Journal assignments give you more experience with writing, but without the stress often associated with larger, more formal projects. As long as your response is on topic, covers both activities mentioned below, and is submitted on time, you will receive the full 15 points.

For the Unit 1 Journal, you will complete two reflective writing activities that are designed to help guide you on your educational and career path and support your success in this course and at Purdue Global.

Activity #1

Your first step will be to watch a very short, one-minute video. DO NOT proceed until you have finished watching the video linked here: WATCH THE VIDEO

Now that you have watched a video of Purdue Global students receiving their diplomas, take a moment to actually imagine yourself on the stage at the moment when you receive your own diploma. Think about what you will have learned, the new opportunities that will be available to you, and how your life will change.

• Write one short paragraph (a few sentences) describing the positive future you have reached after graduating. Be as specific as possible to make this future realistic.
• Write one short paragraph (a few sentences) describing the negative future you have avoided by graduating. Be as specific as possible to make this future realistic.

Activity #2

Next, take the perspective of this future “you” and write a short letter that provides some advice to your current self at Purdue Global. This letter will be from the “you” that is graduating in the future to the “you” right now. In your letter, make sure to do the following:

• Tell your present self about how you got to this future. Write about the challenges that you encountered as you worked through your studies, how you overcame them, and what you did to stay focused during challenging times.
• Tell your current self specific things you could be doing now to help reach graduation successfully. For example, you might write about topics like:
  • Making a schedule with specific times to do schoolwork
  • Balancing school and home/family responsibilities
  • Prioritizing school over other less important things
  • Using a system to keep track of deadlines

Your letter should be at least two paragraphs in length.

Submitting your Journal:

Remember that you must use MS Word for this Journal Assignment. When you are ready to
submit, select the Unit 1 Dropbox. To view your graded work, come back to the Unit 1 Dropbox or go to the Gradebook after your instructor has evaluated it.

Journal Rubric

Full credit will be earned if your response is on time, on topic, and covers both activities.

• Activity #1 (5 Points): One paragraph about the positive future you have reached after graduating and one paragraph about the negative future you have avoided by graduating.
• Activity #2 (10 Points): Two paragraph letter from the future “you” to the “you” right now.