College and university campuses usually offer some type of writing assistance to students beyond required and elective courses offered through the English department. If campuses do not have a center devoted exclusively to writing tutoring, then they will at least offer some type of writing tutoring available through a center that tutors students in all subjects.
Even students who do not struggle with writing can benefit from working with another student or a professional tutor at a writing center. Knowing what to expect from a tutoring experience – and knowing what the tutor will expect from the student – can alleviate some of the anxiety regarding tutoring for students at all levels.
What to Bring to the Writing Center
Whether a student schedules an appointment or attends a writing/tutoring center’s drop-in hours (during which students are usually seen on a first-come, first-served basis), a student’s tutoring experience will be greatly improved if she brings the following with her:
- The course assignment
- The course syllabus
- Any textbooks relevant to the course and/or the assignment
- Any research materials relevant to the assignment
The more information a student can bring to a writing tutoring session regarding the writing assignment, the better a tutor will be able to help her. If a student is simply recalling the assignment from memory, for example, she may leave out significant details or instructions and, therefore, will not receive the level of help on the assignment that she could if the tutor were able to read and interpret the assignment along with her.
Writing Tutoring Sessions Take Time
Most writing tutoring sessions last anywhere from a half-hour to two hours, depending upon the tutoring center. Therefore, students should be prepared that a tutoring session will be a time investment on their part. Students should not expect to drop off a paper assignment or paper draft and receive a completed or revised/edited paper in return. Successful tutoring demands that students work together with a tutor for a period of time; therefore, students should clear ample time in their schedules for the tutoring experiences and should ask when walking-in/scheduling an appointment how long the session should last.
Be an Active Participant in Tutoring
Tutoring – writing or otherwise – is only as successful as the level of engagement of the parties involved. Therefore, the more involved a student is in her tutoring session, the better the session will be for her. Tutors will not do the work for students but will, rather, assist students with their thoughts and ideas by asking a series of questions about the assignment, and tutors will help students with editing and revising through a similar questioning process. Most tutors will not hold a pen or sit at a keyboard during a tutoring session, but will instead sit next to a student as she writes/edits.
Expect to Do Some Writing
If the writing center/tutoring center is equipped with computers and if the tutoring appointment is long enough, students can expect to be left alone to do some writing/editing of their work during the appointment. The tutor will most likely be nearby, available to answer any questions that may arise as the student works. Some writing/tutoring centers will allow students to stay beyond their appointment session time to work, as long as there are enough computers available to meet the needs of students with scheduled appointments.
Writing Centers Can be Noisy
Often due to the size of the writing center and/or the level of appointments, writing centers can be noisy. The noise is a positive, as it means that lots of talking about writing is going on. However, noise can be distracting for some students, and some students may not feel comfortable talking about their paper topics in such an open setting. Students should feel comfortable asking tutors if the center has a private area in which to work or, if the writing/tutoring center is located within a building such as a student center or library, if the tutoring session can be held elsewhere in the building (students should prepare themselves that such alternatives may not be possible).
Students should visit the website for their campus writing/tutoring center before visiting or making an appointment to familiarize themselves with rules, regulations, and suggestions specific to the tutoring situation on their campus. Writing tutoring can be comfortable and productive if students are aware of what they can expect before they visit, and they may find the tutoring center to be another comfortable campus “home away from home.”
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