Every writer needs a reader, and the Writing Center has a reader for every writer! Trained to respond to assignments in any discipline, Writing Center Fellows offer free, one-on-one conferences about writing at any stage in the process. Located in New South, the Writing Center welcomes undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty working on any kind of writing project. We regularly see: undergraduate students working on essays for classes juniors and seniors working on independent research projects graduate students working on seminar papers, research or grant proposals, articles, or dissertations international students making the transition to American academic writing students writing essays for fellowships or for graduate school or job applications students crafting oral presentations Writing Center Fellows can help with any part of the writing process: brainstorming ideas, developing a thesis, structuring an argument, or revising a draft. The goal of each conference is to develop strategies that will encourage students to become astute readers and critics of their own work. Although the Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service, Fellows can help students learn techniques for improving sentences and checking mechanics. Writing Center Fellows are there to listen, strategize, suggest, diagnose, and offer advice. They serve as sounding boards, careful readers, and helpful critics, and are able to help draw out ideas and possibilities that are implicit in a student's own thinking and writing. Writing Center conferences complement, but do not replace, the relationships students have with their teachers and advisors. All Writing Center appointments are confidential. Writing Center Announcements The Writing Center is currently open for in-person conferences. More information is available here. Visiting the Writing Center To meet with a Writing Center Fellow, make an appointment using one of the links below. Come with whatever you've got—an assignment, ideas, rough notes, or a partial or full draft. 50-Minute Appointments Open to all undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty working on writing of any kind and at any stage in the process. Bring a prompt to brainstorm, a full draft, the beginnings of a cover letter, grant proposal, personal statement, creative piece, or oral presentation! Make a 50-minute Appointment 80-Minute Appointments These appointments are reserved for: Undergraduate juniors and seniors working on independent work. Bring ideas for a junior paper, a thesis funding proposal, or selections from a thesis! Graduate students, postdocs, and faculty working on research-based writing. Bring ideas for a seminar paper or conference presentation, a full draft of an article, or selections from a dissertation! Writing Center Fellows can provide long-term help with planning for extended writing projects as well as one-off feedback sessions. Use the drop-down menu at the top of the window to display names of Writing Center Fellows who offer 80-minute conferences (and sort by discipline, if desired). You can modify the end time of your conference when booking your appointment. Make an 80-minute Appointment Questions? Have a question or not sure how to proceed? Contact writing.center@princeton.edu. How do I get to the Writing Center? Conferences take place at the Writing Center in New South. Take the elevator or the stairs to the second floor and enter the door labeled "The Writing Center." Take a seat in our reception area and a Writing Center Fellow will come find you at the start time of your appointment. Frequently Asked Questions Writing Center Conferences Can you match me with a Writing Center Fellow who knows about my topic? Rather than offer the discipline-based help you can get from your advisors, professors, or preceptors, Writing Center Fellows help you learn to articulate your ideas to a non-specialist reader. In general, the Writing Center does not match you with a Fellow according to your paper topic; no matter what the subject matter, our Fellows serve as sounding boards, careful readers, and helpful critics. However, if you're a junior, senior, or graduate student working on a research project, you may sign up for extended appointments with a Writing Center Fellow in your field or neighboring discipline. Can I meet with a specific Writing Center Fellow? Our scheduling system will display the names of all Writing Center Fellows who are working on a given day, so you will know the name of the Fellow you will be working with in advance. Please note, however, that we reserve the right to swap your appointment with a different Fellow working at the same time if the need arises. We encourage you to make appointments with a variety of Fellows so you can benefit from different perspectives on your writing! Please do not write directly to individual Fellows to request appointments with them; our Fellows are students too, and it's important to us that we protect their time. To this end, our policy is that all appointments must be scheduled through our scheduling system. Please direct any questions about appointment availability to writing.center@princeton.edu. Can the Writing Center Fellow read my paper before the conference? Writing Center Fellows do not read papers in advance of your conference. We believe that you will become a better reader and reviser of your own work through the experience of articulating your writing concerns at the beginning of the conference. Your Writing Center Fellow can combine an understanding of those concerns with the perspective of a reader coming fresh to your paper, and then use both to help you think about possibilities for revision. Furthermore, the Writing Center is a popular resource for writers of all levels of experience at Princeton. If Fellows read papers in advance, we wouldn't be able to serve as many people. How should I prepare for a Writing Center conference? Please bring your assignment prompt and two hard copies of the notes, outline, or draft you would like to work on. It would also be helpful to bring any feedback you’ve received on the project from your professor, preceptor, or advisor, and any key sources that you’re working with. These materials can help a Writing Center Fellow contextualize your project, and may be useful to refer back to during the conference. The best beginning to a conference is when you, the writer, have reflected on what kind of help you would like. Be sure to read your draft closely before you arrive, and perhaps jot down some notes indicating what you would like to focus on. What should I expect when I come in for a Writing Center conference? The Writing Center Fellow will ask what you would like to work on during the session. The Fellow will also ask to see the assignment prompt and to hear about any feedback you have received on your writing from your professor, preceptor, or advisor. You and the Fellow will then spend 5-15 minutes together reading the parts of the draft that you have both agreed to focus on. The Writing Center Fellow will discuss your writing with you, which will frequently involve asking you questions about your ideas and getting you to talk through problems arising in the draft. If you haven't yet written anything, the Fellow will help you brainstorm and organize ideas. You can expect to take plenty of notes! You will spend the last part of the session developing a plan for further writing and revision. How often can I come to the Writing Center? Our online scheduling system will allow you to book a maximum of two conferences each week. How far in advance can I book a Writing Center appointment? Our online scheduling system will allow you to book appointments up to two weeks ahead of time. Will you tell my instructor that I visited the Writing Center? Writing Center conferences are confidential. Writing Center Fellows will not discuss your conference with your instructor or share that you came to the Writing Center. What are the Writing Center's cancellation policies? If you find you no longer need a conference that you've booked, we ask that you cancel at least 5 hours in advance via our scheduling system to allow others the chance to book a conference at the time you had been holding. Cancellations with less than 5 hours' notice are considered late cancellations; conferences cannot be canceled less than 1 hour before their start time. If you do not cancel in advance and do not attend your conference, this is considered a no-show. After three late cancellations or two no-shows, your account in our scheduling system is deactivated and you must write to writing.center@princeton.edu if you wish to continue scheduling appointments. The Writing Center is a popular resource, and these policies are in place to help ensure that conferences are available for students who need them. Can I conference with a Writing Center Fellow about a take-home exam? If you wish to consult with a Writing Center Fellow about a take-home exam, you must bring written permission from your instructor to the conference. Can I book a virtual appointment at the Writing Center? During the academic year, when classes are in session, Writing Center conferences take place in person in New South. Virtual appointments cannot be booked through our online scheduling system when classes are in session and requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. To request a virtual appointment, please write to writing.center@princeton.edu at least 24 hours prior to your desired appointment time. When requesting a virtual appointment, please provide a list of dates and times when you would be available to meet. Please note that we are unable to accommodate requests to change an in-person appointment that you have already booked to a virtual appointment. If you are ill, we ask that you please cancel your appointment in our scheduling system. Let us know if you need help rescheduling when you are feeling better. Does the Writing Center have a masking policy? While masks are not required for Writing Center conferences, we ask that you please be considerate and respond to the requests of Writing Center Fellows who prefer to wear masks during conferences. If you prefer to wear masks, Writing Center Fellows will respect your preferences as well. Masks will be available at the Writing Center upon request. Our Scheduling System How do I create or update my profile? You'll be prompted to set up your profile the first time you log on to the system. This information helps us to better serve you and contact you if we have any questions prior to your appointment. You will be prompted periodically to verify that the information in your profile is up to date. You may update your profile at any time by going to the Welcome menu, then select Update Profile & Email Options. If you're using the text-only & mobile interface, use the your profile link. You can also manage your email preferences and register for text message notifications from your profile. How do I book an appointment? Log on to our scheduling system. Browse to the day you're interested in booking an appointment on using the Previous Day or Next Day links, or go directly to a specific date using the Calendar icon. Available appointments are indicated by the white boxes on the schedule. Click on the box corresponding to your desired time to book your appointment. Please note that at least one full hour (two consecutive white boxes) must be available in order to book an appointment. Be sure to tell us about the assignment or project you're working on, then click Create Appointment to book your appointment. Your appointment will be confirmed by email shortly after booking. Be sure to make a note of your appointment in your personal calendar! How do I book an 80-minute appointment? Log on to our scheduling system. Use the drop-down menu at the top-center of your screen labeled Filter by to display the names of Writing Center Fellows who offer 80-minute appointments. You may also choose to sort these Fellows by discipline, if desired. Available appointments are indicated by the white boxes on the schedule. Click on the box corresponding to your desired time to book your appointment. Please note that at least one and a half hours (three consecutive white boxes) must be available in order to book an 80-minute appointment. Be sure to tell us about the assignment or project you're working on, then click Create Appointment to book your appointment. Your appointment will be confirmed by email shortly after booking. Be sure to make a note of your appointment in your personal calendar! How do I book an appointment using the text-only and mobile interface? Log on to our scheduling system. Select a date and choose List Available Appointments to view available appointment times for the selected day. Browse the Available Appointments on Selected Day list to find an appointment time that fits your schedule and select Reserve Selected. Be sure to tell us about the assignment or project you're working on, then select Create Appointment to book your appointment. Your appointment will be confirmed by email shortly after booking. Be sure to make a note of your appointment in your personal calendar! How do I cancel an appointment? Log on to our scheduling system. Go to the Welcome menu, select My Appointments, and choose the appointment you would like to cancel. Select Cancel Appointment. How do I cancel an appointment using the text-only & mobile interface? Log on to our scheduling system. Browse the Your Current Appointments menu to choose the appointment you would like to cancel. Select Cancel Appointment. How do I sign up for the waiting list? Log on to our scheduling system. Browse to the day you're interested in booking an appointment on using the Previous Day or Next Day links, or go directly to a specific date using the Calendar icon. Select the Waiting List link at the bottom of the schedule grid. Select Join Waiting List to be notified of any openings for that day. You may also limit the notification based on your desired appointment time. If an appointment becomes available, you'll be alerted by email or text message depending on your notification preferences. Appointments that open are available on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to act quickly to book your appointment. How do I sign up for the waiting list using the text-only & mobile interface? Log on to our scheduling system. By default, the 50-minute Conference schedule will be selected. Browse the Schedule menu to select from other appointment types. Select a date and choose List Available Appointments to view available appointment times for the selected day. Select the Access the waiting list link, then Join Waiting List to be notified of any openings for that day. You may also limit the notification based on your desired appointment time. If an appointment becomes available, you'll be alerted by email or text message depending on your notification preferences. Appointments that open are available on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to act quickly to book your appointment.
