Who is the Writing Center for?

You might not expect UMBC’s writing tutor workforce to be a combination of STEM, English, and many other majors — but you would be surprised! The Writing Center is actually very diverse. Many people may assume that we’re all English majors, but there are many tutors from many different disciplines who simply enjoy writing and sharing their knowledge about writing. Specifically, some of the tutors who currently work at our writing center are global studies, computer science, psychology, biology, and engineering majors (just to name a few). Of course, the majority of tutors are English majors, but this diversity in majors goes to show that there is a variety at our writing center. We hope this encourages students with different assignments from non-English courses and majors other than English to come to the writing center.

Tutees may bring in topics from biology courses, English courses, engineering courses, dance courses, art courses, and really any class that they need assistance with in writing to UMBC’s writing center. Having a tutor that is in that major or has taken a similar course, may help the tutee to feel more confident in their tutor session. However, even if someone brings in a biology paper that does not mean they cannot meet with a psychology major tutor. Even though I am an English major,  my personal favorites are from subjects that aren’t English because I learn so much. I have tutored students who have brought in essays about cultural artifacts, scholarship application essays, essays for graduate programs, essays from biology courses, essays about diseases, creative non-fiction essays, and so much more. I have learned so much from these essays and I am thankful that I have been exposed to such a wide variety of topics.

All UMBC students are allowed to use the writing center as a resource. It is free (included in tuition), and students should take advantage of it. It is always beneficial to have someone else read one’s paper. Students should not be afraid if their major or essay is in another major than English. From our website, “UMBC’s Writing Center is happy to assist students with writing assignments in any UMBC course.” This goes to show we are welcoming and inviting to all students. Since the writing center is open to all students, each session will be diverse. Every tutor is trained on the fundamentals of writing, so we believe we can help any student with any topic. Each topic will be different, but a tutor’s job is to accept any challenges and do our best to offer insight to help any student and topic.

In the blog, The Final Draft: A Guide to Writing Centers, they share, “Regardless of your major, every college student has to write; even in subjects like mathematics, science, and technology, the fine arts, writing is required by all disciplines. Writing assignments like essays, research papers, reports, and creative pieces are all part of the college experience.” Being open-minded and interested in each diverse topic a student brings in continues the idea of inclusion in the writing center. Letting UMBC students know that the writing center is open to every major and every course will help our writing center to continue to grow in inclusivity. I can’t wait to learn about more interesting topics and majors in future tutoring courses.

 

 

Contributed by: Nastasia Vasconcells

Have a question? Submit it to us, or come see us in the Writing Center for some more great advice!

 

 

 

 

 

References:

“Learning Resources Center.” Student FAQs – Learning Resources Center – UMBC, lrc.umbc.edu/student-faqs/.

“The Final Draft: A Guide to Writing Centers.” Value Colleges, http://www.valuecolleges.com/guides/guide-to-writing-centers/