What to Expect in an Undergraduate Consultation

Whether in person or online, Undergraduate Writing Consultants strive to uphold the Writing Hub's Core Principles and Practices. All undergraduate consultation appointments are 45 minutes. Undergraduate students can make 2 appointments per day (just not back-to-back) and up to 3 appointments per week.

What to Expect in an Online Consultation

Our appointment system - MyWCOnline - allows for synchronous online conversations about writing, including "live" conversation through video or text-based chat as well as real-time document sharing.

In an Online appointment, you can expect your consulant to talk with you about your concerns with your writing project and to provide observations and actionable feedback for moving forward.

You can expect:

Help with every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to final draft.
Supportive, in-depth conversation about your ideas and your writing process.
Friendly talk about your concerns/challenges with this project. The writing consultant will do their best to address your specific concerns as well as other things they see in your writing.
Insights into bigger writing contexts, meaning the consultant will work with you to uncover the bigger picture behind their suggestions and questions. Even if the consultant is unfamiliar with your particular course/assignment, they will use whatever prompts and course materials that are available to help you put your writing in context.
Student-led brainstorming. Your consultant will ask you supportive questions to help develop your own ideas and get you thinking deeper about course material.
Mutual problem-solving. If something is unclear in your writing, the consultant will talk with you about your thinking and bring those insights back to your draft. Together, you and the consultant will problem-solve to figure out what to do next.
Development of sentence-level clarity. Because we believe that you are the owner of your own work, a consultant will not write directly on or in your paper. While we cannot directly edit your writing, the consultant will help you develop strategies for making sentence-level revisions for better clarity.
Situationally-appropriate feedback and suggestions. Consultants will try to take into account the due date, assignment requirements, and other important factors when they give you feedback.

What Kind of Consultation Should I Choose?

The best consultation format for you will depend on where you are in the writing process, the kinds of priorities you have for your consultation appointments, and your ability to access the online appointment interface.

We recommend:

Book an online synchronous appointment if:
You are in the early stages of working on your project and/or organizing your ideas.
You want to talk with someone directly about your writing.
You are feeling unsure about your overall direction/approach to an assignment.
You want to work through a particular section of your writing in-depth.
You have follow-up questions after watching asynchronous screencast video.
You want to see a friendly face!

**What You Shouldn't Expect from a Consultation:**

Proofreading or editing: the consultant wants to engage you in your own work through conversation. So while they won't proofread or edit your writing, they will help you develop strategies for making sentence-level revisions for better clarity.
The consultant to sign a form or give you proof: after every appointment, your consultant will send you an email with a session summary form that you can use to send to your instructor or TA.