What: The University of Maryland Writing Center
Where: 1205 Tawes Hall
When: 9-4 Monday – Thursday
5-8 Monday – Wednesday
9-2 Friday
Hi Everyone! My name is Shannon Hayes and I am an Orientation Advisor for the upcoming summer. I am also a tutor at the Writing Center here on campus. I wanted to take some time to let you all know about what a great resource the Writing Center is.
The Writing Center is a resource for all undergraduate students on campus. Tutors are trained undergraduates, grad students, and senior volunteers who once worked as English teachers. We are available to help you at any point during the writing process. You can come with a draft of an essay, just a thesis statement, or nothing but your assignment sheet. We are happy to help you with any problems you may be having with a writing assignment. Also, don’t feel like we only look at English papers. Tutors can help you with any type of writing that you have from lab reports to a history paper. We also specialize in Resumes, Personal Statements, and Cover Letters. Are you planning on applying for a scholarship?? The Writing Center can help you to perfect your application essay. At the Writing Center, we have resources to answer any question you may have. For instance, if you find yourself writing a paper in APA or Chicago style for the first time, we can help you with your citations.
To make an appointment, visit our website at: http://english.umd.edu/academics/writingcenter
Just click on the link that says “Click here to make an appointment” and register to view our online schedule. We offer appointments for either 30 minutes or an hour. We are also available for walk-in appointments. So, if you have any questions or want to just stop by, feel free to come by our office anytime.
Also, for those of you who are proficient at writing and feel like you would like to gain experience working in a professional environment where you can help your peers with their writing, consider applying to be an intern at the Writing Center. Applications are available in our office. All interns are required to take ENGL388W (the internship training course) in order to gain a better understanding of the theory and practice behind being a tutor.
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Hi! My name is Maddie Prebil and I am an Orientation Advisor for the upcoming summer! Because of my high scores on the Advance Placement English and Literature exams, I was placed out of Freshman English. While I thought this would be a blessing, it proved a difficult obstacle.
ReplyDeleteBecause I had never taken an English course at this university, I found I was unaware of what college professors expected in papers. Often times, I did not know how to format or properly cite my papers. Other times, I was unable to detect grammar mistakes. This was certainly a shock. Even though I had received high marks for my written work all through high school, I found myself floundering in my English-based courses throughout freshman year.
Halfway through second semester freshman year, a friend recommended the writing center to me. I was highly reluctant to visit the center, because I was concerned that others would know I was doing poorly in classes. I soon found, however, that I had no reason to be ashamed. The student tutors at the writing center were helpful, understanding, and great teachers. In no time I became very comfortable visiting there and asking for help!
I definitely benefited from the writing center. By getting into the habit of having tutors proofread my drafts, I scored higher on papers and am now able to better edit my own work. My written skills have markedly improved, and I have far more confidence in my writing. I highly recommend the writing center to help ease students' transition into a higher caliber of work.
Whether you have always done poorly in written examinations and papers, or you excelled in high school English courses, the writing center is an excellent on campus resource. I highly encourage you to check it out!