The Writing Center is a resource staffed by graduate and undergraduate Writing Consultants, available for use by all UVa students—all years, all majors, all schools. We offer a full schedule of in-person and synchronous online consultations and a limited number of asynchronous consultations.

What Does the Writing Center Do?

• Our consultants work with students one-with-one in 25- or 50-minute appointments.
• We help with all stages of the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revision, argument structure, editing, and other concerns.
• Students bring us writing for their courses (essays, reports, analyses, critiques, research papers, literature reviews, etc.) and writing for outside projects (application essays, personal narratives, job letters, etc.).
• We have tutors with expertise in working with English-language learners.

Is There Anything the Writing Center Does NOT Do?

We do not proofread or edit for you; instead, we will help you identify problems or patterns of error and explain how to address these problems. We also cannot work with students on take-home exams unless the instructor has given explicit permission for students to use the Writing Center.

How Do I Schedule an Appointment?

Go to https://virginia.mywconline.com/ to create an account in our scheduling system if you do not have one yet. Then you can log in, choose the appropriate schedule (“Bryan Hall 314: Spring 2022” for example), and then an appointment.

What Happens in a Consultation?

A session with a Writing Consultant is a collaborative experience. Depending on your situation, you and your Consultant might review the assignment instructions, brainstorm some ideas to get started, think through some ways to outline an argument, read through a draft, discuss ways to develop your ideas, or review it together for a final edit. In all cases, the Consultant will ask YOU what you want to work on. During the consultation, you might make changes to your writing, or you might take notes for later. After the session is over, you will receive via email a brief write-up describing what was covered in the session.

If an Online Consultation is required due to quarantining or for other reasons, you and the Consultant can meet in real-time using video, audio, chat, and document-sharing features built into our online platform. The session will proceed in the same collaborative manner as an in-person consultation. When it is time for your appointment, you will log in to https://virginia.mywconline.com, double-click on your appointment, and click “Start or Join Online Consultation.” A screen will pop up that provides further instructions, and your tutor will be waiting to chat with you.

What is an Asynchronous Consultation?

In this option, students submit their writing ahead of time and receive feedback later. This option is best for advanced students with a full or partial draft who can articulate a detailed set of questions about their writing. It is not ideal if you are struggling to begin a writing project and need help brainstorming ideas, understanding a writing prompt, or talking through problems with structure, evidence, or thesis. Most students benefit most from real-time conversation, either in-person or synchronously online.