For help with writing, visit the WRC today in the R.P. Bell Library
During my years working at Mt.A, it has been a privilege to help hundreds of students from a myriad of disciplines. I am constantly blown away by the wit, resourcefulness, and intelligence on display, and the goal of the Writing Resource Centre is to help you communicate the fruits of your hard work and research through effective academic writing. It is tremendously rewarding to see students build their writing skills over their time at Mt.A, and it is our hope that you will allow us to help you do the same.
Our primary service is one-hour, one-on-one tutoring appointments in the Academic Help Support Hub (Room M16 in the R.P. Bell Library). Students generally bring in an assignment, sit down with one of our tutors, and have a focused discussion on the strengths and challenges presented in their writing. However, if you do not have anything written yet, that is okay too! Our tutors can help you with prewriting exercises, as well as provide tips on thesis generation or choosing a topic. Sometimes just having a back-and-forth with someone is enough to get you started, so do not hesitate to come see us, no matter what you have written – or not written – already.
The process of academic writing can be discouraging at times, particularly if it is not a discipline you were exposed to before coming to Mt.A. It is a craft often learned at the same time as the course content it is meant to articulate, but you need not try and tackle it alone. We recognize that academic writing is not always intuitive: it is not the way we speak to each other or write texts or emails, and it is often not taught (or only cursorily taught) in secondary school. Additionally, with the numerous prewriting, editing, and revising techniques out there, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Anyone can be an effective academic writer if they find the right approach, and our tutors can help you figure out what works best for you.
Visiting the Writing Centre as early as possible in your academic career can pay off exponentially; you can identify and avoid recurring issues, as well as learn how to build on your existing strengths as a writer. Appointments can be made through Moodle as early as 9 a.m. the day before and can be cancelled at any point prior to your appointment. Walk-in appointments are allowed, but we recommend booking an appointment to ensure a tutor will be available. Online consultations are also possible for students unable to come in person; however, availability is much more limited, as our primary focus is in-person appointments.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by email with any questions you may have, book a consultation online, or access the academic writing resources on our Moodle page.
James Harvey (he/him) is the Writing Centre and Peer Tutor Coordinator. He can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].