<p>So Interesteddad, assuming that the statistics you cite from 2001 more or less reflect how students use the writing center today, at most ~41% of students get exactly one paper WAed at the drop-off center each semester. My hunch is that students who use the writing center once often use it multiple times, with a handful bringing in nearly every paper they’re assigned. With that in mind, I could easily imagine the 41% figure shrinking to 20% or lower. </p>
<p>Maybe it was someone in an earlier thread, but I never claimed that students who take advantage of the writing center are in any way remedial or that the writing center is designed for remedial students. When I said that students were “forced,” I meant to say that a lot of students have their papers WAed because it is a blanket requirement for anyone taking a particular course. However, I knew many people who consistently wrote great papers on time but didn’t want to have them WAed (for individual reasons… found it unhelpful, found the peer-led dynamic uncomfortable, thought their topics would be too obscure, etc.). Then there were students who probably could have benefited from trying it out but didn’t, and finally, there were those who just procrastinated too much to dream of ever having a paper WAed (I think a good many Swarthmore students fall into this category). </p>
<p>Honestly, I’m not trying to knock Swarthmore here. My issue is that ID’s tales about the writing center and its role at Swat are exaggerated. For someone who actually spent four years at the school, it’s frustrating to hear someone who did not spout the company line better than the company does. I doubt even the most ardent WA-cheerleaders at the writing center would sing its praises to the extent that ID did in his OP… nor would they be so needlessly defensive, nor would they make preemptive attacks against Swat’s peers. For me and a lot of the people I knew, the writing center just wasn’t an important part of academic life. If I hadn’t attended Swarthmore (something that would put me in the same boat as many on this board), ID’s posts would have me thinking that WAs are an integral component of a Swat education and that almost all students benefit from them. Though that sounds great, I don’t really think it’s the case.</p>