We offer events, courses, and one-on-one tutorials for undergraduate students at the University of Pittsburgh. Please browse the navigation box to the right to find detailed information about opportunities.
When the Writing Center Is Closed
The Writing Center is always closed during the following times of the year: Fall Break; finals week; between terms; Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Spring break; Juneteenth; July 4th; Thanksgiving week.
How to Prepare for a Session
The best preparation is to consider what you want to get out of your time at the Writing Center. Since we will have limited time together, what are your priorities? Read over your draft or your assignment. What questions do you have?
Proofread your writing so that the consultant knows that any errors that are left are those that you might need to talk about in the session.
Remember that the Writing Center consultant you work with won’t be able to look at every sentence of your project. If your project is more than four or five pages, please identify the pages that you want to focus on in this session.
You may want to consult your assignment during the session, so be sure to bring it with you. If you are writing about a text, you should bring that as well.
If your teacher has marked some needed corrections on your writing, try to make the corrections before you come to the session. That will give you and your consultant a good sense of what you might need to talk about further.
Plan to take notes while you talk to your consultant about your work. You may have some great ideas during that conversation, and you don't want to have to rely on just your memory.
Remember that your Writing Center appointment is just for you; you must be present at the session in order to receive help with your writing.
No-Show Policy/Cancelling Appointments through WCOnline
Students who miss three appointments in a single term without cancelling will be unable to schedule Writing Center sessions for the remainder of that term.
Our online scheduler allows students to cancel their own appointments online up to 10 minutes prior to a scheduled session.