Writing Center
Resources for Students
Looking for guidance and feedback with your writing? The best first step is to come by the Writing Center or to schedule an appointment. But our goal is also to help empower you to strengthen and clarify your own work, on your own time, as you develop a writing process and gain confidence in expansion and revision. The resources below are designed to do just that. If there's something you're looking for that you can't find, let us know!
Still wondering why you might visit your campus Writing Center?
Learn More
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Getting Started and Essay Development
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Writing a Thesis
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Structure and Organization
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Revision
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Citations and References
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Nuts and Bolts
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Writing in Your Discipline
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Tips from Tutors
Unexpected Self Reflection
Writing for an assignment can be a mundane task. But, sometimes, an assignment will surprise you by asking you to connect to the subject in a way that is less analysis and more reflection on the world around you. These essays can be hard to write, at times, because the subject may seem so foreign. My tip to you is to have a conversation about the topic with someone. In many of the sessions I have had with students, talking about what they think about a topic or if they have had similar feelings at some point in their lives helps them to relate to the material personally. As you talk about the subject, you will gain an awareness of how you can relate to the topic whether it be about politics, race, romance, science or education. And in the process, you may discover confidence in what you want to say and why it is important.
– Tove Benyard, First Year Tutor
My First Visit to the Writing Center
When I first went into the writing center, I was just looking for a quiet place to write. I would hear other students get their assignments critiqued in the background while I worked. Eventually, I decided if I wanted my work to be at its best, I needed to have eyes that weren’t mine to look at it. I remember reading my writing over and over, thinking it was so bad and cringe. But the consultants helped me so much. They tried to encourage me, and made me feel comfortable while still giving honest feedback. Even now that my writing has improved, I still get feedback from other consultants. One specific piece of advice I remember getting was: “We all have shitty first drafts” (Pardon the language). Your first draft of an essay, story, novel, etc. with probably not be very good, and that is fine. Even your second draft might still need improvements. That it fine, too. Feedback is part of the writing process, at all stages, no matter what you are writing.
– Mackenzie Soto, Community Tutor and BCC graduate
More Than Just Writing
The Writing Center is a unique place where creativity and support blend so well. The focus is writing, but there is much more than that to do. The Writing Center is place of rest when you are overwhelmed with classes. It is a space with two private rooms you can use to study. The Writing Center also a fosters connection and community at BCC. I have come to develop relationships with both professors and students just by sitting at the corner desk, smiling and saying hello to those who pass by or come in for help. The tutors are current or former BCC students, and we are willing and open to support you in any way we can - through writing but also through experiences and challenges you may face during the course of your time here at BCC.
– Tove Benyard, First Year Tutor