Self-nom Uses
Self-noms are used by various organizations to select students. They usually consist of a statement written by the student describing why they would make a good choice. Self-noms can broadly be divided into two categories: those for a general election (think College Council or class elections) and those for a selection committee (such as for the Student-faculty committees)
Tips for Writing Good Self-noms
Good self-noms convince the target audience that the student will be a good choice for the job. They use effective language, cover all relevant information and are well presented.
A good self-nom should:
- Contain the name, year and possibly major, dorm, background, study abroad plans, etc.
- Present relevant experience on campus and off
- Convince the reader that you want to do this job
- Convince the reader that you are qualified and competent enough to do this job
- List speicific, well informed ideas about what you will do in this position. (the more you know about the position you're applying for, the more likely you will sound informed and competent, so do a little research!)
- Use the full space allowed (otherwise you say few cool things about yourself than the other candidates)
A good self-nom should not:
- Begin with the phrase: "This is a very important time for Williams college", or "I'm really excited to be ______". Everyone says these things and they don't mean anything.
- Exceed the allotted length
- Tell the reader irrelevant experience such as how you taught scuba diving (unless you're applying to the lecture committee because you really think we need more scuba-related talks. In that case, good luck!)
- Use obscure or overly intellectual language. Remember your audience is your peers.
- Use fancy formatting. What you say is more important.