Dear International Students:
On behalf of the Expository Writing Program, welcome to Skidmore’s Class of 2028. In the courses you take to fulfill the Expository Writing Requirement and the classes you will pursue in your academic major, you will be learning to write for academic purposes across your entire Skidmore education. Writing permeates the Skidmore curriculum. You will use writing as a mode of communication and artistic expression, a tool for investigation and analysis, and a pathway to learning. That’s why expository writing—writing that explains, describes, or analyzes--is a foundation requirement of the Skidmore education.
To assure that students register for an appropriate writing course—one that matches their abilities and challenges them as writers—Skidmore requires all incoming students to complete the Directed Self-Placement Program for Expository Writing Placement. Directed Self-Placement (DSP) asks you to write a short essay; reflect seriously and thoughtfully about your essay, your writing process, and your abilities as a writer; and then choose the expository writing course level that is best suited for you as an incoming college writer. You will find the link for the DSP on the First-Year Experience Dates and Deadlines page (http://www.skidmore.edu/fye/know/index.php).
As international students, each of you enters Skidmore with a diverse range of experiences and skills in English. Therefore, it is especially important that your placement in a writing seminar best meets your needs and abilities as an incoming college writer so that you have a successful and positive academic experience at Skidmore. To ensure this goal, members of the Expository Writing Program will assess the writing and responses you provide in your DSP and consult your standardized test scores (ACT, SAT, TOEFL) and supporting admissions data to determine your final writing course placement. We will then notify you of your writing course placement. This writing course placement is the specific class you must register for when you select your fall classes in June.
You must complete the Directed Self-Placement by May 16, 2023. If you have any questions about the DSP process, please contact Professor Michael Marx, Expository Writing Director, by email mmarx@skidmore.edu or call (518) 580-5173. For general questions, please visit the FAQ https://www.skidmore.edu/fye/know/dsp.php .
In peace,