Write a memo (remember that form?) to your “self-at-the-beginning-of-last-year.”

Write a memo (remember that form?) to your “self-at-the-beginning-of-last-year.”

We did not foresee the COVID-19 online situation. What advice can you give your former self, knowing what you do now? Give plenty of specific detail, and feel free to address content of this course as well as practical hints for everyday life.

Recommended time limit: 90 min. There is no maximum (within our 5-day window), but strive for 60-90 minutes. On a class discussion, one student asked, “How long, word- count wise, is a 90-min. essay?” Here’s what I answered:

That would depend on how fast a person can type–ha! I’m always more interested in quality rather than quantity. A student who spends 45 minutes brainstorming and planning, 20 minutes writing, 20 minutes editing and tweaking, and 5 min. proofreading might only have 1 1⁄2 elegant pages, but that essay could get an A– vs. the student who just types a messy, unorganized, stream-of-consciousness 15 pages off the top of his head (possible D? F?).

Do not fret. . . . The machine will not time you. 90 minutes is a suggested time, and you have a 5-day window to get it done. Open the prompt, think about it, and write a thorough, thoughtful essay, and you’ll do fine.

I will say that you should think of this memo as a PAPER, not as a bullet point list– similar to our first assignment in the course.

Criteria: * Amount and specificity of detail * Thoughtfulness of analysis

* Clarity of structure and organization

* Correctness of grammar and mechanics