Thinking about the future?
Keep a portfolio. Grades and transcripts provide evidence of your college achievement, but these measures are often narrow and largely impersonal, reducing your varied experiences to a letter grade, a grade point average, or a list of credits. But individuals are more than statistical averages. To demonstrate your individuality it is a good idea to keep a portfolio of your work as a history major. A portfolio gives any interested party solid evidence of your accomplishments. We suggest keeping a binder with writing samples, papers written for classes, research projects, and, especially, your senior thesis. Whenever you take a history class, save materials, the course syllabi, details of course assignments, papers, and projects, and add them to your binder. At the end of the course, write a page or two about what you have learned (in general), what skills you have come by. Get some feedback from the professor, write it up, and ask the professor to endorse it with a signature. The portfo
