The "Mythical College"

When reading Hjortshoj's writing on the "mythical college," I could not help but feel a little triumphant. Maybe it was my natural cautiousness or the warnings of my two older sisters, but for some reason, I arrived my first year properly humbled. Although in high school I was the straight-A student, in college, I had no such expectations. I knew that coming from a rural public school that was mediocre at best, I had very few of the opportunities that my future classmates had enjoyed. While the prospect of college academics were in fact mysterious, I, unlike the students described by Hjortshoj, had little expectation of them being a continuation of high school coursework. The skills I had learned in high school had allowed me to do well there, but I doubted very much that they would be everything I needed to succeed in college.

In college, I expected that I would be rather average. Not the best, perhaps, but by working hard, I would certainly not be the worst. I strived to adapt and to ignore preconceptions of what college writing "should be." When I got a B or B+ on a paper I was certainly not disappointed, and I was pleasantly surprised by an A. By relieving myself of the pressures of being that perfect student of high school, I was able to focus on learning not only the subject matter of my courses, but the strategies needed to succeed in them. Friends were not quite so satisfied; they agonized over Bs and Cs on their Core essays when they had been accustomed to getting As in high school English classes. They wanted to do well in college simply from prior experience, and skip the transitional process. And it is a process - a process of observing and trying new tactics and making mistakes in order to eventually succeed.

This attitude of openness and willingness to change is the key to writing (or doing anything) well. I think that Hjortshoj exaggerates the negative impact of AP English courses. While I do believe that students mistake the 5-paragraph essay as a mold for all college writing, for me, AP Language and Composition was the course that prepared me best for college. Some teachers undoubtedly teach for the test only, however, I feel that my ability to analyze a text and create a complete, detailed response were, if not totally developed, at least formed by the teaching in this class. Because of this course, I could better deal with difficult questions, and the stress of a college workload.

For so many of the students at the University, I am certain that the mythical college exists, constructed in part by AP standards and high school preparation. However, as long as students see the limitations of their high school knowledge and are willing to adapt their to meet challenges, there is no reason that their previous academic experiences cannot be assets in their collegiate life.