About us
The Writing Center is a free service available to all members of the university community, not just those enrolled in English classes. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome. Consultants assist writers in the writing process, from brainstorming and organization of projects to revision and polishing. Since its inception in 1997, the writing center has recorded visitors from all schools and colleges in the university, all departments, and all grade levels. Some of our most successful graduates have relied on the GCSU Writing Center.
The Writing Center supports writers throughout their Georgia College & State University academic experience by working with them at any stage of the writing process. Graduate and undergraduate tutors (also known as writing consultants) provide GCSU students assistance with not only with the basics of formatting, punctuation, and grammar, but also with the development of ideas through an individualized collaborative learning process. The Writing Center serves to help each GCSU student cultivate their confidence and abilities as an academic writer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Writing Center?
The Writing Center is located in the Arts & Sciences building across from the Ina Dillard Russell Library. The room number is 2-56A.
How do I set up an appointment?
Through the My GCSU homepage, click on “Scheduling with the Writing Center.” The link will prompt you to create an account with WCOnline. Once your account is created, you can visit WCOnline to select a day and time that work for you.
What happens if I miss my appointment?
If possible, please email writing.center@gcsu.edu to let us know you can’t make your appointment so another student can sign up for that slot. If you can’t notify us in advance, your tutor will be available for 15 minutes before marking the appointment as a No Show. You can reschedule via WCOnline. Note: If campus closes for any reason (holiday closure, dangerous weather, etc.), this means that the Writing Center is also closed, and all appointments will be rescheduled.
Can I use the writing center if I’m a graduate student?
Yes! We work with students at all levels. Click here to for more information pertaining to graduate students looking to use the Writing Center.
What can I expect at an appointment?
Each tutor is trained to help students with writing at all stages of the process, from brainstorming to drafting to polishing. You do not need to prepare anything for your appointment, though it is helpful to bring your assignment sheet. Depending on your priorities for the session, the tutor may talk through the writing process, do exercises such as free-writing, or discuss resources that they think may be helpful. That being said there are slightly different processes for facilitating the different appointment types:
In-person (A&S 256):
These meetings occur in the GCSU Writing Center located in Arts and Sciences. Students should arrive by their scheduled meeting time prepared with something to discuss, whether it be a draft of the paper or ideas regarding the assignment. Once you enter the Center, check in with the desk assistant, located to the left as you walk in (if one is present). If there is not a desk assistant, let the first person you see know that you are there for an appointment and give the name of your tutor. You will either be directed to your tutor or will be asked to sit in our seating area until your tutor arrives or wraps up a previous session. Once your session is over, you will receive an email detailing the overarching points of the session as well as useful resources. Along with this, if the session is mandatory for an assignment, the tutor will send a record of your visit to your professor, provided you note that you want the professor notified on WCOnline or during your session and provide the professor's name/email.
Virtual (Microsoft Teams):
This is similar to an in-person session in that the student will be talking to the tutor directly via Teams rather than in the Center. An email from either a desk assistant or the tutor you have scheduled with will be sent sometime before the meeting session containing the link to the meeting room. You should log in to the meeting room by the scheduled start time, and contact your tutor directly if you are having technical difficulties. Since the meeting is virtual, issues with internet connectivity which disallow email communication and access to the meeting room may result in the appointment being marked as a no-show. The tutor will work with you in the meeting room in the same way they would in person, using the share screen function to look at your draft or brainstorm with you synchronously.
Asynchronous (feedback via email):
This type of meeting requires no face-to-face meeting, so please only makes these appointments for papers which are complete or almost complete. You should attach a copy of your draft, assignment guidelines, and rubric to WCOnline or email them to your tutor at least three hours before the session. We will accept drafts sent in later, as long as they are provided before the start of the scheduled meeting time. If you have not sent in a draft fifteen minutes after the appointment start time, you will be marked a no-show. The tutor will look at your paper and leave comments on it to help polish your work, and will send those comments to you via email alongside a memo.
Note: All appointments have a page limit of ten per appointment slot. If you bring in a longer paper, we cannot guarantee that the entire draft will be read before the end of the session. If you want to have a longer pieced looked over in complete, you may schedule two or more appointments back-to-back, as long as you do not reach the appointment limit.
Can I work with the same writing assistant each time I come to the writing center?
Yes, you may sign up for appointments with the same or different tutors. You can make appointments in advance through WCOnline.
Do I have to pay to use the writing center?
No. This service is available at no charge to all Georgia College students.
What if I just need grammatical help or have a quick question?
All students must make an appointment to talk through their questions with a tutor. We recommend making an appointment even if you have a quick question because you may find other questions come up. You may also refer to the Writing Resources page to see if the answer to your question is available in one of our handouts.
What if no appointments are available?
Email writing.center@gcsu.edu to ask to be added to a waitlist.
Is the writing center just for English majors?
No. We work with all students in all disciplines.
Resources
See the various resources we have for campus.