How to Succeed in English 112:

Expert advice from students who have already achieved success!

General advice:

English 112 is completely different from English 111. It involves a lot more work and time. It is essential to stay attentive in this course and use your time effectively.
In order to succeed in this class you must work really hard. You must also do all of your work and come to class because you don’t know when there will be a quiz on your reading.
In my experience in English 112, the way to get a good grade is to do all the work.
Get the easy points—content quizzes.

Preparing for Class:

Keep up with the syllabus.
Make sure you read the books and plays and take notes.
Take notes while reading literature and prepare for a possible quiz.
Don’t fall behind. Always do the reading assignments, but don’t just read them—understand what you are reading. Be able to talk about it in class.
Read your handbook because it really helps.
Read the handbook—don’t skim it. It not only improves your midterm grade but also improves your paper grades.
Rules for Writers is your Bible for English.
Read the literature patiently and with care—don’t skim. Make sure you understand every sentence before moving on.
Read your syllabus and do all your homework assigned for the next day. Always read the literature; otherwise you won’t know what is going on in class.
Do the reading before class because then if you don’t understand you can ask questions.
Look ahead in the syllabus and manage your time accordingly. If you have extra time, do extra work.
Take notes in pencil alongside the text when reading because it makes it easier to understand with a quick overview and answers questions.

In Class:

Try to have fun in class.
Tape record the lecture.
Always be on time.
Listen carefully for instructions.
Take detailed notes in class.
Sincerely try to not miss ANY classes.
Don’t miss class—you can’t afford to miss discussions.
Come to class every time, listen carefully, take good notes, and ask questions and give answers.
Participate in class and always ask questions.
Write down the quotes discussed in class along with the page numbers. Then you don’t have to try to remember where they are at.
Be responsible for missed work.

Papers:

Make sure you do the outlines—they help a lot.
Turn in outlines and drafts on time.
A way to get a good grade on the papers is to follow the directions very carefully.
Do not procrastinate when given a writing assignment; work on something each day.
A great tip for writing essays is to not only outline your paper but also your paragraphs. It’ll make the writing process fly by!
Know that your research paper will take twice as long as you think it will.
Read your papers aloud before you turn them in to make sure they make sense.
Revise, revise, revise. You cannot revise your paper too many times. Have someone else read it and then read it aloud to you to make sure you’re getting your point across.

Exams:

Take notes during the review sessions and study what you discuss.
Review all of the assigned readings from the handbook and all of your notes before the exams.
Read over class notes at least once, make a list of each novel’s themes, and look over key points in the handbook.

Using Resources/ Getting Help:

Use your resources wisely (teacher, writing center, smarthinking.com, library, and textbooks).
Ask for help after class.
Send emails because they will always be answered.
Go to office hours. It really benefits your grade and you can get personal feedback.
Go to the writing center and always send your papers to smarthinking.com.
Office hours and the writing center can make the difference between pass or fail. Office hours only took 5-20 minutes of my time (well worth it). The writing center can turn a “D” paper into a “C” or even “B” paper.

The Last Word: Just try your best and work hard, and you should be OK in this class.