Smilephantomhive
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- Joined
- Aug 11, 2015
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I have one professor this semester for a required transfer student "college success course" who makes us do weekly "writing exercises". Our (rather unclear) directions are to answer the prompts with "sensory detail" and to not use adjectives. One of these prompts was, literally, "Describe an adjective people use to describe you. Do you agree or disagree? Use sensory detail." What... I... what? Describe an adjective without using any adjectives?? Later in class, when giving us examples because no one understood what the fuck was happening, she says: "Instead of saying 'the red car was fast', say something like, 'the red car whizzed by.'" But red is a fjucing adjective?! Does she just want us to use better verbs?? Literally I don't even know. It's not even an English class. She insists we write this way to "train" us. Train me for what?! I tested out of my English classes before I even started college. I have a distinct style that comes to me naturally when writing creatively and academically. And what the hell? Sensory detail? That doesn't click with me at all. What she assumes are "10 minute assignments" for us take us over an hour (I say us because we, as a class, have discussed it amongst ourselves).
As much as I hate that very specific example, though, there are things I can't say I hate about college so far. I miss the easiness of the community college I went to before this. However, I find my classes to be very interesting. I'm majoring in sociology (admittedly, because it required no more math or English classes from me, no more natural science classes or labs, and no capstone project or internship senior year), but I'm interested in the material. I also love autobiographies, and one of my professors (who is teaching two of my classes, actually) assigned an intriguing book this week that I've very much enjoyed reading. Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich--it's not a new book, so I'm sure others have heard of it. I love reading and learning when it's interesting. I just hate school as an institution.
Oh, I did a express version in the summer before school start, but still have to take the first year success seminar though it's really just tutoring and I do my hw, so it's cool. Glad I didn't have to do what you did.