Clarkson University is committed to ensuring that our students and graduates develop twenty-first century communication skills. Our Writing Center is an important resource to that end. Our Center consists of peer consulting as well as faculty-led seminars, student writing groups and online Moodle resources for both students and faculty.
The heart of our center is our peer consulting system of one-on-one 30- minute sessions. Our writing consultants are undergraduates who collaborate with student clients to improve academic, professional, and even personal projects and papers.
Why Peer Writing Consultants?
- All writers need readers. Our peer writing consultants are expert readers and proficient writers who have been trained to spot and address common problem areas. They may be just as useful for confident writers as for the less confident.
- Peer consultants are not like roommates or classmates who might just say, “Yeah, that’s fine.”
- Peer consultants are trained to zero in on the thesis statement and sentence clarity, but they can also help with idea generation and organization.
- Your peer consultant may even have taken the same class you’re working in now!
Why Consulting and Collaboration rather than Fixing?
While the ideal is always to produce a great final product, the process of getting there is messy, requires teamwork and is far more important. Professional writers and professors have collaborators, co-authors and editors. Students need to build a team too. The Writing Center consultant is on your team!
Writing is a form of communication among writer and readers. Writers need to understand their readers, but that is not easy! Therefore, the writing center consultant acts as a skilled reader. The writer can judge the effect of his/her writing based on the reaction of the consultant and make adjustments accordingly.
Sometimes, talking through ideas helps to clarify them. Therefore, writers who aren’t sure about content or thesis statements can talk through problems with consultants. Our writing consultants are experts at talking about writing. By listening to your concerns and asking questions, our consultants can help you break through your writing blocks and express yourself clearly.
Come join the conversation!
Making Appointments – click here
*We guarantee a 30-minute session beginning on each half hour when we are fully booked; no longer than a 50-minute session when time permits.
How to Prepare for a Writing Center Consulting Session-click here
MORE INFORMATION
If you would like additional information about Clarkson’s Writing Center, please see our FAQ information for both students and faculty on this portal. If you still have unanswered questions, please contact Catherine Sajna, Writing Center Director at 315 268-4439 or email her at csajna@clarkson.edu