GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING MANDATORY ANNUAL SELF-EVALUATION LETTER

Source: http://www.terryfoundation.org/policies_procedures/hand19.html

 What is the purpose of these self-evaluation letters?
 
The primary purpose of these letters is to encourage Scholars to develop the habit of setting goals, planning to achieve those goals, and evaluating whether or not they have been achieved.  In addition, these letters enable the Directors to keep up with what each Scholar is doing on an ongoing basis.  Many students have told us that this simple exercise is one of the most beneficial parts of the Terry Scholar Program.
 
 When is it due?
 
You should send your letter so that it arrives at the Foundation offices no later than June 1 of each year during which you are a Terry Scholar.
 
 
Where should it be sent?
 
The letter should be e-mailed to the Foundation (beth.freeman@terryfoundation.org), as a WORD (.doc or .docx) attachment to your e-mail.  Note: .pdf attachments are not acceptable.
 
 
How should my e-mail be identified?
 
              Label your transmitting e-mail in the subject line:
 
              YOUR NAME 200X Self-Evaluation Letter
              (i.e. – JANE SMITH 2010 Self-Evaluation Letter)
 

How can I confirm that the Foundation has received my letter?
             
You will receive from Ms. Freeman a return e-mail confirming the receipt of your letter.  If you do not receive this confirmation within 24 hours (M-F), please follow-up to ensure that your letter was received.
 
 
How should my letter be identified?
 
It is very important that you place at the top of each page of your letter your full name, your permanent home address, the first year that you were a Terry Scholar, the university you are attending, and the date.  Letters without the proper identification will not be accepted and will be returned.
 
Example:
 
Joe Scholar
Permanent Home Address
City, State & Zip Code
200__  Scholar - ________ (Name of University)
June, 200__  Self-Evaluation Letter
 

What should my letter contain?
 
Generally, the letter should set some specific goals for the coming year (both academic and non-academic), and outline how you intend to meet the goals.  In addition, if this is not the first such letter you have written, you should review the goals you set in your previous letter and candidly evaluate how well you achieved those goals.  Many students describe the activities they participated in during the school year and also tell us about awards they received or leadership activities in which they were involved.  Some also tell us a little about their summer plans.
 
 
What should not be in a self-evaluation letter?
 
Please do not put in your self-evaluation letter information about changed financial circumstances or scholarships that have been supplemented or lost.  These types of communications should be sent to Beth Freeman (beth.freeman@terryfoundation.org) in a separate e-mail.
 
Also, do not include in your letter changes of address or telephone numbers.  To notify the Foundation of address or telephone changes, locate your Scholar profile in the “For Scholars Only” section of the web site and update the appropriate data fields with your new information.
 
 
How long should my self-evaluation letter be?
 
There is no required length, as the length of the letter may depend upon the number of individual goals and each student’s writing style.  However, our experience reflects that the requirements described above can rarely be met in less than 2-3 pages.
 
Do not write lengthy essays or submit letters longer than 3 pages.  You should organize your thoughts and strive to be as concise as possible.
 
 
Is any particular format required?
 
Letters must be double spaced and submitted as a WORD (.doc or .docx) attachment to your e-mail.  We also request that you reread and proof your letter before sending it.
 
 
Are graduating seniors required to submit a letter?
 
No.  Although graduating seniors (or Scholars who have completed the program’s eight semesters of funding) are not required to submit a self-evaluation letter, the Terrys and Directors certainly enjoy hearing from you.  We invite you to submit a letter to keep us updated with the achievement of your goals and/or future plans.
 
 
Will I receive a response to my letter?
 
All of the letters are read by the Directors.  Because of the large number of letters that are received, however, it is not possible to generate a specific reply to each letter.  The Directors occasionally send written comments to students about their self-evaluation letters, but if you do not receive a response, it is not because your letter is not being read.
 
When you submit your self-evaluation letter, the receipt of your letter will be acknowledged by e-mail within 24 hours (M-F).  If you have received no response within that time, re-submit your transmitting e-mail or call the Foundation offices to confirm that your letter was received.
 
Self-evaluation letter checklist:  before you send, be sure your letter:
 
a)     has your name, address, and Scholar year in the heading on each page (See #6 above).
b)     has been double-spaced & proofed.
c)     has your name in the subject line of your transmitting e-mail (See #4 above).