Book an Appointment with a Writing Specialist, Assistant, or Tutor
We are excited to work with you on your writing! If you are ready to book an appointment, please click on one of the links below to go to Oasis and follow the prompts. To learn about how our appointments work, please read through the Questions and Answers that follow. If you have any questions/concerns about accessing our services, please reach out to Writing Support Services Director, Kevin Sitz at [email protected]
Coursework, scholarships, jobs/internships, conduct referrals, or appeals
Reminder: If your assignment is a midterm or final exam, please let us know that your professor allows you to get feedback on your paper.
Submit Writing for Feedback (any kind of writing)
Special Note: For this type of appointment you will not have a live conversation with a Specialist, Assistant, or Tutor; instead, you will receive an email with instructions for you to upload your Google Doc for feedback before your appointment.
Graduate school personal statements or transfer applications
What are the key policies for AATC Writing appointments?
- Your appointment can last up to 50-60 minutes.
- You can book unlimited appointments with Writing Tutors and 1 per day/10 per quarter with Writing Specialists and Assistants.
- You can book appointments up to 72 hours in advance (not including holidays and weekends)
- While we cannot consult on the UWP Upper Division Composition Exam, we are happy to discuss general writing/reading strategies with you.
- Due to the high demand, students who do not show up to their appointment will be blocked from making appointments for 48 hours. If you cancel less than an hour before your appointment, you will be blocked for 24 hours. Please contact our front desk (via email: [email protected], phone: 530-752-2013, or Qualtrics) or who you are meeting with if you had an emergency and couldn’t make your appointment. They may be able to clear the penalty from your account and allow you to make an appointment.
- If you need to be late to your appointment, please notify the front desk or the person you are meeting with to let them know.
- Due to AATC and University policy, you should not misrepresent yourself on the calendar (e.g., signing up for a graduate school statement on the calendar for coursework and saying it is for a scholarship or booking an appointment for a friend using your account). Using your account in this way could result in consequences that limit your access to our system.
- If you recently graduated and lost access to our calendars, please reach out to Kevin Sitz ([email protected]). You can book up to 3 appointments total on the Personal Statement and Submit Writing for Feedback calendars for one extra quarter (based on availability). For example, if you graduated spring 2024, you may see a Specialist or Assistant up until the end of summer 2024
Why should you book a writing appointment at the AATC?
When faced with a writing task, getting a new perspective can help in the drafting process. An appointment with the AATC gives you the opportunity to get feedback that you may not be able to get anywhere else. We can also help you interpret difficult readings for your classes and show you strategies to help you grow into an independent writer and reader.
Our services are paid for by your student fees, so you can meet with us at no additional cost.
We are here to support you at any stage of your writing and reading process! We can:
- highlight grammar and sentence-level error patterns and share resources to help you better understand how to make revisions
- talk through concepts to help you develop your ideas and analysis
- give suggestions and pose questions to help you generate ideas to fully respond to your essay prompt
- share online writing resources with you for self-learning
- pose questions that a reader might have to show you a new perspective of your writing
- help generate questions you can ask your TA or professor
- help you effectively cite sources and avoid plagiarism
- Read and interpret a difficult text together and discuss ways to incorporate readings into your writing.
Why is an AATC Writing appointment better than AI?
We understand that many AI tools exist that are often used when writing an essay or understanding a difficult reading. We offer two reasons to visit the AATC instead:
- Your professor may limit or not allow AI use at all. So, if you rely on AI, you may be subject to a lower grade or disciplinary action.
- One of the most powerful lifelong skills you leave college with is critical thinking, for everyday life decisions as well as in your career. If you rely on AI to think for you in college, that might harm your critical thinking development overall.
When you work with AATC, you get a partner in thinking through what’s working well and where there are revision opportunities in your writing. And you get to make those decisions, so the writing reflects your thinking and you’re not limited by the AI response.
What can you expect at an AATC Writing appointment?
For any kind of appointment:
- It is always okay if you don’t have a draft to share. We help with all stages of the writing process. You can even come with a blank page and we can brainstorm together.
- You should prepare a list of questions to ask. We will focus on whatever will be most helpful for you.
- Our services are highly interactive, so you are encouraged to take notes and make edits during your appointments.
- You will be invited to share your materials related to your assignment (e.g., draft, rubric, reading, assignment instructions). The Specialist, Assistant, or Tutor will not write for you; instead we will look at your materials with you while you make edits/changes.
For Zoom appointments:
- After you schedule your appointment, you will receive an automatic email that has the Zoom room. You may click on the link before your appointment, but you will not be let into the Zoom room until your scheduled appointment time.
- You will be asked to share your materials via a shared Google Doc (with edit permissions on) or by sharing your screen.
For in-person appointments:
- After you schedule your appointment, you will receive an automatic email that has the location, which will either be 2200 Dutton Hall or the Lower Level of Shields Library.