- Due to COVID-19, we are only offering online appointments for the Spring 21 semester.
Appointment Booking Policies
You can book a writing appointment at the UWC to work on any piece of writing that you are the author of at any stage in the writing process. For more information about how to prepare for your writing appointment, please read the FAQs at the bottom of this page.
Before booking an appointment, please review the following policies.
Undergraduate and graduate students can schedule:
- One 45-minute consultation per day
- Exceptions to this policy are available as accommodations for students with disabilities (see below in the FAQs).
- Up to 5 appointments per consultant per semester
Our policy prevents us from seeing students with projects due in less than two hours. We want there to be enough time to go through your paper in a relaxed, beneficial way.
If you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, your appointment will be automatically canceled.
Additional limits:
- Undergrads can have up to 15 appointments per semester.
- Undergrads may have up to 3 appointments for a particular assignment.
- Grads may have up to 4 appointments per month.
Group work policies:
You are welcome to come to the UWC with a group writing assignment. However, all authors must be present to work on each section. If you divided up the work for the project and each wrote independently, you can come in alone and work on only your section. If the entire paper was written collaboratively, all the writers need to be there to work on any part of the paper. Only one group member needs to book the actual appointment, but all need to attend.
Online Consultations Only
All appointments will be conducted through Google Hangouts Meet. In order to use Google Hangouts Meet, you need to use a Gmail account. All UT students have access to a free utexas Gmail account through UTmail. If you haven’t already activated your account, you can create your account here.
You are welcome to meet with your consultant using your desktop, laptop, or smart phone. If you plan to use a smart phone, you’ll need to download the free Google Hangouts Meet app.
You will still book your appointments the same way using the link at the end of this page. When booking the appointment, the location will be “UWC Online appointment through Google Meet.”
We will send you instructions via email 10-15 minutes before your appointment about how to connect with your consultant.
If you have any questions, please chat with us. Alternatively, you can email us at uwcfrontdesk@utexas.edu or call (512) 471-6222 and leave a message.
FAQs
How can the UWC help me?
Our mission is to help UT Austin students become more proficient, more versatile, and more confident in their writing abilities
The UWC can assist you at any point in the writing process, from brainstorming to final revisions. We can work with any kind of writing, including personal statements and other non-course related projects.
We use a non-directive, non-evaluative approach to writing consulting. This means we focus on having a conversation about your work and your writing goals. We do not edit, proofread, or rewrite papers.
What should I bring to my appointment?
Please bring your prompt and any work that you have on you writing project. We do not need a paper copy of your writing.
You may bring your own computer or use a Mac at the UWC.
What happens if I am late or miss an appointment?
If you are more than 10 minutes late, we will not be able to start your appointment and it will be considered a no show. However, in many cases we will be able to book you for another appointment later in the day if you are late to your original appointment. If you no show 5 appointments in the same semester, you will need to speak with our admin team before booking future appointments.
Is the UWC accessible? What kinds of accommodations do you offer?
Yes, our goal is to help students grow as writers. We want to be supportive of all writers. For more information on our accommodations, visit our Accessibility page.
Do you work with UT Extension or OnRamps students?
Not at this time.
I am in an Option 3 grad program. Can I use the UWC?
We can work with Option 3 students if their programs have set up a payment agreement with us. If you wish to use our services, please contact your Option 3 program director, who can reach out to us.
Want to meet with a specialist?
We offer various specialties through our online booking system. For both undergrads and grads, we offer Spanish writing consultations. For undergrads, we also offer health professions application essay consultations and consultations for specific engineering classes. Choose one of these appointment types when booking in order to see our specialists in each area.
If you would like to schedule an appointment with a consultant specializing in a specific genre or discipline not listed on our appointment booking system, chat with us or call us at 512-471-6222. Although our staff changes from semester to semester, we typically have specialists in APA, Business Writing, Journalism, Law, Science Writing, Technical Writing, Creative Writing, and other areas.