The University Writing Center does more than just critiquing papers.
A unit of undergraduate studies at Texas A&M, the UWC provides one-on-one consulting for students.
Lauren McAuliffe, a writing consultant at the UWC, said her job is simple — to give students the tools to grow into better writers.
“Our overall goal is to help students become more effective writers,” McAuliffe said. “We work toward that goal in individual consultations by helping students identify issues in their work and giving them strategies to recognize and revise those issues.”
McAuliffe said students can expect consultants to address any concern they may have about writing, such as content, brainstorming, organization, grammar and citations.
“Students can expect a comfortable environment where they can spend up to 45 minutes talking to a consultant about their concerns with any form of written or oral communication,” McAuliffe said.
Executive director Valerie Balester said the help offered by the UWC is not limited just to essay writing.
“It’s any kind of writing, so it doesn’t matter what you’re writing — we’ll help you with it,” Balester said. “We’ll help you write your speech, review your powerpoints, practice your speech, whatever.”
Lidia Gregg, international studies senior, said she utilized the writing center for help with a research paper, and plans on returning for help on other papers in the future.
“I wanted the center to check my grammar and sentence structure,” Gregg said. “The staff there are very friendly and are great tutors.”
Balester said in addition to individual consulting, the UWC also runs writing workshops at the request of classes, student organizations or any other on-campus organization.
“We can come in and run a workshop for you as well, and usually its on things like writing and speaking,” Balester said. “Very often we’re asked to come give a good presentation example.”
The UWC also offers writing and speaking consultant positions for undergraduates and graduate students of any major. Katelyn Paulukaitis, undergraduate consultant at the writing center and telecommunication and media studies senior, who said her goal is to encourage students to think about their writing in a fresh way.
“When it comes to writing there’s often not one single right answer,” Paulukaitis said. “Rather, there are many right answers, and the key to a successful paper is finding the writing style that best suits the author’s purpose and personality.”
Paulukaitis said the thing she loves most about the writing center is the people.
“My supervisors and coworkers are the best ever; they make the UWC an incredibly collaborative, supportive, and creative atmosphere to work in,” Paulukaitis said.
The UWC is busiest around midterms and finals, but it can also be hectic any other time of the year, which is why it is best for students to make appointments at least a week in advance. Balester said the West Campus location allows walk-ins between 5:30-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday — a beneficial alternative for students who are unable to get an appointment.
The UWC has locations at Evans Library and West Campus Library, and is also active on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.
