Table of Contents
iSchool Writing Resources? What’s that?
Where are you located?
Who can make an appointment with a writing consultant?
How do I make an appointment with a writing consultant?
How much time do I get with a consultant?
How many appointments can I make?
What should I bring to my in-person appointment?
Will you line edit my paper for me?
Can you pre-grade my assignment? What grade will I get?
Help! I’m going to be late for my appointment or I have to cancel last-minute!
If you can’t find your question here, please email one of our consultants.
iSchool Writing Resources? What’s that?
We’re the in-house writing support team for students at the iSchool at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We’re here to help you with your writing and help you feel more comfortable and confident in your skills. You can learn more on our About Us page.
Where are you located?
The iSchool Writing Resources team does not have a physical home in the iSchool. Appointments are held via Zoom, at a timeslot convenient for you and the consultant. This semester, we’re holding appointments only on Zoom. So, basically, we’re everywhere and nowhere all at once.
Who can make an appointment with a writing consultant?
Any student currently enrolled in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is welcome to make an appointment with a writing consultant. We welcome both on-campus and online students.
How do I make an appointment with a writing consultant?
From the iSchool Writing Resources Website:
- Click on Make an Appointment
- Review the specialties of each writing consultant to determine if one of them specializes in the area you’d like help with
- Click the “Make an Appointment” link located below the name of the consultant you’d like to meet with
- You can also go directly to our scheduling page if you already know who you’d like to meet with
Email:
- If you need to meet with a consultant but can’t find an available time that works for you, feel free to email us!
- We can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to accommodate you, but we’ll try our hardest to make it work.
How much time do I get with a consultant?
Each appointment is scheduled to last 30 minutes. If you schedule an appointment, so as long as you arrive and leave on time, those 30 minutes are all yours.
How many appointments can I make?
We currently have no limits on the number of appointments you can schedule. However, this doesn’t mean you should schedule as many appointments as you can fit into a day. Think about how to use your time with a consultant effectively and consider how much you’ll actually get out of a session. Give yourself time to think about the feedback you received and synthesize it before coming in for another appointment. With that in mind, please feel free to utilize the iSchool Writing Resources as much as you need to! We’re here to help.
What should I bring to my in-person appointment?
Please bring:
- A copy of the instructions for the assignment*
- A copy of whatever work you’ve already completed*
- Some sort of writing utensil and paper or your laptop so you can take notes or make changes
- An open mind
- Yeah, it’s cheesy, but it’s also really important. Writing consultants are not here to judge or evaluate you. We’re here to help, and sometimes it’s not fun getting feedback, constructive and well-intended as it may be. Our goal here is to help you with your writing and make you feel more comfortable and confident in your skills. We’ll do everything in our power to make your session an effective one, but cooperation is a two-way street, so come prepared to listen to feedback.
*If you scheduled your appointment in advance and already uploaded your work, these don’t need to be a printed copy. Otherwise, please have a physical copy for your consultant to work off of or a Google Docs link ready to go. These appointments aren’t very long, and we don’t want to waste valuable time trying to email the assignment and waiting for it to go through.
Will you line edit my paper for me?
Writing consultants are happy to help you with grammar, spelling, syntax, citations, or whatever it is you need help with, but we cannot line edit, proofread, or copy-edit your paper. Our goal is to help you develop your writing skills so that you can complete this step of the writing process on your own.
We are, however, more than happy to read a portion of your draft and identify areas for you to focus on in your revision process (e.g., missing commas, sentence fragments, etc.)
Can you pre-grade my assignment? What grade will I get?
Writing consultants do not assess your assignments in terms of grades. That is the job of your instructor. We just help you make sure you feel confident in your work and help you improve your writing.
Help! I’m going to be late for my appointment or I have to cancel last-minute!
Take a breath. It’s okay. Life happens, and sometimes things get in the way. We can figure this out.
If you know in advance that you’re going to be late, please email the consultant you’re meeting with and let them know. They may be able to accommodate you. If it’s not feasible for you to meet at that time, they can help you reschedule your appointment.
If you have to cancel last minute, you can always cancel the appointment from your end. If you’re not able to access it or are having trouble, please email your consultant. While the situation might not be ideal, we get that you’ve got other obligations and sometimes you can’t control them. We can cancel the appointment from our end, and hopefully, you’ll be able to reschedule for a time that works better for you. Your consultant can help you with this if you need it, but please use the scheduling system when possible.