College Writing Fellows

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Writing Fellow?
Writing fellows are UR undergraduates who are trained as writing tutors. Fellows offer convenient evening and weekend drop-in hours.

What can I expect from a tutoring session?
The goal of a writing fellow is to provide critical feedback that will help you to edit and revise your own work. You can expect fellows to respect your work as your own, which means that they will not write your paper for you. You are encouraged to come with these expectations in mind, and you will definitely get more out of your session if you do.

On entering either our offices in Sue B, Rush Rhees Library, or Carlson, you can expect to be met by a friendly peer tutor who is interested in your work. The fellow will ask you some questions about your work and will enter information into the database that we use to track sessions. The rest of the session will depend on your specific goals and needs. The fellow may ask you to read your paper aloud, or he/she may help you with grammar, organization, or brainstorming ideas. The session will end with the fellow asking you to develop a plan for further revision.

Please remember that fellows vary in style and approach, and that fellows are not the professors who will grade your papers. Fellows' opinions are just that—opinions; you are free to take or leave these opinions at your own discretion.

Your writing fellow is there to help you learn to plan, draft, revise, edit, and proofread your papers more effectively; he or she will not take over any stage of your writing process, but will help you take control of any stage.  For example, fellows will not write on your papers or reword them for you, but they will ask questions and explain principles that will prompt you to reword and rewrite for yourself.

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What should I bring to a tutoring session?
If you have a draft, an outline, or even notes for whatever you are writing, please bring a hard copy so both of you can look over it together. Also, please bring a copy of the prompt or assignment sheet to refer back to throughout the session. Have as many questions as you feel necessary ready for us when you come in; the more focus you have, the more will be accomplished in your session.

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What should I do if I come to the office and the tutors are busy?
If the fellows are all in sessions when you arrive at the office, you may place yourself on our virtual wait list by following the directions posted at each location. This wait list is shared by all three of our offices in order to ensure the shortest wait time for each student! As a walk-in service we do our best to get to every student who seeks our help, but if you would prefer to make an appointment, you can schedule one with a graduate student consultant at the Writing and Speaking Center (Rush Rhees, G-121).

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How long are tutoring sessions?
Your session will last up to an hour, depending on your needs and our availability.

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What if my paper is due the next day?
You are encouraged to visit the fellows well before the due date of your paper. This ensures that you have as much time as you need to revise. However, you are always welcome to visit the fellows even if your paper is due quite soon, although the session may not be as helpful as if you had come earlier.

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Will my work and personal information be kept confidential?
Some of your personal information, such as your name and ID number, along with a summary of the session, will be entered into the Writing Program's database. This information will not be available to your professors or to anyone else outside of the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program without your permission. The data we collect is primarily used to track the needs of the students who use our services.

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Why am I required to visit the Writing Fellows for my upper-level writing course?
Some upper-level writing professors have made arrangements with the writing fellows to work closely with their courses. If this is the case for your class, part of the course requirements may be to make an appointment with one of the fellows working with the class. The fellows do not take any part in grading papers; they just serve as an additional resource to make the writing process a little easier.

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Can I apply to become a Writing Fellow?
Yes! Applications are available online. Click here to learn more and access our application.

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Do the fellows provide online tutoring?
Yes! Writing Fellows offer an online tutoring service: Write-On.

  • Write-On is a way to submit your written work online and receive feedback from a Writing Fellow within 48 hours.

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Is there an app for the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program?
Yes! There is a WSA Program moblie app available in the Android Marketplace and an iPhone app in the App Store!

CWP Mobile - University of Rochester Available in Android Market

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My question isn't listed above.
Please feel free to contact the Writing and Speaking Center office at wsap@ur.rochester.edu concerning any questions you may have.

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