My Writing Resource Center Experience

by Amy Kidder, Belk College Peer Advisor

I had the opportunity to visit the Writing Resource Center (WRC) recently to review a paper I had for class. Here’s what my experience was like:

How do you schedule an appointment with the WRC?

On the main UNC Charlotte website you can find information about the Writing Resource Center and how to schedule an appointment. During this Spring 2021 semester, all of their appointments are virtual through Zoom.

To schedule any type of appointment you have to make an account on the WRC website. It only takes a couple of minutes. 

There are two types of appointments: eTutoring and Video Conferencing. 

For the eTutoring appointments, you need to upload your paper and you will get an email notification when someone has responded to your paper. This can be helpful if you don’t have much free time in your schedule. It allows you to see written feedback on your work and make the changes on your own time.

For a Video Conferencing appointment, you need to select a date and time for your face-to-face virtual meeting. This can be beneficial if you have a lot of questions and enjoy being able to have a more detailed conversation about your paper.

For each appointment it asks you a series of questions about what you are looking to get out of your tutoring session and what you need help with. It asks for a due date and what class the assignment is for.

You will get an email confirmation about the appointment with the link to join the session on the day of your appointment.

What was the Live Video Conferencing appointment like?

I signed up for a 45 minute appointment and when I joined the main Zoom room I was put in a breakout room with my tutor, Andrew. I had asked for help to review a paper before I submitted it to make sure it flowed well and there were no spelling or grammatical errors. 

I shared my screen with my paper and Andrew and I read through it together. He pointed out anything that he had a question about or that could be changed.

Andrew was very helpful and honest about my paper. He even let me ask a few questions about his experience working at the WRC.

Here are some of the questions I asked:

• Why did you want to work at the WRC? Andrew majored in creative writing and loves helping people. He thought this would be a way he could combine these passions.

• What are some of the most common questions you get asked by students? Most students want help revising their paper and figuring out the various rules for citations.

• What types of papers do you review the most? A huge variety: Graduate School application letters, dissertations, and general essays from students from all majors.

• What is something that students might not know about the WRC? The WRC is also working on creating workshops for students about different topics like citation styles, thesis statements, and even help with presentations.

• What are some tips you have for students? Read your paper out loud to see if it makes sense. Even if you are a strong writer, it is always helpful to have another set of eyes read over your paper.

• 
  

Overall, I had a great experience at my virtual appointment at the WRC. It made me feel a lot more prepared and confident to submit my assignment. I will be sure to use their resources again the next time I have a paper to write. Here are a few more takeaways I had:

TIPS:

• It is helpful to the tutor if you can upload the rubric or specific assignment instructions from your professor along with your paper.

• You can sign up for two 45 minute sessions in a week. Try visiting multiple tutors to get different perspectives on your paper.

SOMETHINGS I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE WRC:

• You can use the WRC to help with group project papers.

• The WRC can help you prepare for a presentation.

• The WRC can be especially helpful for students whose native language is not English.