The Writing Center
The Writing Center is a free resource designed to help students at all academic levels become better writers. It is a safe, creative space where students from any discipline can receive one-on-one feedback on written assignments from well-trained peer consultants who support students in any stage of the writing process. These consultants are not editors, meaning they do not "fix" or "correct" a student’s work nor do they “give” the students ideas, but instead they act as guides, walking each student through the learning process so that they can improve their writing skills. Through ongoing sessions with consultants, students can hone their unique analytical perspective, experiment with rhetorical devices, build their academic vocabulary, and much more. Writing consultants can also help students develop writing habits that will be beneficial to them beyond academia, like navigating dense texts, considering their intended audience, and conquering procrastination.
What Do Our Students Think?
Here's what students from the 2022-2023 academic year said about our services:
- 98% of students surveyed would recommend The Writing Center after using it.
- 98% of students surveyed felt more confident about their written assignments after their session.
- 90% of students surveyed learned a skill that they could transfer to future writing assignments.
Who Uses The Writing Center?
Everyone! Students of all academic levels and backgrounds use The Writing Center. The charts below display our total appointments by student groups for Fall 2023. You can see that Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate students use The Writing Center. The Writing Center is also a popular resource for SJLA students, Honors Program students, multilingual students, international students, and first-generation students. Our data shows that most students will visit the writing center 2-3 times during a semester.
How Are Our Tutors Trained?
Our training program follows the internationally recognized standards of the College Reading and Learning Association for peer-lead tutoring, and it includes over 10 hours of learning. As a result of the rigorous training process, our tutors receive CRLA level one certification after they complete training along with a set number of hours in The Writing Center. This assures that every student who schedules an appointment at The Writing Center meets with a highly qualified peer with strong interpersonal and analytical skills. Our tutors can confidently facilitate sessions that lead students to academic success.
Where is The Writing Center?
The Writing Center has two locations. The main center is located at LSC 582 in the OSSS department. However, on evenings and on weekends our writing consultants work in Study Room A or B on the first floor of the library. When you schedule an appointment, please double check the location
Just Ask Our Students . . .
"The tutor really helped me feel good about my writing skills, and all of the feedback helped me write a better paper."
Freshman, Spring 2023
"This tutor provided me with the best learning experience that I've had with APA format. It was a really positive experience, and I finally feel like I know what I need to do."
Sophomore, Spring 2023
"The tutor helped me understand my issues and showed me how to improve my paper. I feel so much more confident!"
Sophomore, Fall 2023