Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about Wheaton Peer Writing Tutors
Fall 2022

What do writing tutors do?

Peer writing tutors work with you at any stage in the writing process, from brainstorming to revision, and any stage in between.

What don’t writing tutors do?

We don’t edit or proofread for you, but we can teach you strategies for proofreading your own writing. Our goals are to help you develop your writing process as a whole. We don’t tutor outside of our scheduled hours, and we don’t work on resumés (but the Filene Center does).

What happens during a tutoring session?

It depends! The average session is usually around 30 minutes and seldom lasts for more than an hour, but this can vary based on what stage of the writing process you are in and what type of assignment you are working on. Our sessions can be thought of as conversations; we want to talk with you to help you develop your ideas.

We can also help you to sharpen your thesis statement (if your essay needs one); to organize the ideas with the essay; to order the sentences within a paragraph and to check for topic sentences. We can discuss formal elements such as transitional ideas; tone and citation of sources. We’ll identify places where the writing is going well and places where we think it could be improved. If you ask us a question about grammar that we can’t answer, we can look it up with you.

We will start by looking at the assignment and then go where you need to from there. We’ll ask you what you think of the writing and which areas you’d like to work on, too.

What qualifications do writing tutors have?

We have been recommended for and completed EDU 220, which focuses on the theory and practices of peer tutoring.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You don’t! Writing tutoring takes place on a walk-in basis during our scheduled hours.

Where and when does tutoring take place?

Tutoring takes place in the Scholar’s Lab of Wallace Library, just to the left of the front entrance. Tutoring hours are from 4-10pm Sunday through Thursday.

What kind of work can I bring in?

You can bring any paper from any course, grant applications, creative works, or any other writing you would like help with.

I’ve heard that sometimes tutors will ask writers to read their papers out loud. Am I required to do this?

No, you are not required to read your paper aloud. We encourage this process because we have found that hearing your writing helps you catch mistakes that you might not otherwise; however, we want you to feel comfortable! If you do not want to read your paper aloud, we are happy to read it for you.