Writing Center Basics

Making Appointments
Online Writing Center
Our Policy on Proofreading
Frequently Asked Questions
Meet the Tutors
Writing Center Director
Interested in Being a Writing Fellow?

Making Appointments

While students may drop in, appointments are strongly recommended, especially during midterms and at the end of the semester. To make an appointment, call the Writing Center at (262) 552-5536 or you may also request a tutoring session by e-mail. Send your name, phone number, and the day and time you would like to come in to writingcenter@carthage.edu. You will receive a phone call or e-mail reply confirming your time slot.

Please bring a copy of your assignment and two copies of your current draft (one for you, one for the tutor). Tutoring sessions last 45 minutes and begin on the hour.

The Writing Center is located in the upper level of the Hedberg Library, on the north end. We are near the video collection.

For questions, concerns or suggestions, other than making appointments, send an e-mail to the director: mpreston@carthage.edu

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Online Writing Center

Don't have time to come in for an appointment? Try the Online Writing Center! Online Writing Center services are accessed through a dedicated email address. Here's how to sign up and submit your paper:

Send an email to olwc@carthage.edu

In the body of the email request:

1. Describe your assignment.
2. Give us the name/number of your course.
3. Tell us the name of your instructor.
4. Indicate if we may or may not notify your instructor that you have obtained assistance from the Writing Center.
5. Include specific questions or issues that you want the online tutor to address in your paper.
6. Your paper must be submitted as an attachment to your email in WORD format.

In most cases, onlne submissions will be reviewed and returned to you with suggestions and ideas sfor revision within 48 hours.

Remember, the Online Writing Center is meant for students who are unable to make an appointment in the Writing Center because the Center is booked, or because they cannot come to campus for an in-Center appointment.

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Our Policy on Proofreading

The purpose of the Writing Center is to help you become a better writer. We are not a proofreading service, and will not simply correct technical errors for you. However, we are pleased to help you address any issues, concerns or questions you have about your writing.

In reviewing your essay, tutors are most likely to help you address issues of focus, clarity, organization and style. In order to help the tutors help you, it is best to let us know what you are thinking about your writing, what questions you have and what kind of help you are seeking.

Technical concerns in your writing will not be ignored. If a tutor notices a pattern of error, she or he will call that error to your attention and help you alleviate the problem. Becoming aware of your own most common errors will also help you become a better proofreader of your own material. Our ultimate goal is to help you improve your own ability to write and revise.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Writing Center do?
The Writing Center's goal is to help you become a better writer. We offer one-on-one tutoring sessions to help you identify and correct your most common writing errors.

What happens in a tutoring session?
The tutor, or writing fellow, will ask you to explain your assignment and read your paper out loud. The writing fellow will suggest areas for improvement, talk with you about your paper, and help you learn how to deal with common mistakes.

Do you just look at grammar and punctuation?
No. In fact, we tend to look at the structure of your paper first — the main points, the order of your ideas, and your conclusion. In our view, having good, well-organized thoughts makes you a better writer than having a mechanically perfect paper that's really disorganized.

How finished does my paper have to be?
You can come to the Writing Center at any stage of the writing process — whether that's figuring out what you're going to write about, putting your thoughts in order, or polishing up a final draft. We can help even if you're still trying to come up with a topic.

Can I drop off my paper?
No. To get the full benefit of the Writing Center, you must come in for a session with a tutor.

How long do tutoring sessions last?
Tutoring sessions begin on the hour and last 45 minutes.

Will you fix all my mistakes?
No. But we will point out the errors that you make most often and spend time showing you how to correct them. That helps you become a better writer in the long run.

Where is the Writing Center?
We are located on the ground floor of Hedberg Library. The Writing Center is on the north end toward the back, near the video collection.

Do I need an appointment?
Yes. We strongly recommend making an appointment. Although you can drop in, we might not be able to see you that day. Our slots get booked very fast, especially during midterms and finals. It helps to plan ahead by scheduling an appointment.

What is the Online Writing Center?
The Online Writing Center allows you to send your paper through Blackboard. You must be registered to use the Online Writing Center, and you must include questions with your paper. For instructions on how to access the Online Writing Center, click here.

How can I contact the Writing Center?
You can call us at (262) 552-5536 or e-mail your request for an appointment to writingcenter@carthage.edu.

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Meet the Tutors

Maeve

Photo and bio unavailable. 

Deanna

Deanna Love is a senior pursuing a triple major in Accounting, English, and Spanish. She recently returned from a semester studying abroad in Costa Rica. Her main interests include volunteering, reading, writing, and traveling. She hopes to pursue a career with a non-profit or non-governmental organization which encourages sustainable, international business development.

Kaylyn

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Kaylyn is a senior majoring in Social Work. She runs cross country and is a member of Social Work Club and Phi Alpha Honor Society. 

Caroline

Caroline is a senior majoring in Great Ideas and French with minors in Political Science and Philosophy. Spending all of last year living abroad in picturesque La Rochelle, France she pursued her torrid passion for international travel and looked, as always, to read great books! 

Andrea

Andrea is a senior majoring in economics and mathematics from Crest Hill, Ill. 

Isaac

Born in the great Ohio River Valley during an oppressive drought in 1988, Isaac McQuistion symbolized the brushing aside of one era and the glorious entrance of another, for with him he brought the rain, and life returned to the parched fields of the Midwest. He grew up happy, spending the long, winsome days of his youth haunting the surrounding neighborhood with friends and at night enjoying the solitary pleasures of a book well-written. Eventually, when it came time to leave the comfort of home and make his first tentative steps into the world at large, McQuistion decided to pursue his love of literature through a major in English at Carthage College and a job in the Writing Center in the hopes that it might someday turn into something more. And so he works tirelessly, his one goal to improve the quality of writing of all people, everywhere, including his own, so that other people can see what he's known since those sepia-toned days of his youth: that there is nothing quite so pleasurable and wonderful in this world as a sentence that falls perfectly in place.

Charley

Charley Follet is a senior majoring in Geography and minoring in Asian Studies. Charley was a History major his first two years at Carthage, and has taken several writing intensive History and Classics courses. With his experience in both History and Geography, Charley can give advice on history papers and lab reports alike. In his free time, Charley enjoys writing articles for the school paper. 

Megan

Megan Avery is in her third year at Carthage and is majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and Spanish.  After graduation, she plans on attending dental school in hopes of becoming a pediatric dentist.  This year, she works as an RA, a biology lab fellow, and is a member of Tri-Beta, Theta Chi Delta, and Pre-Health Club.  As a part of the Writing Center, she helps lead the ESL conversation group and works with the OLWC [Online Writing Center].  She is a big Chicago Blackhawks fan, enjoys listening to Aerosmith and other music along that line, and loves playing with her dog, Wrigley.

Laura

"My name is Laura Lawonn and I am a junior here at Carthage. I'm majoring in English and minoring in Secondary Education, so I hope to be teaching middle or high school English sometime soon. I'm involved in music on campus, participating both in Chamber Orchestra and Lincoln Chamber Singers, as well as a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. I'm a huge English nerd and I love writing papers, so bring me yours and I will happily work through them!"

Stephanie

Photo and bio unavailable.

Kim

Kim Likier is a German major here at Carthage, with minors in Philosophy and Creative Writing. Her favorite type of tutoring session in the Writing Center is the elusive brainstorming session. Kim is currently studying abroad in Germany.

 Emily K.

Emily Kolesar is the tallest member of the Emily Trifecta working in the Writing Center. She is an English and French major with a penchant for inventing new words. She enjoys wielding her creative license, whether in areas of writing, violin-playing, scrapbooking, or whatever else intrigues her. She hopes she will eventually reach proficiency in the tricky pronunciation of the French language. To this end, she is studying Grenoble, France this semester.

Graham

Graham Johnson, '12, is a Philosophy-Political Science double major with a minor in Great Ideas. His interests include reading Historical Non-Fiction and watching classic movies. During the summer he mows lawns and likes to go on road trips with his Dad. If you can't make him laugh, don't bother showing up.

Rachel

Rachel Jason is a sophomore at Carthage College majoring in French and Political Science. She is a member of the women's soccer team, Habitat for Humanity and Honors Council. This is her first year as a Writing Center Fellow.

Emily N.

Bio unavailable.

Emily O.

Emily Oleson (also known as Emily the Short) is an English and Social Work major with several years background in the Japanese language. She is a sophomore and a first-year Writing Fellow. In her (mostly nonexistent) free time, Emily enjoys reading and writing both poetry and fiction.

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Writing Center Director

Jean Preston holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing/Poetry from The University of Southern Maine Stonecoast Writing Program. Her critical thesis was titled Poverty, Politics and Poetry: Political Poetry through the Lens of the Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities. Her creative thesis, All the Queen's Horses is a book-length manuscript of original poetry. Ms. Preston earned her B.A. from Carthage College in English, with minors in Classics and Women's Gender Studies. She received the Carthage College Distinguished Adult Learner of the Year Award in 2002, and was a recipient of an ASIANetwork Freeman Fellowship in 2001. In addition to teaching the Heritage Sequence at Carthage, Ms. Preston has worked as a presenter, instructor and tutor for various academic and community organizations including the Kenosha Literacy Council and the Racine Odyssey Project, and has facilitated several seminars and workshops on writing poetry.

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Interested in Being a Writing Fellow?

Writing Fellows are recruited and hired toward the end of fall semester. Training of new Writing Fellows takes place during spring semester for the following academic year. Training is paid. 

What are the requirements?
To be a writing fellow, you should:

• Be a strong writer
• Enjoy working with people
• Be responsible and reliable
• Be able to work 10 hours a week
• Be committed to helping others

Do I have to be an English major?
No! We encourage students from any major to become writing fellows.

Do I need previous tutoring experience?
No. If you are hired, we will train you.

How do I apply?
The application process has three parts:

Part One: Submit A Writing Sample

• Choose a sample of your best academic, analytic writing. Please do not submit creative writing or personal essay.
• Make sure that the paper is error-free and remove any headers containing your name.
• Print out a clean copy.
• Write a brief (about 1 paragraph) description of the assignment for which you wrote the paper.
• Include two cover sheets: one with your name and one without.
• Staple your writing sample and drop it off at the Writing Center or Jean Preston's office.

Once we receive your writing sample, three of the current fellows and the director will read it with your name removed. We'll give it a rating and decide whether to ask you in for an interview.

Part Two: The Interview and Mock Tutoring Session

If we are impressed by your writing sample, we will ask you to come in for an interview. This will be a mock tutoring session in which you act as the tutor. You will "tutor" one of the current writing fellows using an actual student paper. This interview is not meant to be a high-stress experience, but to let us see how you work with people and how you approach writing. You will also have an opportunity to ask any questions you have about the position. After the interview, we will decide whether or not you will be offered the position.

Part Three: Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation from current Carthage faculty will be requested.

What happens if I am hired?
Once you've officially been hired, you will begin training. It requires 4-5 hours a week and includes reading, observing tutoring sessions, writing accounts of your observations, and meeting with the director. It is, in effect, structured much like a class. You will be paid for all the time you spend training. If you wish, you may take it for course credit instead. Ask Jean Preston for more details if you are interested in this option.

Once I am trained, when would I start?
As soon as you have completed the training and feel comfortable leading a tutoring session, you willl be able to start tutoring.

Do I have to work 10 hours/week?
Typically, yes. "Full time" for a student writing fellow is 10 hours/week. Special arrangements can be made on a case by case basis for fewer or additional hours. Please note that once a writing fellow's hours are determined, they are considered to ba a firm commitment and cannot be changed mid-semester.

Could I work during J-Term or over the summer?
Yes. We almost always have a need for writing fellows during these times. If you choose, you can pick up extra hours, and you will be compensated accordingly.

How much does the position pay?
Presently, Writing Fellows in training begin at the current Carthage minimum wage, with pay increases dependent upon experience and advanced training levels.

What other benefits does the job offer?
The position looks great on a resume and you will be able to provide a letter of recommendation that speaks to your skills as a student, an employee, and a tutor. This position gives you an advantage if you are interested in pursuing graduate studies with a focus on becoming a teaching assistant. It is also a good experience if you are looking at a career in teaching. Last but not least, writing fellows agree that looking at others' writing has immensely improved their own writing abilities.

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Writing Center Basics

• Hours
• Making Appointments
• Online Writing Center
• Writing Center FAQ's
• Policy on Proofreading
• Meet the Tutors
• Writing Center Director
• Interested in Being a Writing Fellow?

Resources for Students

• How to Cite Your Sources
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Learning and Studying
• Questions About Writing
• Kinds of Assignments
• Revise and Edit Your Paper
• ESL Resources

Creative Writing at Carthage

• Poetry Underground
• Creative Arts Magazine
• Creative Writing Minor
• Poetry Readings
• Publish Your Writing

Resources for Faculty

• Teaching Student Writing
• Evaluating Student Writing
• Writing Grant Proposal