Coursework
Writing Samples/Major Projects

The accomplishments you are making in your classes can be very important in the future. Tracking what you have done academically can help you to follow how your interest in a particular discipline deepens and develops. Take the time to reflect on each course - consider what you have learned, what new ideas you have developed and how it relates to your future goals. As you talk with your advisor each semester about your courses and your ideas, make notes in the Advising Notes section that you can look back on later.

It is a good idea to keep samples of your writing to show potential employers or graduate schools. Not only should you keep papers that you have completed, but also articles you have written for the paper or that have been published in another way, major projects you have completed, or anything else of interest that you have created for a course or an internship. A science major might want to hold onto your lab notebook to help remind you of the lab skills that you have acquired. A business major might want to keep the disk that your best PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet is on. An education major might want to keep a unit plan you are especially proud of.

This section of your portfolio allows you to log the materials that you are keeping. It will be a reference so that you will know what you have kept. When an employer or a graduate school asks to see some of your work, you can use this resource to see what you have held on to. You can keep the log sheet and work samples in a binder or folder.

We have also included a place for you to record your reflections about your coursework. Write out the responses to each of the questions or discuss them with a counselor, friend or family member and ask that person to jot down notes. Print out a separate page for each course.