Where? When?
Here! Then! (click)
What kinds of work can tutors help with?
Here! Then! (click)
What’s new this year? Is it still a writing center?
Studio C is still home to a writing center, but it is not The Writing Center -- we provide much more than only help with writing, and the space is available for uses in addition to peer tutoring. Our biggest change this year is offering individualized support in all academic areas. We’re also sponsoring weekly study groups, and we’ve partnered with Young Men With Great Minds to set up peer mentoring. Now that we have 44 tutors, we’re open about 150% of last year’s hours (15-17 hours per week). What kinds of work can tutors help with?
- Tutors can help with anything related to learning! Some examples:
- Brainstorming, outlining, note-taking
- Research skills, including citations and avoiding plagiarism
- Applications for college, scholarships, jobs
- Revising or correcting your work
- Course-specific assignments such as presentations, essays, speeches, lab reports, TRFs, creative writing, problem sets, brochures, DBQs, key terms, proofs, critiques, etc.
- Translating and ESOL/world language needs
Of course, tutors can also help students with non-academic projects ranging from lyrics and letters to college applications and fan-fiction.
Do I have to work with a tutor when I'm in Studio C?
No, you're welcome to come in and work on your own or with a group. Occasionally if the Studio becomes too crowded (like during Chat), students who are not working with a tutor may be asked to relocate.
How do reservations work?
Reservation sheets are posted next to our doors in the main lobby. Reservations are recommended but not required; we will work with walk-ins on a first come, first served basis. What if I want to make a reservation but all the sessions are already filled?
What happens during a session?
First, the tutor will spend some time getting to know you. Then you'll discuss the work you brought in and choose one or two priorities or goals for the session. If you haven’t yet gotten started, you'll work together on tackling the assignment. If you have a draft, you'll discuss what you've done so far and get help or feedback. The tutor will respond as a "practice audience" with open-ended questions and will help you find resources to answer your questions if needed. You will always hold the pen/keyboard and be in control of your work. At the end of the session, you'll review what was accomplished, discuss your next steps, and schedule a follow-up session if desired. All clients are requested to complete a feedback survey while the tutor fills out a tutoring receipt.
Here are a few things that tutors are explicitly prohibited from doing:
- Ignoring or belittling clients, or compromising a client’s confidentiality
- Criticizing an assignment or badmouthing a teacher
- Guaranteeing a certain grade
- Copy-editing, correcting, or “practice grading” an assignment for a student, or writing/typing on the assignment whatsoever
- Abetting or ignoring plagiarism
- Inserting their own ideas or solving the problem / prompt for the client
What do I need to bring to a session?
Do your best to be on time. If you're working on a school assignment, bring the assignment sheet, rubric, any materials you need to include/consult (such as a newspaper article or your research data), and what you've worked on so far. If you're working on your own project, bring whatever tools and sources of inspiration you want! That could include music, art supplies, examples of the type of piece you're trying to create, guidelines for submission, etc. -- and of course any human collaborators you want to work with.
How can students prove that they've worked with a tutor?
Students receive a receipt at the conclusion of each tutoring session. The receipt identifies when the session took place and what was discussed during the session.
How can I become a writing center tutor?
How can I become a writing center tutor?
The application process happens between November 1 and January 31, and new tutors are announced in February. We’re looking for friendly, helpful, responsible rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to join our staff. Potential tutors should be solid students, but don’t need to be the very best in their classes. If you're interested, stop by Studio C or send us an email for more information.
