Where is the Eberly Writing Center?
The Eberly Writing Center is located on the main level of the Waidner-Spahr Library.
When is the Writing Center open?
The Writing Center is open
Monday-Thursday
10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.,
Friday
10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,
Sunday
12:00-10:30 p.m.
The center is closed on Saturdays.
Conferences last up to 45
How do I make an appointment in the Writing Center?
Register for an account on WCONLINE to make a face-to-face appointment.
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please cancel on WCONLINE at least 15 minues befre your scheduled appointment.
How often can I come to the Writing center?
You can have as many as one walk-in appointment per day. Normally, scheduled-in-advance appointments are limited to two per week.
Can I just drop by and meet with a tutor?
Yes. We accept walk-ins, but you may find that all tutors are busy, so it's best to make an appointment in advance.
Who can use the Writing Center?
All students are welcome to come to the Writing Center to get help on academic writing assignments, application essays, lab reports, senior theses, etc.
What should I expect when I come for my appointment?
Normally, a tutor will look over the assignment sheet and ask you what you would like to work on. If you have a draft of your paper, you or the tutor will read it aloud. Tutors are trained to focus first on "global" issues, such as thesis, argument, and evidence, and then to look at "local" issues such as sentence clarity, punctuation, and mechanics. However, tutors will respond to your specific concerns and questions.
What kind of help will the tutor provide?
Tutors will work with you on papers at any stage of the writing process and will assist you with aspects of your paper such as:
- responding to an assignment
- generating, developing, and organizing ideas
- supporting claims and arguments with evidence
- improving clarity and precision
- developing your proofreading and editing skills
When should I come to the Writing Center?
You can come to the Writing Center at any stage in the writing process. You need to leave enough time between your appointment and the time the paper is due to make necessary revisions. If you wait till the last minute, you will not have time to make more than surface changes that may not significantly improve your paper.
What should I do to make the most of my Writing Center appointment?
- bring a copy of your assignment
- think about your goals for the appointment
- tell your tutor what your concerns are, what you would like to work on
- be an active participant in your session
- leave enough time to make revision
Can tutors help me with writing in different disciplines?
Yes. Tutors are trained to consider conventions of organization, argumentation, format, and citation that differ from discipline to discipline. If you wish to work with a tutor majoring in the subject area of your paper, please consult the list of tutors by major.
Who are the tutors?
Tutors are Dickinson students who want to help their peers become stronger and more confident writers. They have completed a semester-long course in the history, theory, and practice of writing centers that prepares them for their work in the Writing Center. They represent a wide variety of majors and minors offered at the college.
How can I become a Writing Center tutor?
To become a Writing Center tutor, a student must complete a credit-bearing, semester-long training course (WRPG 214). For more information about the course and the application process, contact Writing Program Director John Katunich (phone: 717-254-8390 or e-mail
katunicj@dickinson.edu ).
Will my professor know that I visited the Writing Center?
The Norman M. Eberly Multilingual Writing Center keeps records of writing center visits and visitors, demographic data, visitor feedback, and tutor logs describing the content of sessions. All logs regarding First-Year Seminar and foreign language visits are automatically sent to the students' professors. All other session logs will be sent to professors unless the student asks that the log not be sent.