• The content of each tutoring session is private. Tutors make brief notes on sessions but these notes are not shared with others outside of the center.
• Should a professor contact the center about your session, we will check our session notes to determine if you have given us permission to discuss your session with others.
• If you wish for your professor to hear about your session, tell the tutor to record in his/her session notes that you have given permission for the session to be discussed with your teacher and/or others you designate. If session reports do not say you have given such permission, your teacher will be asked to contact you directly.

Most services of the Writing Center are offered at our main location in Robinson Hall, room A114. Here's where you can make appointments, see a tutor, check out our large writer's reference library, or pick up handouts on many different writing issues.

When are you open?
The Writing Center is open during the Fall and Spring Semesters from 9:30 until 7:30 Monday through Thursday, and from 9:30 until 2:30 on Friday. (Please call for weekend and summer hours.)

What happens in a session?
Each appointment lasts for 45 to 50 minutes, during which you and the tutor work intensively on your assignment. The face-to-face writing consultation gives you time to ask questions, request clarification, practice a new skill with instant, sympathetic feedback, and discuss any and all writing skills you want to improve.

What should I bring?
You should bring a copy of the assignment (if your professor issues written assignments) or detailed notes on the assignment.

If the assignment is not clear to you, ask your professor. The more information you bring to the tutor, the more accurately s/he will be able to help you fulfill your assignment.

Bring also all the writing you have completed relating to the assignment (drafts, free-writing, journal entries, notes from class or group discussions). If the assignment involves work from a textbook or handout, bring that to your session, too.

You should also think about, and perhaps jot down on a piece of paper, what you as a writer need from the consultation. What problems are you having? Has your professor suggested, in writing or in conversation, writing skills you should sharpen? You have probably been writing for years and know exactly where your personal pitfalls lie. Explain them to the tutor.

The more the tutor knows about your thinking and writing process, the more precisely s/he will be able to focus your session.

When should I make an appointment?
You may book an appointment at any stage in your writing process. If you have problems beginning to write, then an appointment in the early stages of an assignment might help you most. If you find revision difficult, then schedule an appointment when you have written at least one draft. Try to leave enough time after your session to integrate its results into the next draft of the assignment.

Remember that tutors are often very busy, especially towards the end of the semester, and that we may not have an immediate appointment available. Think ahead and plan when a one-to-one consultation might most benefit your writing and your assignment.

In general, schedule your appointment least one week ahead to ensure a reasonable chance at getting the appointment time you want. Click here to schedule an appointment.