English Zero, 1933

I’m out of town for a meeting and can manage to grab just a moment to post. I offer only this, currently my top candidate for Most Dispiriting Course Title Ever:

These people were not kidding around either. Although anyone could get sent back to English 0 at any time, it turns out that everyone enrolled at Rice had to complete it by passing the legendary spelling test. This is from the February 12, 1943 Thresher:

Bonus: Big city.

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4 Responses to English Zero, 1933

  1. Galloway Hudson - Wiess '60 says:

    English 0 was long gone by my freshman year, 1956. I assume that results of the S.A.T. exams we had to take prior to admission weeded out everyone not proficient in English. Does anyone know when the S,A. T. became mandatory for Rice applications? As I recall. no other school in Texas required it back then – but I did not apply to any other school. I figured that, if I was not accepted by Rice, I could still go to U. T. at the last minute. How times have changed.

  2. Carolyn Brewer says:

    Class of 1958 did not have to take SAT. Spelling Test was still a requirement to graduate.

  3. Bill Peebles, Hanszen '70 says:

    Does anyone know what constituted a passing grade on the spelling test?

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