Contest asks, ‘What does a new student need to know?’

What does a new student absolutely need to know about their first year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison?

How did meeting someone different from yourself change your life?

What was your biggest challenge here, and how did you overcome it?

Outgoing Chancellor John D. Wiley is again asking students to write an essay about their lives at the university, with the winner being given the honor of addressing 5,500 new students from the floor of the Kohl Center at the Chancellor’s Convocation on Friday, Aug. 29.

The winner will also receive a $100 gift certificate to University Book Store.

As a bookend to commencement, the convocation inaugurates students into the campus community as they begin their studies.

The questions above serve as starting points, but students are encouraged to write about any topic that they feel is important to communicate to student in their first week on campus.

Other possible topics could be experiences related to shaping your Wisconsin Experience, leadership and involvement, student organizations, housing, campus climate, diversity, academic life, athletics, shared governance, Greek life or learning communities.

Student employees and staff members in the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs will select the finalists. Wiley plans to personally select the best essay from among the finalists.

The winner will meet the new chancellor of UW–Madison and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and also have a resume-building experience. All finalists will have their work posted online for the campus community to view.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 2. To enter, e-mail your essay to chancellor@news.wisc.edu. Be sure to include your name, year in school, major and hometown. Please limit essays to less than 1,000 words.

Hear audio of last year’s contest winner, sophomore Rule Johnstone of New York City.

View past finalists.