with less kids she could have helped me more In my Spanish class too That lady just had too many... up with the commas and the wrong words? 8 Do I start to write and then search for words? 9 Do I wish someone had taught me exactly what to do and what to say? 10 Do I just write everything I know or think and hope the teacher will figure it out? LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 9 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE 11 After I write the answer and I read it over, I sometimes know it’s... sentences with the coordinating conjunction and Remember to place a comma before the conjunction.) I know its that way all over the place, and if I were a school board member I would hire more teachers and make classes smaller 3 (Connect the sentences with a semicolon.) LearningExpress Skill Builders • CHAPTER 1 21 BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE I know its that way all over the place; if I were a school board . so forth). For the math assessment, most schools test basic arithmetic and elementary algebra. Additionally, many schools test basic geometry. Ask your school for the specific sub- BASIC SKILLS. a ghost town. As long as you pick a college that feels right to you, you will have a great college experience, on- campus or otherwise. BASIC SKILLS FOR COLLEGE LearningExpress Skill Builders. can be gauged through a math college placement test. FAQS IS THERE A STANDARD TEST THAT COLLEGES USE FOR PLACEMENT? There are several tests that a college may use for math placement. One test