The Writing Center wants to help you become a better writer during your time here at FMU. There are some simple steps you can take to get the most from your tutorial:

  1. Make your appointment early: The FMU Writing Center is a very busy student support service on campus. We cannot guarantee that a tutor will be available whenever you walk in. Therefore, we encourage you to schedule your appointment ahead of time. For instance, if you know your paper is due in two weeks, make an appointment for this week and another for next week; that way, your spot will be there waiting for you when the time comes. On a related note, if you have an appointment at 10:00 and your paper is due at 11:00 that same day, there is very little we can do to help you effectively improve that paper before it’s due.
  2. Only schedule one appointment per day per assignment: We are happy to help you with an assignment, but we want you to work on that assignment after you leave your tutorial. Therefore, we ask that you only sign up for tutorials once every 24 hours for the same assignment. This policy includes evening Tutoring Center and online appointments.
  3. Come to your tutorial with a plan: Whether you are in the brainstorming/pre-writing, drafting, or revision stage of the writing process for your assignment, let your tutor know how you want to use your tutorial time. This way, the tutor can focus on your immediate needs. Do know, however, that if the tutor sees higher-order concerns with your assignment (a missing thesis, disorganized paragraphs, etc.), s/he might encourage you to work on those issues rather than later-order concerns (spelling, commas, etc.).
  4. Come to your tutorial with your assignment sheet: An assignment sheet is very helpful to the tutorial process: your tutor can see exactly what the professor is asking you to do, and then s/he can help you see if you have fulfilled all the expectations of that assignment. We can also verify that your understanding of the assignment matches your professor’s expectations. A missing assignment sheet might mean a miscommunication during the tutorial.
  5. Come to your tutorial on time: Face-to-face tutorials last 30-45 minutes; you and your tutor will likely be able to cover two-three issues in your paper before time runs out. Therefore, it is important that you arrive on time for your tutorial. The Writing Center has a late policy: if you are more than ten minutes late, we can cancel your appointment and give it to a student waiting for an open appointment slot.
  6. Longer papers might need more than one appointment: In 30-45 minutes, you and your tutor can get through, on average, four-five pages of written text. If you have a ten-page paper, we will likely not get through the entire assignment in one sitting, and we cannot extend your tutorial time, especially if another person is waiting for your tutor. Therefore, we ask that you plan ahead: if you know you have a longer paper, sign up for additional tutorials on subsequent days. Based upon your tutor’s schedule, you might be able to sign up for the same tutor three days in a row, for instance.

By taking these steps, you can get the most from your tutorial time. We look forward to meeting with you at the FMU Writing Center in Founders Hall 114-C. Book your appointment for a tutorial here. You can also call 661-1528 for an appointment.