Need help in Improving your Writing?
This is the tenth of 12 post in the Tips for Success Series. This series is to help Rebels through the semester with tips and tricks for those high grades in the classroom. It may even help you keep your sanity on the worst of days!
College writing is hard and way different from high school. One of my biggest fears in going to college was writing assignments; for example, essay, lab reports, emails, etc. In high school, I never got an A or B, not even a C in my writing assignments and essays. My English teachers will always bring out the fact that college writing is way more harder than high school writing, and that has always scared me so much. When I went to college tours I always asked about their writing tutoring centers and the one who empress me the most was “UNLV” because the girl who was giving me the tour talked about her experience with the writing center and I was convinced that the writing center is a good source to use while you are in college and having trouble in your writing projects.
My experience with the writing center
When my English professor gave me the first writing project, I was super scared but I decided to go to the Writing Center. Once I got there the lady in the front desk told me I was the first freshman to make an appointment at the writing center for their first writing project, I was super embarrassed about it but I don’t regret it at all because I end up with an A for my first semester on English at UNLV. When I got my first grade of my first project I cry because I never got a high B in a writing project and after that my grade keep going up and up. I was super happy and every time I see my friends struggling in their writing I will always convince them to make an appointment and they found it very helpful.
Writing Center - Location, Hours, and Contact Info
The location is in the Central Desert Complex - building 03. They have walk in hours but I recommend to make an appointment; office hours Monday- Friday: 8 am - 6 pm.
If you have any question about anything you can email them at writingcenter@unlv.edu, they also have a website that has really good resources; for example, Citations papers to help you with your citations either APA, MLA, etc.
Some tips to do before you go to the writing center
Sometimes the professors give out extra credit for going to the writing center make sure you ask your professor about it.
If you are writing about book make sure you read the book before going.
For your appointments, get there like five minutes early because you have sign in before you see your tutor.
Once you meet the person helping you with your writing make sure that if you like the way she/he teaches make sure you ask for their name or business card so you can ask for her or him every time you make an appointment.
Make sure you take notes of everything the tutor is saying about your essay because if you are just listening, you are most likely going to forget about the information they give you.
When you go to your appointment you need to bring two copies of your essay or something you have work on and the prompt. If you forget to print them out don’t worry they have printers inside the writing center just make sure you have money in your rebel account.
Something I love about the writing center is that sometimes they give out teaching lessons in the ballroom in the second floor of the student union about how to become better writers. I attended to one of them about citations and now, I’m really good with my citations and I have people asking me for help.
If you are having trouble writing your paper, it doesn’t have to an essay it could be anything that involves writing they can help you. The writing center will help you with your writing for you to get better or understand better, but it’s not going to warranty you an A you have to practice your writing.
Maria Gonzalez, Sophomore
Orientation Leader
High School: Eldorado High School
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Major: International Business