Why do the appointment forms ask so many questions? Can't I just tell the tutor what I need help with when I arrive? 

• We understand that hectic schedules make these tasks seem trivial. The appointment forms, however, only ask for the most essential information tutors need to conduct a session. Time is valuable, not only for our clients but for our tutors as well. For this reason, we ask you to be specific about the type of help you need, so the appointment may get underway immediately and be as productive as possible.

What happens if I am late to my Face-to-Face/Online appointment, or I submit my Word document to the tutor after the start of my Written Feedback appointment? 

• Because the Writing Center's schedule is 

Where do I go to meet with a tutor for an Online appointment?

• Five minutes prior to your appointment, you will log into myWConline. Locate the relevant box for your appointment, and click on it. Doing so will pull up a secondary screen entitled "View Existing Appointment." To access the virtual session, you will select "START OR JOIN ONLINE CONSULTATION." Once in, you will need to copy and paste your document into the left-hand window for the tutor to access during the session.

Am I required to use the video component during my Online appointment?

• No, students are not required to activate their microphones or webcams during a synchronous appointment with a tutor. If they feel comfortable and prefer to, however, students are more than welcome to conduct their tutoring session using the embedded video function. If not, myWConline provides a chat bar on the right-hand side of the screen so tutors and clients may interact together.

What if I forgot to upload my Word document to the appointment form before the deadline? Will I still be able to receive Written Feedback from my tutor?

• While the Writing Center requires clients to upload their documents more than three hours before the start of the appointment, we understand that students might forget to do so or need the extra time to work on their writing. If this occurs, please email your Word document as an attachment to your assigned tutor right away (email addresses are listed on appointment forms). We strongly urge clients to upload their work as soon as possible to avoid losing out on valuable feedback time.

I scheduled a Written Feedback appointment, but my tutor did not provide commentary throughout the entire document. What happened?

• Throughout the session, a tutor must read a client's document thoroughly and compile notes as he/she goes. Because we provide marginal comments as well as compose a letter summarizing our observations, there often is not enough time to get to everything. We believe quality matters the most, so a client may have to schedule multiple sessions with a tutor if he/she has a longer document. On average, we recommend scheduling one hour for every five pages of text. 

Will I get an A if I bring my essay to the Writing Center?

• Not necessarily. Your specific teacher for that specific course will grade based on requirements that might be different for another teacher in another subject. Most likely you will get a higher grade than you would if you hadn't sought help. 

Isn't the Writing Center run by tutors getting English degrees? How can they understand my Science paper enough to help me with it?

• Most of the tutors in the Writing Center are pursuing other undergraduate or graduate degrees in the fields of science, mathematics, social work, and computer science. Others are seeking degrees in philosophy, theology, and political science as well as English and history. Though it's a good idea to look at the tutor bio pages to find the tutor whose degree subject or spoken language can assist you best with your assignment, we train all of our Writing Center tutors to look for macro-issues such as unclear language, a weak thesis and topic sentences, and other common problems that appear in any kind of writing regardless of field. 

I'm a great writer! Can I join the Writing Center team as a tutor?

• We welcome tutors from every discipline and background. To take the ENGL 220 prerequisite course for becoming a tutor in the Writing Center, undergraduates must receive recommendation either from their UCWR 110 teacher or a member of faculty on the strength of their writing and interpersonal skills, meaning they have excelled at college writing. Applicants must also submit a writing sample to qualify for the course. Graduate tutors should email WC Director Amy Kessel to express their interest and qualifications. 

Can I bring my paper as a walk-in appointment?

• Although tutors will do a walk-in appointment if they aren't busy with a face-to-face or online appointment, it is much safer to make an appointment through WC Online. Appointment slots fill up fast! 

How do I find out details about the tutors on WC Online? 

• Go to the graduate bio page and undergraduate tutor bio page for information about majors, level of education, and personal interests.