All writers, from beginners to professionals, need feedback from trusted readers. The Writing Center is a place where you can get that feedback. We serve student writers at any level of expertise, in any stage of the writing process. The Center is staffed primarily by Writing Fellows, undergraduates who have been trained as peer tutors, and who have a keen interest in both writing and tutoring. Writing Center services are free of charge.
The Writing Center is located at 129 Bellarmine, and is open during the following hours:
Please Note: The Writing Center does not have Summer hours. Our tutors are mainly students, and they are not on campus during the summer.
We also have Sunday evening hours, from 5 to 8, upstairs in the group study rooms of the Drexel Library.
For more information, please feel free to contact Dr. April Lindner at x1882, or via e-mail at alindner@sju.edu
Here are some tips for making the Writing Center work for you:
- Come early in the process. Any successful writer will tell you: good writing takes time and involves revision.
- Bring the assignment. A writer needs to keep his or her audience and purpose in mind; having the assignment handy can help.
- Take an active part in your tutorial. A Writing Fellow won’t “correct” your essay or write it for you; instead he or she will read your work with care and give feedback on elements of the paper that are working well, and those that could be working better. The Fellow might involve you in a discussion about the contents of the paper, to help you expand on your ideas or articulate them more clearly.
- Be willing to do significant revision. Some papers need minor reworking, but others need more. Again, it’s a good idea to leave yourself enough time to do any necessary rewriting.
- Come often. While the Writing Center helps students produce stronger papers, our true concern is helping students to become stronger writers, a process that takes time and ongoing effort. I therefore encourage you to visit the Center more than once over the course of a semester or a year.