FAQ

Writing Center sessions are 45 minutes long and begin at the top of the hour (X:00). Tutors use the 15 minutes between sessions to write session notes, prepare for their next appointment, and attend to personal needs. 

If you don't need the full 45 minutes, you may end the session early. If you are working on a lengthy project and need more than 45 minutes, you may book two appointments back-to-back (depending on availability), but it is recommended that you and your tutor have a short break at some point in your scheduled time together. 

All writing tutoring sessions are 1-on-1 between a student and peer tutor; you will receive personalized attention and advice. If you are working on a collaborative writing project, all members of your group should come to the tutoring session. 

You can view the Writing Center's tutoring availability and schedule your sessions with WCONLINE. Go to myLMU and click the "Writing & Course Tutoring" link. If it's your first time logging in, register an account. Then you'll see the schedule. Click the white, available space that works for you, fill in the appointment information, and save the appointment. Your saved appointments will appear yellow in the schedule. 

If you need assistance, please call the ARC at 310.338.2847 or stop by Daum Hall, 2nd floor, to talk with the receptionist.

You may schedule up to three 45-minute sessions each week. We believe all writers benefit from setting aside time to talk with someone else about their writing. Simultaneously, an important goal of peer tutoring in the Writing Center is to help students become more confident, independent writers. If you believe you need additional support, contact our office at tutoring@lmu.edu. 

You and your tutor will meet one another, and then your tutor will ask you about your writing project and your concerns. Depending on where you are in the drafting process, you'll work on generating ideas, or your tutor may ask you to read your paper aloud. Next, the two of you will discuss your paper, and your tutor will then address your concerns, talk through possibilities for the project, and offer suggestions. If your paper is in its early stages, you might find yourselves working on its thesis, organization, development, or a variety of other issues. If it's in its final revision, sentence-level concerns, such as style or grammar, can be addressed. At the end of the session, your tutor will encourage you to come back if you feel the paper needs more work or if you want to bring in the next draft. We hope you make the ARC a regular part of your writing process for all your projects.

You decide. We believe it would be worthwhile to have a full tutoring session. You can discuss research and documentation along with other concerns during your meeting. We also know you're busy.  That's why we offer the Writing LibGuide resource, which may help you answer your questions without a tutoring session.  If you need some quick information on thesis statements or APA formatting, for example, we've got you covered.

You might also want to consider booking a research consultation with a Reference Librarian in Hannon Library. 

In a nutshell–no, proofreading papers isn't our main gig. BUT, we are happy to work with you to teach you strategies for identifying and intervening in your patterns of error in writing. The tutor may ask you to read your paper aloud, and they can point out frequent grammatical, mechanical, and stylistic issues, as well as explain methods for revising. The tutor will ask you to practice applying what you learned as you continue moving through the paper. If your paper is long, there probably won't be enough time to work through all of it in a single session. The emphasis at the ARC is on teaching you strategies to become a better writer. If you come a few days before the paper is due, we can better work our magic.

Writing tutors are graduate and undergraduate students at LMU who have a record of academic success and have demonstrated an affinity for working with others. Additionally, tutors participate in a program of ongoing tutor development that covers topics such as theories of writing and teaching writing, intercultural communications, language diversity, and writing and new media.