By Julie FrenchThe Daily Northwestern

When Weinberg sophomore Yangxuan Sun was a freshman, she went to Northwestern’s Writing Place, a peer-editing service housed at University Library, where she found help with writing papers and inspiration for a nonprofit organization.

Sun started her own Writing Place last fall to assist Chinese students applying to American universities with their college application essays. Now Sun’s group is expanding to include a pen pal program between American and Chinese students. Sunday, who attended high school in Shanghai, said she saw an opportunity to help her friends back in China learn about American campus life and improve their writing style.

“(The Chinese) idea of good writing is to keep the grammar straight and use really big vocabulary,” Sun said. “We’re taught to be subtle with our language. If you’re direct in your writing, Chinese professors will think you’re juvenile.”

But when Sun talked to Northwestern admissions staff, she said they told her Chinese students’ essays were often lacking organization and a thesis, which could be improved by a more direct approach.

The goal of the Writing Place is not to rewrite essays, Sun said, but to correct grammar and syntax errors.

The organization edited about 10 essays in its trial run this year, and several of its clients were accepted to American schools. Although essays were edited for free this year, the Writing Place will begin charging $50 to $100 for its services next year. The group plans to donate its profits to organizations devoted to improving education in rural China.

The Writing Place’s rates are significantly lower than the fees charged by large editing companies, which can exceed $1,000. But to prove its legitimacy, the Writing Place must first build up relationships with its clients, Sun said.

To do that, the Writing Place is expanding its mentor and pen pal programs.

Weinberg freshman Qiyun Cai said she wished she had a mentor when she applied to NU from Shanghai.

“I didn’t really talk to students here,” Cai said. “I didn’t get a concrete idea of what college life is like. I made a pretty good choice, but given more information, students can make better choices.”

Cai, who helps publicize the Writing Place in Shanghai, said the American college system is more flexible than the Chinese one. Chinese students generally cannot change majors and have fewer opportunities for extracurricular and volunteer activities.

The mentor program has about 50 Chinese students and 30 NU students participating, Sun said. Although most of the Chinese students are interested in studying in the United States, others are just interested in practicing English or learning more about American culture or Christianity.

Most NU students get involved to practice Chinese or to get in touch with their roots, but they must promise not to bring up sensitive political topics, such as communism, Taiwan or the Nanjing Massacre, she said.

Weinberg freshman Jing Han, who has advised two Chinese students so far, said she understands her mentees’ concerns because she has relatives who have gone through the same process.

“I thought it would be nice to be able to help,” Han said. “As a Chinese Canadian, I can bridge a cultural gap.”

Han said the eventual goal is to have mentors edit their pen pals’ application essays.

“We want to be able to build a relationship first so we can better understand what the mentee wants in their application instead of this quick, cold business,” she said.

Reach Julie French at [email protected].