The Writing Center is one of my favorite places at McDaniel. I applied for the position of “Writing Center Tutor” at my freshman year and truly believe that the Writing Center is one of the best resources on campus. Even though I work at the Writing Center, I still make appointments with other tutors because the sessions are extremely helpful. What’s great about the Writing Center is that it’s not an editing service. Tutors work with students to actually teach them how to become better writers — we want to see students’ writing improve with each session!
In order to become a tutor, I took a one-semester course where I learned how to work with different writers and various formats (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). I shadowed current tutors and slowly made the transition from “tutor in training” to “tutor.” As tutors, we are trained to work with any type of paper in any stage of the writing process. I have had students who simply brainstorm with me during a session as well as students who come into the Writing Center with a completely finished paper. Whatever the case may be, each session makes me increasingly appreciate the writing process.
As a tutor, I read countless papers in a variety of disciplines. I learned about Cortez last week, memo writing yesterday, and med school applications last year. In addition, I am able to work with students who all have different aspirations, opinions, and lifestyles. Although I (hopefully) help students’ writing improve, I sometimes think that I learn the most from the sessions.
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