Graduate writing fellows coach peers to success

By Brandie Course

When Seyed Saman Khedmatgozar Dolati first arrived at FIU, he didn't have any published journal papers. Now, the Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering has authored more than 20, and he wants to help other graduate students achieve similar success.

The University Graduate School Writing Fellows Program has been helping Dolati do just that. It’s a new program that trains advanced doctoral students to be writing coaches for their peers. Dolati wants to share his experiences with other graduate students and teach them how to improve their writing skills. 

“I believe one of the main issues limiting our students' productivity is their writing skills, that is, how to write coherently such that a reader enjoys reading the work,” he said. “I believed that I could help them to overcome this issue.”

Just as it does for undergraduates who need to boost their writing skills, FIU offers assistance to help its nearly 10,000 graduate students excel in this important area. The Writing Fellows Program goes beyond that by helping students connect with others in their programs to address unique writing challenges that may be specific to their fields. 

“Being part of a writing group not only helps students understand writing styles in their disciplines but also overcome anxiety around writing,” said Alla Mirzoyan, assistant dean of the University Graduate School.

The Writing Fellows Program supports and trains advanced doctoral students who commit two semesters to serve as coaches in their programs. Writing fellows work with graduate program directors to identify writing needs within the department and hold regular writing group meetings with other students.

Writing fellows receive specialized training from FIU's Writing Across Curriculum (WAC) program on how to lead a writing group and on how to identify and coach students. Kimberly Harrison, WAC’s director, said the Writing Fellows Program trains future faculty and helps students learn how to produce work that others will be able to understand, which helps them grow as writers and as teachers.

“Too often, graduate students are expected to produce well-written dissertations, grant proposals, and other professional documents, but what constitutes 'well-written' can seem mysterious,” said Harrison. “We work to help the fellows better understand disciplinary writing expectations.” 

While the advice that the writing fellows provide is largely targeted toward graduate students, many of their tips can help all writers. 

• Create a writing routine. Holding yourself to regular writing session helps prevent procrastination and leads to improved skills. 
• Rewrite and rewrite. The first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, so continue to rework your piece as needed.
• Ask for feedback. Get your work into the hands of a discerning reader to find out if it's clear and understandable.

Students who are interested in learning more about about the Writing Fellows Program, can contact Alla Mirzoyan at amirzoya@fiu.edu.