STUDENT ESSAY GUIDELINES for COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The basis for your paper is to take each objective and tell what you did to meet it and what you learned from it. You should also include some of the following:

• Discuss your accomplishments and successes related to your objectives. Did you learn more from the experience than just meeting your goals? Were your objectives appropriate?
• What did you learn about yourself through this endeavor? Your values? Your sense of community? Were your self-confidence/self esteem impacted? What about your stereotypes or biases?
  
• Do you feel your actions had any impact? Who benefited? What would you change about the situation?
• How will this volunteer experience alter your future behavior/attitudes/career?

CONTENT

• Introduction and Thesis Statement that clearly states what your topic is and what aspects of this topic you will discuss. (No more than two paragraphs.)
• Body of support for your ideas and a reflection on your experience.
• Conclusion that summarizes your reflection.

PROCESS

• It must have your name, the class and the date on the first page
• Outline that all the points you want to make.
• Write a rough draft, writing freely about everything you could write on each point.
• Edit, remembering to make transitions between paragraphs that connect your ideas. Get rid of what is superfluous. Check grammar and spelling

PRESENTATION

• Report must be typed and double-spaced. Use one-inch margins.
• Your report should be a minimum of 2 pages in length using a 10 or 12-point computer font. More than 2 pages are fine; less than 2 are not.
• It must be clean, not smudged or soiled.

If you would like help with your report, you can write your essay early and take advantage of the free assistance offered at the Tutorial/Writing Centers on either the Santa Rosa or Petaluma campus. You can check the website for details:

Link to Writing Assistance

Santa Rosa Campus
Tutorial Center, Writer’s Corner - 425 Doyle Library (1st floor) 707-521-6903
English Department Writing Center - 1629 Emeritus Hall (2nd floor) 707-5274351

Petaluma Campus
College Skills Lab – 252 Kathleen Doyle Hall, 707-778-3950
English Department Writing Center – 690 Richard W. Call Building

You may email your report to jdeike@santarosa.edu (Make sure your name is on the actual document.) You do not need to meet with your instructor to turn in your final report and signed forms. You can also turn your essay and forms at the Work Experience Department on either campus. If you have questions, please call 707-527-4381 to speak to Jody Deike, the Instructor of Record, or to schedule an appointment.