Early Middle Late undergraduate education Week 9 Seminar: Academic Planning & Statement peer review session Some terminology: “Annual Academic Statement”  Academic Plan/Map/Dream “Final Academic Statement”  Final/Transcript/Graduate Academic Statement undergraduate education Early Middle Late Academic Plan/Map/Dream Graduation Statement

“The Academic Statement is a narrative introduction to your overall transcript. You write about where you’ve been and where you’re going at Evergreen, describing your undergraduate studies as a whole. Reflective writing is a great way to understand what you've learned and to discover what you want to learn.” (modified from http://evergreen.edu/academicstatement/) The primary goal of your Academic Statement is to make sense of your academic trajectory. For all of you, particularly those in your final year at Evergreen, this will involve framing your past work (highlighting certain elements, minimizing others) to reveal the sense of (or impose sense on) that work. For all of you, particularly those in the early or middle parts of your Evergreen education, it should also involve making thoughtful and informed choices about what makes sense to do next, and how best to prepare for that.

There are many narrative strategies, writing styles, genres, etc There are many narrative strategies, writing styles, genres, etc. that could work for your Academic Statement. Those choices are up to you. Faculty will only ask “Does it read well?” and “Does it describe your work?”. However, your Academic Statement will be well served with a clear introduction, a clear conclusion, and clear body paragraphs. Depending on where you are in our academic trajectory (early, middle, near graduation), you will want to emphasize different things: For those of closer to graduation, this might involve framing your past and current work to make sense of that work for an outside audience. For those of with more time left in your undergraduate careers, you will want to describe a potential Academic Plan, Map, or Dream and how to best plan for that. While only the final version that is included in your transcript has the 750 word limit, you should try to get close to that limit even in your interim versions. Those of you who completed previous Seminar writing assignments have completed much of the groundwork.

Final Statement Academic Plan Self-Evaluation Audience External to Evergreen: employers, grad programs, etc. Internal: faculty, advisors, mentors Internal: You (now, future) Faculty (now, future) Scale/Scope Undergrad education: retrospective Undergrad education: both retrospective and prospective Your current program Purpose Make sense of your interdisciplinary liberal arts Evergreen education to an outside audience Map out/imagine your academic trajectory: past, present, future Frankly and constructively reflect on successes and struggles to reveal learning and areas for improvement