Undercover Joe
For students looking for guidance, advice and one on one tutoring for essays and assignments the Ryerson Writing Centre is the place to go.
“They can’t guarantee you a good mark, but they can provide you with good assistance,” says Gloria Leung, a third-year graphic communications student.
For students who are overwhelmed by the assignment and not the deadline, who would rather disarm a ticking bomb than decipher the MLA style book, hold the wire cutters, the Writing Centre is the place to go.
A free service, the Writing Centre offers one on one tutoring sessions, in-class presentations and focused workshops. Each tutoring session runs for 50 minutes. For students with troubles researching, organizing and sourcing — the tutors have it covered.
They just won’t proofread whole assignments or edit student work. But they will point out recurring errors and the occasional miss-spelled word.
Leung recently took the rough draft of her book report in to the centre. The tutor helped to make sure it followed the class’ outline and they checked to make sure it was properly cited as well. “It is a free service and they help give you good suggestions, so I like to make use of them,” she said.
Rukke Jangizi, a fifth-year occupational health and services student, used the centre’s tutoring sessions twice, and she highly recommends it.
“You can read your own essay 10 times and not notice the errors you’re making,” she said. “They help point them out.”
Before her session began, the tutor asked for the direction of the essay and then offered suggestions to help her find her focus.
Jangizi said she wishes the centre was open more often.
“I wish the hours were longer…when the library is open it should be open.”
Students should book appointments at least two weeks in advance to make sure they can get help before their deadline. However, if they’re lucky, drop-ins can snag a tutor’s attention as many sessions don’t run for their whole time slot.
There are handouts for students who don’t have time for a session, and workshops are held throughout the semester on specific writing-related topics.
Located on the main floor of the library, the writing centre is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
4.5 sourced citations out of 5
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