Hey students, do you know that building on the edge of campus that says “Writing Center?” Here’s a hint, go there. Show up with papers, reports, your research thesis, even that fan-fiction you’ve been working on for the past four years. The best way to better your grades and increase academic achievement is to develop superb writing skills.
Writing and tutoring centers are a great source of free peer-to-peer help. They offer a wide range of services from individual assistance to workshops and seminars. The goal of any writing and tutoring center is to help develop writers and foster increased commitment to teaching and academic responsibility.
A good friend of mine from college had this to say from his experiences in school and I believe it sums up the importance of the university writing center very well:
“[They’re] especially useful in that it gets students thinking about writing as a collaborative and recursive process. Professional and work-place writing is often multi-authored. Writing centers are invaluable because they not only develop writing skills but give writers a chance to talk about writing.”- Joseph Anderson, Scholastic Manager for Loren Academic Services [*].
Tutoring centers can be regarded in the same light. They help you gain knowledge from others who have been in a similar situation. As Anderson said, a lot of the professional world is a collaborative and team effort. Develop good habits early on by learning how to work and learn from your peers in school and it will be easier when you enter the professional world.
Increasing your writing skills is the number one way to gain that much sought-after competitive edge over other candidates. Studies keep showing a decrease in the quality of writing on the executive level, yet we live in a world where writing skills are increasingly more crucial. A candidate who writes well is going to get noticed and rise quickly as the number of jobs that require writing skills is on the rise. If you’re not in a position to work with a writing center, there are always “how to” books and guides. My favorite is the St. Martin’s Handbook, which I’ve been using since college. If you’re out of school, don’t worry! It’s never too late to learn how to write well. Remember, admitting you need help is the first step towards progress.
Questions? Ideas or suggestions? Follow me on twitter @ChrisComella or email me at [email protected]
* Joe was also a writing fellow (mentor) in college and has a lot of experience in terms of helping students get what they want to write on paper. In his own words, being a writing fellow is like being a horse whisperer. Except instead of horses, it’s with students, and instead of winning races, it’s about writing. Joe currently works as a student tutor for the Loren Academic Services.
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