Minor Application | eportfolio

Writing Minor Application Letter

In high school, we had to check certain boxes off in order to get into the colleges that we wanted to. I had to join clubs, apply for leadership positions, and get good grades, not for my own enjoyment or sense of satisfaction, but because these accomplishments would get me closer to my dream school.

Naturally, I thought that this was how I should approach my academic planning at college. I would choose a major that would propel me towards my dream job. The only problem: I did not and still do not know what my dream job is. To be frank, my vision of myself ten years in the future is incredibly blurry.

There were a lot of things that I did in high school just because I thought I had to. But without boxes to check, I was compelled to think about my academic plan in a new light. What classes do I enjoy? What do I want to learn? How do I want to push myself, and how can I take advantages of the opportunities at Michigan? This new open-ended, do-what-you-want mentality was a little overwhelming.

I scoured over the list of majors and minors, looking up classes and reading descriptions as I went. I paused the longest at the Sweetland Minor in Writing. The program requirements were classes that I would have picked anyways. No other program appealed to me in that way.

I never noticed my love for writing in high school; I was too busy and stressed. But second semester last year, I fell in love with my writing class; I liked the discussions, the help from my teacher, and the assignments. I even liked workshopping my classmates’ papers. I approached each essay looking to improve my argumentative skills and polish my prose. It was frustrating trying to piece together what I wanted to convey, but the moment that I reached complete clarity, even in just one sentence, I was always amazed by my sense of accomplishment and pride. As the class progressed, I knew that I wanted to take another writing class, and I registered for English 225.

Now, a few months into the semester, I feel similarly towards my new writing class as I did towards my first one. I enjoy going to class, reading for homework, and editing papers until they say exactly what they were meant to say. I look forward to assignments, so that I can brainstorm topics I want to talk about and start writing my terrible first draft. I go to office hours regularly so that I can talk out my ideas and get advice on the structure of my essays. And I do well, because my passion for writing causes me to be proactive, focused, and hard working.

Each of my college writing classes has equipped me with the skills necessary to write strong and clear essays. I know what makes a great paper, and I constantly work to try and write one. My junior and senior year of high school, all English classes were taught at the college level (not AP), and essays were staple assessment tools in most other classes. In hindsight, I was focused on too many other things to notice that I loved the challenge of writing. Now, I have had a lot of writing practice, and consequentially, I have fine-tuned my skills.

Through the minor, I want to develop my skills even more. I want to learn new ways to explore topics. I want to practice writing in different genres. I want to write alongside people who care if their writing is good, beyond a grade, and learn from them. It is also important to me to find my voice as a writer. My prose should be clear and simple; I want it to be easy to read but not compromise any substance.

My academic goal is to learn passionately. The writing minor would allow me explore something I love, with the freedom to choose how I explore it. I want to spend my time at college developing myself as a person and as a writer, learning from and with the best. I am excited at the thought of looking back at my Eportfolio and seeing how much I have grown and accomplished. The minor will allow me to expand my passion and see how far I can take it.