About Best Student Essays

Best Student Essays (BSE) is the premiere nonfiction student review of the University of New Mexico. It is published biannually by the UNM Student Publications Board and solicits nonfiction writing from all UNM undergraduates and graduates. BSE publishes all types of nonfiction including essays, research papers, photo essays, personal memoirs, foreign language nonfiction with English translation, literary and art analyses, journalism, and more. Pieces written for UNM classes, as well as those written outside of UNM are eligible for publication. The submissions deadline for publication in the fall issue is generally in early October. The deadline for the spring issue is generally in early March. For more information on submission guidelines, submission forms, and faculty nominations, see Submitting to BSE. 

BSE publication decisions are made by a five-person committee consisting of the BSE editor and editorial board. All submissions are judged through a strict, blind-jury process. Essays are awarded up to ten points in eight categories of evaluation. These categories differ depending on submission genre (personal narrative as opposed to research paper, for example), and include clarity of intent, adequate support of argument, appropriateness of length, and originality. Once all submissions have been read, the editor and the editorial board meet to discuss all submissions, total the points, and make selections. Authors’ names and class information are revealed only in the final stages of magazine production, long after the entire selection process. 

For more information, see Submitting to BSE