Making the transition from clearly-laid out routines to being thrown into the chaos and uncertainty of college life can be emotionally and mentally overwhelming. After all, Freshmen Orientation tends to pass in a blur of information and introductions. Hardly any student, unless they took detailed notes, actually remembers everything discussed during orientation. Generally, students are too focused on seeing the dorms and classrooms, meeting professors, and meeting their fellow classmates to pay much attention during the long, back-to-back lectures.
When I came to Regent for Freshmen Orientation, I wish that I had paid more attention to the part where some administrators spoke about all of the helpful services offered to assist students with challenging homework assignments. Namely, I wish I had remembered about the Writing Center sooner.
The Writing Center is an incredibly useful tool that can (and should) be used by the majority of students on campus. Now, if you are already confident in your writing abilities and think that the Writing Center is beyond you, listen up! I was in your shoes until last semester (the start of my junior year). I had never had much trouble composing detailed research papers, so I thought I had no need for the Writing Center.
Wow, was I wrong.
Not only are the workers in the Writing Center prepared to help with editing and proofreading, they can assist with formatting questions, citation styles, brainstorming, and just about any sort of writing question you can dream up. Many of the workers in the Writing Center are fellow Regent students who had to go through rigorous training before they were allowed to help students on their own. That way, you can always be assured that whoever helps you knows exactly what they are talking about.
Here are a few specific ways the Writing Center can help:
1. Citation Styles
This is a big one. I feel certain that many students would admit their lack of confidence when it comes to the specifics of citation styles. Maybe, a few years ago, you had the MLA format memorized and nailed down. However, MLA has recently updated how to form a citation, making your previous knowledge of format null and void. Don’t fret! The Writing Center has tools to help with APA, MLA, and Turabian styles (the only three styles Regent University uses).
2. Brainstorming
If you are stuck and can’t come up with a topic for a research paper, the Writing Center can help! Maybe you already have topic ideas running through your head and you’re just unsure how to proceed. That’s alright, too. Any worker at the Writing Center is more than happy to guide you through the creative process and help you land on a topic.
3. Proofreading
Possibly the hardest part of the writing process is being able to critically look over your own work for any grammatical errors or any portions of the text that need to be edited. The people at the Writing Center are patient and helpful when proofreading. Instead of a voice in your head questioning each decision, you can speak your concerns to a live person who will give good and unbiased feedback.
Just remember, the Writing Center is a tool constructed to help students, not to harshly critique your writing skills. As long as you can go in with an open mind, ready to learn, you will find the Writing Center to be a great asset in your collegiate education.