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 lefthand side of the main schedule to see who is available to meet in-person vs. online:
- At the top of the schedule, you can also click to view the following week.
- If no open slots match your schedule, you can add yourself to the waiting list by clicking the “Waiting List: Date” link at the bottom right corner of each day’s schedule. You’ll receive an email or text notification if a spot opens up, and you can log in and reserve the appointment.
Scheduling an in-person session
- To schedule an in-person session, click on any available (white) slot that matches your preferred time and mode, answer the questions, and save the appointment. If your appointment was saved successfully, the slot will turn gold.
- To arrive for your in-person appointment, come to the 8th floor of the Newman Vertical Campus (room 8-185, near the central elevators) about 5-10 minutes before the start. A staff member will check you in. If you can, please bring two copies of your draft!
Scheduling an online session
- To schedule an online video, audio, or text-only session, click on any available (white) slot that matches your preferred time and mode, answer the questions, and save the appointment. If you appointment was saved successfully, the slot will turn gold.
- To access your online appointment, log back in to the schedule 5-10 minutes before the start. On the main schedule, click on the gold box to open your appointment and then scroll down to click the red “Start or Join Online Consultation” text link. 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 frequently become available last-minute due to student cancelations. You can add yourself to the waitlist through our online scheduler to receive notifications when we have an opening.
Under each day’s schedule, you’ll find a link that reads “WAITING LIST: [DATE].” Click this link, and a pop-up will open that asks you to choose whether you’d like to hear about all openings, or just those for specific times / consultants:
If an appointment opens up within the parameters you specified, WCOnline will send you an automated message. Waiting list notifications can be sent via text message or email. If you want to receive waiting list notifications via text message, you need to opt in by entering your text messaging preferences in your profile settings.
Once you receive the email/text that a session is open, log into the schedule ASAP to reserve it. These notifications go out to everyone on the waiting list at once, so another student may have already reserved the hour by the time you see the message! As long you remain on the waiting list, you’ll keep receiving notifications every time someone cancels a session. To stop receiving these messages, click the “WAITING LIST” link again to remove yourself.
Important: A waitlist notification does NOT mean that the appointment is reserved for you! To reserve the appointment, follow the message link or log into the schedule to reserve an appointment in the open slot.
WCOnline notifies everyone on the waitlist at the same time, so if many people are waiting, openings can be claimed very quickly. Keep checking for notifications and try to reserve your spot as quickly as possible!
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 writing.center@baruch.cuny.edu 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, the Writing Center offers flexible support at every stage of the writing process. Visit this page to 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.
