The Writing Center

One-on-One Consultations

We aren’t a proofreading or editing service; rather, we want to work with you so that you can grow as a writer. When you work with one of our tutors, expect to engage in a rigorous conversation about your ideas and your writing. While our tutors hope that you conclude the session with a better piece of writing, they are more concerned that you are growing as a writer.

Walk-In Sessions

Students are invited to join us in the Writing Center Office for a personal discussion of your assignment. Experience real-time feedback on your writing and learn tools that will help you grow as a writer. No appointments are necessary! Just come on in during our office hours. Check back on this website to get the most up-to-date information about when we are open and ready to assist you!

We are located on the first floor of the White Library, just to the left of the main stairs.

Because of the kind of rigorous conversations we want to have concerning your ideas and writing, please allow yourself at least 30 minutes before we close to come in for your session.

Also, you will want time after your appointment to keep working on your paper before you turn it in. So come in at least one or two days before your assignment is due to talk about it!

Online Consultations

We also offer online consultations. This service is primarily for online or graduate students for whom it is not practical to come for an in-person session. You can simply email your essay or writing project as a Word Document to sauwritingcenter@arbor.edu. We do not accept other file types, such as pdf. Feel free to also email us with general questions. Just like with an in-person session, we want to offer assistance at any stage in the writing process.

In the body of your email, include a brief summary of your assignment and any questions or concerns you have. We will do our best to reply within two business days, and we will return your document with comments that will suggest ways to strengthen your argument, clarify confusing sections, and identify and correct repeated errors. If needed, you can follow up with your tutor through a virtual session.

Looking to Make an Appointment?

We are no longer offering appointments through our website. We encourage Main Campus students to walk in during our open hours, and Global students are encouraged to email us at the address listed above for an Online Consultation. Please email us if you have any questions.

Important Policy Information

• We can only look at 8-10 pages at a time, per session. We have limited tutors and limited time, so in order to allow all SAU students fair and equal time with our tutors, we introduced this policy. We thank you for your understanding.
• Your access to the writing center is FREE! However, there are a few limits. The above policy is 8-10 pages per session, and we ask that you come in for 1 in-person session per day unless otherwise specified or arranged with one of our staff.
• If you are emailing us, you are welcome to do so whenever, but our tutors will likely divide the work amongst each other so you may not be working with the exact same tutor each time you email us. If you would like to request a tutor, you may do so by addressing the email to that specific tutor.
• You can request a specific tutor if you would like to do so! For in-person sessions, you can come in and choose a tutor that is currently available or ask when your preferred tutor will be available next. Emails may be addressed to your preferred tutor and they will be notified of your request within the 48-hour grace period.
• We need to be able to help you prior to the due date of your assignment. This is best done with a 48-hour notice. Please come to us with time to review AND revise your assignment. This also means that emails, although sometimes are responded to quickly, may need at least 48-hours to read and review your assignment.
• We only look at Word documents! We cannot make comments on pdfs or Google Docs with the software that SAU uses, so please email us with a Word docx for proper feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions