Last chance to submit a convocation essay

What does a new student absolutely need to know about freshman year at UW–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 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 Aug. 29.

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.

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 on any topic that they feel is important to communicate to student in their first week on campus.

The winner will meet the new chancellor of UW–Madison and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and will also receive a $100 gift certificate to University Book Store. All finalists will have their work posted online for the campus community to view.

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

View past finalists.