Writing 150 should be pass/no pass

As students transition from high school seniors to college freshmen, they are faced with several obstacles during their first semester: dining hall food, messy roommates, 8 a.m. Friday classes and the dreaded Writing 150 course.

The class is intended for freshmen to learn how to write at the college level. Unlike the previous freshman course Writing 140, Writing 150 is not attached to a General Education V category class to ensure that students would be able to write about topics they’re interested in. The course, however, still contains the same issues with teaching new writing techniques effectively.

By making Writing 150 a pass/no pass class, students would have the opportunity to transition from writing the static, typical five-paragraph expository essay to the research-oriented paper without worrying about their GPAs. Additionally, students would focus more on the feedback and comments from work throughout the year in order to improve their writing for themselves, rather than simply aiming for a high letter grade.

Though some argue that a pass/no pass class would limit a student’s full potential, the passing grade requirement would ensure that students would still work hard for the class.

Throughout high school, students are drilled with the idea of a perfect five-paragraph essay. This writing style is taught with an extremely detailed outline of what is expected within the paper. By the time freshmen arrive at USC, they have perfected the mechanics of the five-paragraph essay. Despite this, they are expected to write lengthy research papers for their Writing 150 class and somehow succeed. Because the writing style is completely new, many are shocked and saddened when they discover they received a poor grade on the first paper, as for many of them it is their first grade in college. After receiving a poor grade, freshmen might lose confidence in their writing skills. Students deserve the time to develop their own writing without the constant fear of hurting their GPA.

If they’re assessed solely on a pass/no pass scale, students would be able to view a graded paper with ease, as they could focus less on the grade and more on the comments and feedback. By focusing more on improvement for the sake of progress and not a grade, students might feel more motivated to edit and revise their work, ultimately improving their writing in the future.

Students should be free to experiment with their writing styles. If students are constantly trying to reach the standard of a typical “A” paper, they might never develop their own unique writing style and instead try to fit the mold of a typically successful paper. With a pass/no pass grade, students would be able to experiment in their work and eventually develop their own unique writing styles. This transitional period between the five-paragraph essay and the university level paper without the pressure of a letter grade would provide students more insight into their work without incentivizing a cookie-cutter writing format.

With the stress that comes with adjusting to a new environment away from home, freshmen do not need the additional pressure of a letter grade in Writing 150. Writing 150 is not only one of the first classes that freshmen take, but also a new approach to writing that many students might not have had prior exposure to. Pass/no pass wil help make their first few semesters at USC more focused on how rich the learning process can be rather than the obsession over that coveted A.