Your Session at the Writing Center

When you come to Hoffman for your appointment, have a seat in the Writing Center (the room on the left, with pictures on the door). A tutor will greet you and ask your name, appointment time and whether this is your first visit to the Writing Center. Then the tutor will get (or make) your folder and direct you to the cubicles in the side rooms.

The tutor will then ask you about your paper and the assignment; please feel free to share any helpful information, such as your concerns about the paper and what stage of the writing process the paper has reached (e.g. brainstorming, rough draft, final draft). The tutor will then read the paper while you sit and do homework, read Dr. Seuss, take a nap, stare intently at the floor, or dream up more brilliant papers to write. Once the tutor is finished, he or she will focus on one or two key points to discuss for revision. Due to time constraints, not all possible areas of revision will be discussed or marked by the tutor, so we welcome you to return repeatedly throughout the writing process. After your session, the tutor will send an electronic form to your professor indicating the writing concerns discussed in the session; professors value this insight and frequently use it to provide more helpful feedback for students.

• Bring the instructor’s guidelines for the assignment and, if possible, the rubric.
• Bring a clean copy of the most recent draft and, if available, the professor’s suggestions.
• Be on time (preferably a few minutes early) and come into the Writing Center to let us know you’re here.
• Let us know if this is your first visit to the Writing Center.
• Remember, we will not have time to discuss every possible revision for the paper, so please feel free to come back again for the same paper!