Writing Center

Get help writing assignments that you don't quite know how to approach.

Our writing center tutors are perfect to

• Bounce ideas around
• Brainstorm topics
• Organize your project
• Revise Drafts
• Turn your notes into a paper 

Visit the Writing Center blog for more information.

The peer consultants who staff the Center will understand your questions and help you learn to handle your writing challenges. There is no charge for this service. For best results, come into the Center as soon as you get the assignment.

What Writing Center Consultants Do

• Listen to writers and treat them with respect
• Work with writers at every level, from those who struggle with writing to those who write well but want to get informed feedback on their work
• Help writers organize their thoughts
• Talk with writers about their goals for writing and about what their readers expect
• Assist writers in planning: selecting and defining a topic, brainstorming, evaluating sources, and so on.
• Help writers learn to identify strengths and problems in their own writing
• Focus on writers and their writing skills rather than just on a particular paper
• Encourage writers to think about the processes involved in writing
• Provide writing resources and guidance in their use

What Writing Center Consultants Don't Do

• Proofread a writer's paper or comb it for grammatical errors
• Estimate a grade for a piece of writing
• Read a paper unless the writer is present
• "Look over" a paper for the first time just minutes before it is due
• Guarantee a particular grade on a paper
• Do the writer's work
• Give a "stamp of approval"
• Help with a take-home exam without written permission from the instructor

What to Bring to a Writing Center Session

• The assignment sheet, course syllabus, any other relevant instructions
• Your notes and source materials
• All work you've done on the paper up to that point - including earlier drafts if you've already made some revisions.
• Your laptop (not required, but strongly encouraged)
• An open mind and a goal for the session