Frequently Asked Questions

The Writing Center is a free tutoring service offered to all currently enrolled MTSU students, staffed by MTSU undergraduate and graduate students. We offer one-on-one support with brainstorming, outlining, formatting, organizing, revising, and editing, facilitating your growth as a writer and helping you reach your full potential as a writer.

For a face-to-face session in LIB 362: When you first arrive, you should check-in at the front desk. You can then have a seat at one of our tables, lounge chairs, or computers. A tutor will work with you one-on-one for your 45-minute session. 

For an online live chat session: At the time of your appointment, log into our online scheduler, WCOnline.  Click on your appointment and then choose “Start or join online session.” Your writing consultant will be waiting to work with you one-on-one for your 45-minute session. You will be able to upload your assignment and draft(s) to share during the online session.

For a document drop session: Create an appointment using our online scheduler, WCOnline. On the appointment form, upload your assignment sheet if you have one and your current draft. At the time of your appointment, a tutor will download your paper and provide feedback during the 45-minute session. At the end of the session, the tutor will upload your paper and email it back to you. 

Regardless if you meet with a consultant face-to-face or online, what happens from that point depends on you and what kind of session you have signed up for. Be as detailed as possible on your appointment form so that our tutors know how to help you. We understand that everybody learns and writes differently, and our goal is to help you discover or refine the writing practices that work best for you. We know that sharing your writing can be really intimidating, but don’t worry! Our awesome tutors are here to help you. 

We are chock-full of awesome. Our tutors are dedicated, empathetic, and approachable, and they love to talk about writing! They engage in rigorous, ongoing training designed to deepen their tutoring practice. The UWC recruits talented students from all majors and minors. 

Appointments can be made in advance by phone or through WCONLINE, our online scheduler. When time is available, we also offer walk-in appointments. For more information about types of appointments or about WCONLINE, visit our appointments page.

Students can have up to one session per day. Those who feel they may benefit from regularly scheduled Writing Center sessions should inquire about our Writing Partnerships. 

Yes. Our scheduling system requires that the appointment be made under a single student’s name, so you’ll have to decide which one of you will be responsible for making and keeping track of any appointments. Also, please let us know when you make the appointment how many people will be attending. 

Absolutely! We serve the entire MTSU writing community, and that includes our distance learners! We offer online live chat consultations that mirror our in-person sessions. We also have document drop sessions where you can upload your draft and receive feedback via email. Finally, we have a variety of online resources on our website as well.

With Writing Partnerships, students meet regularly (at the same day and time each week) with the same writing tutor for the semester. Writing Partnerships are a great option for students working on long-term projects like dissertations, theses, or creative works, and they are also great for students who have long-term writing goals or who need accountability.

No! The Writing Center is here to help writers from all disciplines at all levels. Our writing tutors come from a wide range of disciplinary homes and are trained to act as interested readers for writing in any discipline and in any genre, whether that’s a lab report, a personal statement, an ENG 1010 paper, or an Master of Liberal Arts capstone project.

We will be happy to help you prepare for your speech or presentation. We even have space for you and/or your group to practice with one of our Writing Consultants to give you feedback, so please bring your PowerPoint or keynote. We can also help with designing research posters and practicing elevator pitches!

We can! We serve the entire MTSU community with all types of writing. Anything you are writing from academic letters, resumes, and applications, to limericks, short stories, songs, and novels are fantastic things to bring to the Writing Center.

We can help you identify patterns of error, find resources to help you learn comma rules, and we can model editing strategies. Our goal is for you to become an independent, confident writer, and that includes focusing on all parts of the writing process, from brainstorming to editing. Don’t worry — we’ll be here to help you along the way!

Don’t worry. All MTSU students have access to Microsoft Word via their Office 365 ProPlus subscription. Visit the Office 365ProPlus info page for more information.

Our complete list of handouts and videos can be found on our Online Resources page.

We are always looking for motivated, talented undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines to work in our center. Undergraduates must have already passed ENGL 1020 (or the equivalent). The English Department offers ENGL 3550 (“Introduction to Peer Tutoring in Writing: Theory and Methods”) that provides students with the foundations of tutoring writing as well as experience working in the MTSU Writing Center; however, the course is not a requirement. Graduate tutors are encouraged to apply, regardless of program or assistantship status.  Please fill out a UWC Employment Application Form and send any questions to Dr. James Hamby (James.Hamby@mtsu.edu).