TOW #30 - Letter to a New APELC Student

Dear New APELC student,

I am not going to lie to you: this course is difficult. It is unlike any other english class you’ve taken. My best tip for success would be from your first day to recognize the power in what you’re learning. You’ll be able to write a pretty decent essay on a topic that you may know nothing about, and complete it in a rather tight time constraint. For the rest of your life, regardless of your profession, you will need to know how to write, so why not know how to write effectively? We are surrounded by rhetoric all of the time: at school, at work, and even in our homes. So why not be able to recognize how and through what means someone is trying to convince you of something? 

If you are like I am and dread courses in school that leave you with little to no practically applicable knowledge, than you will love this course. Almost everything you will learn from the very first week can be applied outside of school and to your own benefit. That would be my single best tip: to understand and appreciate the power within the skills that you are learning.

In addition, make sure you do the readings. There’s simply no way around it if you plan to succeed in this course. 

Remember that you are in good hands. Any discussion led by Mr. Yost will leave you with new perspectives and insights, as well an deeper understanding of whatever is being discussed. Ms. Pronko is almost always available and more than happy to help. Even given that this is an AP course and deadlines are strict, if Mr. Yost noticed that many of us were having a difficult week, he had no problem making concessions and moving back dates when necessary. With these two in the classroom, you’ll never be without help.

All I have left to say is good luck! Whether or not you take this course seriously is up to you, but I can assure you that missing out on what’s being taught in this course would be an awful mistake. Complete the readings, ask for help when you need it, and take any extra-credit opportunities you can. Simply do your best and when its 1:30AM and you still don’t know the difference between a synecdoche and a metonymy, remember that it’s just school.

Best Wishes, 

Hassan Rashid