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 Princeton students working on any kind of writing project. We regularly see:
- students working on essays for classes
- juniors and seniors working on independent research projects
- 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 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.
Visiting the Writing Center
To meet with a Writing Center Fellow, you can make an appointment in advance or use drop-in hours. Come with whatever you've got—an assignment, ideas, rough notes, or a partial or full draft.
When classes are in session, appointments are recommended and available during both daytime and evening hours. Conferences are available only by appointment when classes are not in session.
50-Minute Appointments
Open to all undergraduates 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!
80-Minute Appointments
Reserved for juniors and seniors working on independent work (typically 20+ pages). Bring ideas for a junior paper, a thesis funding proposal, selections from a thesis! We can provide long-term help with planning for extended writing projects as well as one-off feedback sessions. Be sure the 80-minute schedule is selected from the drop-down menu at the top of the window.
The Writing Lab
Sunday - Thursday 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. ET (Suspended until September 2021)
Having a hard time getting motivated working on a paper? Looking for a sense of community? Don’t go it alone! Join our Zoom-based virtual lab to write with peers, consult Fellows as needed, and tackle your short and long-term writing goals!
All times are Eastern Time (UTC-4:00). If you're having trouble joining, be sure you're signed in to Zoom with your Princeton account.
Have a quick question or not sure how to proceed? Text the Tortoise at (609) 759-1225.
How do I get to the Writing Center?
Conferences take place at the Writing Center in New South. Enter New South and go up to the second floor.
