To derive the maximum benefit from a writing appointment, follow these guidelines:
- Set realistic expectations for the amount of material you can cover in a 30-minute or 60-minute session. You can always schedule additional appointments to cover remaining material.
- Allow enough time before your appointment for your paper to be thoroughly read and critically reviewed. Thus, avoid making an appointment the day your paper is due. As a rule of thumb, for papers longer than 5 pages, allow at least 2 days for review, excluding the weekend.
- When scheduling an appointment, upload your paper, as well as a copy of your assignment and grading rubric, if applicable, to the MYWCONLINE system or e-mail these files to your selected Writing Support Services team member.
- During your appointment, consider that the Writing Support Services team member will focus primarily on writing (form and style) and secondarily on subject matter (content). We recognize the inextricable relationship between content and form in writing, but we will refer you to your instructor, the subject-matter expert, for expert help on content.
- After your appointment, do not ask the Writing Support Services team member, “What grade would you give this paper?” We are not your instructor, so we cannot predict the final grade of your paper. Furthermore, although we will work with you to meet your instructor’s expectations, we cannot guarantee your paper will receive a high grade.
NOTE: Writing Support Services is closed on weekends, so the earliest that we can begin to review a document submitted on Friday afternoon is the following Monday. Thus, if you are making an appointment on a Friday, you should schedule it on the Tuesday or, preferably, Wednesday of the following week to allow sufficient time for critical review.
