English Comp vs Freshman College Comp

Does anyone know if these courses count for different credits - or can you just take one or the other?

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
CASANDRA

 

I would check the descriptions in a catalog. What is your Freshman College Comp course description from the catalog.

It sounds like it is a English Composition I course but some times the title of the course can be a throw off. Just make sure the class you are taking is not a developmental English course because this is not the same as English Composition I.

Here are some examples of ENG I descriptions from some catalogs

ENGL 1101 - English Composition I
Credits: 3.00
A composition course focusing on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts, with emphasis on exposition, analysis, and argumentation, and also including introductory use of a variety of research skills

ENGL 1301 - English Composition I
Description: Principles of composition and rhetorical skills necessary for clear, logical writing. Emphasis on writing as a process

 

If you are referring to the CLEP exams by those titles -- it depends entirely on the college you want to transfer them into.

Some colleges grant no credit for certain tests, others are very generous. For the most part, you'll find that the English Comp general exam is often accepted for 6 semester hours where the Freshman Comp subject exam is most often only 3sh equivalent to the first semester English comp and occasionally 6sh for both freshman semesters. If a school were to accept both exams, the material would be duplicative.

There is also the issue of "with essay" or "without" -- some schools require the essay portion while others treat it as an option.

Within the subject area Composition and Literature; I've taken the General English Comp, subject Freshman comp., subject Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, and General Humanities exams -- I've found that some transfer to some schools while others will transfer elsewhere and that some schools will accept none. Some schools will require validation of the credit by local departmental exams and some will waive freshman English entirely if you've taken soph. or upper level English courses elsewhere.

Most English departments will require freshman comp as a prerequisite to higher level study in the department but "freshman" studies varies from school-to-school. Some require two semesters of composition and rhetoric of all freshmen while others require one semester of comp and one semester of literature.

Bottom line -- composition at the lower level is generally no more than six semester hours of offerings (Eng 101 and 102 or some such number) at many colleges -- therefor, having multiple exams or classes in the introductory subject area can only transfer in as equivalent to a maximum 6 hours (where I am studying now the Freshman Comp and A&I Literature subject exams are considered equivalent for 6sh total -- the generals don't transfer here at all.)

An important consideration though is how well you write. If you don't have very strong writing skills, you may find it very beneficial to take freshman english classes in real time at a school near you. The ability to write well is exceedingly valuable in the academic environment. If you already write very well then testing out of the requirement is an easy way to save both time and money.

Note: I didn't find any of the above exams difficult and I didn't prepare for them other than reviewing the College Board study guides and practice tests.