It's Friday afternoon and my Comp professor has just given me the assignment for my Core I; it's due Monday. Great! I have two and a half days to write this thing. I slide the assignment sheet in my folder and lose myself in delusions of entertaining the professor with the genius of my creativity. Somewhere around Sunday afternoon I stumble upon that faint notion that I was supposed to have a paper written. In a panic, I pump out what I can-it takes me a few hours but I am relieved that it is done. I even have a chance to look at it a second time before it is due. I am confronted by the nagging reality that I am unclear in my writing and my ideas are all over the place. But I assure myself that my professor will understand me and I drop any pretense of revising what I think is already a great piece of literature.

Fast-forward one week-I get my paper back, all marked up and graded with a low C. At the bottom of the last page, in the professor's writing, is a note, "Does not show coherent ideas or process of polishing drafts. Did you even proofread?" This is not what my delusions had led me to expect.

Core's II and III went about the same way as Core I. I wasn't too concerned about writing until the day before an assignment was due. Because of this procrastination, there was no time for revision of any kind. It wasn't until Core IV was introduced that my professor required us to go visit the UWC-the University Writing Center. This was bad enough-I had to let someone see my writing-but I also had to begin working on this assignment well in advance to allow for my UWC appointment.

Drudgingly I arrived at my scheduled time and, to my surprise, found the UWC bustling with all sorts of students taking an active part in their education. I had always thought it was nerdy to seek help from peers but this place seemed different. I was even more surprised to find that my consultant was so cute that I forgot that this was supposed to be a workshop on my Core IV. The comments I received on my paper were insightful though hard to take at first-as if I was fallible-but proved to reveal my weaknesses at writing. In a way I was relieved. I was comforted by the appearance of my consultant-this was definitely not just for "pencil-necked geeks" and the consultation wasn't just spent by me staring off into space with cartoony hearts dancing around my head. I left with some advice that helped me rewrite my Core IV.

Yeah, it took me twice as long to write my fourth essay, but I liked writing it better than any of the other ones. It didn't feel as much like working when I thought of it like I was "solving a problem." In this case the problem was being clear. I got a high B on that paper-not an A, but I was satisfied. I now know what kept me from an A. These delusions I had about writing at the last minute, thinking that my professor would know what I was talking about, and assuming that I would conjure up the greatest literature just by writing on a binge faded.

The sessions I spent at the UWC since that initial consultation have served to polish my writing skills and critical thinking. I am now able to converse with members of the opposite sex instead of just blurting out, "How you doin'?" as if that was enough communication to attract someone. Oh yeah, and I think the sessions helped me become a successful communicator in the rest of my classes and after graduation-in the business world. I was just pleased that my conversations no longer required phrases like, "know what I'm saying," "or something," or "whatever" to fill in for times when I really didn't know what to say.

You might say, how can a writing center help with all that? It doesn't-directly. In a way, it allows you to get feedback for you thoughts-writing is, after all, thought. A few sessions can provide critical insight to the way you compose thoughts. Reflection upon these experiences can make you a stronger thinker. The UWC can help you realize your potential; forget Soloflex!

A trip to the University Writing Center can be a very rewarding experience. It is here that you can examine not only your paper but also delve into yourself and what makes you write the way you do. A thirty-minute session with a highly-trained consultant can be an insightful way to tackle any stage of the writing process. Whether students haven't started actually composing drafts or are ready to turn in the final draft, they can always benefit from a trip to the campus writing center.

As a consultant, I have spent many sessions just talking about assignment parameters and ways to make an outline that will help the student begin thinking critically about their paper. Sometimes all the student needs is another person to talk out their plan for their paper. This inevitably sends them on their way with ideas to get started and the motivation to begin writing as soon as they get home. I have also helped many students who were close to the finished product of their paper. They wanted to make sure that what they were writing fulfilled the assignment; they wanted to make sure that their ideas were clear and contiguous. We can do this; we have the technology.

So, get off your lazy butt, Springer isn't good anymore anyway and TRL-come on, you actually watch that? And come on down to the University Writing Center. We'll talk. We'll write. And we'll change the way you feel about yourself.