Frequently Asked Questions (Students)
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions that students pose about the Writing Center.
While appointments aren't required, they're strongly encouraged.
Making an appointment is the only way to guarantee that you'll be seen by a tutor on a particular date or at a particular time. If we don't have any appointments scheduled, we can take walk-in visitors; however, we're often unable to do this during busy times in the semester.
We recommend that you bring a copy of your paper (either printed, on a flash drive or on your computer), a pen, the assignment prompt/handout and enthusiasm! You can also bring your laptop.
Only if you want us to. Your tutor will ask whether or not you would like us to notify your professor that you visited us. Keep in mind, though, that most professors are very happy to learn that their students visited the Writing Center; this tells them that you are taking extra time and care with your work in their class!
Yes!
We can work with resumes, lab reports, graduate school applications, creative writing, contest submissions, love letters or even brainstorming! If you need help understanding your prompt, bring it in, and we can also assist you with that, too!
Tutoring sessions are 45 minutes. We recommend that you visit the Writing Center at least a few days before your paper is due so that you have enough time to revise after you meet with the tutor. In many cases, multiple visits, at both the early and later stages of your writing process, are beneficial. Please note that if you visit the Writing Center the night, day or hour before your paper is due, the degree to which the tutors can help you will be limited.
The tutor will probably begin the session by asking you about your assignment and inviting you to talk about your questions and concerns. Often tutors will read your paper aloud or invite you to do so; this helps with catching errors that are often skipped over when we read silently. The tutor will ask you questions, make observations and suggestions, and explain concepts. In short, expect a lively conversation about your writing with a friendly, helpful peer.
Our tutors are all Stetson University students, mainly undergraduates, from majors across campus. All of our tutors are strong writers who have been trained to work effectively with students one-on-one.
Yes!
It's not necessary for tutors to be familiar with the content area of your writing in order to help you make it clear, focused and stylistically correct. However, we understand that in some cases (when writing a lab report, for example), you may wish to work with a tutor from a particular major. See the list below for reference; when you make your appointment, you can see when a particular tutor is available.