1. ACP 101: FIRST YEAR SEMINAR
A RUBRIC FOR EVALUATING STUDENTS’ “EDUCATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES”
STUDENT’S NAME_________________________________
INSTRUCTOR’S NAME_____________________________
First, the assignment:
One way of picturing where your college education might take you is to start by thinking about how you arrived at Roosevelt
University. For this assignment, write an informal essay that addresses the following questions:
• Where did you go to grade school, middle school, and high school? Talk about two or three specific moments in your
education that may have shaped you as a learner.
• What do you know about your parents’ and other relatives’ educational histories? (Did they go to college? Did any of them
go on to graduate or professional schools?) How do you think your educational progress is connected (or not connected) to
the experiences your family members have had with school?
• Why did you decide to come to Roosevelt? What role did your family or friends play in your decision about which college to
attend?
• What do you see as your top three strengths as a learner? What are three skills or attitudes that you hope to improve on in
college?
• Where do you see yourself five years after graduation? How about ten years after?
3 points: Very Well 2 points: Adequately
1 point: Under-Developed
Developed Developed
The writer reflects carefully The writer describes The story of the writer’s (and
on personal and family significant experiences, but his/her family’s) education
experiences that helped or doesn’t always reflect on how lacks detail. The writer
The writer’s historical
hindered his/her pathway to those experiences have generally doesn’t reflect on
context college, and draws some shaped the learner s/he is the details s/he does provide.
conclusions about their today.
significance.
The decision-making process The writer explains how s/he The writer offers little
that brought the student to chose RU, and may list information about his/her
RU is clearly described, and strengths that could help decision-making process or
Coming to (and succeeding the writer shows insight into him/her succeed, but doesn’t strengths and resources.
at) RU intellectual resources and/or consistently reflect on either
personal characteristics that the story or his/her personal
may help him/her achieve strengths.
important goals at RU.
Without pretending to have a The writer shows that s/he The writer is unclear about
crystal ball, the writer has ideas about where s/he areas for improvement.
honestly explores the ground needs to improve, but doesn’t His/her ideas about life after
s/he needs to cover in college always show why those college seem unrealistic or off-
Looking to the future —and why that ground changes are important. S/he hand.
matters—and realistically describes where s/he’d like to
speculates about what might end up, but could focus more
come after college. carefully on the challenges
s/he might face.
INSTRUCTIONS TO
TEACHER: Please circle or
highlight the level of
performance for each of
this assignment’s areas of
emphasis. Instructor may
award 1 additional point

2. for a feature of the
writer’s essay not covered
on this rubric—please
describe (very briefly) the
reason for the extra point,
if appropriate.
POINT TOTAL (Out of a
possible 10):