Week in Review: 11/5 and Final Writing Assignment

Hello everyone,

Last week we:

1. Did a progress check on your Workbooks; don't forget to use them as a study aid!
2. Discussed how to compose a personal statement, and wrote one in pairs
3. Explored different persuasive techniques, depending on context (formal or informal)

Your homework for Saturday is to write a personal statement that responds to the following prompt:

Your university has just allocated funding to send one student to study abroad for a year, at an English-speaking university of their choosing. Money is no object, and the university can be in any English-speaking country. The area of study is up to the student to decide; however, it is expected that the chosen field, and the completed year of study, will prepare the student to make a valuable contribution to that field in the future, after their return to Spain. The greater the potential contribution, the greater the chance that you will be selected.

Please compose a one-page personal statement explaining why you are the ideal candidate for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Make sure to include:

• Where you want to go
• Why you want to go there
• What you want to study
• Why you want to study it
• What you plan to accomplish in Spain with the experience of the year abroad

This is your FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT. The copy you give to me on Saturday will receive a mark. Make sure you adhere to the guidelines we discussed in class, keeping in mind what type of tone you should take. (Hint: formal.) If you need a reminder of what a good personal statement looks like, take a look here and here. The second link is to examples of personal statements writtten for the prestigous Fulbright Scholarship, which is as open-ended as this assignment. 

Use eveything we've worked on this year to make your final product as strong as possible. Incorporate high-level vocabulary, presuasive techniques, formal writing structures, etc. I want your work at the beginning of class on Saturday, no exceptions. I will announce the winner of this dream scholarship after the break.

See you Saturday!