THE WRITING CENTER - UC SAN DIEGO
Issue 2
1
The
Writing
Center
UC San Diego
November 2013
STAFF WRITERS: NICHOLE NOMURA, LEYDEN DANIELS, ELENA SILVA
Inside the Writing Center:
Transfer Student Transitions
by [Article
StudentsAuthor]
transferring to UC San Diego
from other institutions face many changes:
new living situations, new friends, and new
expectations. The adjustment to universitylevel writing can be especially difficult, and
the Writing Center aims to be a valuable
resource in this process of transition.
On Oct. 28, Writing Center director
Madeleine Picciotto participated in a faculty
panel sponsored by the Transfer Connect and
Success Program, a Student Affairs initiative
that is designed to promote transfer student
engagement. Dr. Picciotto encouraged
students to make the most of the campus
resources – including Writing Center group
workshops and individual consultations.
Most transfer students are not required
to take college writing courses, but the Muir
College Writing Program and Eleanor
Roosevelt College’s Making of the Modern
World (MMW) core sequence do include
specific courses taken only by transfer
students. The Writing Center regularly offers
group workshops targeting these courses.
A workshop last month on “Reading and
Summarizing an Academic Argument,”
geared primarily towards transfer students,
was particularly well attended. More than 30
students crowded into the Writing Center
conference room to improve their skills.
Transfer student Yi Yang has visited the
Writing Center several times. “MMW 21 is
very hard for me. Writing at UCSD is totally
different,” he explains. He has found that
seeking support is more productive than
trying to manage alone. “The Writing Center
is very helpful,” he says.
MMW Assistant Director Heidi KellerLapp notes, “Transfer students, in general,
bring to the university a greater variety of
experiences, academic interests, and levels
of preparation.” The Writing Center’s peer
mentors are trained to work with students
regardless of their prior experiences with
academic writing. According to Dr. KellerLapp, many transfer students tell her they
find the Writing Center to be “a welcoming,
supportive, and helpful place.”
Holly Bauer, Assistant Director of the
Warren College Writing Program, observes,
“Writing Center mentors are a great resource
for transfer students who want to know
more about writing expectations at UCSD.”
Peer writing mentor Annika Caspers
Brown agrees. “Transfer students are often
concerned about what is expected at the
university level,” she says, “and we can help
clarify those expectations.” University-level
writing can be intimidating, but the Writing
Center can help make it less so.
IN THIS ISSUE
By the Numbers: page 2
International Connections:
page 3
Spotlight:
Bill Presant
“Establishing common
ground can help to make
sessions successful….”
Spotlight:
Jessica Gross
“Working as a mentor has
helped me in my own
writing process….”
Spotlight:
Leyden Daniels
“Access and
encouragement are
fundamental.…”
(Spotlights on page 2)
THE WRITING CENTER - UC SAN DIEGO | Issue 2
2
Mentor Spotlights
The 38 peer mentors who currently work at the Writing Center represent a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and experiences.
Get to know some of our talented staff!
Bill Presant
Year: Senior
College: Warren
Major: Spanish Literature
Minors: Psychology,
Computer Science
Favorite Hobby: Amateur DJ
As a UCSD senior I’ve enjoyed many
challenging classes that have helped me
develop as both a student and a mentor. On the
humanities side, I’ve had to read, write, and
communicate across cultural and language
barriers. Having been the language learner, I
understand the obstacles – some obvious,
some not – that international students struggle
with. And my computing experience helps me
connect with students who are more STEMsavvy. Establishing common ground can help to
make sessions successful.
During my time at the Writing Center, I’ve
loved being able to create a dialogue with other
students. Often they come in accustomed to
TA conferences, which can sometimes be
formal and prescriptive. But academia is a
conversation. We struggle to make learning
interpersonal, given the whopping size of
UCSD, but the Writing Center is one place
where I can speak with students every day.
These conversations have not only helped
the students I’ve worked with feel more
confident, they’ve also helped me become a
better writer. You don’t spend this much time
talking about good writing without coming out
better at it yourself. I look forward to
continuing my work at the Writing Center until
I graduate at the end of this quarter.
Jessica Gross
Leyden Daniels
Year: Senior
College: Roosevelt
Major: Sociocultural
Anthropology
Favorite Hobby: Oil painting
Year: Senior
College: Muir
Major: Literature/Writing
Minor: Business
Favorite Hobby: Hiking
Since transferring to UCSD last year, I’ve
grown as a writer and learner. In my MMW
21 and 22 classes I received excellent
instruction on how to construct a persuasive
academic argument. I appreciated the way
the courses built on each other, leading you
to master each step of the writing process
gradually. The skills I acquired in these
courses have helped me tremendously in
my work at the Writing Center.
I am so happy to be a peer writing
mentor. I’ve always been noted for being a
“people person,” and the most rewarding
part for me is meeting with students,
talking about their work, exploring some
possible improvements, and then seeing the
improvements take shape – whether they
come back with the same assignment, or
whether they transfer their skills to new
assignments.
Working as a mentor has helped me in
my own writing process. It’s well known that
by teaching others, you teach yourself. I can
now sit down to a writing assignment that
used to involve lots of brain-racking hours,
and get started on a pretty good body of
work in one sitting. I’m excited to see how
my own skills and the skills of the students I
work with continue to progress over the
course of the year.
When I transferred from San Diego Mesa
College to UCSD, I knew I wanted to seek out
opportunities to work on campus. Since I’ve
worked as a tutor at Mesa for three years, a
tutorial position seemed like the best way to
involve myself in the campus and help others.
At Mesa, I gained knowledge and confidence
regarding writing. However, I’ve seen myself
improve as I’ve progressed through my
courses at UCSD.
Working at the UCSD Writing Center has
allowed me to see that no matter where one
comes from, what his or her major is, or
where he or she is going, access and
encouragement are fundamental to
confidence. I love being able to help students
realize their own strengths.
Being part of the Writing Center has
made UCSD feel a little friendlier because it
has given me a space that encourages
teamwork and innovation on a campus that
otherwise can seem overwhelming. I truly
believe that this is felt not only by me, but
also by each student the center serves.
Through my weekly mentoring sessions
with students, I’ve seen myself grow as a
communicator, leader, and educator. I know
that my time at the Writing Center will help
me to continue successfully on my path to
becoming a writing professor.
The Writing Center by the Numbers
The Writing Center opened for the current academic year on Monday, Oct. 7. In the few weeks since then, approximately 760 students have visited for
one-on-one sessions and group workshops. Of these, 41% have been incoming freshmen, 29% have indicated that they have transferred from another
institution, and 26% have self-identified as international students. So far this quarter, Writing Center mentors have helped students with assignments for
89 different UCSD courses, as well as out-of-class writing tasks such as application essays and cover letters.
26% international students
29% transfer students
760 students
THE WRITING CENTER - UC SAN DIEGO | Issue 2
Students Speak Out
3
Making International Connections
“I got a lot of help where I needed it. It was
nice to have somebody tell me to my face
what was problematic, and that I needed to
work on it.”
Sanjay John, freshman
Earl Warren College
“The writing mentors don’t write the paper for
me – they help me develop my own thoughts.
The mentor I worked with today was really
patient, and helped me develop what I want
to say, not what they thought was right.”
Rebecca Ruelas, sophomore
Eleanor Roosevelt College
“The Writing Center has been super helpful to
me. The mentors help me catch things my TA
might not address, and coming here clears up
the writing process.”
Arushi Atluri, freshman
John Muir College
“I always bring my essays to the Writing
Center. With the help of the mentors, I can
find my problems and begin to fix them.”
Zhongyu Han, freshman
Earl Warren College
Find out more about the Writing Center
at UC San Diego:
writingcenter.ucsd.edu
facebook.com/ucsdwritingcenter
twitter.com/writeUCSD
writingcenter@ucsd.edu
A busy moment at the Writing Center front desk.
.ITTP students learn about academic writing. Photo courtesy of the International Students & Programs Office.
On Aug. 19, a group of UCSD freshmen from around the world arrived on campus for the
International Triton Transition Program (ITTP). This residential summer bridge program gave
approximately 80 international students an introduction to American university life in the month
before classes began.
The program had academic as well as social and cultural aspects. The core of the academic
component was an intensive composition course designed to prepare students for success in
college-level writing classes. Writing Center director Madeleine Picciotto contributed to the
development of the composition curriculum, and she consciously built Writing Center support into
the course structure. Dr. Picciotto explains, “Students who are just becoming familiar with the
writing conventions of American universities can benefit from having one-to-one help in
understanding what the expectations are and how to meet them.”
Four experienced peer writing mentors worked individually with the ITTP participants to help
them with their writing. All students were required to meet at least once with a mentor, but many
sought additional sessions and formed solid relationships with the Writing Center staff.
“Working with incoming international students was a great experience,” says writing mentor
Marianne Zape. “I’m really glad to have been a part of students’ first experiences at UCSD.
Writing-wise, ITTP gave them early exposure to what would be expected of them in the college
writing programs.”
The ITTP classes and Writing Center assistance helped to calm the fears of some participants
about the Analytical Writing Placement Exam, which determines whether students satisfy the UC
entry-level writing requirement. “The program helped increase their confidence by supporting
them,” says Eileen Sun, another of the summer writing mentors.
Many ITTP students have returned to the Writing Center now that their UCSD studies are well
underway, and we hope to continue to work with them throughout their years here.
Building a Better Writing Center
The 17 new writing mentors who are undergoing in-service training during the 2013-2014
academic year have quickly found their footing, working successfully with students from a wide
range of courses and making strong contributions to the center’s operations.
The new mentors have initiated several projects to improve Writing Center services. Although
they are pleased that the center has an extensive collection of handouts for guidance with specific
writing tasks, a few mentors have decided to redesign some of the materials to be more up-todate and user-friendly. Mentor Kelly Johnson explains, “We hope to create helpful tools that will
make the writing process easier.”
Others would like to add to our existing materials, and have begun to develop a handout for
incoming UCSD freshmen that aims to demystify the expectations for academic writing on our
campus. “For many students, the transition from high-school-level writing to college-level writing
can be a bit rocky,” says mentor Niki Moshiri. Mentor Rick Thomas adds, “By providing a concise
and coherent handout that explains what students can expect, we will hopefully make college
papers seem a little less intimidating.”
One group of new mentors has chosen to extend our understanding of students’ experiences
in the Writing Center by conducting in-depth interviews with center clients. Mentor Dustin
Haygood notes, “Learning more about what students perceive as our strengths and weaknesses
will help us to formulate new ideas and ways to improve the Writing Center.”