Everyday students throughout BC must face the biggest challenge of their life, writing. Whether it’s writing an essay for a class, a scholarship essay, a resume or admission’s essay, the writing center is here to help.
The Writing Center first started the fall semester of 2011. The writing center started because “we needed this return to basic skills, because students were not passing or writing effectively in their transfer level English courses,” said the Program Leader of the Writing Center, Kim Arbolante.
Ever since then the writing center has been trying to help students improve not only their reading and writing skills but also enhance their critical thinking.
The writing center helps multiple BC students not just on the main campus, but other campuses as well.
“Now we’ve evolved going to high school sites for early dual enrollment courses. We are in Kern Valley State Prison for the rising scholar’s program,” stated Arbolante.
However, many students who attend BC do have some common misconceptions of the writing center. For example, one cannot just walk into a 15-minute appointment thinking the center can help with an essay that is due in an hour. As Arbolante stated, “the misconception is the role of the writing center versus the role of yourself writing. Also, the role of revision and how much time it takes.”
The writing center is also not just for a student to walk in and have someone proofread what they wrote. “We help students in a way that teaches them to do that proof reading and to recognize their errors and practice correcting their errors,” said Arbolante.
With all these misconceptions of the center, one challenge is reaching multiple students to use the writing center and their resources.
“If I had an English class where I struggled more with like writing, I would definitely see it as being helpful, “stated Joshua Quiro Zaldana.
The main campus Writing Center is located in Humanities 51 and is opened Monday-Thursday from 8am-6pm. Fridays from 8am-3pm. The SouthWest campus is opened Monday-Thursday in room 207 from 8am-6pm. Delano and Arvin also take appointments; however, they are online appointments only.
