12.06.2007
11.29.2007
Cover letter
Dear Sir,
We have received your recent draft of your manual targeted at undergraduates applying to our graduate program. In reading this document, there are several things that occur to us. In principal, we believe this document has the potential to provide a useful tool to equip our advisers with, particularly in conjunction with the other materials you have submitted to us. In general, we feel that the document is well on it's way, but there are several things we feel it would be beneficial for you to implement in your final piece.
The only specific item we feel needs to be reworked significantly is the introduction you have written for the manual. While this is good, we feel that you can do better in convincing the students to make use of your document. Given that an adviser may, or may not actually sit down with his advisee and walk them through the document, this section may be all that convinces the student to make use of this document for it's intended purpose.
Next, we would like to see a checklist or worksheet included that will assist the students by keeping them on task. Perhaps the section of items that are required in addition to an application would be a worthy addition to such a worksheet.
The included components of your document are by themselves each useful, but in order to be more effective in providing assistance to the students, we recommend a slight reordering of the items. We feel that your presentation will be more effective if you move items like the Dates to the front of the document, where such a location will stress their priority. Similarly, other similar items may be best utilized in such a location, with exposition following afterwards.
We would also like to certain items expanded upon. Principally, we would like to see the Important Dates and Contact Information further fleshed out. There are other entities that a student will need to deal with, particularly if they did not attend this school as an undergraduate. Likewise, Dates could be further expanded to encompass other considerations, like Financial Aid and such concerns as recommendation requests .
Lastly, after these expansions are performed, and a final order is reached, we feel it may be beneficial for you to include a brief table of contents, principally as a preview of what the document holds for the reader, so that it will aid in their assessment of it's worth.
We feel that if these changes are implemented in roughly this fashion that your document will be well suited to our needs.
We have received your recent draft of your manual targeted at undergraduates applying to our graduate program. In reading this document, there are several things that occur to us. In principal, we believe this document has the potential to provide a useful tool to equip our advisers with, particularly in conjunction with the other materials you have submitted to us. In general, we feel that the document is well on it's way, but there are several things we feel it would be beneficial for you to implement in your final piece.
The only specific item we feel needs to be reworked significantly is the introduction you have written for the manual. While this is good, we feel that you can do better in convincing the students to make use of your document. Given that an adviser may, or may not actually sit down with his advisee and walk them through the document, this section may be all that convinces the student to make use of this document for it's intended purpose.
Next, we would like to see a checklist or worksheet included that will assist the students by keeping them on task. Perhaps the section of items that are required in addition to an application would be a worthy addition to such a worksheet.
The included components of your document are by themselves each useful, but in order to be more effective in providing assistance to the students, we recommend a slight reordering of the items. We feel that your presentation will be more effective if you move items like the Dates to the front of the document, where such a location will stress their priority. Similarly, other similar items may be best utilized in such a location, with exposition following afterwards.
We would also like to certain items expanded upon. Principally, we would like to see the Important Dates and Contact Information further fleshed out. There are other entities that a student will need to deal with, particularly if they did not attend this school as an undergraduate. Likewise, Dates could be further expanded to encompass other considerations, like Financial Aid and such concerns as recommendation requests .
Lastly, after these expansions are performed, and a final order is reached, we feel it may be beneficial for you to include a brief table of contents, principally as a preview of what the document holds for the reader, so that it will aid in their assessment of it's worth.
We feel that if these changes are implemented in roughly this fashion that your document will be well suited to our needs.
11.08.2007
Progress Report, Nov 8th, 2007
Purpose:
The document in question is a booklet designed essentially to increase awareness of the History Master's Program here at Clemson. The goal is to both provide information and persuasion, something along the lines of why you might decide to attend Clemson's History MA program, rather than going elsewhere or not at all. The document is meant to be provided by advisors to their advisees.
Work To Date:
Last week, I spent the majority of the week dealing first with a relative's funeral, and second, a nasty stomach virus that left me out of commission. The combination of the two pretty well left it a lost week. This week I have been working on a template for my booklet's covers and pages. I know that this decision may seem arbitrary when I'm still trying to get the writing done, but I know from doing trifolds in the past that what you get to say is often severely limited by the room you have to say it in. I've been designing the templates based on the assumption that I will use 8.5x11 sized press sheets, as they would be easy to deal with for a firm that does quick printing. I can adjust the template however if need be, and I plan to ask for input on the size today. I have also been continuing to try to output text for the booklet.
Work Planned:
Photos for the booklet will be had today, by hook or by crook. I have the template completed enough now that I can plug text into it without interfering with anything else that I plan on adding to the template. If I get some good photos today, I will look at using one or several to put together a poster. As it is, my camera produces shots of 48" by 32" at 71 PPI, so I can scale them down some to get a decent resolution for printing and still have a good poster sized image. If I do a composite with multiple images, I can get good resolution for certain, and size won't be an issue anymore.
Conclusion:
I'd really hoped to be further along at this point than I am, and while I can blame that on the fact that I lost a week, placing blame doesn't get the work done. So I need to get the work done, and that will mean sacrificing a lot of time I could have spent otherwise, to make up for that which was lost
The document in question is a booklet designed essentially to increase awareness of the History Master's Program here at Clemson. The goal is to both provide information and persuasion, something along the lines of why you might decide to attend Clemson's History MA program, rather than going elsewhere or not at all. The document is meant to be provided by advisors to their advisees.
Work To Date:
Last week, I spent the majority of the week dealing first with a relative's funeral, and second, a nasty stomach virus that left me out of commission. The combination of the two pretty well left it a lost week. This week I have been working on a template for my booklet's covers and pages. I know that this decision may seem arbitrary when I'm still trying to get the writing done, but I know from doing trifolds in the past that what you get to say is often severely limited by the room you have to say it in. I've been designing the templates based on the assumption that I will use 8.5x11 sized press sheets, as they would be easy to deal with for a firm that does quick printing. I can adjust the template however if need be, and I plan to ask for input on the size today. I have also been continuing to try to output text for the booklet.
Work Planned:
Photos for the booklet will be had today, by hook or by crook. I have the template completed enough now that I can plug text into it without interfering with anything else that I plan on adding to the template. If I get some good photos today, I will look at using one or several to put together a poster. As it is, my camera produces shots of 48" by 32" at 71 PPI, so I can scale them down some to get a decent resolution for printing and still have a good poster sized image. If I do a composite with multiple images, I can get good resolution for certain, and size won't be an issue anymore.
Conclusion:
I'd really hoped to be further along at this point than I am, and while I can blame that on the fact that I lost a week, placing blame doesn't get the work done. So I need to get the work done, and that will mean sacrificing a lot of time I could have spent otherwise, to make up for that which was lost
Progress Report, Nov 8th, 2007
Purpose:
This project is essentially a manual designed to make the application process to the Clemson History MA program easier to understand, and possibly make it faster and less tedious for the individual applying. The manual will attempt to compile all of the existing materials, and add relevant features such as a calendar and checklist of items. Other features will be useful contact information.
Work to date:
Last week, I spent the majority of the week dealing first with a relative's funeral, and second, a nasty stomach virus that left me out of commission. The combination of the two pretty well left it a lost week. This week I have been working on a template for my manual's covers and pages. I know that this decision may seem arbitrary when I'm still trying to get the writing done, but I know from doing trifolds in the past that what you get to say is often severely limited by the room you have to say it in. I've been designing the templates based on the assumption that I will use 8.5x11 sized press sheets, as they would be easy to deal with for a firm that does quick printing. I can adjust the template however if need be, and I plan to ask for input on the size today. I have also been continuing to try to output text for the manual.
Work Planned:
At this point in the game, I need to be compiling information and outputting it as fast as I possibly can. That week lost really hurt in terms of getting things done, and it just means I need to step up the pace from comfortable to not-nearly so comfortable if I intend to be done on time. Today is beautiful, and I will be taking my camera with me, so photos for the manual and booklet will finally be had as well.
Conclusion:
I'd really hoped to be further along at this point than I am, and while I can blame that on the fact that I lost a week, placing blame doesn't get the work done. So I need to get the work done, and that will mean sacrificing a lot of time I could have spent otherwise, to make up for that which was lost.
This project is essentially a manual designed to make the application process to the Clemson History MA program easier to understand, and possibly make it faster and less tedious for the individual applying. The manual will attempt to compile all of the existing materials, and add relevant features such as a calendar and checklist of items. Other features will be useful contact information.
Work to date:
Last week, I spent the majority of the week dealing first with a relative's funeral, and second, a nasty stomach virus that left me out of commission. The combination of the two pretty well left it a lost week. This week I have been working on a template for my manual's covers and pages. I know that this decision may seem arbitrary when I'm still trying to get the writing done, but I know from doing trifolds in the past that what you get to say is often severely limited by the room you have to say it in. I've been designing the templates based on the assumption that I will use 8.5x11 sized press sheets, as they would be easy to deal with for a firm that does quick printing. I can adjust the template however if need be, and I plan to ask for input on the size today. I have also been continuing to try to output text for the manual.
Work Planned:
At this point in the game, I need to be compiling information and outputting it as fast as I possibly can. That week lost really hurt in terms of getting things done, and it just means I need to step up the pace from comfortable to not-nearly so comfortable if I intend to be done on time. Today is beautiful, and I will be taking my camera with me, so photos for the manual and booklet will finally be had as well.
Conclusion:
I'd really hoped to be further along at this point than I am, and while I can blame that on the fact that I lost a week, placing blame doesn't get the work done. So I need to get the work done, and that will mean sacrificing a lot of time I could have spent otherwise, to make up for that which was lost.
10.27.2007
Progress Report, Late and Lamented Part 2
History Graduate Program Informational Booklet Progress
Purpose:
The document in question is a booklet designed essentially to increase awareness of the History Master's Program here at Clemson. The goal is to both provide information and persuasion, something along the lines of why you might decide to attend Clemson's History MA program, rather than going elsewhere or not at all. The document is meant to be provided by advisors to their advisees.
Work To Date:
Thus far work on the booklet has been mostly research and planning. I was given a trifold (If you want to get technical, it's got four folds, and is done in the oddest manner I've seen for a brochure, but essentially the same thing) that the Clemson Graduate School put out. I was also given some materials on the Graduate School itself that may prove useful. I'm currently trying to evaluate what will be useful to include in the document. I had hoped to be taking photos for use in the booklet, but the weather has been against me.
Work Planned:
I need to start working on the actual document itself. I have to decide what to incorporate from each of the various sources, and what I'm going to have to try to supply/obtain myself. Graphic design considerations need to also be examined. I need to be writing content, but I also should be developing a template for the manual at the same time. I intend to develop a template with a visual style that I can use in the related booklet as well, since I intend for them to be part of a package. So while I am planning, I will be attempting to put together a template as well.
Conclusion:
My biggest concern at this moment is trying to get the proper content established for the document. Writing needs to begin soon.
Purpose:
The document in question is a booklet designed essentially to increase awareness of the History Master's Program here at Clemson. The goal is to both provide information and persuasion, something along the lines of why you might decide to attend Clemson's History MA program, rather than going elsewhere or not at all. The document is meant to be provided by advisors to their advisees.
Work To Date:
Thus far work on the booklet has been mostly research and planning. I was given a trifold (If you want to get technical, it's got four folds, and is done in the oddest manner I've seen for a brochure, but essentially the same thing) that the Clemson Graduate School put out. I was also given some materials on the Graduate School itself that may prove useful. I'm currently trying to evaluate what will be useful to include in the document. I had hoped to be taking photos for use in the booklet, but the weather has been against me.
Work Planned:
I need to start working on the actual document itself. I have to decide what to incorporate from each of the various sources, and what I'm going to have to try to supply/obtain myself. Graphic design considerations need to also be examined. I need to be writing content, but I also should be developing a template for the manual at the same time. I intend to develop a template with a visual style that I can use in the related booklet as well, since I intend for them to be part of a package. So while I am planning, I will be attempting to put together a template as well.
Conclusion:
My biggest concern at this moment is trying to get the proper content established for the document. Writing needs to begin soon.
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