Our core service is a 50-minute, one-to-one consultation with one of our professional writing consultants. You can meet with a consultant in-person in NVC 8-185 or online via video, audio, or text-only chat.
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Signing up for an appointment
You can sign up for all one-to-one services through our online scheduler, accessible at https://bc.mywconline.com or by clicking “Schedule an Appointment” from the top menu on this website. If it’s your first time, you’ll be prompted to create an account. Complete the requested fields, click “Register,” and then log back in using the same credentials to view the schedule.
Some consultants are available in-person only, while others are available online only. Check the labels on the left-hand side of the main schedule or narrow your search by meeting mode to see who is available to meet in-person vs. online. You can schedule appointments for up to two weeks in advance.
Scheduling an in-person session
- To schedule an in-person session, find an opening that matches your schedule. Once you find an opening, fill out the appointment form, answer the questions, and save the appointment. Your saved appointment will appear in the “My Appointments” dropdown on the top menu bar.
Scheduling an online session
- To schedule an online session, find an opening that matches your schedule. Once you find an opening, fill out the appointment form, answer the questions, and save the appointment. Your saved appointment will appear in the “My Appointments” dropdown on the top menu bar.
- All online Writing Center sessions take place through our online schedule (unless you have explicitly arranged otherwise with Writing Center staff). To access your online appointment, log in to the online appointment schedule about 5-10 minutes before the start. Click on “My Appointments” on the top menu bar, select your appointment, and click the red “Start or Join Online Consultation” button. In the consultation window, cut and paste your document into the workspace on the left and wait for your consultant to join the session. If you have any issues connecting your camera or microphone, check our troubleshooting guide for step-by-step assistance.
Adding 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. 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.”
Preparing for your session
You’ll get the most out of your session with a little preparation! Here’s what we recommend:
- Try to schedule your appointment so you can draft beforehand, and leave enough time following your session to revise. You’ll want to put into practice what you learned.
- Locate copies of your materials ahead of time, including the assignment prompt, any instructor feedback, and drafts or notes that you’ve start to write. You can visit the Writing Center at any stage in the writing process, so don’t worry if you don’t have a complete draft!
- Before your session, take some time to read through your writing. Identify what you feel are the strongest parts, along with a few goals or areas that you’d most like to work on.
- For in-person sessions, please print out two copies of your work and/or attach a digital version of your draft to the appointment by re-entering your appointment and clicking edit to add your document.
- For online sessions, log on a few minutes early to make sure that you have internet access and that your camera and microphone are enabled (if you’re meeting by video or audio). If you have trouble getting connected, check our troubleshooting guide for help.
- If you have specific questions about your professor’s assignment or expectations, ask! The more you can tell us about the goals for your writing, the better.
Whenever possible, we ask for the following courtesies:
- Arrive on time. All appointments begin at the start of the hour (for example, at 11:00 exactly). After ten minutes (for example, at 11:10), your appointment will be cancelled and offered to another student.
- Come prepared to actively engage in the session. During your session, you’ll be drafting, asking questions, revising, and engaging in productive conversation around your writing.
- Cancel your appointment if you can’t make it. You can cancel your appointment directly from the online scheduler or you can email [email protected] for help.
For first-time visitors
If you’ve never visited the Writing Center before, we encourage you to read through our guide for new students.
Support for capstones, theses, and other long-term research projects
If you’re working on a long-term project such as a capstone or thesis, you can request recurring, weekly appointments with the same consultant. On this page, you can also request a facilitator for a writing group and find resources for focusing your research topic.
