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Using Course WAs

Student Guide

The process varies from course to course, but typically you will:

  • Submit a paper to your professor on the "WA due date."
  • Sign up for a conference time with your WA.
  • Meet your WA for a conference. These meetings generally last approximately 30 minutes.
  • Revise your paper. Usually you will have 4-5 days to revise between meeting with a Course WA and handing in a final copy to the professor. Some WAs will have time to see a second draft during this time. Feel free to ask about this, but also remember that the WA's availability is not guaranteed after the first conference.
  • Submit both the original draft and the revised final copy to your professor on the regular due date.

TIPS

  • Write down when and where your conference will be held (for WAs' usual conference locations, see our Course WA Assignments). If you don't show up at your appointed time, you need to contact your WA to ask if it's possible to reschedule. In the event that they cannot reschedule, we invite you to bring your paper to the Writing Center.
  • Please be on time. WAs often schedule their conferences back to back, so if you are late, you and your WA won't have as much time to work together.
  • Come prepared with questions. This will allow you to focus your conference on the topics that are most important to you.
  • Remember that WAs are meant to help you with your writing, not your understanding of course material. If you are struggling with the content of your paper, your WA will refer you to your professor or TA.
  • Keep in mind that WAs are not involved in grading, so they can't give you any indication of what grade the paper will receive.

Remember that WAs will provide suggestions, but the changes you make are up to you.