Bravewriter Research Essay - Is it worth the money?

[Lspuur]

I really want to shore up any gaps in my 12th grader's writing before heading off to college. He's never taken a writing class, online or otherwise, but he's a decent writer. I am considering Braverwriter's Research Essay class for him, but cha-ching! it's expensive! Do any of you have any experience with this class and if so, is it worth the $349?

Thanks so much~

 

 

[katilac]

Does he have an idea of where he will be going? I have no experience with Bravewriter, but I have found that the vast majority of schools require at least one semester of composition and sometimes two, and that they don't assume prior knowledge. They tell the student what format to use (MLA, etc) and the student has a guide to refer to. They teach them about research and what sources are acceptable.  ime, most students that have trouble with academic writing are struggling writers in any context, or they are stubborn about following the rules and don't think there should be a difference between their opinion and ideas supported by the text. 

You can often locate a class syllabus by searching the school's web site; if you can't, you can simply email the department and ask for one. Both of my kids did fine in college composition with no formal writing course beforehand, and they did it via dual enrollment at a local university in junior year. Now, oldest went on to a different school and their honors college required taking their specific honors composition. It moved very fast and had a time-consuming amount of reading and writing, and I was very glad that she had taken the two-semester sequence at the other school first! 

They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing  is an inexpensive book that is a good introduction to academic writing. If you don't do a class, it would definitely be worth it to work through that or a similar book. We basically read it and discussed it, I know we didn't do all of the exercises and such, but it was a good introduction.