March 1 is the due date for first-year students to submit their writing portfolios. The writing portfolio is a way for students to demonstrate improvement in their writing skills throughout their first year at Occidental and a way to determine eligibility for upper-division writing courses, according to writing fellow Ella Acker (junior). Acker said the salient purpose of the writing portfolio is to ensure that students are able to write at a collegiate level.
“It’s not a big test, it’s not trying to stump people,” said Acker. “It’s just trying to ensure that they have the tools and that they know the resources that are necessary to write at a higher level.”
The assignment consists of submitting three revised essays from their First-Year Seminar (FYS) courses, in addition to a reflective introduction essay, according to peer writing advisor Margaret Seaney (junior).
“[The writing portfolio] is graded by a panel of portfolio reviewers,” said Seaney. “It is an opportunity for first-year students to showcase their writing.”
Acker and Seaney both work for the Writing Center (located on the bottom floor of the library), which is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Acker said that the Writing Center emphasizes support for first-year students as they work on their writing portfolios.
As a writing fellow, Acker said she works with one FYS a semester, teaching alongside the professor and tutoring the students outside of class.
“Because I’m familiar with the prompts and with the professor, I’m able to really hone down on what they need to look for in the prompts and how they can best create an argument,” said Acker.
As a peer writing advisor, Seaney said that she works one-on-one with those who come into the Writing Center to offer her support. Peer writing advisors will work with students on projects at any level, according to Seaney.
“[You can] start with nothing there at all, focus on a specific piece of your essay, or work on the essay as a whole,” said Seaney.
Seaney said that she encourages all first-year students working on the writing portfolio to come into the Writing Center and get help.
“It’s a very collaborative process,” said Seaney. “It’s not like someone is going to come in and lecture you about your writing. You get to work on it together.”
Seaney said that she has grown as a writer since first working for the Writing Center.
“It’s challenged me as a writer,” said Seaney. “I’ve learned a lot more about the details of the writing process while taking on the job.”
Cal Kreuter (first year) said that he has sought support at the Writing Center twice and had positive experiences there.
“It’s really easy [and] pretty low-stakes,” said Kreuter. “[It’s] only 30 minutes, but I got a lot done.”
Additionally, Kreuter said that his fall FYS, “Transpacific Movements and Activisms,” was especially helpful for building his writing portfolio.
“[The professors] really gave us good feedback, and we had weekly writing assignments with long essay-like responses,” said Kreuter. “We were encouraged to have strong thesis statements and really build up our arguments with nuanced details.”
Kreuter said that the writing portfolio has been a nice way to step back and look at the progress he has made in his writing.
“I think it’s a good thing that Oxy challenges first-year students to really try and improve their writing because it’s a really important skill to have” said Kreuter.
Kreuter’s positive outlook on the writing portfolio is shared by many first years, according to Acker.
“Compared to last year when I was in the writing center, everyone seems a lot more proactive this year, which I think is really admirable,” said Acker. “We’ve gotten a lot more students a lot earlier on in the writing process for the writing portfolio.”
According to Seaney, students who don’t pass the writing portfolio are required to enroll in a WRD 201 class. While the additional requirement may seem daunting, Seaney said taking a WRD 201 class is an opportunity to grow as a writer.
“It‘s actually a really helpful class and a lot of people really enjoy it,” said Seaney.
Acker said that nerves leading up to the writing portfolio submission are normal.
“There’s always a lot of jitters surrounding the writing portfolio,” said Acker. “But at the end of the day, professors just want to make sure that you’re able to handle upper-level writing, so that’s what they’re looking for in the writing portfolio.”
Seaney said that first-year students should be working on their writing portfolios ahead of the curve and that many of the people she helps in the writing center are starting on assignments too late. According to Seaney, connecting yourself with the resources and your professors earlier on is key to building a successful writing portfolio.
Seaney said the writing portfolio is an opportunity for first-year students to take pride in their work, demonstrate their growth at Occidental and prepare themselves for the future.
“The purpose is to show how you’ve improved as a writer,” said Seaney.
Contact Eli Heringman at heringman@oxy.edu
