As the fall semester at The University of Southern Mississippi reaches its halfway point, students may find themselves needing help with end-of-semester writing assignments.
Inside Cook Library, several academic resources are available to students, including the Math Zone, Speaking Center and Writing Center. The Writing Center, located on the first floor of the library near Starbucks, offers free assistance with essays, résumés and articles. Students often visit the center when they feel stuck on how to begin or end their papers.
Although the Writing Center is a free resource, only about 1,000 students visit each academic year. Based on data from the 2023-24 school year, USM Interim Director of the Writing Center Jason McCormick said that only a small portion of the university’s students visited the center during that time.
“We have about one out of 14 students come to visit us each year,” McCormick said. “The student population is about 14,000 students, and we see about 1,000 students pass through the Writing Center.”
Most of the Writing Center’s visitors are freshmen and seniors, leaving sophomores and juniors less likely to use the resource. McCormick explained that freshmen often visit because it is part of a course requirement, while seniors return after remembering the resource from previous semesters.
USM junior Kenneth McCreary visited the Writing Center during his sophomore year for an English course. He said the experience was beneficial and opened his eyes to new perspectives on his writing. The visit helped him strengthen his writing skills and improve his grades, and he encouraged other students to take advantage of the resource.
“Take advantage of all your resources, it’s here for a reason, so if you’re struggling writing anything whether it be an essay or just anything in general, use the Writing Center,” McCreary said. “Don’t be scared to go in there and ask questions because questions help you become better and smarter.”
