More Help with Writing

I’ve placed out of the required writing courses, but I would still like to work on my writing. Is there a course I could take that would help me do this?

To help transfer students develop their skills writing academic papers, the Writing Program has designed a course called College Writing and Research (355:301) which will help you make the transition to Rutgers. In the first half of the course, students practice composing expository essays that reflect their own points of view and that demonstrate thoughtful engagement with complex readings. In the second half of the course students develop these skills further through research and writing on a specific topic related to themes covered in the first half of the semester.

In the Fall 2004 semester, most sections of College Writing and Research will focus on the theme of Autobiography and Memoir. One section will focus on the History of Science and Technology. If you’d like to learn more about this course, go to the link for the course description in the center column of the NewToRU page.

What did I miss in Expository Writing 101 that I need to know to write essays at Rutgers?

Transfer students will quickly recognize the central role that writing plays in academic life at Rutgers. In some courses, you may only be evaluated based on papers and essay exams. It may also appear that students who began their college career at Rutgers are far more comfortable writing lengthy essays and being evaluated through their writing. That's not because they are better students than you are, but because their earlier courses have prepared them for the specific type of writing Rutgers professors expect. The writing courses you took at your previous college may have been very good, and yet they may not have provided you with the practice in critical thinking and academic writing that you need write successful papers in advanced courses.

In a nutshell, what first year students learn in Expository Writing 101 (known by Rutgers’ students simply as Expos) is that writing an academic essay involves entering into an intellectually challenging "conversation" with the voices you find in your readings and in class discussions. Such conversations require that you engage with ideas by analyzing and synthesizing them, not simply summarizing them. Students in Expos 101 also learn that, as college writers develop their own points of view on a topic, there are a few basic ways to think about how to "converse" with the voices that have influenced their thoughts. At times, writers may want to work "with" the voices they've encountered and use them to make or extend an argument. At other times, they may want to work "against" these voices, questioning what they say. A key skill for writing in conversation with texts, and one that students practice in every 101 paper, is working with quotations. For more help with writing, visit the 301 Tutorama.

For more information on 101, visit The Writing Program's 101 home page and read our on-line tutorial "O.K., What Did I Miss?": A Transfer Student Tutorial on Expos 101.

I need some extra help with my writing. Where should I go for help?

If you are a transfer student who has completed the required writing courses, you should consider enrolling in 355:301, College Writing and Research, an elective course that accrues credit towards graduation.

If you are a transfer student enrolled in a Writing Program course at any level and you would like additional assistance with your writing, you should sign up in person for tutoring at one of the following three Writing Centers:

The Plangere Writing Center is located in Room 303 in Murray Hall. The front desk is next door in Room 304. The director’s office is down the hall in Room 309. You may reach the Plangere Writing Center by dialing 732-932-1149.

The Douglass Writing Center is located in Room 204, 135 George Street. You may reach the Douglass Writing Center by dialing 732-932-8856.

The Livingston Writing Center is located in Room B104, Lucy Stone Hall. You may reach the Livingston Writing Center by dialing 732-445-4048.

To receive tutoring at any of these Rutgers Writing Centers you must sign up to meet with a tutor for 80-minute sessions that meet once a week for five weeks.

If you are a transfer student who is not enrolled in a Writing Program course, you may get help with your writing at the Learning Resource Center on your campus. To find out more about the LRCs, visit the Rutgers LRC web site.

English is not my native language. What support services are available to me if I am taking a Writing Program course?

The Writing Program trains its tutors to work with non-native speakers on their individual writing problems. For information on where to sign up for Writing Center tutoring, go to the Writing Center FAQs.

How do I get in touch with the Writing Program's Transfer Coordinator?

You may contact the Writing Program's Transfer Coordinator, Carl Nelson, by calling 732-445-3496 or 3498.

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