Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Am I in the RIGHT COURSE?
A: Every undergraduate at USC must take English 101 and 102 or earn equivalent credit. So, yes, if you’re a first-year student and you didn’t get an exemption via testing, you have to take 101 and 102.

Q: Am I in the RIGHT SECTION?
A: You’ll have to check with your teacher about the section number. Listen for your name on the roll; if it’s not there, talk to your instructor after class. If you’re still not sure, check VIP online.

Q: Do I have to buy the TEXTBOOKS?
A: Yes, you do. Some students think they can share texts with friends or roommates; others try to photocopy textbooks. The first tactic can present problems – what if, for example, your roommate drops out and sells the book for beach trip money? The second is illegal.

Q: What will I be doing in ENGLISH 101? How about in 102?
A: Improving your writing skills takes practice, so the short answer is: you’ll be doing a good deal of reading and even more writing. You can expect to write approximately 25-35 pages of finished work, including short papers and longer essays. For more details, check the Course Descriptions and read your course policies and syllabus.

Q: How will my 101 or 102 teacher decide what GRADES I get?
A: We’ve listed some general grading guidelines in the Grades section, but here again your best source of information is your teacher and the course policies he or she will give you at the start of the semester. If things aren’t clear after you’ve read those policies, talk to your instructor.

Q: May I write my papers LONGHAND? What if I don’t have a COMPUTER?
A: You’ll be doing a good deal of writing in class, most likely in longhand. But your teacher will require all essays done outside the classroom to be written on a computer, saved to a disk (for revision and for your records), and printed. Don’t worry if you don’t have a computer: USC has several labs around campus. See the computing labs website for more information.

Q: May I use OLD ESSAYS, from high school, for my college English classes?
A: No. We encourage revision, but not recycling. You need to give your college assignments your full attention and effort in order to learn.

Q: May I get someone to HELP ME with my papers?
A: There’s nothing wrong with getting assistance — we, in fact, encourage peer revision and fully support the work done in the Writing Center. You, however, are responsible for understanding the difference between permissible assistance and collusion or plagiarism, both of which are serious offenses in college (see the section on Academic Responsibility).

Q: How many CUTS do I get?
A: Really, that’s for you to decide. You have to take responsibility for your actions. But keep this in mind: the more classes you miss, the less you’ll learn and the lower your grades will be. Most instructors impose grade penalties after 10% of classes have been missed, and if you miss too many classes (25 percent), you’ll fail the course automatically..

Q: What happens if I’m late to class a lot? How many TARDIES equal one absence?
A: Several things can happen when you’re tardy: you might interrupt the teacher or disrupt your classmates; you could miss a quiz or some other assignment; and, if you’re late a lot, you might send a message to your instructor that you don’t really care about the class. Some teachers count tardies the same as absences; others allow you to accumulate a couple before penalizing you. Check the course policies to be sure. Better yet, be on time.

Q: Am I allowed to EAT IN CLASS?
A: Most — if not all — buildings at USC prohibit food and drink in classrooms. And if you think about it, crunching your way through a bag of barbecue-flavored chips while your instructor is trying to teach and your classmates are trying to listen is a bit rude.

Q: What are OFFICE HOURS?
A: You should think of office hours as an extension of your instructor’s teaching time. It’s a period of time, usually about three hours a week, when your teacher is available in his or her office to help you. Visiting your instructor during office hours is not an intrusion. It’s a smart thing to do if you have questions that aren’t covered in class or if you need extra help.