planning ahead

Today a girl came in to the Writing Center who didn't want to be there. Her professor had told her to come, so she came, but she had no idea what we really did or what sort of help to ask for. Tutoring sessions like this are the hardest to deal with, no matter the quality of the writing. I'll take the worst writer in the world who actually wants to improve over an average student who has been forced to come. Interestingly enough, my other session today was with a girl whose professor was offering extra credit to students who came to us for help. The attitude was better with this one, so I really didn't mind, but I have to wonder what professors are thinking when they make assignments like this. Have they told their students what the Writing Center does, or do they just assume every student already knows about us? More importantly, do the professors all realize what it is we do here? The other tutor and I opted for signing the draft that was brought in as proof the student had been there, since we have no other way of letting professors know who has been in and who hasn't. I think it would have been better if professors had warned the Writing Center that their students were going to be required to come in, just so we could be ready for the sudden influx and demand for evidence.

Not that this is a new experience for me. Occasionally, the USF WC was treated the same way. However, the system here has been a bit more professional with most other things thus far, and I had hoped the trend would continue. Obviously not. Look for a future post with more information on how the WC operates. I know at least two of my readers would find it interesting, but I don't want to take the time for that today.

I'm actually at work at the WC right now. My 3:00 appointment was canceled, so I should be free for the rest of my shift to get my own homework done. Right now I am staring at a very long list of things to do for next week. Most of the work will be done on Saturday, since tomorrow is essentially full, with eight hours at my internship and the dorm Halloween party in the evening.

We've been getting ready for the party since last week. Last Friday we began decorating the main lounge, and more decorations have been added since. On Tuesday I went on a shopping trip with my fellow hall council members to get supplies for this and future parties. As treasurer, I probably should have paid more attention to exactly what we were getting, but it was hard enough keeping track of the five people, let alone what went into the cart. Still, going slightly over budget on this trip isn't such a problem, since some of the supplies we bought are for the Christmas party, and therefore from our larger budget. Our RD drove us to a Christmas Shop store about a half hour away, and then to a grocery store on the way back. It's a very good thing we didn't try to take the train for this trip, because we managed to completely fill the trunk of the car with what we bought and had trouble getting it all into the dorm in one trip when we got back. We bought serving trays, decorations, plates and napkins, candy--all kinds of great stuff. The Christmas Shop is a great store that has way more than just Christmas stuff. I actually did a little shopping of my own and picked up a fleece throw blanket for only $3. Good times.

The same day as our shopping trip my evening class was preempted by an archivist's career panel on campus. It was actually very helpful, even though I won't be looking for a real job for quite a while yet. However, I learned some things that should help me present myself better when I apply for summer internships. Yes, I'm already thinking about that. One that I've heard of already (through Harvard and actually funded, so I wouldn't be going broke for it) has an application deadline in January, so I've got to be working on it. I'd really like to do this one, and not only because the stipend would cover my living expenses for the summer. It's through Harvard, which sounds impressive (until you realize that Harvard is so huge, the number of students they are forced to employ makes the distinction rather more mellow for those who live here), and it's museum work. I would be working at their archeology and ethnography museum preserving hand-drawn maps and other paper documents. I think it sounds fun. And guess what? The archivist who I would be working under was at the career panel. So now I know what sort of resume and cover letter should get her attention. Now I just need to get my references in order and visit the Career Resource Center so they can show me how to put together a CV and tell me whether I have anything worth mentioning in one.

-Kim