Introduction to Tutoring
The Writing Center offers one-on-one help to Yale College students working on any writing project: senior essays, course papers, graduate school and fellowship applications, or anything intended for publication. Although our tutors all work with writing on any topic, there are some differences in their experience and approaches.
Residential College Writing Tutors, also known as Bass Writing Tutors, work in the residential colleges—you’ve probably met your college’s tutor during the freshman dinner or fireside chats with the Master or Dean. Residential College Tutors are our most experienced tutors. Many of them are professional writers, most of them have taught writing courses at Yale or other colleges, and all of them have worked with Yale students for many years. Because of this experience, Tutors are familiar with many of the expectations in Yale courses and have helped students from every department with junior and senior essays, as well as with hundreds of papers from freshman and sophomore courses. Another benefit of the Residential College program is that you can develop a long-term relationship with the tutor in your college, learning how to work well together over several years. Click here for more information on making an appointment. Each Residential College Tutor may have slightly different practices about preparing for appointments, but many of them will read a draft of your paper before the meeting, a service not available from the student Writing Partners described below.
Writing Partners are Yale College or graduate school students selected for both their writing skills and their ability to talk about writing. Writing partners don’t have as much experience writing or teaching as Residential College Writing Tutors, but they do have a student’s-eye view of the challenges you’ll face in writing papers. Writing partners do not read papers before the appointment, so they will often focus on the beginning of your text or other short sections that you know need help. Still, since many writing problems show up in the first two pages of a paper, this kind of tutoring can be very effective. The Writing Center offers drop-in service five nights a week, which may be helpful if you face an immediate deadline. Click here for more information about seeing a writing partner.
