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Those wandering the fourth floor of Lucy Scribner Library will find that the doors of Philip Boshoff Writing Center are almost always open. Inside, students will discover a welcoming space with a couch, a station to make coffee or tea, and a basket of fidget toys. But this isn鈥檛 just a comfy study space; it's a hub for both creativity and community 鈥� a mission that is spearheaded by a small group of dedicated peer tutors who are passionate about making collegiate writing accessible to all. 

A peer-run resource that prioritizes inclusivity 

The Writing Center prides itself on being a peer-run resource for 91福利社students of all class years and majors. There, trained student tutors provide one-on-one consultations, offering judgement-free guidance and support at any point during the writing process. The center runs on a mission of creating better writers, not just better writing, and students who utilize the Writing Center will find themselves leading the charge on their own writing goals. Their tutor is not their editor but rather a colleague, who offers insight and specialization, but ultimately alllows students to maintain full control over the direction of their paper.  
 
The transition to collegiate writing can be daunting, but Skidmore鈥檚 Writing Center makes this process manageable by offering the unique insider perspective of students who have only just experienced this turning point themselves. It鈥檚 an approach that many first-year students find particularly helpful.  
 
鈥淭he Writing Center can help by offering direction, feedback, and an important dose of perspective from real college writers who have been there and done that,鈥� commented ESL Specialist Thad Niles. 

At the same time, Writing Center resources aren鈥檛 limited to first-year students.  
 
鈥淭he Writing Center really is open to literally anybody,鈥� emphasized Writing Center tutor Alex Ciardullo 鈥�25, a music major with a media and film minor. 鈥淚n addition to the Writing Center鈥檚 limitless range in academic focuses, we as tutors will help any peer at any stage of their paper, even if there is nothing written yet.鈥�  

Tutoring tailored to individual needs  

Students can customize their tutoring experiences based on their own individual needs. Caitlin Jorgensen, senior teaching professor and director of the Writing Center, addresses some common misconceptions about the Writing Center鈥檚 work.

鈥淵es, we can sit down with your drafted paper and help you fix mistakes, but we can also help you brainstorm for ideas. Maybe you just need someone to talk through your ideas with you, you鈥檙e not really at the writing stage yet,鈥� Jorgensen said. 鈥淲e cover all aspects of writing, learning styles, and approaches to writing.鈥� 

A space of communal learning 

At the core of the Writing Center鈥檚 approach to learning is the fact that its tutoring sessions do not take place in a traditional classroom setting. Instead, the center emphasizes communal learning: To become a Writing Center tutor, sophomores and juniors must complete The Peer Tutoring Project, a writing-intensive class taught every fall semester by Jorgensen. However, the learning doesn鈥檛 stop there. Just as students visiting the Writing Center can expect to gain something from the experience, tutors say they often benefit as well, and Skidmore鈥檚 Writing Center staff embrace this two-way interpretation of learning.  

鈥淚've found a real sense of mutual fulfillment when both my tutee and I have the chance to learn something new, whether about the writing process or a new subject,鈥� said Olivia Grieder 鈥�25, an English and social work double major.  

Ultimately, work at the Writing Center is all about connection 鈥� whether it be the relationship between the student and their paper, or that between two peers, relating over a shared passion for learning.  
 
鈥淚 have loved everything about working at the Writing Center, but mostly, how it invigorates language as a collaborative and messy interaction,鈥� noted Kimberly Pienkawa 鈥�25 an English major and junior head tutor. 鈥淭he Writing Center encourages all students to walk in with an incomplete or incoherent draft and embrace the vulnerability there; it promises revisions but never promotes writing as a final perfect product. Rather, writing becomes an undeniable process, and a very social one.鈥�

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To schedule an appointment with the Writing Center, please click .  Students interested in becoming a Writing Center tutor should visit the Becoming a Writing Center Tutor page on the Philip Boshoff Writing Center鈥檚 website.