Setting Up Your Account
To schedule an individual writing appointment, you will need to set up an account through our scheduling software, WCOnline. It’s easy to do! Click on the “Make an Appointment” button to register with WCOnline using your UW-Madison NetID. Once registered, you will be linked to the online scheduler. If you have trouble registering, please call the Writing Center at (608) 263-1992.
What Kind of Writing Appointment Do You Need?
We help undergraduate and graduate writers at any stage of the writing process—from choosing a topic to drafting and revising—for any writing project. Each year, more than six thousand students from across the university—from first-year through doctoral students—benefit from talking and working with a Writing Center instructor. Learn more about the types of appointments we offer and find out which appointment is right for you.
- In-Person Meetings at our Main Center
- In-Person Meetings at our Satellite Locations
- Virtual Meetings
- Written Feedback
Our main location with the largest staff is located at 6171 Helen C. White Hall (600 North Park Street). We see students by appointment at this location, and we’re often booked up several days in advance, so please plan ahead. Currently enrolled UW-Madison students can make appointments online.
Directions: Helen C. White Hall is across the street from the Memorial Union and from Science Hall, on Lake Mendota. Take the stairs or elevators located to the left of the entrance to College Library. (The Writing Center cannot be accessed from within College Library.) Upon reaching the sixth floor, turn left (from the stairs) or right (from the elevator), and then turn right down the corridor. The Writing Center is the first door on the left.
Check out this video to learn more about In-Person Appointments and see a demonstration of where we’re located.
Please note that satellite locations open in Week 4 of the fall and spring semesters. This fall, appointments at our satellite locations begin on Sunday, September 26 and end on Wednesday, December 15.
Sign up for a same-day appointment with an instructor at one of the Writing Center’s satellite locations by logging into WCOnline using the button above. Appointments may be available on a drop-in basis as well.
Black Cultural Center
You’ll find us in the Red Gym in the BCC classroom. Look for the Writing Center sign!
- Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
September 29–December 15, 2021
Center for Cultural Enrichment at Witte Hall
We’re located in Witte Hall, Room 125, which is off the main lobby. Look for us at a table with the Writing Center sign!
- Mondays, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
September 27–December 13, 2021 - Note that we are also available on Sundays and Wednesdays in Witte Hall, Room 112 from 6:15–9:15 p.m.
Multicultural Student Center
We’re at the Red Gym, Second Floor, MSC Lounge. Look for the Writing Center sign!
- Tuesdays, 1–4 p.m.
September 28–December 14, 2021
Chadbourne Residential Hall
Find us in the CRC classroom, which is located on the first floor, after passing through the atrium. If you’re not sure where to go, ask at the information desk.
- Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
September 26–December 14, 2021
Dejope Residence Hall
We’re in Tutoring Room 1116, down the hall from the Bean and Creamery coffee shop. Look for our sign!
- Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
September 27–December 15, 2021
College Library
The student services area is on the first floor of College Library, to the right of the entrance and behind the main information desk.
- Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
September 27–December 15, 2021
Memorial Library
Our table is on the ground floor, west corridor, near the library mall exit facing the Historical Society. Look for the Writing Center sign!
- Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
September 26–December 15, 2021
Witte Residence Hall
We will be available for meetings in Witte Hall, Room 112. Look for the Writing Center sign!
- Sundays and Wednesdays, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
September 26–December 15, 2021 - Note that we are also available on Mondays in the Center for Cultural Enrichment (CCE) in Witte from 6:15–9:15 p.m.
Satellite locations, listed by day available:
Sundays
- Chadbourne Residential College, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Witte Residence Hall, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Memorial Library, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
Mondays
- Center for Cultural Enrichment at Witte Hall, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Chadbourne Residential College, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Dejope Residence Hall, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- College Library, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
Tuesdays
- Multicultural Student Center, 1–4 p.m.
- Chadbourne Residential College, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- College Library, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Dejope Residence Hall, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Memorial Library, 6:15-9:15 p.m.
Wednesdays
- Black Cultural Center, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
- College Library, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Dejope Residence Hall, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Witte Residence Hall, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
- Memorial Library, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
Thursdays
- College Library, 6:15–9:15 p.m.
Virtual Meetings connect students with Writing Center instructors through real-time, face-to-face appointments in WCOnline, our online appointment system. Virtual Meetings allow us to connect and collaborate with you through (a) a shared whiteboard where you and your instructor can view and comment on your writing; (b) small screens to enable conversation through shared video/audio; and (c) a chat area for synchronous, written conversation. The whiteboard and chat area remain accessible to you after the appointment, and you can revisit your feedback at any time.
Virtual Meetings are recommended if…
- You’ve enjoyed meeting in person with Writing Center instructors in the past.
- You want a chance for real-time collaboration and conversation with a Writing Center instructor.
- You hope to talk with a writing instructor about an ongoing or longer project. (You may also be interested in a Writing Mentorship.)
- You would like to book your appointment up to 14 days in advance.
- You would like to meet with a particular instructor.
- You have a reliable internet connection.
Written Feedback appointments allow students to receive written comments and suggestions from a Writing Center instructor. After uploading your draft into WCOnline, along with information about your assignment or writing project, you will receive written feedback the next business day following your appointment. This feedback will remain accessible to you after your appointment, and you can revisit it at any time in WCOnline.
Written Feedback appointments are recommended if…
- You’ve enjoyed working with a Writing Center instructor through email in the past.
- You’d like to schedule feedback with a particular Writing Center instructor.
- You’d like feedback on the day of your appointment.
- You’d like to book your appointment up to 14 days in advance.
- You’d like to book an appointment, but you don’t yet have a draft ready to upload.
- You prefer this modality of instruction.
- You live in a different time zone that makes scheduling a Virtual Meeting difficult or impossible.
- Your internet connection is unreliable.
We work with writers on everything from thesis statements and organization to grammar and citation methods. We will also be glad to help you learn to edit and proofread your own writing. If you have questions, check out more about what we can do at the Writing Center or read through the questions and answers below. Still have questions? Email us!