Writing Help is Just Down the Hall - Literally

Posted: September 28, 2012

Writing Center Tutor
Graham Anson, a third-year writing consultant, helps students in the residence halls with their writing.

An unidentified student is sitting - head bent, pen poised over a blank sheet of paper, waiting for inspiration and creative ideas to strike and produce an English essay due in a week. More often than not, that essay is due tomorrow and the typical student is struggling to get it done. Writing skills are an important part of life in and beyond college, and today’s student may need assistance to develop stronger writing skills.

A partnership between University Housing and the Writing and Speaking Tutorial Services (WSTS) provides such assistance. University Housing sponsors writing and speaking tutors, available in the students’ own backyard – the residence halls. First Year College Commons, Lee Hall, and Avent Ferry Complex each provide time, space, and funding to staff a WSTS satellite center at these residence halls. As a part of WSTS, the residence hall locations are open to any NCSU undergraduate student. Given its central location and accessibility, Lee Hall is the most popular of the housing locations. Last year, there were more than 130 visits to that location by students seeking tutoring help.

Learning how to be a better writer is one of the primary objectives for students utilizing the services of the writing consultants. According to Brandy Grabow, coordinator for Writing and Speaking Tutorial Services, “WSTS helps NCSU undergraduates with any writing or speaking projects on which they are working: papers for any class, a scholarship or graduate school essay, or even an email or letter. Consultants act as an outside reader for writers to help make sure what the writer wanted to say is what the reader sees.”

The writing consultants are all NCSU undergraduates who must pass English 101 with an A, and have a 3.2 GPA. Each consultant receives extensive training during their first semester working for WSTS. One of the consultants, Graham Anson, a third-year writing consultant who works with the on-campus students in the residence halls, believes there are some key ways for students to take advantage of these services.

“I would love for students to be aware that this is not an editing service.” says Anson “Technically, we’re consultants, not tutors. There is no point in me consulting on their essay if they are not going to get anything out of it.” WSTS consultants provide direction, suggestions, and guidance, but they aren’t going to write a student’s paper for them and they aren’t personal editors!

Anson adds, “I tell everyone, even when they don’t come in and see me, to read it out loud. Read your writing out loud to an inanimate object or read it out loud to your dog or your roommate because you’ll catch a lot of stuff. I do it now all the time with my own essays.”

Anson and the other WTST tutors have lots of writing tips and encourage students to take advantage of this service to help improve their writing skills now and for the future.

For more information, visit the website.