United International College

Welcome to the UIC Writing Resource Centre!

The United International College Writing Resource Centre is a unit of the English Language Centre. We offer many services to help UIC students become better writers, from one-on-one tutoring sessions, to weekly writing workshops.

It’s difficult enough being a college student, so don’t let a writing assignment add to your stress. Our WRC faculty will help assist you in editing and revising your written work, and give you an opportunity to seek advice from native English speakers.

We are located in B411/B412. You can make an appointment online via MIS by logging into your student account.

We look forward to seeing you!

Writing Workshop Series

Spring Semester 2013

How to be a Successful College Writer, Week 2

Do you plan to study or work in the United States, Europe, or even here in China? If so, you should come to this session (and all others), where you will learn the basics of good writing, as well as helpful tips and tricks to make your writing clear and effective!

The Basics of APA Formatting, Week 3

Since writing and formatting an essay can be cultural, it is important to know the correct rules of formatting for your purpose and audience.  This workshop will focus on how to format your academic essay using APA style, and will cover topics such as how to make a title page, what font size and style to use, using correct spacing to make your essays look professional, creating a header and footer, etc.

Structure and Organization with a focus on longer research papers, Week 4

If you have written an FYP, or will one day write an FYP, this workshop is for you! Learning to organize and plan out a long research paper is an important skill to know, and will make longer research papers easier and less stressful. Come to this workshop to learn how to get started and make those long papers seem much shorter!

Personal Statements, Week 5

Are you thinking about applying for further study abroad or in China? If so, this session will give you some tips for how to write an engaging, standout personal narrative. Come learn how to emphasize your best qualities and recognize your weaknesses to have the best personal statement possible!

Resumes and Cover Letters, Week 6

Are you planning to look for a job or internship this summer? A well-written resume and cover letter can be a powerful tool in helping you stand out among your competitors.  This workshop will give you some strategies for what to include in your resume and cover letter, as well as how to format them.

Critical Reading for Academic Writing, Week 8

If you read well, you will write well. In this workshop, you will learn how to analyze and evaluate information to help you create the most effective and persuasive essays. Using ‘critical reading’ techniques, you will learn how to identify strong vs. weak evidence, understand thesis statements, and make sure that your own papers support themselves.

Common Grammar Errors, Week 9

English is a difficult language, so make it easier on yourself by coming to this workshop, where you will learn to identify - and avoid - common grammatical mistakes! This workshop is beneficial to anyone who has ever been told that they need to work on grammar in their essays.

Selecting and Integrating Source Material, Week 10

When finding outside sources for a research paper, how do you decide what information to include? After finding that information, how do you go about putting this material into your writing? This workshop will help you learn how to select and integrate source material into formal writing assignments, evaluate and introduce quotations and make your analysis clear and insightful.

The Basics of APA Referencing, Week 11

This is a very important workshop for all academic writers.  In order to not plagiarize, a writer must use references in their work.  This workshop will teach you how to correctly include references both in your text and on a work-cited page.  References will ensure that you have not plagiarized, and will also give your work more credibility, and hopefully better marks too!

Writing Concisely, Week 12

Being an efficient writer is incredibly important; wasted words are every good writer’s nightmare.  Come to this workshop to learn how to banish wordiness from your writing.

Common Grammar Errors-Part II, Week 13

This session will cover more common grammar mistakes that students often make in their writing, and provide strategies for how to overcome these errors. This workshop will benefit all students.

Revision, Week 14

Many student writers fail to devote enough time to the revision process of writing and don’t realize the importance of this step.  This session will give you strategies for how to revise effectively, and how to become a better proofreader of your own work.