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Writing Studio

Faculty Nominations

To stay up to date with the Writing Studio, subscribe to our monthly Faculty Newsletter for information on current and upcoming events and programming.

Faculty, your nominations play an important role for the Writing Studio each year as we organize the annual Undergraduate Writing Symposium and recruit undergraduate writing consultants for the coming academic year.

This page now brings together the online submission forms and details for both nomination opportunities. To nominate a student for either opportunity, scroll down or jump to the section you are looking for with the following in-page links:

Undergraduate Writing Symposium nominations

The Writing Studio’s annual Undergraduate Writing Symposium events provides an opportunity for departments and faculty to showcase exemplary undergraduate writing–academic, creative, and even digital–and gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our undergraduate students.

Save the Date for Our Symposium Events:

  • 2024 Undergraduate Writing Symposium: Friday, April 5, 2024
  • 2024 Undergraduate Creative Writing Symposium and Arts Showcase: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Call for Three Types of Symposium Nominations

Faculty may submit up to five nominations total across three categories: 1) First-Year Essays, 2) Advanced Research Writing, and 3) Creative Writing.

To submit a symposium nomination in any of those categories, scroll past the additional information about the categories provided below and complete the embedded nomination form.

Symposium Nomination Deadline: Friday, January 12, 2024

1) First-Year Writing

  • Nominations of current first-year students’ essays and other compositions from Fall 2023 are sought for the Undergraduate Writing Symposium.
  • Please nominate first-year creative writing as a “Creative Writing Submission” (see below).
  • First-Year Writing: All first-year student submissions will be considered for inclusion in both the symposium and Scaffold: A Showcase of Vanderbilt First-Year Writing.

2) Advanced Research Writing

  • Nominations of upper-division students’ advanced writing projects, including those produced for Honors, Independent Study, or Immersion, are sought for the Undergraduate Writing Symposium.
  • Faculty may nominate advanced projects that are complete or still in progress.
  • For advanced projects, students need only submit an abstract, not a complete draft.

3) Creative Writing

  • We seek nominations of undergraduate creative writing–fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, and more–for the Undergraduate Creative Writing Symposium and Arts Showcase.
  • Eligibility
    • Writing from undergraduate students of all years welcome: first-years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
    • To be eligible, nominated creative writing must have been produced during the 2023 calendar year (spring 2023, summer 2023, or fall 2023) or be an ongoing or recently completed advanced project.
  • First-Year Creative Writing: All first-year symposium submissions, including first-year creative writing, will be considered for inclusion in both the symposium and Scaffold: A Showcase of Vanderbilt First-Year Writing.

The Process: Once your nomination is received, we invite each nominated student to submit their piece to be considered for inclusion in the relevant Symposium event. We invite you to follow up with the students that you have nominated to encourage their participation, as well.

Symposium Nomination Form

To nominate by email: While web form submissions are preferred, faculty may also send a brief nomination email to writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu. Please include “Symposium Nomination” in the subject line.

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Undergraduate Writing Consultant nominations

Call for Nominations: Undergraduate Writing Consultants for 2024-2025

Faculty, the Writing Studio needs your help identifying current first-years, sophomores, and juniors who would make excellent candidates for our Undergraduate Writing Consultant positions.

We seek nominations of students of all majors and from diverse backgrounds. Ideal candidates for these paid positions are thoughtful academic writers with excellent interpersonal skills.

To submit an undergraduate writing consultant nomination, scroll past the additional information about the position below and complete the embedded nomination form.

Consultant Nomination Deadline: Friday, January 19, 2024

  • The students you nominate will be invited to submit an application and provided with information about the position and our competitive selection process.
  • Nomination not required to apply: Students can successful apply for these paid positions without a nomination, but receiving a faculty nomination leads many excellent candidates to apply who might not have otherwise.

The Position

Our undergraduate writing consultants provide valuable one-on-one writing support to their peers and are a vital part of how the Writing Studio supports your students. Applicants who are selected to join our staff through our competitive application and interview process will begin the following August.

  • Faculty nomination deadline: Friday, January 19, 2024
  • Application deadline: Friday, January 24, 2024
  • Starting pay for 2024-2025: $10.50 per hour
  • Requires an eight hour-per-week commitment to the Writing Studio
  • Time commitment includes paid training and ongoing professional development
  • Start date: August 2024

Whom to Nominate

Good candidates for Undergraduate Writing Consultant positions are thoughtful academic writers who also possess strong verbal communication skills and interpersonal abilities, including the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds and the ability to engage in constructive dialogue about writing. They should also be flexible, patient, professional, and intellectually curious.

At the Writing Studio, we look for consultants from all majors and diverse backgrounds who have excellent communication and collaboration skills and are highly motivated and eager to learn. We also welcome and encourage applicants who are multilingual or who have experience supporting language learning.

Thank you for nominating qualified students including those who approach you about doing so. Instructor nominations are no longer a required element of the undergraduate writing consultant application, but they remain an essential means by which potential applicants can learn about the opportunity to work at the Writing Studio.

The Process

After receiving a nomination, applicants are invited to submit an application, which includes a personal statement essay along with a writing sample, as part of our competitive hiring process. Select applicants are invited to interview with us. Those who are offered an undergraduate writing consultant position join our staff the following August.

Consultant Nomination Form

To nominate by email: While web form submissions are preferred, you may also send a brief nomination email to writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu. Please include “Consultant Nomination” in the subject line.

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