First-Year Composition Success Survey

Welcome to CSULB! If you have been instructed to read this information and complete the First-Year Composition Success Survey (formerly DSP), please do so before you attend SOAR, where you will enroll in a first-year writing course.

First-year composition satisfies one of the general education writing requirements at CSULB. Taking into consideration your confidence in your own writing and experience in other writing courses, you can choose between two first-year composition experiences:

 

Stretch Composition

(100A in the fall and 100B in the spring)

Standard 100B 

(Taken in a single semester)

  • 4 major writing assignments, spread out over a year-long experience
  • 3-4 major writing assignments completed in one semester
  • Major writing assignments broken down into smaller parts and mainly developed in class with instructor and in-class tutor support
  • Multiple supplemental assignments that occur while major writing assignments are in progress
  • Assignments acclimate you into university life in the first semester while you obtain college-level reading and writing and rhetorical strategies in the second semester
  • Assignments emphasize academic discourse, focusing on analytical reading, thesis-driven writing, and rhetorical strategies in one semester
  • One-on-one conferencing with the instructor multiple times throughout the year
  • More out-of-class obligations and expectations to work independently
  • First semester graded Credit/No Credit (does not impact GPA), while second semester is graded A-F

     

  • Graded A-F; must pass with a C or better 
  • Slower paced; smaller class size
  • Faster paced; larger class size
  • Students may have the same classmates and instructor for both semesters, helping to build connections on campus
 

 

 

Many students choose this option if they: 

 

Many students choose this option if they: 

  • Enjoy learning at a slower pace with more hands-on, one-on-one instruction in a writing class.Struggle with meeting deadlines

  • Are confident in their ability to keep up with a faster-paced writing class
  • Struggle with meeting deadlines

  • Have the ability to balance multiple assignments and due dates at the same time
  • Have a rigorous and/or high-unit schedule

  • Have the ability to work and meet deadlines independently
  • Want more of a community experience with a year-long cohort of students to help build connections

     

  • Are able to manage high-unit course loads 
  • Have multiple obligations outside of school 

 

 

If you’re still unsure which option is best for you, complete the First-Year Composition Success Survey. This survey is intended to provide more context and direction; you still have the option to choose either experience.

Begin the survey:  First-Year Composition Success Survey 

If you choose the year-long, stretch composition experience, ENROLL IN 100A/104A (Composition I):
 

Choose from:

  • AFRS 100A
  • AIS 100A
  • ASAM 100A
  • ENGL 100A 
  • CHLS 104A

If you choose the faster-paced, single-semester composition experience, ENROLL IN 100B/104B (Composition II):

Choose from:

  • AFRS 100B
  • AIS 100B
  • ASAM 100B
  • ENGL 100B
  • CHLS 104B

 

 

Regardless of your choice, make sure you follow #TheBeachWrites on IG! You will gain access to a community of writers at CSULB, along with information about the college writing experience and the various support services we have on campus!