public speaking?! composition?!!!!

[hoodle]

Hi guys,
It seems like many schools require a class in public speaking (I don't have the list in front of me, but it's relatively wide spread). My college does not even offer such a class... have most of you enrolled in a formal speaking class? My upper-level seminars in both science and the humanities rely heavily on student presentations, such that my mentor, who will be writing me a letter, can speak positively about my speaking abilities. Hopefully that will be enough... but I'm curious about what other people do.

Similarly, have you taken a formal class in composition? I'm actually an English literature minor, and so write multiple essays a semester... the only composition class here is a remedial class for those who are not confident in their writing skills (ESL or otherwise). I'm assuming taking upper-level English classes will suffice for this?

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[wildfocus]

you will want to contact your schools of interest to find out about what will qualify for specific requirements. honestly, i don't remember a public speaking requirement for any of the schools i applied to (cornell, ucd, wsu, csu) and i'm sure classes you had to take for your english minor will count towards english comp.

 

[twosoakers]

isn't public speaking just "speech 010?" any community college offers it. composition is usually "english 010." ditto goes for it.

 

[hoodle]

you will want to contact your schools of interest to find out about what will qualify for specific requirements. honestly, i don't remember a public speaking requirement for any of the schools i applied to (cornell, ucd, wsu, csu) and i'm sure classes you had to take for your english minor will count towards english comp.

wildfocus, you're right - I think I panicked when looking at the Prereq chart unneccessarily. I must have been looking at the wrong lines... nowhere I'm planning on applying requires public speaking, although Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Purdue, and Western do! Thank god I don't have to worry about that one.

 

[Angelo84]

I also had a few issues with english comp and public speaking. I didn't take public speaking at all and applied to 9 schools (Cornell, UPenn, Tufts, Ohio, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Prince Edward Island)--for Purdue and Iowa you can substitute interpersonal communications. As far as english comp my problem was that my freshman english course while a english comp course was listed as honors and read Approachs to English Lit! This meant that it didn't count as a comp course because it looked like a lit course although we wrote weekly papers. I was able to get my writing intensive courses counted as enlgish composition--do you have courses like that with a note on the transcipt that they are writing intensive?

 

[cyrille104]

hoodie - I noticed that you're trying to get out of a second semester of gen chem, too...keep in mind that you have to pick and choose your battles. If any school lets you out of one requirement, they're almost definitely not going to let you out of another. It sounds like there are some things you probably shouldn't have to take, but don't just like not sign up for them and hope that you can argue with the schools about it...

 

[hoodle]

that's very true, cyrille, and part of the problem I signed up for when I decided to go to a liberal arts college rather than a large university (in terms of limited class options to meet specific grad school needs). Luckily, as I said in an earlier post - I don't have to worry about the public speaking thing. Also, the whole point of my posting before signing up for classes next semester is so that I am prepared and competitive before applying. I appreciate your help, but I think I'll be fine!

Finally, my gen chem issue has nothing to do with trying to get out of requirements, and everything to do with trying to make a rather frusturating situation work. No medical schools, and no other vet schools, have any problem with the Gen chem class at Swarthmore. There is no way I could graduate and take a year of Gen Chem without going to another institution - it is just not possible. Given that that is true, I'm trying to weigh my options (and unfortunately, my options don't include shaking my fist at Cornell and telling them that they're being stupid stick-in-the-muds!)

 

[akitavet]

if schools will waive this requirement for obviosly demonstrated presentation skills, such as actual public speaking engagements? I have presented at scientific conferences and defended my masters thesis. I figure that if I can effectively do those things, then I am definintely better prepared than some stupid speech class at community college, but alas I dont run the admissions process. 😉

 

[ri23]

A lot of schools will look at the syllabus' of many classes and combine those to fit requirements. There is no harm in emailing them and seeing, it might take a letter from an advisor explaining what you did - but you mine as well try.

 

[kate_g]

if schools will waive this requirement for obviosly demonstrated presentation skills, such as actual public speaking engagements? I have presented at scientific conferences and defended my masters thesis.

I found that schools were in general willing to hear me out with this kind of thing - my situation was really pretty different, but both schools where it was an issue were very willing to at least consider bending a minor requirement in light of my graduate experience. (Because public speaking is another one of those odd/minor requirements I think you'll have luck with this strategy too.)

The key is to do this early, so that you have an answer back before you commit to paying for an application that will just get thrown out. You should call or e-mail the admissions office with a general sketch of the situation, and ask whether you could put together a letter and some supporting material to submit to the admissions committee, petitioning them to consider your experience as satisfying the spirit of the requirement. Provided they say you can petition, then write up a (polite, professional) letter explaining your experience, why you think it should count, etc. Provide backup material like the conference program with your name as presenting author clearly indicated, a letter from your thesis committee chair describing the defense requirements, audience, length of presentation, etc...

 

[su_grad2007]

that's very true, cyrille, and part of the problem I signed up for when I decided to go to a liberal arts college rather than a large university (in terms of limited class options to meet specific grad school needs). Luckily, as I said in an earlier post - I don't have to worry about the public speaking thing. Also, the whole point of my posting before signing up for classes next semester is so that I am prepared and competitive before applying. I appreciate your help, but I think I'll be fine!

Finally, my gen chem issue has nothing to do with trying to get out of requirements, and everything to do with trying to make a rather frusturating situation work. No medical schools, and no other vet schools, have any problem with the Gen chem class at Swarthmore. There is no way I could graduate and take a year of Gen Chem without going to another institution - it is just not possible. Given that that is true, I'm trying to weigh my options (and unfortunately, my options don't include shaking my fist at Cornell and telling them that they're being stupid stick-in-the-muds!)

I had a similar problem this year because I also go to a small liberal arts school and it was really hard to get all the prereqs done cause they have limited course offerings and I have a very demanding major. I ended up only having 3 hours of biochem instead of the 5 I needed for my state school by the end of may when i had to have them completed. My state school wouldn't even consider letting me in without ALL the prerequisites done, and they wouldn't let me get the 2 hours i needed over summer school. I chose to finish my degree and I'll finish those to hours later... if I don't get into RVC and move to london instead 🙂

 

[alliecat44]

wildfocus, you're right - I think I panicked when looking at the Prereq chart unneccessarily. I must have been looking at the wrong lines... nowhere I'm planning on applying requires public speaking, although Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Purdue, and Western do! Thank god I don't have to worry about that one.

If you're interested in those schools, I wouldn't count them out. I didn't have public speaking, but emailed KSU's Dean way before the application cycle and asked if I should bother applying, considering that I didn't fulfill that requirement but had a) completed a four-year long professional acting program, and b) spent a year performing stand-up comedy as a hobby. It wasn't a problem, and I didn't even have to put an explanation in my application. Apparently, I was just waved on through! 🙂 (They did ask me to tell them a joke from my stand-up routine in my interview, though!)

Point being, some schools are just more flexible than others. It never hurts to check! Good luck!