Download Writing in Chemistry: Project #1 - Self-Presentation for Chemistry Students and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Chemistry in PDF only on Docsity! CHEMISTRY 391: Writing in Chemistry Fall 2008 Project #1: Written Presentation of Self Midprocess draft due: September 9 Final draft due: October 9 As Project #1 for this course you are asked to do the sort of writing that is required to move on in your professional career whether it be directly into the world of work, such as industry or teaching or on to the next stage in your academic career, graduate school or professional school of some kind. Whatever path you choose, you will be required to present your self in writing and often this text will play a very important role in determining the opportunities that will become available to you. To assist you in completing this assignment—and in the actual process of securing employment which we are confident you realize is not so far away for most of you, you can find advice on the ACS website (see link on course website) and download a very useful publication of The American Chemical Society entitled Résumé Preparation -- Tips for Chemical Professionals. There are three components to this assignment: 1. A cover letter to a prospective employer Find a job advertised in a recent issue of Chemical and Engineering News for which you could apply on graduation. Write a cover letter suitable to accompany the resume you would submit in response to such an ad. Follow proper business letter format. Note: if you are interested in a career in education, find an actual ad for a teaching position and use that in place of one from C & E News. Be sure to attach the ad to the letter when it is submitted. 2. A resume Prepare a resume honed to illustrate your suitability for the job you have selected. The resume should be an accurate representation of your academic and professional activity as of the end of this semester. 3. A personal statement suitable for an application to graduate school Applications for admission to graduate schools are available online. We suggest that you use the relevant section of the University of Massachusetts application form (the part that asks for a personal statement) to complete this portion of the assignment. It is available on line at http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/files/gradapp.pdf. If, however, you are genuinely interested in applying to a program at a specific institution, you may substitute that form for the UMass form. Or if you anticipate applying to some other kind of program, such a medical school, we would be happy to accept a personal statement that responds to whatever prompt they provide. Or if you plan on applying for teaching positions after graduation, we would accept personal statement suitable for submission with a resume, a personal statement of your teaching philosophy for example. If you do choose to respond to a different application, however, be sure to attach a copy of the relevant page from the alternate application you are using to your personal statement.
