Making an Appointment at the RWC FSU students who want help from a tutor may come for free sessions or register for one of the courses taught through the RWC. The current free tutorial policy allows people to schedule three free appointments each semester. Additional free sessions are provided to drop-in students whenever a tutor is not working with someone who has scheduled appointment. Taking ENC 1905 (undergrad writing), REA 1905 (undergrad reading), and ENG 5998 (graduate writing) ensures a student an appointment every week over a full semester. Each course can be taken for 1-3 elective credit hours. Appointments for these courses must be scheduled in-person at WMS 222C during the first week of a semester or term.

Free tutoring sessions are generally available each week -- some in WMS 222C, some in Strozier Library. Scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis, they are open to all FSU students. The standard session is 30 minutes, when there is available time on the schedule. To make an appointment for one, please callthe RWC at 644-6495, visit the RWC in-person at WMS 222C, drop by the RWC site in Stozier, or for a session in Strozier, call 644-1486. Making an appointment ensures that you will be able to meet with a tutor at a dependable time. Drop-ins are welcome, but students who arrive on that basis will only be helped if a tutor isn't already helping someone.

Tutor Responsibility

Tutors will help students with any piece of writing at any stage of the writing process, from analyzing an assignment, to drafting, to revising, to editing. Tutors will also work with students who wish to improve their reading skills. Although tutors can help students with reading and writing they are doing in content-area classes, the tutors are not expected to "teach" students content material. Tutors will do not edit or proofread students’ writing, although they can help students learn strategies for editing and proofreading their own work. If a tutor is unable to meet a free tutorial appointment due to illness or emergency, the Reading/Writing Center will try to reassign the student to another tutor if one is available.

Student Responsibility

Because students sign up for free tutorial appointments at their own initiative, we expect students to come to their conference with material that they want to work on and with specific goals for the conference. Students who come to their conference unprepared to work will be asked to reschedule.

No-Show Policy

Students will be considered "no-shows" if they fail to come for an appointment and have not called to cancel. Students are also considered a no-shows if they are more than 10 minutes late for an appointment and have not called the RWC in advance. The RWC may deny further free appointments to any student with three no-shows. Such a student may resume making free appointments the following semester.

Preparing for a Tutorial

Writers benefit most if they take a few minutes to prepare for a tutorial. Here are some guidelines for how to get the most out of a session in the RWC:

• Look at the due dates for your writing assignments, and plan ahead. At busy times during the semester, it can take up to a week to schedule an appointment for a free tutorial. It is best to schedule a tutoring session one or two days before your draft is due.
• Most tutorials begin with tutors asking, "So, what you do you want to work on today?" Be prepared with an answer to that question.
• If you are just beginning an assignment, reread the assignment sheet or any notes you have taken about the assignment, then write down any questions you have about what you are being asked to do.
• Be sure to bring both the assignment sheet and your notes to your appointment.
• If you have already begun writing, reread your draft and write down any questions or concerns you have. Think about the comments you have received about your writing from teachers and other readers, either on this draft or on previous pieces of writing.
• Make a list of things readers typically comment on. Bring the list to your tutorial, along with any relevant comments from your peers or instructor.
• If you have recently workshopped your draft or received your instructor's response to it, try to write a new draft taking into consideration these readers' responses BEFORE you come to your tutorial so that you can discuss with your tutor your most recent revision.
• If you are concerned about editing and proofreading, be sure to bring your copy of any handbook on writing that you typically use so that your tutor can show you how to use this book to look up explanations and corrections for errors you typically make.

Do not ask tutors what grade they think you will receive for your writing. Instructors make different assignments and use different grading criteria, so your tutor will not be able to make an accurate judgment about the grade you might receive. All questions about grades should be discussed with your instructor.