Writing and Speaking Center

Each year, hundreds of Colgate students visit the center, and most rate their session as “Helpful beyond expectations” and return at least once. The center's visitors range from students who experience some level of difficulty in meeting college-level expectations to those who excel in class assignments at Colgate yet still want to hone their craft as part of a writing community.

All WSC consultants are trained to help students with diverse linguistic backgrounds adapt to the conventions of Standard U.S. Academic English.

Additionally, our affiliated ESL/EFL specialist is a faculty member who can meet individually with students interested in more intensive language acquisition work. Please contact Megan Varney at 315-228-7913 or mvarney@colgate.edu with any second language concerns.

The consultants are current Colgate students from across the disciplines and class years. The peer consultants receiving ongoing training and have been selected not only for their skills, but for their genuine interest in others' ideas, voices, and learning.

Please come to your writing appointment prepared to share a draft and discuss your work actively; consultants will not provide content for essays or silently "fix up" you writing for you. If you have a full draft ready for review, please proofread and edit it to the best of your ability and then bring two printed copies to your session. Please also bring your professor's assignment prompt, if available. If you have not yet started writing, bring your notes and ideas; your consultant will ask questions to help you move forward and create an outline.

Overall, consultants respond to drafts by discussing a variety of aspects, such as focus, development, structure, style, grammar, source integration, or delivery. Be prepared to talk with your consultant about honing your own craft and think about each session as a part of the process of cultivating the arts of writing and speaking.