Preparing for Your Tutoring Session

                Whether this is your first time coming to the Writing Center, or if you’ve been here many times before, we encourage you to read the following list, which will provide some helpful pointers for preparing for a session.

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·         Be on time for your appointment!  Please remember that while the Writing Center staff is here to help you, we also have other students waiting for help.  Please be courteous of our time, and call us if you will be late or absent, or if you’re not sure what your appointment time is.  If you are more than 10 minutes late for a 45 minute appointment, or 5 minutes late for a 30 minute appointment, and have not informed us, we will have to reschedule you, so avoid that by making sure your appointments are scheduled at times you can come!

·         Proofread your paper ahead of time.  Remember, the Writing Center is not an editing service.  We work with you to make your paper the best it can be.  If you struggle with grammar we are certainly happy to help, but by proofreading your own paper before you come to the Writing Center, you’re helping us help you.  When you eliminate errors on your own that you don’t need our help correcting, you’re freeing up time for us to spend on elements with which you’re truly struggling.

    If your paper has been written on by your professor, try making the suggested corrections before coming in to the Writing Center.  We understand that sometimes, you aren’t clear on a suggested correction.  That’s perfectly fine!  However, it’s often very difficult for tutors to read papers cluttered with someone else’s notes, because we’re not sure which points you understand and which you don’t.  Instead of only bringing in the corrected paper, we strongly suggest trying this method: make as many corrections as you can, based on your professor’s notes, and highlight or circle the ones you didn’t understand or were unsure about.  Then, bring two copies of your essay to your appointment: the original, with your professor’s notes, and the corrected, more recent version.  This allows the tutor to see changes you’ve already made, and, like our earlier suggestions, allows us to spend time on issues that you’re struggling with more.

      Print out your paper ahead of time if you can.  Some students don’t have their own printers, and that’s okay.  If you do, please print out your paper BEFORE you come to the Writing Center.

      Don’t forget a pencil or pen!  The Writing Center staff does not write on your papers.  If needed, we may highlight, but part of the learning process for you involves writing down your own corrections so that you’ll remember them better.  We also suggest bringing in loose leaf paper for notes, so that you'll have our suggestions handy during future assignments.