The Writing Program requires all students enrolled in 101 to produce a first-day writing sample, which will provide instructors with an initial sense of your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. This first-day sample also helps us confirm that you have been placed in the correct level of writing course. If your sample indicates you may need to be placed in a lower-level course, a Writing Program placement coordinator will reach out to you. For these reasons, it is crucial that you take this writing sample seriously and produce your strongest possible work.   Use all of the time allowed to develop a response to the question in the form of a short essay. If you finish early, you should proofread to check for errors in spelling and grammar.