The Writing Center: Get off Facebook Already and Knock out a Killer Paper

I just stared at Facebook for an hour.
 
Then I checked my Twitter, Facebooked a little more, snagged some songs off of Ellie Goulding’s excellent
album, went to urbanoutfitters.com, updated my status, emailed my mom, checked out my new tagged pics, developed an opinion on the trending of #BeiberRapsBetterThan, and finally, checked my Facebook again.
 
And here we are. This is all I have written for this Her Campus article.
 
Clearly, I am having major writer’s block. I honestly can’t think of anything to say. But wait—I just thought of another option I have. No, I am not going to plagiarize an article from a different Her Campus branch. No, I will not pay a kid in Phi Delt to write this for me.
 
I’m going to… the Emory writing center!
 
I have never been before, so bear with me while I peruse the website and see if I am welcome. Oh hey, it says
there is “something for everyone who writes”—that’s me! And anyone else who wrote an essay to get into college (i.e., everyone at Emory)!
 
They take walk-ins too: how convenient. Location? Callaway, room 212. Hours? Monday through Thursday it’s open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Conveniently enough, a “Library Satellite” on the second floor of Woodruff Library is open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m.
 
Tutors are committed to helping you out from the early brainstorming stages of paper writing, all the way to grammar checks and final revisions; however, they will not directly proofread your essay.
 
Initially, I didn’t recognize the difference between revision and proofreading—isn’t that what my second grade
teacher referred to as “synonyms”? But proofreading is defined as directly correcting grammar and punctuation errors in a paper. The writing center instead offers a fresh analysis of your writing—a “re-vision,” if you will, to assess if your thesis and structure are clear and eloquent.
 
So don’t expect to waltz in and sit back while an English major fixes your comma splices. Prepare some questions, bring in a draft if you’ve started writing already, think about your strengths and weaknesses in writing and come prepared to take notes.
 
Now, who will be tutoring you (and me!)? Twenty Undergraduate tutors who have gone through a selective
application process will guide you in your writing endeavors, aided by six Graduate tutors. Their majors range from English to Philosophy to Business to International Studies. Access their short bios on the website.
 
Their website is uber-helpful in itself! Under the Resources tab you’ll find extensive advice on brainstorming,
thesis development and other “higher order concerns;” outlines on how to effectively peer edit and fix grammatical errors (including revisions for the ever-elusive misplaced modifier); and writing tips from Emory professors, including a section on e-mail etiquette. Wow, now I will not make the mistake of using “uber” in an email to my professor!
 
My very first visit to the writing center was even more helpful. I was a walk-in, meaning I met with a tutor who had extra time between appointments (but Collegiettes™, plan ahead and make an appointment!). After explaining the interesting nature of this writing assignment—an article about the writing center, edited with the help of the writing center—my tutor read through my rough draft.
 
“We’re not here to help you get a good grade,” my tutor, Ari Buchman, tells me from the start. Ari is a junior
studying History and International Studies. This is his first semester working in the writing center.
 
“We’re really interested in your long-term growth as a writer,” he continues. The writing center focuses primarily on the aforementioned higher order concerns: organization, clarity, transitions and especially forming a good thesis.
 
Ari tells me that the writing center gets a lot of repeat students, sometimes to work on the same paper. “First they’ll come in to brainstorm and form a thesis. Next, they’ll bring in a rough draft,” he says. Teachers often send students in to utilize the services, sometimes even to discuss corrections on a paper the student got back.
 
Currently, the writing center has a policy that sessions must last at least 30 minutes, but that’s about to change. Next semester the minimum time frame will be an hour.  “Every time, I am amazed that an hour has gone by,” Ari says. “Thirty minutes is never enough.”
 
Now, about my article—Ari did indeed revise it. Fortunately, there were not too many errors to be found, but I
did learn something: you can never use ‘however’ to start a sentence. Also, he pointed out that my exuberant use of exclamation marks in fact reduced the emphasis of my statements with each additional exclamation mark added. “If everything is stressed, then nothing at all is stressed,” he told me. Wow, he’s got a point (note the punctuation restraint at the end of this sentence).
 
Well, look at this: my article is over a page. It kinda sounds good too! I mean, “kind of.” Actually, scratch that—it indeed appears cogent, compelling and convincing. Good enough to send to my editor-in-chief, at least.
 
Now, when I need to write a paper and the Facebook login is calling my name, I know where I’ll go instead… well, right after I update my status to “Emory Writing Center is where it’s at!!”