Writing Center Archives Vol. 1, Issue 9 at
Please note that this is an archival copy. It has not been changed from the original; as such, not all links will work properly! For the most up-to-date information, check out the Writing Center web site or associated Evergreen web sites.
Write On
Weekly writing information and resources from the Evergreen Writing Center
Vol. 1, Issue 9 [View Other Issues]
Visit the Writing Center's brand new Web site!
This week’s theme: Self Evaluations
Quotation of the Week
"It is only through evaluation that value exists: and without evaluation the nut of existence would be hollow."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
Tip of the Week: Top Ten Self-Evaluation Tips
Registration and Records has seen its share of self-evaluations. At a recent meeting, the staff generated a list of "Ten Tips for Getting Your Self-Evaluation into Your Transcript Without a Hassle." Here it is:
- No handwriting, except for your signature. Registration will not accept handwritten evaluations.
- Know the title of your program, course or contract. The title on your evaluation must be complete and exact, so check the Academic Catalog or program syllabi if you’re unsure.
- Use the correct form and don't forget to sign it with blue or black ink only.
Don't include course equivalencies in your self-evaluation. The document should describe your achievement, not the specific type of credit you received. - Aim for length of one-page per quarter. Save your dissertation for graduate school. If you’re having trouble with length, the Writing Center or Career Development can help you pare down your self-evaluation.
- Don't repeat the text of the program description or contract. This information will be included in your transcript anyway; adding the text to your self-evaluation will only be redundant.
- Keep a copy of your self-evaluation for your own records, either on paper or on disk. Registration will not keep additional copies beyond your full transcript.
- Don't use graphics within the text of your self-evaluation. They don't archive well.
- Review your transcript to make sure all evaluations have been brought to a polished level, particularly before you order a transcript.
- Revise, revise, and revise again. Once registration has received your self-evaluation, it can no longer be revised.
At the Writing Center, we can assist you in crafting your evaluations. You can find us in Library 3407, or call 867- 6420 to make an appointment with a tutor.
Remember the old saying, "It’s not what you know, but who you know"? Well, this is a good time to know the folks down in Academic Advising because they are the people who can give you the key to writing an awesome self-evaluation.
Everyone at Evergreen understands that we forgo grades for narrative evaluations of student achievement, but many students are not certain of how to craft a truly exquisite self-eval. For those of you who might need to polish your evaluation writing skills, check out the Academic Advising page.
Here you’ll discover everything you need to know about writing evaluations, from myths and rumors about evals to frequently asked questions, guidelines for writing your faculty evaluation, and writing suggestions and exercises. This is an organized, accessible, and useful site. Check it out now, and a few years down the road when your well-written transcript lands you a dream job or gets you into graduate school, you can thank Academic Advising.
Writing Center News
**Writing Evaluations Workshop**
Wednesday, June 4th, 4:30-6:00pm, Library 3500
Learn to write an effective self evaluation as well as a useful faculty evaluation. See what a finished transcript looks like and discover how your writing can reflect a successful academic career.
**Gift Certificate Winner**
Congratulations to Kayo Kuroda, the winner of our $25 TESC Bookstore Gift Certificate giveaway. Kayo’s name was chosen at random from the list of people who subscribed to Write On during the Academic Fair.
**Gumball Poetry**
You’ve heard the rumors. They’re true. Gumball Poetry has finally found its way to the Writing Center. Pop your two quarters into the machine and get not only a beautifully crafted poem to stimulate your brilliant mind, but a tasty piece of gourmet chewing gum to stimulate your taste buds as well.
Stump the Tutors
Each week in this section we'll answer questions on various writing-related issues submitted by our readers. This week's question:
Q: When is it okay to add an "a" in front of a verb to make an adverb or an adjective? Is there a rule? (This is mostly for Scrabble®.)
Examples: sunder and asunder; wash and awash; flutter and aflutter; glow and aglow; blaze and ablaze; wake and awake; sleep and asleep; live and alive.
A: We're glad you asked! The prefix a- has a few meanings:
- no, not, without (as in atypical or amoral)
- on, in (as in abed or aback)
- in the direction of (as in afar)
- In a particular manner (as in aloud)
- In a specified state or condition. (as in awake or alive)
Most of the above examples use numbers 4 and 5. As you surely know, awake is a state of having been wakened, and asleep is a state of, well, sleeping.
It appears that you have stumped us a bit, as we cannot find a rule that states the usage of the prefix a- explicitly. We have found, however, that it comes from an old habit of putting a- in front of gerunds (-ing words).
For example:
I’m going a-hunting!
The times, they are a-changing.
The a- is supposed to indicate that the action went on for a period of time. Through a typical linguistic pattern, the a- has been dropped from many words, while at the same time extended to "verbal nouns," that is, nouns derived from verbs. It is now rarely used with –ing words and frequently used with verbs and verbal nouns to indicate a state or condition.
Hopefully this has left you all atingle.