10-page Papers in Drop-ins 

            The absolute, scariest, worst thing to handle while doing drop-ins is the ten page paper. This does not happen all of the time but will most likely happen during the busiest time of your shift. The good news is that after you do the first one, the rest get easier. The bad news is that you have to do the first one! In fact, I remember the first time this happened to me.

            I had almost made it through the semester without helping a student with a paper longer than five pages. I was working the afternoon shift and had just finished with a student, when another student logged-in on the computer. So, I signed-in for that student and went over to the table. That is when it happened!

            After the initial introductions, I asked the student what he needed help with. In front of me was a ten page paper, followed by a request for help with grammar and the flow of the paper. I looked around to gauge how much time I could spend with the student. There were now four other students waiting, according to the computer, so I knew that I should not give more than ten to fifteen minutes.

            Upon this realization, I asked when the paper was due. Of course, it was due the next morning at 8 am! I said, “Ok” and got started. I first read the introduction in order to get the feel of what he was writing about and to check his thesis. I then read the first sentence of every body paragraph so that I could check that his topic sentences went along with his thesis. I finished by reading his conclusion. This was to make sure that his summary went along with what I felt was the topic of the paper. I ended our time by telling him what I thought were good points about his paper. For example, I really liked his thesis and made sure I told him. I also gave him some feedback about common grammar mistakes I found and what he could have done a little better with his topic sentences. I then explained to him the importance of appointments with papers this long. I also told him what the WC Drop-In is for. He thanked me and went on his way.

            By reading his paper this way, I was able to check all of the important global issues and look for common grammatical errors. There is no way to do the whole paper in that amount of time, so don’t sweat it! By relaxing and using some advice from my experience, your first ten page paper will be over with and you can move past this super-scary experience.

- Paige B.

The problem?  A student signs in for drop-in writing help.  You call their name, and when you sit down together, the student shows you the first draft of a ten-page paper.  You only have twenty-minutes to work with this student.  There are other students waiting for writing help.  There is no way you are going to be able to work on even half of this paper!