DO

  • Bring in papers for classes other than English or composition classes.  Biology papers need to be well written, too!  We can also help you out with writing for outside school, such as resumes, scholarship applications, cover letters, and graduate school applications.
  • Come in with a paper print-out of your work.  We’d much rather have a paper in front of us that we can mark up and put notes on than read off a mobile device screen.
  • Have a clear idea of what exactly your assignment is.  It’s very hard for a tutor to help you completely if he or she isn’t quite sure what your instructor is looking for.  Be able to explain the assignment to your tutor—or, even better, bring in the actual assignment sheet or syllabus.
  • Bring in earlier drafts of your work, especially if your instructor has reviewed them and made comments on them.  It helps us to understand more fully what he or she is looking for in your assignment.
  • Understand that the Writing Center isn’t a place for poor writers; even the best writers need an editor.  Some of the best writers on campus, including graduate students and professors, will stop by with their work.  Having a second set of eyes read your work is always a good idea.
  • Welcome our tutors’ constructive critique.  The tutors will never criticize you, but they will point out problems that you may have and then work with you to fix them.

DON’T

  • Think that we provide a proofreading service.  You can’t drop off papers in the Writing Center and pick them up later with corrections made.  Instead, you have to be there, working through the paper with the tutor.  In the end, this will make you a better writer.
  • Use the Writing Center as a printing lab.  Our printers are available for students who are working with the tutors, and though we don’t charge a per page price for their use, we do ask for donations.
  • Come the night—or even a few hours—before something is due with nothing started.  At that point, the tutor will just ask you which part of your work you want help with, because there won’t be time to help you with all of it.  We’re here to help you, but not to bail you out.
  • Think that coming to the Writing Center automatically will get you an A.  We can’t guarantee a grade, but the more often you come in, the more aspects of a paper we can work on with you, and then the better your chances are for getting a good grade.