BEYOND SCHOOL - SOPHOMORE YEAR
Odegaard Writing and Research Center
When I first applied to be a tutor at the Odegaard Writing and Research Center at the end of my freshman year, I did not think I would get the job. It seemed like the perfect opportunity since it was on campus, possible to schedule shifts between classes, and great work experience overall, but I figured that they were mostly looking for English majors with years of experience tutoring and writing college level essays. I had previously only ever worked in the food industry and I had only taken one writing credit course at the university, so I figured my chances were slim. But I decided to apply anyway, and to my surprise I was invited for an interview a few weeks later.
The interview was by far the scariest job interview that I had ever done. In fact, it was the first "real" job interview I had ever really done, so my heart sank when I walked into the room and saw four people sitting at the table getting ready to evaluate me! Those four people were Misty Anne Winzenried and Olivia Kenney, the director and coordinator of the writing center, and two students on the tutor leadership team, who all ended up being some of the kindest people I've ever met, but of course I didn't know that at the time. They asked me questions about my application and past experience, then moved into a series of scenario-based questions and a sample paper-editing task. After the interview ended I genuinely couldn't remember any of my answers because I'd been so nervous throughout the whole thing. It must have gone well though because after about two weeks I received an email that I'd gotten the job, and would start in the fall!
I worked at the OWRC for all of my sophomore year, the summer, and part of my junior year, and I can easily say it is one of my top two favorite jobs I've had (along with my research position in the Riffell lab). The work environment that Misty Anne and Olivia created was so incredibly welcoming and supportive, and the job itself was always interesting, new, and challenging in the best way possible. My job was not to correct grammar (which is a relief because I would have been terrible at it) but instead to help the writers develop metacognitive writing skills by asking the right questions. I worked with writers on every stage of the writing process from outlines to final edits, and on every possible subject from research papers to literature reviews to cover letters. I learned so much every day, and it was incredibly rewarding to see people become excited about their writing and overcome obstacles that were holding them back. Being a peer tutor in this capacity was a completely new experience for me and it helped me significantly improve my writing skills as well as my interpersonal skills.
The interview was by far the scariest job interview that I had ever done. In fact, it was the first "real" job interview I had ever really done, so my heart sank when I walked into the room and saw four people sitting at the table getting ready to evaluate me! Those four people were Misty Anne Winzenried and Olivia Kenney, the director and coordinator of the writing center, and two students on the tutor leadership team, who all ended up being some of the kindest people I've ever met, but of course I didn't know that at the time. They asked me questions about my application and past experience, then moved into a series of scenario-based questions and a sample paper-editing task. After the interview ended I genuinely couldn't remember any of my answers because I'd been so nervous throughout the whole thing. It must have gone well though because after about two weeks I received an email that I'd gotten the job, and would start in the fall!
I worked at the OWRC for all of my sophomore year, the summer, and part of my junior year, and I can easily say it is one of my top two favorite jobs I've had (along with my research position in the Riffell lab). The work environment that Misty Anne and Olivia created was so incredibly welcoming and supportive, and the job itself was always interesting, new, and challenging in the best way possible. My job was not to correct grammar (which is a relief because I would have been terrible at it) but instead to help the writers develop metacognitive writing skills by asking the right questions. I worked with writers on every stage of the writing process from outlines to final edits, and on every possible subject from research papers to literature reviews to cover letters. I learned so much every day, and it was incredibly rewarding to see people become excited about their writing and overcome obstacles that were holding them back. Being a peer tutor in this capacity was a completely new experience for me and it helped me significantly improve my writing skills as well as my interpersonal skills.
Below is my application for the OWRC peer tutor position. I was a freshman when I applied so I didn't have all that much experience under my belt, but I put a ton of work into this application and preparing for the interviews, and it paid off in the end.