How I decided to do a portfolio option
How I decided which projects I would include
What my reflection process was like
What I did with these projects after graduation
Things I wish I had done differently
How I decided to do a portfolio option
I didn’t think that I would do the portfolio, initially. I believed that a thesis would better suit my professional academic endeavors. It wasn’t until I had a conversation with another MA student that I decided to pursue the portfolio option. This other MA student, who was a year ahead of me and in the throes of her thesis, told me that she often wished she had done the portfolio option. I had come to her for advice deciding which of my several project ideas she thought would make a good thesis. Despite having so many ideas to start with, I still was under the impression that I needed to complete the thesis if I wanted to continue with academia. I had that so wrong, though. Not only do I think the thesis, portfolio, and exam options would have served me well for furthering my education, but I also think the portfolio allowed me to explore parts of my masters career that I wouldn’t have considered otherwise had I not chosen the portfolio option. I brought this consideration up to my committee, who supported my ideas, telling me that they were excited to see what I would come up with.
I didn’t think that I would do the portfolio, initially. I believed that a thesis would better suit my professional academic endeavors. It wasn’t until I had a conversation with another MA student that I decided to pursue the portfolio option. This other MA student, who was a year ahead of me and in the throes of her thesis, told me that she often wished she had done the portfolio option. I had come to her for advice deciding which of my several project ideas she thought would make a good thesis. Despite having so many ideas to start with, I still was under the impression that I needed to complete the thesis if I wanted to continue with academia. I had that so wrong, though. Not only do I think the thesis, portfolio, and exam options would have served me well for furthering my education, but I also think the portfolio allowed me to explore parts of my masters career that I wouldn’t have considered otherwise had I not chosen the portfolio option. I brought this consideration up to my committee, who supported my ideas, telling me that they were excited to see what I would come up with.
How I decided which projects I would include
I didn’t come up with all of my portfolio projects at once – in fact, one project became something completely different from what I planned less than a month before the entire portfolio was due. From the start, I had about two or three different project ideas in my head. Some of those ideas found their way to my final project, but a few of them totally changed direction by the time I finished my portfolio. There were a number of different tactics I used to figure out what would (and wouldn’t) make their way into my portfolio. These tactics included:
I didn’t come up with all of my portfolio projects at once – in fact, one project became something completely different from what I planned less than a month before the entire portfolio was due. From the start, I had about two or three different project ideas in my head. Some of those ideas found their way to my final project, but a few of them totally changed direction by the time I finished my portfolio. There were a number of different tactics I used to figure out what would (and wouldn’t) make their way into my portfolio. These tactics included:
- pulling from previous or upcoming conference presentations
- taking inspiration from CFPs
- using my final projects from graduate and undergraduate courses
- narrowing down my interests
- conducting collaborative summer research
- working from department projects I had been a part of
What my reflection process was like
One of the parts of the portfolio that can be easy to forget about while you’re working on all of your projects is the final reflection. I agreed with my committee to turn in an audio file for my final reflection. I chose an audio file for a couple reasons: I wanted to practice doing sound editing, since several other components of my portfolio were multimodal; also, I thought speaking through my reflective moments would be more beneficial to me than writing a paper, since I often process ideas by talking through them.
Choosing audio as the mode to write as my reflection benefitted be hugely because it allowed me a space to be more vulnerable than I typically allow myself in my writing. It can be easy to start to write something out, then delete it before you let it become fully formed on a page. When speaking, for me at least, I’m more willing to say the things I dread to see on paper. Because of this, I surprised myself by all I had learned when speaking about my writing process. I had mentioned moments of anxiety, panic, relief, and joy that I didn’t even comprehend until I had vocalized it. The reflection process, which had initially felt like just an extra hoop to jump through before I graduated, became hugely beneficial in a way I don’t think would have been possible (or as possible) with a written reflection.
One of the parts of the portfolio that can be easy to forget about while you’re working on all of your projects is the final reflection. I agreed with my committee to turn in an audio file for my final reflection. I chose an audio file for a couple reasons: I wanted to practice doing sound editing, since several other components of my portfolio were multimodal; also, I thought speaking through my reflective moments would be more beneficial to me than writing a paper, since I often process ideas by talking through them.
Choosing audio as the mode to write as my reflection benefitted be hugely because it allowed me a space to be more vulnerable than I typically allow myself in my writing. It can be easy to start to write something out, then delete it before you let it become fully formed on a page. When speaking, for me at least, I’m more willing to say the things I dread to see on paper. Because of this, I surprised myself by all I had learned when speaking about my writing process. I had mentioned moments of anxiety, panic, relief, and joy that I didn’t even comprehend until I had vocalized it. The reflection process, which had initially felt like just an extra hoop to jump through before I graduated, became hugely beneficial in a way I don’t think would have been possible (or as possible) with a written reflection.
What I did with these projects after graduation
One of my primary goals in completing my portfolio was to have a series of publications (or, at least drafts of publications) as I moved from my MA to PhD. One of my pieces I was able to secure as a chapter in a collection on autoethnography the fall semester of my second year. The others I am still planning to work on towards publication – and some need more work than others. The summer after I graduated, I spent my time editing and sending these pieces out for publication.
While it’s likely that these projects might need to undergo some serious rehauling before being published, I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to dedicate time to researching and theorizing these pieces for my portfolio. Despite potentially not getting published, I do think these projects helped me feel more grounded in the field as a scholar. I was forced to learn about so many different subsets of the rhet comp field through this portfolio journey, which I predict will serve me as a scholar for many years to come.
One of my primary goals in completing my portfolio was to have a series of publications (or, at least drafts of publications) as I moved from my MA to PhD. One of my pieces I was able to secure as a chapter in a collection on autoethnography the fall semester of my second year. The others I am still planning to work on towards publication – and some need more work than others. The summer after I graduated, I spent my time editing and sending these pieces out for publication.
While it’s likely that these projects might need to undergo some serious rehauling before being published, I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to dedicate time to researching and theorizing these pieces for my portfolio. Despite potentially not getting published, I do think these projects helped me feel more grounded in the field as a scholar. I was forced to learn about so many different subsets of the rhet comp field through this portfolio journey, which I predict will serve me as a scholar for many years to come.
Things I wish I had done differently
Despite feeling no regrets about doing the portfolio option, I still wish some things had been done differently:
Despite feeling no regrets about doing the portfolio option, I still wish some things had been done differently:
- Have a mentor - I wish I had some kind of mentor or guide to help me through the process, because I think that would have cut down on a lot of unnecessary worrying and questions. That’s one of the major reasons I’m making this guide now - I want to create a guide for future WRAC MA students who are considering the portfolio option.
- Allow myself some wiggle room - I wish I had allowed myself to change gears with my projects more than I did. Some of my projects did shift during the process of creating the portfolio, but there were still some projects that could have gone in completely different directions.
- Have a more regimented schedule - My final semester at MSU was hectic because I had to take 10 credits to graduate. Because of this busy schedule, I wasn’t able to keep as committed a schedule of working as I would have liked. It always felt like I was using my spare time to pick up my slack from the week before, rather than working as I went. Having a more regimented portfolio work schedule would have helped me stay focused on my projects, especially towards the end.
- Spend less time panicking - Of course, this is usually easier said than done. However, when you’re in the throes of finishing a graduate degree, sometimes your imagination (and anxiety) can get the best of you. I wish I had been more realistic and not let small things tie me up for hours. But again, it’s easier said than done. If I can give my fellow peers some words of advice, give yourself an escape plan. If you find yourself panicking about something that may (or may not) be out of your control, have a grounding exercise you can practice to get yourself out of negative thinking. Maybe that means picking up another craft or project, calling a parent or loved one, or just zoning out to watch some Netflix. This was something I was not good at practicing, and I think it cost me a lot of useless headache and anxiety. Try to keep yourself from headache and anxiety by coming up with those plans early, so that when you need them, you’ll have them.