Academic Autobiography

As you are taking your remaining credits to complete your degree, please remember that at the end of your degree program, you will be required to submit an essay in which you will be asked to write reflectively about your degree as a whole, especially your concentration and the credits that fulfilled the General Education requirements. The purpose of this is threefold:

1. The assignment requires that you integrate the knowledge and experience of earning a degree with credits often acquired at several institutions and using various methods of learning. You will more fully come to appreciate the richness of your academic experience through the writing of the essay.
   
   
2. In order to function successfully in a society in which a premium is placed upon the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in writing, the Academic Autobiography allows the faculty to objectively assess your writing skills.
   
   
3. All regionally accredited institutions strive to provide an educational program with specific outcomes that are measurable. Your reflections on what you have learned provide the College with the information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the degree and it offers a sample of your mastery of the Written Communication requirement.

As this is an assessment piece, your Academic Counselor can neither assist you with the writing nor provide feedback on the content. However, there is online tutoring available and we will be happy to help you access it. Further tips on writing the Academic Autobiography can be found in the Student Handbook. We also recommend the following Web site as a good source of information about writing: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar.

Complete the Academic Autobiography:
Download the Academic Autobiography proposal form in MS Word or Adobe PDF.

View the Academic Autobiography Video:
This online video includes tips from faculty concerning writing style, topics to be covered, and individual approaches to writing an acceptable academic autobiography essay.

• For High-speed Internet connection, view the video here*.
• For Dial-up Internet connection, view the video here*.

*If you do not have viewing software currently installed on your computer you may download Windows Media Player here.