The cover letter should reflect on your growth as a writer this semester with a focus on your topic development and the revision process over the course of four essays.

Length: 1-2 pages;

Use business letter format. (You know how to do rhetorical analysis, so look at some examples of professional letters or read about them via the Purdue Owl link

(Begin with addresses and dates, including a “Dear Professor Sherwood” salutation, concluding with your name and signature, etc.)

Goals: A well-written cover letter will frame my reading of your final un-essay and evaluation of your efforts and growth over the course of the semester. The most-effective cover letters will draw a reader's attention to specific elements of your process (e.g. an outline on which you worked hard to synthesize two points of view, planning that you documented in your Writers Journal, etc. ).

Avoid general statements

(ex. “I worked hard to fix mistakes and make my writing more clear”).

Aim for specific explanations

(ex. “As I worked on narrowing my thesis for essay 2, advice from my writing center tutor helped me to notice that I was making claims about both addiction and excessive use of video games. However, my stronger, academic sources primarily supported the correlation between excessive use and apathy towards schoolwork. On that basis, I decided not to argue that game play was addictive. I removed paragraphs 5 and 7 on page two of my rough draft, which drew on weak sources to suggest addiction was at play. Then I included evidence from a child psychologist Jane Doe which better supported the central idea I wanted to develop.”)

Be honest and reflective but also emphasize your successes. What did you learn? What work are you particularly proud about? What are you still working on?