Why is writing 1 required, and what do I hope to gain from it?

     I'm taking this class because it is required by Northeastern and because it is required for an English major. Personally, I don't think its fair to require this class for every student. I understand the necessity for an aptitude test in English and math, but I don't understand why those tests can only test people out of remedial courses, and not test them into higher level courses (if they score high enough). The test would have to be altered a little bit, maybe by adding a few fill in the blank and multiple choice questions asking about proper grammar and rules of grammar (i.e. find the errors in this sentence and explain why they are errors) to make sure students grasp the subject fully, but I don't think anyone would mind sitting the extra half hour if they could test into a higher level course.

     Since I have to take this class, I hope to gain some new and useful skills. I hope to broaden my writing range -so to speak- and learn to write more effectively in a larger variety of styles. For instance, I'm comfortable with and good at writing poetry and most prose in general, but when it comes to more formal styles (i.e. persuasive, informative, and research-type papers), I don't do what I would consider my finest work. Ideally I would like to get more comfortable with and more proficient at these styles, I think it all boils down to a lack of motivation. Don't get me wrong, I can write these styles of papers, and write them passably well, but they are not as good as they could be. I think my problem is that unless I find a topic particularly interesting, or about something I'm passionate about, I have issues wading through dense material, and focusing on and truly absorbing the information for effective use later. It all boils down to discipline, a skill I need to hone, and hopefully one this class will help me with.