Dear English 202...

To Michael’s new 202 classes:

If you are interested, I thought of a few things that could possibly help you to be successful in this class:

When I first started the class, the most important thing I had to do was rid myself of this notion that a lot of work automatically equals a bad experience. Trust Michael. The work is necessary. And Michael is definitely not one of these deranged professors that enjoy watching students fail.

I would advise you to meet with him frequently, at least once before every big paper is due. He makes himself extremely available and willing to help, and every time I left his office last quarter I would always have new ideas for the paper I was working on.

Don’t be discouraged if you are getting back developings. This is where a little bit of competitive spirit is helpful. Compete with yourself, tell yourself you know you can do better. Your writing will improve if you make the effort to re-write papers.

This may sound obvious, but go to class. Go to class and actually pay attention. Some of the best paper topics come from ideas that were brought up in class discussion. Embrace ideas that seem controversial or outlandish. These are the ideas that can generate tons of writing, you have a lot to say about them. Don’t write about things you don’t care about. For me, nothing is harder than writing a paper about something that has no personal significance.

Go into the class with a positive attitude and know that you will improve. Appreciate the literature for its uniqueness. Keep an open mind. Know that had you not taken this class, you probably would never have read these books, but embrace this. Be your own cheerleader and your own competitor, Michael will challenge you, but he will help you too. Most importantly, stay positive and know that your efforts will not go un-noticed!