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The Writing Walk-In Service is a resource for every writer on campus, serving university faculty, staff and graduate students, as well as a range of undergraduate needs. Tutors can discuss questions about the writing process or about particular pieces of writing such as letters of application, personal statements for graduate and professional school, creative writing, proposals and reports, as well as academic papers at any stage of their composition. The tutoring staff also works with questions of self-confidence about writing, critical reading and analytic thought, and the active use of the imagination. What we can work on:The Writing Walk-In Service can help improve the clarity and development of essays, reports, and application letters. Discussion might focus on getting started, on analysis while reading, on difficulties with organization, or on such topics as thesis definition, audience expectations, paragraph development, sentence structure and style, or patterns among errors in grammar or usage. Tutoring is especially suitable for students in First-Year Writing Seminars who want to get extra help with developing academic essays. Tutors are trained to address standard problems in academic writing, offering tips on shaping a coherent argument, and making strong use of evidence. They can help writers understand an assignment and formulate questions for their instructors. Our tutoring philosophy:Our approach to tutoring is Socratic rather than didactic. Tutors act as listeners, partners, collaborators, readers, rather than as prescribers, instructors, evaluators. The person who comes for help is encouraged to be as active as possible so that revision will be substantive rather than superficial. What we cannot do:Tutors do not proofread or edit. That is, they do not actually make corrections for the writer at the sentence level. Rather, they help writers develop effective strategies for their own line-editing, engaging in active work with the writer in order to improve the text’s substance and quality. Due to limitations of time, the staff cannot work with long writing samples, such as theses or full research papers. How and where we work:The Writing Walk-In Service operates on a drop-in basis and is located at four separate on-campus locations. Writers do not need an appointment. We encourage multiple sessions per paper, so that tutor and writer can focus on one or two central writing problems or strengths per session. Learn more about how we can help you with your writing. For answers to questions about the Service or if you need special assistance, contact Joe Martin, the Writing Walk-In Service Director, at jam8@cornell.edu. The Knight Institute's Walk-In Service |
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| © John S. Knight Institute Last Updated April 2006 knight_institute@cornell.edu | |
