Frequently Asked Questions: By Students

Index:
So, what does our Writing Center do?
Who works at the Collin Writing Center?
How do I get help?
Can I come as often as I want?
Anything else I should know about appointments?
What happens in a consultation?
Will you tell my teacher I came to visit?
Can I just drop off my paper and pick it up in a few hours?
Um, my paper is for my History class; can I still come in?
I have to write an essay test. Can I come here?
I'm stuck. Can you help me? I don't have anything written yet. I just want to talk to someone and see if I'm on the right track. Is that okay?
English is not my first language. Can I come to the center?
So, how much does this cost?
So, my paper will get an "A," right?

So, what does our Writing Center do? Many things. Simply put, we can help you with any writing assignment, and we can help you at any stage of the writing process. We can help you brainstorm, make an outline, work on your drafts, or just be a second set of eyes for that final draft. We can help you in person, or you can send us your paper using the simple form on our Online Writing Lab (OWL) page.

Who works at the Collin Writing Centers? Most of our consultants are degreed English teachers. Many of them are also adjunct professors, teaching English courses at Collin and other area colleges. [ top ]

How do I get help? Simply call us, drop by any of our centers to schedule an appointment, or use our Online Writing Lab form.

If you call and no one answers the phone, please leave a message. Messages are checked often, and we do return calls as soon as we are able, so please do not call back repeatedly if no one answers the phone. When consultants work with students, they do not always answer the phone; a staff member will call you back as soon as possible. [ top ]

Can I come as often as I want? No. Because we are very busy, we limit you to two scheduled appointments per week (one per day) so that we can provide service to as many students as possible. Also, you cannot have back-to-back appointments, but you may walk in and see if someone has cancelled his/her appointment or not shown up for an appointment.  We cannot guarantee a session with a consultant unless you schedule an appointment in advance. [ top ]

Anything else I should know about appointments? If you are more than ten minutes late for a scheduled appointment, we will consider you a "no show" and will give your time to anyone who is waiting for a walk-in consultation. We cannot "hold" appointments since consultants and students might be inconvenienced.

Also, if you "no show" one time without cancelling at least an hour in advance, you lose the privilege of scheduling appointments for the next four school days. [ top ]

What happens in a consultation? You get 45 minutes of undivided attention from one of our consultants. We read, or have you read, your writing. We listen or look for gaps in ideas, problems in organization, faulty logic, grammatical errors, and elements of style. This strategy enables us to help you during your consultation. There's more to writing a good paper than just grammar, so we look at the whole paper.

We will probably not cover everything in your paper during our 45 minutes together, but your writing will improve. [ top ]

Will you tell my teacher I came to visit? Yes. A student report shows your teacher that you are dedicated to writing and want to become a better writer. We will send a summary of the concerns we discussed to your instructor. [ top ]

Can I just drop off my paper and pick it up in a few hours? Sorry, no. We are not a proofreading service. The philosophy behind our writing center is one-on-one interaction and learning. Picking up a proofread paper will not help you learn anything or help make you a better writer. [ top ]

However, we will gladly sit with you and carefully read through your paper, point out areas to work on, help you to recognize them on your own, and help you to become a better reader of your own work and that of others. [ top ]

My paper is for my history class; can I still come in? Yes. We will work with any member of the Collin community on any paper. Our consultants have helped students across the curriculum with papers at all levels of collegiate writing.

In addition to papers for class, we will also help you with application essays, personal statements, and assessment reviews. We can even take a look at your résumé; however, you may want to know that the Career Services Department has people specially qualified to help you with your résumé.  Offices are located at: SCC Room G103  tel. 972-881-5781; PRC Room F109A  tel. 972-377-1781; CPC Room A108  tel. 972-548-6747 . [ top ]

I have to write an essay test. Can I come here? If your instructor permits, we will be happy to brainstorm answers to possible questions with you and teach you strategies for taking essay tests. However, we do not give practice timed writing tests. [ top ]

I'm stuck. Can you help me? I don't have anything written yet. I just want to talk to someone and see if I'm on the right track. Is that okay? Sure. Bring your assignment, any notes you may have, and anything you may have written. Talking about your ideas with someone is an important part of the writing process. Bounce your ideas off us; we'll give you feedback. We can talk to you about ways to develop your ideas, strategies for getting unstuck, and places to go for research, if necessary.      [ top ]

English is not my first language. Can I come to the center? Absolutely. Writing is complex, and writing in a non-native language adds to the difficulty. We will work with you to help you express your ideas clearly. The one-on-one instruction you get from us helps you learn English grammar and style better and faster. We usually have one or two ESL specialists on staff who are better equipped to help students from non-English speaking backgrounds. [ top ]

So, how much does this cost? This is a free service. You paid for our services when you paid your tuition. Get your money's worth! Come early and take advantage of your two weekly appointments! [ top ]

So, my paper will get an "A," right? Perhaps. It depends on many factors, including your skill level, the state of your draft, and what issues your consultant is able to discuss during your session. Forty-five minutes is not much time. We may spend the entire session working with you on organization and development issues and never even discuss grammar. We cannot promise any particular grade because we are not the ones grading your work!

If you want to increase your chances of getting an "A," come as early in the drafting process as possible, be prepared to write at least three drafts of every paper, and see a consultant or seek readers' responses after each draft. [ top ]