Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to our most commonly asked questions are available here. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us.
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The Writing Workshop is a peer tutoring program designed to provide assistance at any stage of the writing process, from initial brainstorming to final drafts. Tutors are sophomores, juniors, and seniors, selected and trained to work with students in an informal, non-judgmental setting. Tutors can help students solidify an idea, develop a thesis, organize a paper, or tighten and unify an argument. Tutors can help with sentence structure, style, and grammar, although they are not trained copyeditors and will not simply serve as proofreaders before a paper is turned in. Tutors are available to help students become better writers over the course of their college careers, not to help them earn better grades on a specific assignment.
Students are invited to bring in any type of writing from any field — essays, lab reports, seminar papers — and anything in between.
Scheduled appointments in the Workshop are one-on-one and usually last for an hour. We are also available for drop-in assistance.
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Yes. This option works best for those looking for "spontaneous support" or those seeking limited feedback. On-duty tutors work with students who drop in only if they are available (i.e., if tutors are not working with students who've scheduled sessions in advance)
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Yes. Priority time in the Workshop is given to students who have scheduled an appointment through Accudemia. Scheduling an appointment in advance assures students an hour-long block of one-on-one time with a peer tutor.
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Yes. You can make an appointment and choose from the tutors available during your preferred time slot. All of our tutors are trained to work with writing across academic disciplines, but each tutor's areas of specialization are listed here in case you'd like to work with someone familiar with the conventions of your field. This option is generally most useful for thesis students or upperclassmen doing advanced coursework.
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No. Read our Word about Plagiarism and this op-ed by our director to help you understand why.
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The Writing Partners Program offers extended one-to-one tutoring for less experienced writers and student concerned about meeting writing demands in multiple courses. Writing Partners are tutors who are matched with a specific student to provide individualized guidance and support throughout the semester. The schedule of the Writing Partners Program operates independently of the regular Writing Workshop schedule; Writing Partners and their students decide when and where to meet.
To request a Writing Partner, please fill out and submit this form. (Please note that Writing Partners are a limited resource, and we can't guarantee a placement. Complete the form as early in the semester as possible.)
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The Writing Workshop is located in the main lobby of Sawyer Library, in each of the two small study rooms on either side of the entrance doors. Tutors are available 10am to midnight most days.
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The Writing Workshop is typically open in Sawyer Library from 10am to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10am to 4pm on Fridays. Please check here for the most up-to-date schedule, which sometimes varies slightly.
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For more information about the Writing Workshop, please contact the Director of Writing Center.
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The application cycle for new Tutors and Partners opens each March. Learn more about tutoring here!
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Yes! In the summer of 2023, administration of the Dunbar Prize for Writing about Student Life moved to the Writing Center. We look forward to reading your submissions at the end of Winter Study each year, and hope you'll pick up a copy of the Dunbar Magazine each Spring!