FAQs (frequently asked questions)

• Student FAQs

• Faculty FAQs

Student FAQs

Who comes to the Writing Center?
Concordia students come to the Writing Center because they know it’s a good idea to talk about their writing and get some feedback. Writers bring in all kinds of writing assignments from courses across the curriculum—social science, business, education, communication, English and many more. It’s a myth that writing centers are for bad writers; the CWC is a place for all writers!

When should I visit?
As soon as possible! Don’t come in the day before an assignment is due; give yourself plenty of time to think, write and revise.  

Do I need an appointment?
You can drop by the Writing Center without an appointment; however, we recommend you make one to ensure that a consultant is available to work with you. 

How do I make an appointment?
You can schedule an appointment by coming by the Writing Center in Theta Lounge, or by calling (949) 214-3444 from off campus, or x3444 if you’re on campus.

What should I expect at my first appointment?
Appointments are usually half an hour. Bring your questions and a draft if you have one. Your writing consultant will want to read the specific assignment so be sure to bring that with you as well. The consultant will then ask you what you’d like help with. After reading the paper together, the two of you will begin discussing it. The writing consultant will respond as a critical reader to what you’ve written, pointing out sections that work well and places with problems. You’ll learn strategies to improve those areas that need strengthening. 

Writing consultants focus on the big concerns first. For example, they’ll check to make sure you’re following the assignment guidelines, that your thesis is clear and that your paper is developed logically. After that, they can help you with concerns about style, grammar, word choice, etc.

How do I prepare for a session?
To prepare for a session, please bring in the assignment, a paper or an idea for a paper, and allow ample time after your appointment to rethink and revise your work before it is due.  Have clear directions from your professor on what kind of paper you are writing and what documentation style, if any, is required.  If these instructions are unclear to you, ask your professor.  At times, you may need help getting started.  That's fine.  Just remember to bring in your assignment sheet, extra paper for writing notes and ideas, and a clear sense of what you want to work on. During your session, it will be important for you to tell the consultant what you’d like to focus on during your session.                                                                                                                        

Do we proofread papers?
We don’t proofread a paper for you. That would help us become great editors, but it wouldn’t make you a better writer. We’ll work with you so that you will become a better proofreader of your own work. 

Will visiting the Concordia Writing Center help me earn an A on my paper?
The purpose of the CWC is to help make you a better writer, not write a better paper. Because writing improvement takes time, we cannot promise that you will receive an A on your assignment, but we can promise that with practice you will become a better writer. 

What else does the Writing Center have?
In addition to our friendly consulting staff, the CWC has dictionaries, thesauruses, writing handbooks, business writing books, style and grammar sheets, and “cheat sheets” on MLA and APA documentation style.  We also have a comfy couch, a fireplace, and candy.

Faculty FAQs

How can the Concordia Writing Center help my students improve their writing?
To help your students become better writers, the consultants will help them discover and clarify their ideas, as well as assess the effectiveness of their own writing. Consultants take a hands-off approach, using guiding questions and comments to ensure that the changes in a paper are the writer’s own. 

Can I refer a student to the Writing Center?
We hope that you encourage all students to visit the Writing Center! If you do require a student to seek writing support, please encourage them to consider us a writing resource rather than a remedial lab. Students who feel as though they’re being sent to the CWC because they’re “bad” writers who need to “fix” their problems often come to us unwillingly and make our goal of helping students become more effective, confident writers difficult to achieve. 

If you need to know that a student has visited the Writing Center, ask the student bring you a completed Record of Consultation form from their session.

Can a writing consultant visit my classroom?
Consultants can visit your classroom to provide a brief overview of the Writing Center and its resources. Contact us early in the semester to arrange for a visit as consultant availability is limited. Send your request to the Writing Center director, Kristen Schmidt, at [email protected].  

If I send a student to the Writing Center, will I see immediate improvement in his/her paper?
The Writing Center mantra is Better Writers Not Better Papers. We hope to help students become more effective, confident writers rather than help them create a one-time “perfect” paper. Becoming a strong writer is something that occurs with practice over time.

Do Writing Center consultants correct or edit student writing?
Definitely not. Instead, they assist students to find and fix error patterns on their own. In order to assist students develop or clarify their writing, we ask questions and give guidance so that changes belong to the student.

Does receiving writing assistance amount to collusion?
A tutoring session is collaborative, with consultants and students exchanging ideas about basic usage, form, and style as well as the assignment’s content. Writing Center policy, however, is to ensure that student writing remains the work of the student. Consultants do not do any writing for them.