Reaping the Benefits of an Interdisciplinary Degree as a Writing Consultant
By: Re’Anna Limmitt
Pursuing an undergraduate major in Interdisciplinary Studies really has paid off. I always grew up being inquisitive and never wanted to be tied down to one discipline. I went from Criminal Justice, to Chemistry, to, eventually, Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science with a concentration in Health and Society. This major allowed for me to explore a variety of disciplines in social science and gave me the flexibility to create my own schedule. I took classes in anthropology, psychology, epidemiology, and many more. But I always wondered what job role could I apply all of these aspects in? As much as organizations appreciate well-rounded individuals, the position they hire them in is usually based in one field. Thankfully, I came across a job opening with the Writing Center at Michigan State University (MSU) and being a writing consultant has allowed me to appreciate my diverse academic background immensely.
The Writing Center at MSU provides one-on-one and group writing consultations, various writing-specific workshops, as well as writing groups for graduate students and faculty. As a writing consultant, I am able to collaborate with many individuals on various writing pieces (e.g academic essays, professional documents, etc.). I have interacted with students from different colleges and majors, and was able to relate to their material from prior enrollment in a same, or similar, course as them. I remember one student made an appointment to seek improvement on an essay for a bioethics course. It was so rewarding for me to be able to provide greater insight on the context, such as including bioethical principles applicable to the topic, given that I took several courses in bioethics. I never thought I would be able to build on these subjects following graduation.
Not only has the Writing Center afforded me with excellent writing and communicating abilities, but it also allowed me to enhance my academic background. Although I took a multitude of different courses in undergrad, there were some individuals who brought in writing pieces from a discipline I haven’t explored and allowed me to gain so much insight from one consultation. The Writing Center at MSU is a magnificent place filled with diverse consultants from different disciplines and I cherish the interdisciplinary space to be able to consult across curriculums.
