| Department of Writing
June 22, 1999 Dear Student: On behalf of the Department of Writing, welcome to Grand Valley. As you know, every university has a first-year writing requirement, and I want to give you some important information about freshman composition at GVSU. Most universities ask you for a writing sample and use this one piece of writing to place you in a course. At GVSU, however, we ask you to make the important choice about which first-year writing course you should take to begin your freshman year. Every student is required to pass WRT 150 (Strategies in Writing) with a C or better, but many students elect to first take WRT 098 (Writing with a Purpose) and then take WRT 150 during their second semester. The choice is one you should make thoughtfully, and we recommend that you consult with your high school counselor, teachers, and others. The enclosed brochure explains the difference between the two courses. You should read it carefully and fill out the checklist in order to decide whether to begin with WRT 098 or jump right in to WRT 150. Please read the enclosed brochure and the checklist under "Which Course Should I Take?" If you answer "yes" to many of those statements, you are probably ready for WRT 150. If you don’t think you are ready, or for any reason wish to gain more practice at your basic wrtiing skills, you should enroll in WRT 098. I will be at the summer orientations and will be happy to talk to you then and answer any questions. Again, welcome to Grand Valley, and I hope that your experience in the first-year writing course—whichever one you choose to take—is productive and full of learning. Sincerely yours, Dan Royer |