Account & appointment issues
- I forgot my password/ I can’t log into my account
- I can’t book an appointment because all the slots are filled
- I want to change my name and/or add my pronouns to the scheduler
- I can’t access my completed Written or Video Feedback
Computer setup
Troubleshooting connection issues
Account, & appointment issues
Log into your account
Our schedule uses the Baruch username and password—your Writing Center account does not have its own unique login. Rather, you log into WCOnline with the same credentials you use for many systems on campus, including email, library, and campus computers/wifi.
For newly enrolled students, the default Baruch username and password pattern are as follows. If you’ve changed your password at any point since starting at the college, this default will not apply:
- Username: firstinital.lastname
- Password: BirthYYMmmDD + Last 4 of Social Security Number (Ex. 90Jan011234)
Because your login information is centrally controlled by BCTC, Writing Center staff unfortunately can’t view or reset your account information for you. If you’re having trouble logging in, visit Baruch’s MyPassword portal for instructions on how to reset your account.
In the meantime, you can check for one of these common login errors:
Common default password errors:
- Students enter their birthday in the incorrect “DDMmmYY” order, rather than the correct “YYMmmDD” order.
- We’ve also seen cases where a student made this mistake when they first enrolled at Baruch (meaning their default password actually has the backwards “DDMmmYY” order), so we recommend trying out both orders!
- Students enter a different Social Security number than the one that was used to generate their default password.
- If you didn’t have a Social Security number at the time you enrolled, this default password may contain a 4-digit placeholder. You’ll need help from BCTC accessing your password, in this case.
Common username errors:
- Students who have a number in their email address forget to include that number in their username.
- Note that this ONLY applies to students who have common names and were therefore assigned an email address containing a number (ex. maria.garcia2@baruchmail.cuny.edu). If your email address does NOT contain a number, you should NOT include a number in your username.
Add yourself to the waiting list
Our schedule is always in flux, and appointments open throughout the day due to student cancelations. You can add yourself to the waitlist through our online appointment schedule to receive notifications when we have an opening. We find it easiest to use the waiting list in the calendar view (where you are looking at the entire week’s schedule at once). If you are in the search view, you can return to the calendar view by clicking on the small “View the calendar display” text below the appointment search box.
From the calendar view, click the “Waiting List: [Date]” link at the bottom right corner of the day’s schedule grid. In the pop-up window, you can select specific consultants or time periods you’d like to be notified about.
If you receive an email or text that an appointment has opened, log in to our online appointment schedule and reserve the appointment. Note that messages go out to everyone on the waiting list at once, so there’s a chance another student will have already reserved the appointment by the time you see the email! If other appointments open, you’ll receive additional notifications.
To stop receiving waiting list notifications, click on the same “Waiting List: [Date]” link that you used to sign up and click “Leave Waiting List.”
Change your name and pronouns on the scheduler
In our online sessions, the chat field automatically pulls your first name from your profile settings. You can edit your name within the chat interface by clicking on the icon in the upper-right-hand corner, clicking on your name, and typing something new.
However, this only changes your settings for the day’s meeting. We recommend updating your profile to make sure the correct name always appears:
- Log into the online appointment schedule. Click “Welcome [Name]” on the top menu bar and select “Profile and Communication Options” from the dropdown menu
![This image shows a cropped screenshot of the Writing Center's schedule. It shows the contents of the "Welcome, [Name]" dropdown menu, which includes two options: "About Baruch College Writing Center," and "Profile and Communication Options"](https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/writingcenter/files/2023/01/Screenshot-35-1.png)
- You can now update all fields. Changing the “First Name” field will ensure automatic emails are addressed correctly. You can also identify the name and pronouns you’d like us to use in session in the optional “Preferred name/pronouns” section
Access your Written or Video Feedback
Written Feedback
Once a writing consultant completes their feedback, you will receive an automated email containing a Word doc attachment. You can also access your feedback file directly from our online schedule:
- Log into the online schedule, click on “Schedules” on the top menu bar, and select the “Written Feedback” schedule.
- Locate your Written Feedback appointment. Using calendar view, use the “Previous Week” or the date selection button to navigate to your appointment. Using search view, use the dropdown menu in the “Today’s Appointments” section to select the correct appointment.
- Click to open your appointment form. In the “Attached Files” box at the bottom of the appointment form, download the consultant’s feedback file.
Important: Make sure that you download and open the file on a computer (rather than a phone) because Track Changes comments may not appear correctly on a phone or in preview mode.
Video Feedback
- Use the steps above to locate and download your feedback Word file.
- Once you’ve downloaded and opened the file, you will find the video link and password in the consultant’s introductory note, either at the top of the first page or in the first marginal comment (you may need to click to expand the comment).
- To watch your video, paste the feedback link from your document into the search bar. Then, enter the password when prompted.
Important: In order to watch your video, you must be signed into your CUNY Zoom account. To sign into your Zoom account, go to cuny.zoom.us and click “Sign In.” Enter your CUNYFirst username and password. In the same tab you just logged into, paste the feedback link from your document into the search bar. Then, enter the password when prompted.
Computer setup
Recommended internet browsers
If you are having trouble connecting to WCOnline, one of the easiest fixes can be to use a different internet browser to open your appointment.
Connecting your camera and microphone
If you are having trouble connecting your camera or microphone to WCOnline, you can review and change your browser and computer-level permissions using the following steps:
- For a quick fix, try opening WCOnline using a different browser to see if that resolves your issue for the current session.
- If using a different browser doesn’t resolve your issue, check your browser settings to ensure that WCOnline has permission to access your microphone/ camera. Note that you may need to restart the browser or your computer for changes to appear.
- If changing your browser or browser settings doesn’t restore your microphone/camera access, you may also need to check your computer permissions. Note that you may need to restart the browser or your computer for changes to appear.
Check your computer permissions:
Troubleshooting connection issues
I can’t hear or see my consultant
There are several reasons why you may not be able to see or hear your consultant once you log in:
- Not all consultants are available for audio or video sessions. When you schedule your appointment, be sure to check the meeting options listed next to the consultant’s name to see if they can meet in your preferred form.
- The consultant may be having temporary technological issues. If this happens, please be patient and keep refreshing the chat window to see if the consultant is able to reconnect.
If they are having sustained technological issues, please reach out via to the Writing Center at writing.center@baruch.cuny.edu or 646.312.4012 and we will help you reschedule.
I got disconnected during my appointment
In order to keep users from accidentally overwriting one another’s changes, WCOnline is designed to intentionally “pause” if either participant loses internet connection. If you or your consultant have slow or spotty internet connection, you may see a “Reconnecting…” message or you may be kicked out of your chat session multiple times.
- In most cases, these connection errors are resolved quickly. We recommend that you continue to refresh WCOnline and see if you are able to re-enter your appointment.
- If you are not able to get reconnected after 5-10 minutes of refreshing, please reach out to the Writing Center at writing.center@baruch.cuny.edu or 646.312.4012 to reschedule.
Change your browser settings
Mac: Chrome browser settings
- In Chrome, click on the Chrome menu located in the top ribbon. From the drop-down menu, select Preferences.
- In the Settings menu, select Privacy and Security and then Site Settings.
- In the Site Settings menu, open the Camera and Microphone to check your permissions. If WCOnline is listed under “Block,” you can delete the block by clicking the trash can icon next to that entry.
Mac: Firefox browser settings
- In Firefox, click the Firefox menu located in the top ribbon. From the drop-down menu, select Preferences.
- In the Settings menu, select Privacy and Security. Then, scroll down to the Permissions subsection to check your permissions for Camera and Microphone. If needed, remove any blocks for the website https://bc.mywconline.com/ and save changes.
Mac: Safari browser settings
- In Safari, click the Safari menu located in the top ribbon. From the drop-down menu, select Preferences.
- In the Preferences pop-up menu, select the Websites tab. Then, check and change your permissions for Camera and Microphone for the website https://bc.mywconline.com/.
PC: Chrome browser settings
Option 1: Review and change settings for a specific site
- In Chrome, click on the lock icon located to the left of the site’s URL. From the drop-down menu, select Site Settings.
- The Site Settings pop-up menu will automatically direct you to the Privacy and Security submenu for the website https://bc.mywconline.com. On the right, you can review and change your Camera and Microphone permissions specifically for this website.
Option 2: Review and change settings for all sites
- In Chrome, click on the three dots in the top left corner and select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- In the Settings menu, click Privacy and Security and then Site Settings.
- In the Site Settings menu, open the Camera and Microphone to check your permissions. If WCOnline is listed under “Block,” you can delete the block by clicking the trash can icon next to that entry.
PC: Firefox browser settings
- In Firefox, click on the three lines in the top left corner and select Options from the dropdown menu.
- In the Settings menu, select Privacy and Security. Then, scroll down to the Permissions subsection to check your permissions for Camera and Microphone. If needed, remove any blocks for the website https://bc.mywconline.com/ and save changes.
Changing your computer permissions
Mac: Computer permissions
- Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of your desktop and select System Preferences.
- In the System Preferences menu, click Security & Privacy.
- In the Security & Privacy menu, check your permissions for Camera and Microphone. Click the check box to the right of your preferred browser to provide access to your camera/microphone.
PC: Computer permissions
- Click on the Windows menu in the lower left corner of your desktop and select Settings (the gear icon).
- In the Settings popup window, select Privacy. Note that you may have to expand the window or scroll down to see this option.
- In the Privacy window, scroll down to the App Permissions subsection in the left menu bar. Under that section, click on Camera and Microphone to check your permissions.
