When students come to the writing center for help, they spend 30 to 45 minutes working one-on-one with a consultant. When students send an electronic submission to the UWC’s online writing lab, their response comes from a consultant. If they want to chat online with someone about writing, that someone will be a consultant.
In short, consultants are at the heart of everything the University Writing Center does for students. If you ever have the opportunity to meet or work with one of our consultants, you’ll know your students are in the best of hands.

UWC consultants include undergraduate and graduate students, as well as former teachers. While many of the undergraduates are English majors, the center also currently employs students from marketing, kinesiology, environmental geosciences, and mechanical engineering. The consultants also vary in age; some are 19, while others have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Before they’re hired, prospective consultants submit a writing sample and a letter of recommendation to the UWC and complete a personal interview. Once on the job, they enroll in a one-credit course in which they review rules of grammar and punctuation, discuss the writing process, write about rhetoric, and learn techniques for consulting. In particular their training emphasizes how to empower clients to take control of their own writing. UWC consultants also participate in a full-day training session once a year and attend weekly staff meetings.

Before they’re allowed to work directly with students, new consultants observe sessions conducted by experienced consultants. After they begin working independently, they themselves are observed at least once a semester by a veteran consultant who offers suggestions.
While our consultants are a diverse group, they share a commitment to helping students and a profound belief in the value of writing. Here are some of their candid thoughts about working as consultants.

What do you like most about consulting?
■    “I love getting to help people one-on-one. I especially like establishing relationships with repeat clients and seeing them improve as time goes on.”
■    “Watching students when everything clicks for them.”
■    “Meeting international students and learning that we are much more alike than different.”
■    “All the subjects I get to learn about from student papers.”

What do you like least about consulting?
■     “Some people come in and expect you to do all of the work for them and don’t take an active role in the session.”
■     “I hate when the students immediately tell me that they’re getting extra credit or are required to come to the writing center. I automatically know they’re not going to participate in the session because they don’t actually care about improving their paper.”
■     “It’s very frustrating when students act like they don’t care about their writing. If they come to the writing center to begin with, we know it’s important to them to be better writers. It’s okay to show it.”

What was the most helpful part of your training?
■     “Writing critiques on sample papers and discussing them with the class.”
■     “Sitting in on experienced consultants’ sessions helped me the most.”
■     “Doing mock consultations.”
■     “Observing the experienced consultants was very helpful, because it taught me that everyone has their own personal consulting style.”
■     “Sharing experiences with other new consultants.”

What has consulting taught you about writing?
■     “Consulting has taught me that there isn’t one way to write a paper. Just because I would organize it a certain way doesn’t make it the only correct way.”
■     “I’ve noticed that I’ve become a much stronger writer since I started working here. I’ve learned the importance of double (and triple) checking everything before I turn it in, and now I actually read my papers out loud, too.”
■     “Clarity and organization are key. Professors read tons of papers, so don’t be afraid to let your personality shine. Make it exciting!”
■     “It has reminded me to really own and care about my writing.”

What would you like to tell instructors about assigning writing? Is there anything they should do differently?
■     “Try writing your assignments yourself before you assign them.”
■     “The more specific the prompt, the better.”
■     “Be more explicit about expectations. Be aware of documentation styles and instruct students on why citations matter.”
■     “Clear instructions about what they want the paper to include are an absolute must. There is nothing more frustrating than when a student brings me a prompt, and I can’t help him figure out what the professor expects on the paper.”
■     “Emphasize thought and content.”
■     “Giving students a rubric is a great idea if you want to get what you expect.”
■     “Embrace error! Examine it, learn from it, and question it. Academic writing must meet standards. But talk with your students about what those standards are. You might find you don’t agree with all of the ‘rules’ yourself.”

What would you like to tell students about the UWC?
■    “It is so helpful! I bring my own writing here, because it really helps to see your writing from an outside perspective.”
■     “The writing center is not a place for you to come and dump your paper on someone else.”
■     “Just because you come here doesn’t mean you’ll get an A.”
■     “It’s a safe and student-friendly environment where we aim to make the learning process as comfortable as possible.”
■     “Expect to leave a better, more confident writer, not a person with a better paper.”
■     “No consultant will ever belittle a student’s writing ability.”

What can students do to help make their consultations more productive?
■     “Please come in with your assignment, specific goals and concerns, and a sense of ownership of your work.”
■     “If you don’t care, we can’t help you very much. You have to want to learn.”
■     “Know what you want to focus on.”
■     “Come prepared with an open mind.”

What’s your best writing advice?
■     “Don’t submit anything before reading over it at least once for mistakes!”
■     “Be you—be creative—and proofread!”
■     “After you have written something, lay it aside and do something else. When you come back to it, you will see it in a different way.”
■     “Do not start writing the day before a paper is due.”
■     “Find your individual writing process ritual and stick to it.”
■     “Relax.”
■     “Just write; don’t worry about how it reads until you finish.”
■     “Writing isn’t some mysterious process. It takes two things: effort and time. The more you write, the better you’ll be at it.”

What’s your writing pet peeve?
■     “A lack of clarity.”
■     “Bad punctuation.”
■     “When people write long, complicated sentences that make no sense in an attempt to sound academic.”
■     “Misuse of ‘their, there, they’re’ and ‘your’ and ‘you’re.’”
■     “People who correct ridiculously arcane grammar rules. And worse still, people who correct them incorrectly.”
■     “Laziness—when people aren’t willing to put in the mental energy required to improve their writing.”