The Writing and Communication Center (WCC) at NES aims to support students in their efforts to become stronger writers and speakers and to assist faculty in integrating written and oral communication into their courses. We are also happy to meet with faculty members who are working on research projects and wish to enhance the quality of their written and oral academic communication. A unique feature of the NES WCC is its commitment to maintaining the highest levels of academic literacy in two languages, English and Russian.

The services are available only to NES students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Mission

We believe that effective communication is key to academic and professional success, cultural awareness and personal growth.

The vision of the Center we would like to inculcate in the NES community is that of a place where both beginning and advanced writers and speakers can grow, not a "fix-it-shop" where "weak" students go to correct papers. Following the prevalent principles of writing center pedagogy, the WCC at NES concentrates on the strengths and needs of each learner as evident in her work, so she can have a long-term learning advantage rather than a mere editorial service. In their work, WCC consultants employ the Socratic method of thought-provoking questions to promote critical thinking and to help students become independent, empowered writers and speakers with distinct voices.

"The WCC is a great opportunity for NES students to improve their writing and speaking skills. The consultants give feedback after every session and they really help to understand your mistakes." —Vasily, MAE 2014

"The WCC is a very efficient and helpful organization to help students improve their speaking and writing skills in English and Russian, and have fun at the same time. The consultants always smile and make me feel at home. It is the ideal place for students who are trying to make themselves better." —Roman, BAE 2016

Sometimes it is difficult for students to write a structured essay. They often have such problems:

• The main idea is in the end of the essay (Maybe it is the most popular issue in Russia)
• A student starts to write and then goes away from a theme
• A writer repeats the same idea again and again
• A student doesn’t know about what he/she wants to write and then engages in empty talk
• A writer just says everything that he/she has

Materials from our workshop on survival skills for first-year students can be found in this Google Drive folder.