NYU Steinhardt Writing Center

Mission

The mission of the NYU Steinhardt Writing Center (SWC) is to provide holistic writing support for Steinhardt students at any stage of the writing process, including brainstorming and overcoming writer’s block, outlining, drafting, revising, and even converting a paper to a presentation.

The Center is a judgement- and stigma-free space where students can try out ideas and think seriously about how to best articulate them. Individual consultations with a writing consultant are conversations where students learn about their own thinking and writing process, and this requires the student’s active engagement.

The Center offers one-on-one sessions as well as regular workshops throughout the semester to help students organize and clarify their ideas, revise and edit their own work, and write with confidence and style.

While our writing consultants are trained in content areas related to NYU Steinhardt’s wide-range of programs, students should familiarize themselves with the conventions of their specific discipline and assignment and come prepared to discuss the goals of their paper or assignment.

Ultimately, the goal is for students to learn strategies to self-evaluate which they can confidently apply to any piece of writing.

Individual sessions are held online via Zoom.

What we do:

• We focus primarily on “big picture” issues that are the most fundamental to writing: concept and content. This means that we prioritize a student’s thesis statement or main idea, their sub-claims and how they are supported by evidence (whether quantitative or qualitative), the overall structure and organization of the paper, and the clarity and significance of all claims, subclaims, and evidence. Through conversation with an expert writing consultant, the student is able to clarify their ideas, expand on them where needed, and make them explicit and clear.
• We do deal with mechanical details such as grammar, punctuation, and citation styles, but only after the bigger picture issues mentioned above are addressed.
• We understand that writing can be personal, and we always respect students as thinkers, writers, and people with unique perspectives and challenges.
• Writing consultations are private.

What we don't do:

• We are not a student service, but a resource. This means that we do not edit students’ papers or simply provide feedback. Our writing consultations require students to invest time, thought, and energy into the conversation. Thus, students need to come prepared to be actively involved in conceptualizing their papers and be open to re-thinking their ideas.
• We do not judge our students or their ideas, but we do engage them to think critically.
• We do not work with students on their take-home exams, unless the professor has granted written permission.
• We are not a tutoring center or a language center, though we do work with multilingual and international students.
• We do not predict what grade a paper will receive.
• We do not report back to students’ professors about their visits to the writing center.
• We do not allow faculty to require that specific students attend the writing center, although instructors are welcome to encourage all of their students to make an appointment.

Program Rules (Read Carefully)

• Students need to submit their papers to the writing consultant at least 24 hours prior to their appointment if they want their paper read in advance.
• Students are welcome to book an appointment even if they do not have a draft to share or are struggling with getting started on a writing project.
• For papers over 15 pages (double-spaced), please make two or more appointments.
• Students must arrive on time for their appointment. The slot will be given up if you do not arrive within 10 mins.
• Please be sure to always include your name and page numbers on your paper.
• Please allow 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel your appointment.
• Students are encouraged to make multiple appointments and may make up to four per month.

How to Make An Appointment

To make an appointment for a writing consultation, be sure to fully read the program rules (see above). Students who do not follow the guidelines may be turned away.

After you have read the rules, you may make an appointment through the Center’s scheduling platform MyWCOnline. You will first be required to sign up for an account.

Appointments are held on Zoom. Once you submit your paper, your writing consultant will send you a Zoom invite for your appointment.