Header 1Student Frequently Asked Questions Post 1 View Faculty FAQ Why should I visit the Writing Center? It's always a good idea to have another set of eyes to review your paper. The Writing Center is a low-pressure environment, where a peer consultant can show you writing strategies or offer feedback and ideas that help you make progress. What appointment formats do you offer? The Writing Center has a wide range of available appointments times—weekdays, weekends, evenings, by appointment and drop-in hours; we also offer consulting live online and via email. We recommend you try the various formats before making up your mind which one you like best. How do I schedule, cancel, and review appointment notes? Video: How to Schedule an Appointment in Starfish Video: How to Cancel an Appointment in Starfish Video: How to Access Meeting Notes in Starfish Who can use the Writing Center? Any College Credit Plus, undergraduate, or graduate student at the University of Findlay, as well as our faculty. Who are the Writing Center consultants? The Writing Center is staffed by both undergraduate and graduate students from a wide range of programs at the university. Undergraduate students take (and graduate students serve as teaching assistants for) a three-credit hour consultant training course which teaches the basics of writing center theory, practice, and ethics. These consultants have also excelled in core English classes with a “B" or higher and have been recommended for writing center work by their professors. All our consultants, regardless of their program or undergraduate/graduate status, are prepared to provide high-quality consulting to undergraduate and graduate students of all majors. You can view their profiles in Starfish to learn more about them. We encourage you to find what works best for you! You can schedule with a consultant you have worked with previously or work with someone new. What happens after a session? After the session, Writing Center consultants add notes in Starfish that give you a summary of the main topics covered in the appointment as well as a to-do list for further revising. Who can see those notes in Starfish? First and most importantly, you can review them. The notes can help you refresh your memory about the session and encourage you to keep working on your project. Other people in your My Success Network, such as the instructor of the course, Writing Center consultants, and your academic advisor can see the notes, too. When you review your notes in Starfish, you’ll see a list of all the people who can see those notes, including your instructor and academic advisor. Will my instructor know I have used the Writing Center? Instructors can review the notes from your session in Starfish whenever they wish. I am a non-native English speaker; can the Writing Center help me? Yes! We offer help when writing is the primary issue for your project: brainstorming, drafting, writing, citing, revising, and so on. If you would like conversation practice, American culture familiarization, grammar explanations, or individualized homework help attention, we recommend visiting the English Language Learner (ELL) Support Center. They are located in Frost Science Center, Room 306, and no appointment is needed. I would like consulting in other areas, like chemistry equations and other academic content. The Academic Support Center, located in Old Main 45, offers content area consulting. Students can also use Starfish to make content-area appointments at the ASC HERE. Can a Writing Center consultant help me with my job market materials? Yes, consultants can help you draft and revise cover letters and similar projects. Additionally, we strongly encourage students to also visit the Center for Career & Professional Development, since they have field-specific writing advice along with many additional resources. Can a Writing Center consultant help me find and use sources for my research project? Yes, consultants can give you tips for finding sources, reading attentively, and formulating your own ideas based on the existing research; we also strongly encourage students to make appointments with research librarians for excellent how-to help. I’d like to send my project to a copyeditor to help finalize it. Can the Writing Center recommend one or provide copyediting services? Consultants at the Writing Center have a job and approach different from copyeditors. Writing Center consultants focus on helping you improve your writing skills. That may mean, for example, extended advice on analyzing and synthesizing sources, tips to stay motivated, or links to citation style guides. If you want to hire a copyeditor, we recommend starting by reading this article, which includes information about finding, hiring, and working with them.
