Your grade will be determined based not only on the strength of the prose and rigor of the thinking (“so what?”) in the final draft of your essay, but also on the completion of all pre- writing, planning, drafting, revising, and editing assignments.

I look forward to reading your personal essay—an essay that will connect the public with
the personal, utilize a strong “I,” and employ personal experience as evidence. This essay will
differ significantly from the more traditional academic essays you will write later this semester;
think carefully about your essay’s genre, audience, purpose, and occasion.
Your grade will be determined based not only on the strength of the prose and rigor of the
thinking (“So what?”) in the final draft of your essay, but also on the completion of all pre-
writing, planning, drafting, revising, and editing assignments.
Your final draft, which should reflect the feedback you receive from me and your peers and be
significantly different from your first draft, is due before class on Friday 10/7. Submit the essay
by uploading a Word document or PDF to Canvas Assignments and by bringing a printed hard
copy to class.
the essay will be approximately 5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
That is the equivalent of approximately 1,500 words. Follow MLA guidelines for formatting (as
demonstrated in this very document).