Ott Scholars Program

Do you want (or need) to get more writing done? Did you know that writers who write regularly (rather than waiting to feel inspired) and share their progress with someone else produced three times as much text and reported enjoying writing more?   

Most students would benefit from a more structured approach to work, be it for their semester-long projects or their short- and medium-term assignments. With that in mind, the Ott created the Ott Scholars Program (OSP), facilitated by our tutors, to help students with support and accountability.   

What is the Ott Scholars Program (OSP)?  

  • It is a program developed by the Ott Memorial Writing Center aimed at offering support to undergraduate students who wish to develop better writing and working practices to apply to their Marquette career.   

We鈥檙e here to (1) provide some low-stakes external accountability; (2) cheerlead you and your project; (3) help you brainstorm ways of setting goals and protecting your time to help you make the progress you want and need to make; (4) get some writing done during our weekly meeting time (if you wish). 

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What do I get by participating in the Ott Scholars Program? 

The Ott Scholars Program gives you the option of support at two levels:    

Option 1: Short and Sweet  

  • Writers meet each week (or every other week) with the same tutor for 30 minutes and focus on getting/staying organized. Writers use their appointments to set goals for the coming week, review their efforts from the past week, and brainstorm methods for success related to specific writing they are working on. 

Option 2: In It to Win It  

  • Writers meet each week with the same tutor for 60 minutes and focus on both getting/staying organized and getting into more detail on specific writing assignments or projects. Writers get to choose how to use their time, including activities such as brainstorming, getting feedback on drafts, and 鈥渨rite on site鈥� (actually sitting down and writing). Writers aren鈥檛 limited to academic assignments; they can also bring workplace writing, creative writing, and anything else they're working on.  

What kind of commitment is required?   

We ask that you commit to meeting once a week (or, if you prefer, once every other week) for the full semester鈥攅ven during weeks when you are disappointed with your weekly progress.  The goal is to enhance your writing schedule and productivity, through good times and bad.  (Of course, we understand you may have conflicts and can work around those; just don鈥檛 cancel at the last minute because you鈥檙e disappointed with your progress.)  

When and where?   

We can meet you in-person (in 240 Raynor) and online (via a Zoom-like interface provided by the Ott鈥檚 WCOnline scheduling software).    

You鈥檒l meet at the same time each week.  You鈥檒l be matched with a trained peer writing tutor available during one of several windows of time you tell us work for you. 

How do I sign up?

To sign up, complete the registration form at by September 16 for priority consideration. Requests will be processed on a rolling basis. Send any questions or concerns to writingcenter@marquette.edu.