Here’s the bottom line: this class is about building your portfolio. You’re going to work hard, but you have the best possible instructor to help you create a portfolio that will get you a good job. - Sarah Finley

Run! Run for your life! Your waking hours will be consumed by 318 class projects. A good class, but very difficult. Kind of like an evil social experiment that leaves you scarred for life. - Laura Watts

In English 318 you will learn to work with others. There will be temper tantrums, disagreements, fights, and laughter. You will learn that some people you can socialize with are not the best people to work with. Embrace the paradigm, and look within yourself for the insanity to stick with a project going nowhere, a project that seems to resist completion, but that somehow evolves into a project you can consider a job well done. - Jennifer Kellogg

English 318 may seem overwhelming and disorganized. It is both of these things, but it is also extremely rewarding if you put effort into your work for the class. Because it is so practical, this has been the most rewarding class I’ve had at Cal Poly. It is the real world. - Julie Hancock

English 318 parallels life: what you put into the class is what you get out. Don’t waste your time sitting around and waiting for someone to tell you what to do. When you’re seriously confused, do two things: talk to Jim and look at the introductory class video again. And talk to students in this class who have taken other classes with Jim. This class can be the most fun you have ever had in a classroom… - Robin Chilton

Imagine the entire class working jointly on six simultaneous projects; the headaches, hassles, friendship, craziness, crazy times, late hours and laughter. Plan on working 30 hours straight at least several times before the quarter ends, especially if you sit on your hands instead of getting to work Day One. If you decide to take the plunge into 318, be ready to experience one of the only “real life” classes Cal Poly offers. Hop to it! - Heidi Marshall

A wild ride, but a chance to learn important skills; this is not a standard English class. English 318 is a team-project-oriented, technical writing, problem-solving course. Actively engage yourself to make your stay pleasant and to help you learn a taste for the real world. - Andy Lin

Choose a class leader who will be open to suggestions and who can handle difficulties and personality conflicts. Do not select a leader just because that person wants to be—or is willing to be—the class leader Everyone needs to learn the skills of everyone else. We’ve been where you are, so listen to us! - Holly Hamilton

Be sure to pick projects you want to work on. Stay on schedule or you'll be sorry late in the quarter. Choose a class leader who will be firm with slackers and make the rest of you stay on schedule. Write and sign (and get your clients to sign) the CONTRACTS!!! If you don't have a contract you will have no recourse later when problems occur. There will always be one or more major losers in the class. Identify them early and give them no critical responsiblities. If they don't perform up to everyone's expectations don't be afraid to nail them accordingly. You don't have to be best friends, but you do have to get the projects done on time. And you can have fun doing it. Remember to go out and relax together. - Justine Nielsen

English 318, wow! This class is great for group project experience. If you don’t have the time, don’t take the class. Jim is great; do not be afraid to use him as a resource. Ask lots of questions and keep vocal. Have fun and learn. I recommend this class to everyone on campus, no matter what your major is. - Stacy Grijalva

Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. They won’t and Howland won’t. Get off your ass now. Initiate a project; communicate a class plan, and above all, learn to rewrite well. This class is as close as you’ll get to “real life” here at Poly. Don’t blow it. Accept the challenge of 318, and don’t even think about whining. Slackers will fail the class. - Jean Hundertmark

You’re already behind schedule. You have work to do; don’t just sit there. You have enrolled in Real World 101 and your first job will be to grow up—fast. Stop complaining! The furious pace of English 318 mirrors the workplace because it is the workplace. Your task is to do real work for real clients, and the deadline can’t be fudged because it’s a deadline, stupid. Stop trying to psych out the instructor. What Jim wants is not the issue. The issue is how to finish up your current project so you can grab the bar and swing aboard the next one. Stop whining! Jim is not your mother; he’s a resource, your coach, your consultant. Bring him your ideas for each project—but bring those ripening ideas to your classmates first. Your classmates are your team mates: you win only when they win. Play hard, but play as a team. English 318 is a full metal jacket internship/co-op, wrapped up in an innocent looking 10-week quarter. Don’t be fooled. Check your e-mail. And stop whining! The future just arrived, and if you blinked, you missed it. - Kelley Natividad

I predict that you will get off to a slow start in English 318 because you will think it is a regular Poly class. Do yourself a favor. Prove me wrong. If you leave the classroom today without either talking to Jim or arranging with Jim to talk to him one-on-one during the next day or two, you are a fool. You are not a fool because I say you are a fool. You are a fool because you did not follow the advice of others who have been where you are now. In other words, you are a fool because you are a fool. There is no room for wiggling around the fact that failing to listen to our advice makes you a fool—a total fool. If you would prefer not going through your life as a fool, go talk to Jim. English 318 is about growing up and learning to play with the big kids. If you are not a leader, become one. If you can not become one, latch onto a class leader now. Insist (do not ask or request) that your leader give you work to do—today! When you leave this class 10 weeks from now, you will either have the skills and power to play in anyone’s sandbox, or you will not. If you do not have that power, I have good news for you: y ou will get to take English 318 one more time because your classmates will give you the F in the class that you deserve. I have seen Howland’s grade sheets. As much as half the class can receive failing grades; but almost the whole class in some quarters receives A grades. Your other classes will not require you to bust your butt this week, but English 318 allows you to get off to a flying start if you are ready to start working hard right now, this minute. You have a choice. Just as in life, what you decide is up to you. - Spencer Grantham