Contest: What does a new student need to know?

What does a new student absolutely need to know about their first year at UW–Madison?

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

What is the most important — and best — part of life here at UW–Madison?

What do you wish you would have heard at the Chancellor’s Convocation for New Students?

UW-Madison is again asking students to write an essay about the things they’ve learned about life at the university.

The winner will be given the honor of addressing 5,500 new students from the floor of the Kohl Center at the Chancellor’s Convocation for New Students on Tuesday, Sept. 1. 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 Center for the First-Year Experience will select the finalists.

The winner will have an opportunity to meet Chancellor Biddy Martin and Dean of Students Lori Berquam, while having 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 8. 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.

Visit this site to read the essay of last year’s speaker, Kim Roberts.