WRITING A SELF-ASSESSMENT

Since Liberal Studies is a self-designed major, we expect students to learn how to communicate to other students, faculty, prospective employers and graduate programs the gist of their program in a few words. We do this through the exercise of writing a ‘self-statement’.   A self-statement is 300-500 words that answer the following questions:

1. What do you want to study through Liberal Studies?
2. What courses are you taking in order to reach your study goal? Provide rationale for course sequence.
3. How are you going to apply this area of study after college?

Your advisor will use the self-statement in a number of ways.  First, the courses listed in your focus and the rationale of your self-statement should match up and make sense to a general observer.  Second, it serves as an introduction to faculty members whom you might approach for capstone courses, independent studies, internships, or other experiential opportunities.  Finally, revising the self-statement prepares you for post-graduation.  By the time you apply for graduate school or begin interviewing for a job, you should be able to express what you have learned in college and what you are going to do with your education in a succinct and persuasive way.

You must submit a draft of this self-statement in order to be formally declared into the major. The self-statement may be revised as you refine/rethink your academic objectives. A final version will be submitted during your last semester at FSU, when you register for LBST 450: Senior Self-Assessment.