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HWC writing consultants can assist you with just about any project. Here’s a list of the kinds of writing we regularly see:

• Papers, reports, and group projects for any course, in any department
• Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and other “creative” forms of writing (we believe all writing is “creative,” for the record)
• Honors theses, Miami Plan capstone projects, master’s theses, and dissertations
• PowerPoint presentations, websites, digital movies, and other non-print projects (restore when live appointments are back)
• Cover letters, personal statements, and applications for fellowships and employment
• Personal and professional writing projects outside of class assignments

We are happy to look at any and all career-focused documents, but we also recommend the Center for Career Exploration for specific advice on resumes.

You can only upload doc or docx files into WCOnline. Docs must be 5MB or smaller.

If you are working with a file in some other format, like PDF or Google Docs, you will need to convert to doc or docx. Typically this function will be in the “File” dropdown of the program. In Adobe Acrobat, for example, you can convert a PDF to a doc by going to File -> Export To and choosing “Microsoft Word.” On Google Drive, you can download your Google doc as a Word doc by going to File -> Download and choosing Microsoft Word (docx.)

If, after converting to doc or docx, your file exceeds 5 MB, then you will have to find ways of shrinking the file size. This is only likely to happen if your document contains many charts and/or images. Try lowering the resolution of images in the document by going to File ->Reduce File Size. Then change the picture quality to Email (96 ppi).

Here's the kind of information the Appointment Form will ask you to provide. The more we know about your assignment, your writing goals, and your concerns, the more helpful we can be.

• We ask that you describe your writing task or assignment in detail. What genre (or kind) of writing is this? What is the purpose of this piece of writing? And who is your intended audience? Related to these questions, you are welcome to upload assignment prompts, rubrics, or other relevant information.
• We ask you to tell us where you are in your process. Is this a first draft or a revision? Also, is the draft complete or partial?
• We ask you to choose the areas of concern that you’d like the consultant to attend to. We have provided a checklist of feedback types to guide your thinking.
• Please consider that consultants can spend only 45 minutes reading and responding to your draft, so you should limit yourself to no more than 2-3 areas of concern. If your draft is particularly long, please note the specific sections of your draft on which you’d like the consultant to focus.
• We ask you to consider including a few questions, comments, or highlights in the draft you are uploading. The consultant reading this draft can then respond even more directly to your concerns.
• While you are welcome to submit drafts with a few marginal comments of your own, please do not submit a draft with too many comments. Our platform makes all comments on a draft anonymous, so you might not be able to tell which comments are your own and which are from your consultant.
• We ask you to tell us about any learning or technology accommodations or needs.

Watch graduate consultant Mary explain how to upload your materials to the Appointment Form.

Shortly after your appointment ends, you will receive two emails from WCOnline. One contains what we call a Client Report Form. That's where the consultant will have written an overview of their feedback. In the other email you'll find an attachment to your draft with the consultant's marginal comments. The Client Report Form and commented-on draft are meant to be read together.

Be assured that all feedback you receive stays available to you as long as you maintain a WCOnline account with us. To refer back to your feedback, , view your past appointments, and find the Client Report Form and attachments.

When reviewing consultant comments, we encourage you to remember that feedback is based on the information you provided and the concerns expressed in your appointment form.

Below, watch graduate consultant Mary explain how you receive your feedback.