To understand how university students view writing centers, writing consultants, and themselves as writers, a study was conducted at the Syracuse University Writing Consultation Center (New York). The Center provides a free consultation service based on the peer conferencing model of collaborative learning. Sixty students who participated in the study completed questionnaires, both before and after consulting with a writing center staff member. They answered questions about how comfortable they were before and during the consultation, how they assessed their writing ability, and whether the consultation met with their expectations. In-depth interviews with frequent users of the center were also conducted. Results suggested that few clients viewed themselves as very good writers, and most described themselves as below average. Some were anxious about the conference process, but most found the consultant interested, helpful, and encouraging. A majority expected to return for another consultation. Interviews with three students--a pre-med major, a master's student in education, and a psychology major in a division for nontraditional students--suggested that clients adopt the strategies modeled in their conferences, and that they feel they are becoming better writers. (JC)