Online consultations

What to expect

Even when we meet virtually, you can still expect the same VCU Writing Center experience. Consultations will be one-on-one and focused on your specific concerns and goals. Using all the virtual tools at our disposal, your consultant will collaborate with you to make you feel like a more confident writer.

We are happy to schedule online appointments for any stage of your writing process. You don’t have to have anything written to use this service. You can have an online consultation just to brainstorm ideas and find your best starting points.

  • Consultations will be 45 minutes long.
  • Online consultations will be held over Zoom.
  • Tech issues making you a little late? After 20 minutes, your appointment will be marked as a no-show and you will need to reschedule.
  • Be sure to call the Writing Center front desk at (804) 828-4851 if you need help or to reschedule your appointment.

How to schedule

During this time, we prefer to schedule appointments over the phone.

To make an appointment online, please visit Navigate. Please use our online guide for step-by-step instructions. Be sure to select the accurate online service [Online UGrad, Online ELP, or Online Grad Consultation] when self-scheduling.

A consultant will email your Zoom link to your VCU email at the top of the hour of your appointment. It is helpful to include your VCU email address in the Appointment Details in case of technical issues with Navigate.

You may also call the Writing Center front desk at (804) 828-4851 to speak to a shift leader who can help you set up an appointment.

We need at least two hours’ advance notice for online appointments. This allows your consultant to send your Zoom appointment link at the time of your appointment. You must have a stable internet connection, working webcam, and microphone to participate. Sign up for a Zoom account if you don’t already have one.

Working on a long-term project, or need a few appointments in a row? Our scheduling policy for online appointments is the same as for in-person:

  • You can schedule one appointment per day. Sometimes our scheduling service, Navigate, will allow students to book more than one appointment per day. However, this is a scheduling error, and the later appointment in the day will be automatically canceled.
  • You can schedule up to three appointments per week.
  • You can schedule appointments as far in advance as you want - up through the end of the semester.
  • At this time, we prefer to schedule appointments online or over the phone.

For some additional tips on how to make the most of your appointment, select a header below:

Note about online sessions

In our online sessions, we aim to preserve the conversational nature of traditional writing consultations. Zoom makes an online consultation as much like an in-person appointment as possible. Online consultations may take a little longer and be a bit slower paced if there are any technical difficulties.

Since this is still a face-to-face, real-time exchange, both the consultant and the writer will participate. So expect to hold up your end of the conversation.

The Writing Center does not offer online editing and proofreading services. Online consultations are, however, great for further developing your ideas and discussing organization.