According to the fall student surveys, the Writing Center could be called The Talking Center. Many students mentioned writing center talk. "It helps to talk to someone to get your ideas together," one student said. It helps "to simply talk about ideas," said another.

Talk is a large part of what we do with students: we talk of their concerns about the paper, their ideas in the paper, and their plans to improve the paper. The Writing Center on a Sunday or Monday evening when four or five pairs of tutors and writers are working at once can be a noisy place. Comments on our fall surveys give clues to the purpose of our noise. 

• Tutors helped me organize my paper so that it flowed.
  
• Having an objective person reviewing your paper is good.
  
• My tutor made me more confident about my paper.
  
• Brainstorming ideas was a good way to get started.
  
• The tutor was teaching me the rules of grammar instead of just telling me what I did was wrong.
  
• Tutors ask questions to stimulate your thoughts.

• Reading the paper helps catch careless mistakes.
  
• My papers became more unified.
  
• My tutor helped me develop a stronger thesis.
  
• Bouncing ideas off others is one reason.
  
• Tutors helped me understand the paper's structure.
  
• Tutors help in getting started if you are struggling.

• Having another person hear my essay and reading it out loud
  
• Tutors not only pointing out your mistakes but telling you how to fix them and making sure you know the rules

• Making me me think for myself and come up with new ideas
  
• Offering encouragement
  
• Help with citations and commas