Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you located?
We’re on the fourth floor of Holmes Hall, room 412. Holmes Hall is attached to Lake, Nightingale, and Meserve Halls, and our closest entrance is off of Leon Street.
Who can use the Writing Center?
We’re open to anyone from the Northeastern University community! We work with undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines, speakers of other languages as well as native speakers of English, and weak, average, and strong writers. We also offer classroom visits, and can arrange staff development workshops.
How do I make an appointment?
You can make an appointment by registering an account with our schedule service, then log onto the current schedule and choose an hour that is most convenient for you.
How do I get into contact with the Writing Center?
Visit out website at http://www.northeastern.edu/writing/writing-center/, email us at neuwritingcenter@gmail.com, or call 617-373-4549.
When are you open?
Our hours vary from semester to semester, but we’re usually open Monday through Friday from 10 am to as late as 8 pm. Visit our website <http://www.northeastern.edu/writing/writing-center/> for details. We are also open during summer I and II on a more limited basis.
What services do you offer?
We offer in-person consulting at the Writing Center, real-time mobile consulting, and email submission consulting, which runs only on business days and has a 48-hour turnaround.
What should I do if I need help fast?
Our new mobile consulting option allows students to make appointments for virtual consulting. You can also try to drop-in at our Holmes Hall location though priority goes to those who have made appointments in advance.
Who works at the Writing Center?
The Writing Center is staffed by Northeastern University writing instructors, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Our graduate-student consultants are studying composition theory, literature, and technical/professional writing, while our undergraduates are from various majors, such as English, psychology, film studies, and behavioral neuroscience.
What do you do at the Writing Center?
Simply put, we teach writing. What that looks like will vary from session to session. Students attend the writing center at all stages in the writing process from brainstorming and outlining, to draft revision and final submission. Sometimes students come in without an assignment simply to work on their sentence structure and usage. Overall, we offer free professional support for all of your writing endeavors.
What should I bring to my Writing Center session?
If you are working on a paper for a course, bring in the assignment sheet as well as any texts you are working with. You should also bring in a rough draft, an outline, some notes, or simply some ideas about the paper you are writing. Laptops, iPads and other electronics are also welcome. We also have two iPads in our center that you can use during your session.
Will you proofread my paper at the Writing Center?
Unfortunately we won’t. Instead of having us edit your writing, our tutors work with you to improve your editing and proofreading skills, as well as your grasp of the fundamentals of the English language. This can be a time-consuming process, so be sure to make appointments well in advance of due dates.
Will you work with resumes, cover letters, and application essays?
Yes, we will. Each consultant has had extensive experience with these sorts of tasks. The Writing Center can’t promise you that you’ll get that job, but we can promise that your résumé will strongly convey your best qualities and qualifications.
Do you have handouts that I can use for help?
In keeping with the University’s initiative to “go green” we have digitized many of our resources. Visit our website, which has a resources page that offers grammar and citation resources.