Your retrospective is an essay that describes your concentration, discusses the experiences and questions that brought you to your Div II, describes changes in your thinking, and ends with your ideas about potential Division III work. A good retrospective is thematic and not simply a chronological description of your coursework. The essay should also point the reader to important work. It is a guide to the portfolio. Give your chair a draft with at least 2 week before your portfolio is due so your chair can give it a quick read to see if you are being too descriptive and not analytical enough in your reflection (a very common problem in first drafts).