Writing Center Guide

Resource Overview

In vy100, writing center is a useful resource.

• When you do not know what to write about, brainstorm with him/her
• When you come up with an idea and not sure about whether it can work, talk with him/her about your idea
• When you have a rough draft of an essay and think it can be improved, let him/her read your essay

Center Basics

Writing center offers One-on-One Consultations, where you can meet individually with a trained writing consultant who can help at any stage of your writing process, from brainstorming to final edits.

Visit website: https://bluetiger.sjtu.edu.cn/

Booking Process

1. Go to https://i.ji.sjtu.edu.cn/scholar-scheduler/
2. View the time slots available
3. Select your writing consultant

Generally, there will be two or more writing consultants for each instructor of vy100. They are excellent former students from the instructor’s vy100. They not only know how to survive vy100, but are familiar with the style and requirements of homework in your instructor’s vy100. It is highly recommended to choose them as your writing consultants!

Meeting Guidelines

• After you have booked successfully, your writing consultant will reach you through Feishu. You can double check when and where the conference will be held with your writing consultant.
• Before the conference, think of some specific questions you want to ask about.
• Bring your assignment prompt, any notes or drafts you have, and specific questions or concerns you want to address.
• Feel free to talk with them. They are students just one or two grades higher than you. No need to feel nervous.
• Respect them during the conference. Please don’t do other things (eg. writng homework of other subjects) when your writing consultant is busy reading your essay.

TA Sessions

Benefits

1. Consult someone who knows the grading rules.
2. Receive feedback on work without violating the Honor Code.
3. Improve your questioning skills.

Office hours are important to improve your writing skills and help you to get higher grades.

Success Strategies

1. First law, seek professional help frequently。
2. Second, always remember to come as early as possible. The day before due can be crammed with students and you will possibly lose the chance to go through your article.
3. Remember to keep notes.

Pre-Meeting Steps

1. Have a basic structure of your article and at least one finished paragraph.
2. Have ideas of what confuses you and you want to improve.
3. Send your article to TA through Feishu before consulting.
4. Open the related resources before the consulting. (For example, for the vy100 summary assignment you should be able to show the TAs your resource with highlighted sentences and your comments.)

Effective Consultation

1. Ask specific questions
   1. How: Combine your concerns + request actionable feedback.
   2. Example: “My introduction feels unclear. Could you help me clarify my thesis statement? Also, how can I make my argument more persuasive?”
2. Explain your ideas
   1. How: Share your thesis and argument structure.
3. Key Perspectives to Gain
   1. Validate sources (e.g., “Is this study reliable?”).
   2. Check logic flow (e.g., “Does my argument jump to conclusions?”).
   3. Strengthen analysis (e.g., “Are my claims backed by enough evidence?”).
   4. Check Formatting
   5. Improve readability (e.g., “Are my sentences too long?”).
   6. Adjust structure (e.g., “Should I move this section to the conclusion?”).
   7. Example presentations
   8. Learn from TA’s experience (e.g., “How to make a statement more arguable?”).