Writers love the Writers Workshop! In the last academic year, 98% of writers rated their sessions as “excellent” or “very good” in our anonymous post-session ratings. But why keep all the WW love behind the scenes?! We are pleased to share here endorsements for our various services. If you have a WW testimonial or endorsement you would like shared on our website or social media, you can send it here using this Google form. Of course, if you’d like to share a testimonial privately, please be sure to indicate that on the form. Other comments can be directed to wow@illinois.edu.
General testimonials
“I attended almost all the resources WW offers. I used in-person, live online, and written feedback appointment services more frequently. I cannot thank the writer’s workshop and the consultants more. Every consultant whom I worked with was very patient and thoughtful. I appreciate WW provides additional services to tailor different writers’ needs. For example, the live online appointment provided the writer the flexibility to balance other life obligations or school tasks that do not allow me to meet the consultant in person. Another example is the written feedback consultant not only offers me thoughtful feedback and writing resources, the hour of “appointment” allows me to take a writing break without feeling guilty. The most important part is WW and its consultants made me feel supported and don’t have to do this alone. Especially when I received positive feedback, it gave me the confidence to continue to improve my writing.” — Ning Ching Zulauf
“As a PhD student who has utilized the Writers Workshop services dozens of times, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the high-quality services that I have received from the consultants. I’ve worked with several consultants who have helped me craft persuasive grant applications, strong job applications, and papers free of grammar errors. As a second language learner of English, I have been conscious of my syntax and clarity. Your consultants alleviated these insecurities! Thanks to the assistance I received from the WW consultants, I received three summer job offers last year, secured a significant grant, and consistently produced high-quality graduate-level papers. I firmly believe that the free writing services I received have not only helped me become a better writer but also a more critical thinker when it comes to reading/writing! For this I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you and the amazing consultants whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past two years. I think more UIUC students should take advantage of being students and utilize the Writers Workshop even more! They are truly missing out on being students if they’ve never received high-quality feedback from the Writers Workshop.” — Katherine Kwak, PhD program in Linguistics
“When I began writing my research capstone, I felt that my work needed fine-tuning, particularly in organization and flow. Seeking additional support, I turned to the Writers Workshop, where Bianca and Marina provided invaluable guidance. Initially, I was intimidated to make the appointment, but from the very first session, they made me feel supported and never judged. They carefully went through my work sentence by sentence, offering constructive feedback that helped make my writing more concise and well-structured. Their encouragement and expertise were instrumental in refining my capstone, and I truly don’t know what I would have done without them. The rapport we built made the process enjoyable, and I strongly believe that spaces like the Writers Workshop are essential for students like myself.” — Yadira A., PhD program in Speech & Hearing Sciences/Audiology
“Ironically, words fail me when it comes to encompassing how grateful I am for the Writers Workshop’s help. Truly life- and research-changing support! An integral component of my success and happiness in grad school. Thank you!!”
Consultations
Video Call Sessions
“The Writers Workshop was so critical in me finishing my dissertation. I received the support and affirmation I needed to produce good work. The amazing scholars I worked with taught me how to edit my work so well that few edits were needed during the actual sessions. It made our work so efficient and pleasant.” — Charlotte Prieu
“This semester I met an incredible writing consultant, Hilary, who worked with me weekly on a book project. She helped me with every aspect of the project, from reviewing the book structure and chapter arguments to detailed revision of word choice and spelling. Her support was very important for me since I had never worked on a book before. Plus, she taught me a lot of interesting facts about English and writing, which was great since English is my second language and I don’t have a humanities background. I am very grateful for all her help and company this semester; it made a substantial difference in my experience as a writer.” — Claudia Grisales
“My personal statement wasn’t feeling fully like me and I needed some help restructuring it and getting out who I really am and the skills I have. Emily M. truly helped me make it sound so much better and she helped me put all my skills out on the page. I didn’t have half of the things she recommended before my appointment. She truly assisted me in making my personal statement so much better and I am so appreciative of her. I was able to get into my dream grad school within a week of submitting of my application. I am truly so grateful for the guidance from Emily.” — Madison O.
“This was such a good experience I literally texted half a dozen people within five minutes of ending the zoom call to recommend it. I feel so much more confident in my essay and in my ability to get a good grade with this. I feel ready to submit it, rather than questioning every word as I typically do in the hours before submitting an essay. I will be back many times this semester and all of the following. Thank you so, so much.”
“[My tutor] helped me navigate a genre of writing I was previously unfamiliar with this afternoon. We looked at examples of the genre to discuss how best to structure the one that I’ll be writing. She also did well to provide productive suggestions for how to move forward in my continued reading, research, and writing with this project over the next week. Very accommodating, a good listener, and helpful with suggestions and advice. Even when the genre or subject matter is out of her area of expertise, she does well both to engage with unfamiliar subject matter and to provide practical advice for next steps in writing.”
“As an international student with no previous experience with academic English, starting a Ph.D. degree that was fully in English was incredibly daunting. I had to learn to review and write scientific articles in my third language, which was a terrifying experience. The Writers Workshop helped and empowered me since the first year in my degree to write class essays, onto writing my qualifying papers and first journal article! Now, as a graduated Ph.D., I want to thank all the work that WW does for the international student community, particularly to those in graduate school!”
In-person Sessions
“[My tutor] and I have epic sessions where we talk about everything from the genesis of humanity to dreams to the use of mortal (or immortal) time. We also have really great conversations about my writing that always point me in new directions!”
“[My tutor] was very inspirational and provided excellent guidance on the overall structure of my writing. He was very supportive of my ideas. When he saw problems in my arguments, he helped me lay out the context and let me discover the problem by myself. This is a lot more helpful than telling me straight out what I did wrong and I think I will learn more if I come up with my own mistakes. Keep the positive vibe!”
“[My tutor] was so helpful and insightful! She gave concrete suggestions and explained the reasons for them well. I could understand where here advice was coming from, so it will help me with future writing, not just this paper. I came in feeling very stressed about this assignment and left feeling confident and capable, which was a huge turnaround in less than an hour.”
Consultant Testimonials
“What makes working at the Writers Workshop so rewarding is getting to meet so many dedicated writers who are willing to trust the writing process. The writers have a lot of faith that the Writers Workshop consultants will bring their writing to the next level, and it’s an honor to consult with these writers and to witness real-time growth, even in the span of a single consultation. The Writers Workshop is like a home for a-ha moments, and nothing beats getting to work with returning writers who announce their improved essay grade, admission to their dream graduate program, or their renewed faith in their writing abilities.” — Marina Tinone, Info Sciences
“The WW offers the unique opportunity to work with people one-on-one on their writing practices in a supportive, open-minded environment. Everyone has the ability and need to communicate, and it’s been a joy to help people figure out how to make that happen. Also, we always have candy in the candy bowl.” — Gabriella H.
“I enjoy helping people find their own voice and a sense of purpose in their writing. I also love being exposed to many different genres of writing. I usually learn at least one new thing when I do a consultation with a writer.” — August H.
“I love working at the Writers Workshop because it is such a welcoming space with friendly consultants specializing in different disciplines, plants, little doodles and inspirational quotes decorating the whiteboard, and warm sunlight pouring from the large windows. I am grateful to chat with writers about their thoughtful ideas, provide writing strategies, and address their writing concerns. I hope writers attend the sessions with questions on their writing assignments and leave feeling motivated and prepared with a tangible plan to continue their writing process.” — Hannah C.
“Working as a consultant gave me more time to practice my people skills and to be more adaptable to different consulting situations. It’s a beneficial skill set to know how to address other people’s needs and goals, and it’s a very useful/interesting supplement to my engineering training.” — Hector I.