Support for Students

How can our services help you?

The Writing Support Services have one goal: to help all Dartmouth students become better writers. Students who use our services come to us with a variety of questions and concerns. Some are excellent writers who have discovered the importance of a second reader. Others are stuck on a particular writing assignment. Still others have persistent writing problems that they hope to clear up.

Whatever your writing problem, the Writing Support Services are designed to help you.

• We will help you generate, research, and organize ideas.
• We will talk to you about your structure, grammar, and style.
• If you are a first-year student, we will help you understand the expectations of college writing.
• If you are a senior, we will provide strategies for writing a thesis or culminating experience paper.
• If you are a student for whom English is a second language, we will help you work on English grammar and style. We will also help you understand the conventions for writing an essay in English.
• We will even help you with multi-media compositions, such as Web sites, videos, or PowerPoint presentations.

To accomplish these aims, the Writing Program supports two services: RWIT, the Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology, and the Writing Assistance Program. Both pair you with a peer reader/advisor who has been trained to address your writing and research needs.

RWIT

RWIT, the Student Center for Research, Writing and Information Technology is a "one-stop shop" where you can meet with an undergraduate tutor to discuss a paper, research assignment, or multi-media assignment. Tutors are trained to help you at any phase of your process. RWIT is a free service.

RWIT is located on the first floor of Berry Library, in the northwest corner, just behind the Computer Help desk. If you would like to talk with a tutor, you can make an appointment online, or you can drop by. Our hours are:

Sunday through Thursday
4 p.m. - 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

If you have questions about the RWIT Center, please contact Stephanie Boone, the Director of Student Writing Support.

The Writing Assistance Program

During your Dartmouth career, it is likely that you will take a course with a writing assistant. In such a course, you will submit the first draft of your paper to the writing assistant, who will raise questions and make suggestions in the margins. You can then use these comments to improve your writing before handing your paper in to your professor. Writing assistants work in courses at all levels and in all disciplines.

If you are a student enrolled in a course with a writing assistant and you have a question about our program, please contact Stephanie Boone, the Director of Student Writing Support.