Prescott College Writing Center

Writing coaches offer expert advice and feedback on: essays, reports, resumes, research papers, first and third person narratives, senior project applications, proposals, speeches, thesis-writing, literature reviews, presentations--anything expository that has to meet professional or academic standards. Writing coaches do not proofread, copy-edit, write, correct, format, or rewrite papers. Instead, they help students:

• Understand the writing expectations of their program 
• Become more aware of their writing process 
• Write for a specific audience and purpose
• Improve their decision-making process as they revise and edit
• Transfer what they learn to the next writing task

On-campus undergraduate students can make an appointment at the Writing Center. In-person appointments are held at the Writing Center's office which is located in the Library. For off-campus and graduate students, e-mail the writing center for an appointment.

We work with undergraduate and advanced degree students at all levels, in any subject. Some students request regular writing conferences throughout a semester; others drop by once or twice a term. We see dozens of students each semester and spring semester is our busiest time.

If you can attend an in-person writing conference, be sure to plan a couple days in advance for a meeting and at least a day after the meeting to allow for revisions. We do not correct papers minutes before they are due, so you may be turned away if there is not time for you to make revisions based on our feedback. If you are a limited-residency student, we promise to acknowledge your request for feedback within 48 hours, weekends excluded. It is best to allow at least a week for detailed feedback on a draft; the longer the paper, the longer it takes for us to reply. By planning ahead for several revision cycles and sending us clear subparts of your draft as you write them, you can control the timing and quality of your revisions with our help.

Please bring a copy of the assignment sheet from your instructor and any texts or materials you are using to write the paper. Bring any writing you have done so far, including any pre-writing, such as an outline. We can teach you the most if you make an appointment early in your writing process, sometimes even before you start the paper. If you don’t yet have a draft, it is especially important if you bring the typed instructions you were given for the assignment so we can help you plan a relevant paper. If you bring a draft, please note that we cannot print your paper for you; have a hard copy ready to use as we talk.

It depends. If your instructor referred you to the Writing Center, s/he may ask you to let her/him know that you did meet with a writing coach. Most instructors appreciate students who take the time to visit the Writing Center because it shows the student is committed to her work. However, we don’t routinely notify instructors that their students have used the Writing Center. During a session, you will take notes and make a plan for revisions (this helps you remember what we talked about). You may show this plan to your instructor with your revised draft as a demonstration of your learning.

We can help you understand an assignment, brainstorm, organize and generate ideas, unpack the writing process, organize research, and of course, collaborate on strategies to strengthen your writing. We also help you with grammar, punctuation, and documentation styles but we work together so you’ll learn how to revise and edit your own work with time.