Joliet Junior College English Essay

Essay Component: Requirements for the essay include: 3-5 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt font; writing should be formal (no
abbreviations, acronyms, etc.), grammatically correct, and free of misspellings. Be sure to proofread your writing, and
consider sharing it with others or a Writing Center tutor for feedback.

Your essay should include the following:
Introduction: In your introduction share what you have learned about yourself this semester. Take a look back
over your reflection assignments from class. Synthesize responses to at least the following questions in your
introduction: What have you learned about yourself this semester? What do you feel called to do? What are your
strengths? What are some areas you wish to develop? What are your growing interests? And how do these insights
about yourself inform your plans for the future?

Explain Your Plan: Describe the details of your plan by addressing the questions below. First, think about the
questions, then write a cohesive explanation of your plan that addresses all the questions.
In broad terms, what is your plan for your remaining years at the university? What do you plan to do in the two years after
your graduate from your university? Why are you pursuing your major and career path? As you think more about our
vocation discussions, what is calling you to pursue this plan—both from within yourself and in terms of serving a
need in the world? What goals do you have for your academics? What will you do outside of academics as a part of
this plan (internships, co-curricular activities, service work, etc.)? How will you remain true to yourself as you
pursue this plan? How are you going to prepare for your post-graduation plans? What might be some barriers to
anticipating and planning for? Finally, what will life look like after graduation if you imagine yourself 2-5 years from now
(about 2 years after graduation if you have 2 more years at the university yet)? What will you be doing?
Conclusion: Conclude your essay by reflecting on the process of developing your plan. Think about the following
questions and then synthesize your responses in your essay: What was this experience like? What is the first step
you will take to work towards your plan during the spring semester? And, how about next summer? What campus
resources will you leverage as you pursue your plan?