1. What is the McGill Writing Centre Tutorial Service?

It has long been known and demonstrated that learning to write well is key to both academic and professional success. With this critical success factor in mind, the McGill Writing Centre (MWC) Tutorial Service (TS) provides opportunities for all McGill students to refine their writing skills in one-to-one sessions with experienced tutors and seasoned writing instructors.

MWC tutors work with students at every stage of the writing process—from outlining to final revision, and on texts of various lengths—from one-page personal statements, to extended research papers and business reports. The tutoring team assists students with both higher order concerns, such as thesis formation, organization, and argumentative coherence, and more technical matters such as grammar, vocabulary, and style.

The ancillary fee of $1.50 per semester allows the MWC to offer students up to 14 hours of individualized tutoring over the course of the academic year. In order to maximize opportunities for access, tutoring sessions are offered throughout the day, during the evening, and on weekends. Students may book any combination of 30-minute or 60-minute appointments. Additionally, the MWC offers daily “drop in” hours.

The ancillary fee also allows students unlimited access to 2-hour workshops on a range of writing strategies, topics, and genres (see section 4 below).

 

  1. Who are the Tutors?

MWC tutors are either seasoned writing instructors who also teach MWC courses or graduate students with prior tutoring experience in university and/or professional settings.

 

  1. Can Tutors assist students who are non-native speakers of English?

Yes! The linguistic diversity of McGill’s student population is well represented among students who use the TS, with a roughly 50/50 split between those who identify as native English speakers and those who list languages other than English as their mother tongue. Among the latter group, those who report Mandarin or Cantonese as their first language account for approximately 25% of all users; French speakers were the second highest group, accounting for approximately 10% of users; Spanish, Arabic, and Farsi speakers are also well represented.

 

  1. What other forms of writing support does the Tutorial Service provide?

In the fall and winter semesters, the TS offers a series of 2-hour workshops designed to fine-tune specific writing skills, improve students’ ability to organize and express ideas, and enrich their understanding of how to use grammatical forms to make their written and oral communications clear, lively, and engaging. The workshops provide opportunities for students to work with a writing specialist in an interactive, low-pressure environment. Topics include

  • Grammar Matters
  • Sound Sentences
  • The Moves that Matter: Critical Reading for Critical Writing
  • Presentation Skills: Write It Before You Say It
  • Writing the Personal Statement
  • No-fail Email

 

  1. Consequences of a “No” vote

Should MACES members vote “no” to renewal of the ancillary fee, or should the referendum fail to meet quorum, effective May 1st, 2018, School of Continuing Studies students will not be able to use the TS or attend any workshops offered as part of the TS.

 

  1. Where and when do I vote?

 The referendum period is from February 23rd to March 4th, 2018.  Go to this elections link to vote: https://ssmu.simplyvoting.com