essay

  The questions posed in each option are designed to help guide your thinking and response. You are not required to respond to all (or even any) of the listed questions, although your responses should be organized in some way. As with any writing assignment, providing sufficient background information to your topic and offering specific examples to support your views will make your ideas clearer and more convincing.
 
Option 3:
Interview a professor or faculty member who you would like to get to know better. As a suggestion, you may want to interview someone whose class you enjoyed or who teaches in the discipline you hope to major in. Check to see when their office hours are. You may also want to send them an email to let them know that you will stop by their office hours. When you go to meet with them, introduce yourself and use the questions on p. 6 of Andreatta to guide your interview. Jot down your professor’s responses on separate sheets of paper.
After your interview, type up a 3-4 page essay that reflects upon the interview. Summarize what you discussed and reflect upon what you learned. What did you enjoy the most in the interview? What surprised you or what did you find unexpected? Did you learn anything that changed your view of the university, research or what it means to be a professor?
Option 4:
Make an appointment with an academic adviser in a discipline that you think you’d like to major in. Before your visit, review your ‘Academic Advising Report’ (AAR) on your portal (see this video if you cannot locate your AAR). Discuss what lower-division classes you’ve taken in the major, what classes you’d like to take next year and what classes you’d like to take to fulfill your upper-division requirements. Discuss any other activities that you’d like to participate in (study abroad, faculty research, an internship, etc).
After your meeting, write a 3-4 page reflection. Summarize what you discussed in your meeting, what advice your adviser gave to you, what your plans are for the next three years of study and how you plan to achieve your goals.