The Madison College Writing Center Helps Veterans Develop Essay and Editorial Voice

By Bradley J. Burt—Madison College Clarion General Manager of Broadcast—Consortium Student Through UW Whitewater

In August 2017, after taking a leap of faith, the decision was made to go back to school after completing therapy at the Madison VA. The VA introduced me to a new path in life with a new campus pilot program to guide me. There was only two weeks to register for school left and had to get off the pot.

Travis Seehaver at the Milwaukee Vocational Rehabilitation Office issued a dare to enroll in UW Madison.

Seehaver closed my case and laughed at me knowing the probability of getting into UW Madison at my age was impossible. Or was it? We 10th Mountain Divison climb to glory and accept every challenge with rigor and integrity with determination to succeed.

Madison College offers a 27-credit UW Madison transfer commitment requiring a minimum of a 2.7 GPA for admission. There is a method for veterans to get into to UW Madison and opened the door despite what Seehaver said. The allure of UW Madison wore off after a transfer pitch and a campus tour of UW Whitewater that landed me in a writing career as a journalist instead.

Madison College taught me early on to explore all avenues and that all paths lead to the University of Wisconsin through the UW Liberal Arts Transfer Program. Doors begin to open after meeting with advisors on campus. Transferring from Madison College to the university is easy. Writing is the first obstacle. Overcome Impossibility.

Outpost 422 was created to help the next veteran avoid making unnecessary mistakes due to walking into unforeseeable circumstances with academic writing. The professors at the Madison College Truax Writing Center kept me cool and collected in times of uncertainty and highly recommend new VITAL vets use this great service.

Outpost 422 and the “Overcome Impossibility” mission statement care only about one thing—veteran academic success. We carry each other in times of distress. Check-in with the Writing Center to track progress before crisis creates setbacks. The Writing Center also gauges students through feedback at the end of each session.

Are you new to Madison College and need help with academic forms of writing? Look no further.
  • The Student Achievement Center on the Second Floor will assist you.
  • Outpost 422 is a group of veterans of the University of Wisconsin looking out for you to reach out to anytime.
  • Using the Writing Center is free to help you develop a system.
  • Writing is our method of combating PTSD.
  • Welcome to our campus guided tour.

Professors also recommend using the UW Madison online writing center for students who intend on transferring. I found MLA and APA resources available after hours were extremely helpful. UW Madison Writing Center online offers every outlet imaginable for all forms of academic writing used by Madison College professors.

The UW Madison Writing Center Website is also a helpful writing source. Click here.

The Madison College Library accompanies academic writers looking for research resources outside of the Writing Center.

  • Plagiarism and grammatical errors irritate professors who grade academic writing.
  • Progress pays huge dividends.
  • Don’t risk putting your reputation in jeopardy.
  • Get to the Writing Center. That’s an order.

Going back to school at 42-years-old was not on the list of potential career changes. Academic writing felt like getting on a tricycle after spending twenty years working in manufacturing and construction. Overcoming old age along with overwhelming fear of writing essays for assignments made matters worse. That was until I found support from the Writing Center.

The Writing Center delivers sound advice and will walk veterans through their writing process every step of the way. The Writing Center is the key to opening the treasure chest lock full of writing development resources for overcoming impossibility available to veterans in times of academic crisis.

 

Grammarly was a short cut I discovered that cut my anxiety in half. Downloading Grammarly cuts anxiety in half when the Writing Center is closed. Grammarly offers plagiarism checks and document scanning. Taking advantage of outside sources develops tenacity to tackle assignments free from fear. Grammarly is worth every cent.

Utilizing Grammarly helped develop a strong writing voice. Every time a new assignment was issued by a professor my excitement replaced my anxiety knowing Grammarly would help map out the areas of improvement. Professors commented on papers on how impressed they were with my progress. Grammarly was a life-saving device through plagiarism checks as well. Knowing the work being turned in was 100 percent authentic made stress disappear instantly.

 

Professors seek one main key ingredient: Active writing voice. The Madison VA Speech Therapy services helped me overcome my writing fear due to terminal brain injury that was causing my anxiety.

I was taught to write Subject-Object-Verb through News Writing for Media at UW Whitewater Fall 2019 semester, which would have helped me grasp in the beginning. Active writing voice practice sheets are available through the Writing Center upon request and strongly recommend all aspiring writers to practice often.

Veterans who enroll at Madison College should visit the Writing Center once-a-week as a rule of thumb. Your success depends on your ability to impress your professor. Utilizing the Writing Center will open new opportunities.

 

Setting up an appointment is fast and easy. In order to utilize the Writing Center, a student must reserve a time slot. Professors prefer students to meet with a professor at the Writing Center rather than a peer. Rough drafts and brainstorms start the writing process. Feel free to meet with a peer during the rough draft process. Making an appointment is easy. Please follow the YouTube above to make an appointment. All are invited to leave comments for new students to help out our Wolfpack community stay academically fit and lead the nation in being awesome.

 

 

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