As scholar-practitioners, it is important that we know the why behind our work. The purpose of this assignment is to: 1) reflect on your own personal values, 2) articulate your understanding of student affairs’ principles, and 3) draft a philosophy statement that integrates your personal values and the principles of the profession.
After reading essays from the “Most Viewed Essays” list on the website This I believe (Links to an external site.) you should draft your own “This I Believe” essay. Review guidelines at http://thisibelieve.org/guidelines (Links to an external site.). Please note that your essay should not exceed 500 words and must adhere to APA style (i.e., 12-point, Times New Roman font with one-inch page margins). Although you should focus on one core value when writing this essay, I hope this exercise inspires you to think about the values you hold.
Criteria
Points:
Compelling philosophy statement
10
Adherence to This I Believe Guidelines
3
Writing technique (spelling, grammar, punctuation, adherence to APA 7)
2
Total possible points
15
https://idaho.pressbooks.pub/write/chapter/this-i-believe-essay/ via @pressbooks
This I Believe Essay Writing Guidelines
Although we are no longer accepting new essays on our website, we thought we would share these essay writing suggestions in case you wished to write an essay for your own benefit. Writing your own statement of personal belief can be a powerful tool for self-reflection. It can also be a wonderful thing to share with family, friends, and colleagues. To guide you through this process, we offer these suggestions:
Tell a story about you: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events that have shaped your core values. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny—but it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs.
Be brief: Your statement should be between 500 and 600 words. That’s about three minutes when read aloud at your natural pace.
Name your belief: If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief.
Be positive: Write about what you do believe, not what you don’t believe. Avoid statements of religious dogma, preaching, or editorializing.
Be personal: Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Avoid speaking in the editorial “we.” Tell a story from your own life; this is not an opinion piece about social ideals. Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.
For this project, we are also guided by the original This I Believe series and the producers’ invitation to those who wrote essays in the 1950s. Their advice holds up well. Please consider it carefully in writing your piece.
In introducing the original series, host Edward R. Murrow said, “Never has the need for personal philosophies of this kind been so urgent.” We would argue that the need is as great now as it was 65 years ago.
