I took 1010 and 2010 and all I have to say is: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNITE! FREE YOURSELVES FROM OPPRESSION! FREE YOURSELVES FROM --- [gasp, choke, gurgling noise…] I didn’t like 1010/2010. I remember being bored, not understanding why we were doing the writing we were doing, and having no idea what the purpose of these classes was. That said, I liked that they were easy classes for me. I don’t remember my 1010 paper, although I do remember doing peer reviews and thinking that it was pointless because there was nothing the other students said that seemed to be productive (mandatory comments like, “Yeah, I think that’s what the professor want on the works cited page,” and “Dude, I forgot we had to put a source in there—glad you remembered.”) I remember my 2010 paper being really long and I didn’t understand why I had to take up “X” number of pages when I could say just as much in “x” fewer pages. I was annoyed by having to fill space and saw it as busy work. From talking with 1010 and 2010 students, I think most of them tend to look at these classes as the dreaded required classes that have to be taken and gotten out of the way so that they can move on to bigger and better things. I never get a sense that students understand why or how these classes can be beneficial. Sometimes I wonder if the professors understand why the course is taught the way that it is, especially in those required classes where they need to be structured and in close collaboration with other professors. I didn’t understand why the courses were taught the way that they are and it wouldn’t have occurred to me to ask. Even now, there’s a lot I don’t understand about it. On the other hand, I see how the new 1010 style with readings and lots of writing can engage students in a variety of ideas and display a broad foundation for academic thought and writing. I like that students are reading a variety of texts and looking at each individually and responding to each as an individual—then as a group. Composition courses have the opportunity to introduce students to the academic world and prepare them for a range of reading and writing they will experience in their college careers.