Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Student FAQs

The Writing Studio is a free, one-on-one tutoring service made available to all currently enrolled MICA
students and MICA alumni. The Writing Studio is located inside The Gateway, in Room 140, which is on
the main level.

During the fall and spring semesters, the Writing Studio hours are as follows:
•Monday through Thursday: 10am to 8pm
•Friday: 10am to 4pm
•Saturday: 11am to 3pm
•Sunday: noon to 6pm
During the winter and summer breaks, Writing Studio hours will vary. Please email writing@mica.edu
for details.

Yes, we do allow walk-ins; however, we cannot guarantee that a tutor will be available to assist you. We strongly encourage students to schedule appointments in advance.

Each session is 50 minutes. All appointments begin at the top of the hour.

To schedule an appointment, click on this link: calendly.com/micaws

If you require additional assistance, please contact Michele Glenn: mglenn@mica.edu

Students are permitted to schedule a maximum of two appointments per week.

At the start of a writing session, tutors review assignment details with you and ask questions to determine where you are in the writing process. Generally, students come with a draft; however, some request pre-writing activities, such as brainstorming or constructing an outline. Areas covered could include thesis development, organization of paragraphs, rhetoric, synthesizing research, grammar and mechanics, and citations. Given that each session is just 50-minutes long, tutors often are unable to address all issues in a paper; multiple appointments for a specific assignment might be necessary.

Our professional tutors assist students through all phases of the writing process, from pre-writing to reviewing final drafts. We help students with writing assignments which include academic essays, research papers, artist statements, and reading responses. Additionally, we collaborate with Career Development and International Education to provide reviews of job, residency, Fulbright, and study-abroad application materials.

Our tutors also provide assistance with reading-comprehension strategies, conversation practice, crit and presentation preparation, elocution, and classroom discussion skills.

No! We assist writers at all skill levels. Both novice and experienced writers can benefit from a tutoring session.

The Writing Studio team includes 15 to 20 professional tutors. The majority hold MA, MFA, or MS degrees in fields including composition/rhetoric, TESOL, creative writing, literature, business, social sciences, and life sciences. BFA/BA majors include fine arts, interactive arts, animation, game arts, art history, and theater. Several tutors currently teach English composition, creative writing, or art history at the college level, here at MICA and at other institutions. Notably, over half of the staff are educated and experienced in working specifically with English Language Learners.

Yes. You can schedule recurring weekly appointments with the same tutor. Please speak directly with the tutor or with Writing Studio Director Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu

That depends on you! Our tutors complete a Tutor-Faculty Report (TFR) at the end of each tutoring session. The TFR is then sent to the relevant professor, unless you prefer that it is not sent. Please let your tutor know if you do not want us to send the TFR.

Please bring a printed copy of your writing and be prepared to show your tutor the details of your assignment.

Yes, if you have a scheduled appointment with a tutor, you may use our printer. Please come early to your appointment to print your assignment. If you do not have an appointment, please use the printers in Decker Library.

Yes. The Writing Studio offers virtual tutoring but with restrictions: only MICA’s distance students or MICA alumni who live outside Baltimore can request virtual tutoring. Please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu to arrange a virtual appointment. Please give us two weeks advance notice.

Virtual tutoring is offered during our regular business hours:

•Mondays through Thursdays: 10am to 8pm

•Fridays: 10am to 4pm

•Saturdays: 11am to 3pm

•Sundays: noon to 6pm

You will need access to the following:

•a computer or tablet

•a webcam and or microphone

•a stable Internet connection

Prior to the start of your virtual session, your designated tutor will email you with contact instructions.

Faculty & Staff FAQs

The Writing Studio is a free, one-on-one tutoring service made available to all currently enrolled MICA students as well as MICA alumni. The Writing Studio is inside The Gateway, in Room 140, which is on the main level.

We also offer tutoring at Fred Lazarus Graduate Center one afternoon per week, starting a few weeks after the start of the fall and spring semesters. For more information, please contact Michele Glenn: mglenn@mica.edu.

During the fall and spring semesters, the Writing Studio hours are as follows:

•Monday through Thursday: 10am to 8pm

•Friday: 10am to 4pm

•Saturday: 11am to 3pm

•Sunday: noon to 6pm

During the winter and summer breaks, Writing Studio hours will vary. Please email writing@mica.edu

for more information.

Each session lasts 50 minutes. All appointments begin at the top of the hour.

Students can schedule an appointment using this link: calendly.com/micaws

If you or your students have any questions, please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu.

Yes, we do allow walk-ins; however, we cannot guarantee that a tutor will be available to assist students. We strongly encourage students to schedule appointments in advance.

At the start of a writing session, tutors review assignment details with students and ask questions to determine where they are in the writing process. Generally, students come with a draft; however, some request pre-writing activities, such as brainstorming or constructing an outline. Areas covered could include thesis development, organization of paragraphs, rhetoric, synthesizing research, grammar and mechanics, and citations. Given that each session is just 50-minutes long, tutors often are unable to address all issues in a paper; multiple appointments for a specific assignment might be necessary.

Our professional tutors assist students through all phases of the writing process, from pre-writing to reviewing final drafts. We help students with assignments which include academic essays, research papers, artist statements, and reading responses. Additionally, we collaborate with Career Development and International Education to provide reviews of job, residency, Fulbright, and study-abroad application materials.

Our tutors also provide assistance with reading-comprehension strategies, conversation practice, crit and presentation preparation, elocution, and classroom discussion skills.

The Writing Studio team includes 15 to 20 professional tutors. The majority hold MA, MFA, or MS degrees in fields including composition/rhetoric, TESOL, creative writing, literature, business, social sciences, and life sciences. BFA/BA majors include fine arts, interactive arts, animation, game arts, art history, and theater. Several tutors currently teach English composition, creative writing, and art history at the college level, both here at MICA and at other institutions. Notably, over half of the staff are educated and experienced in working specifically with English Language Learners.

Please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu for assistance.

Several of our tutors are experienced in working with students who have learning and other disabilities, and we use tutoring strategies that take a variety of learning styles, language backgrounds, and writing abilities into account. We feel it is important to honor student privacy, and we therefore ask faculty to avoid disclosing a disability for the student. It should be the student's decision to self-disclose a disability to the Writing Studio tutor if they believe that it is impacting their writing ability. When making a tutoring referral, try to focus on your student’s writing and/or planning issues. If you believe that a student needs to connect with the Learning Resource Center (LRC) for disability accommodations, please contact LRC director Cydney Delia (lrc@mica.edu, Bunting 110) to discuss your concerns and strategies for making a referral.

At the end of each tutoring session, tutors fill out a Tutor-Faculty Report (TFR), which provides an overview of the tutorial. The TFR is then sent to the relevant faculty/staff, but only if the student gives us permission to send it. If a student asks that we not send the TFR, we are required to respect that request. In general, however, most students are happy to have us share their TFRs.

Please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu to arrange extra-credit visits. In general, we need two weeks advance notice to accommodate extra-credit visits for an entire class, especially if we are heading into mid-terms or finals. It also is helpful if professors provide rosters for record-keeping purposes.

Yes. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, our tutors lead workshops on topics including Chicago-style and MLA paraphrasing and citations, writing the formal analysis, structuring academic essays, and planning the research paper, among others. Most workshops are held on a Sunday afternoon. Email notices of upcoming workshops are sent to students, faculty, and staff before each workshop.

Yes. The Writing Studio is eager to collaborate with faculty and staff to develop writing workshops with a special emphasis. Please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu.

Yes. We are happy to visit your class at any time during the semester. An introductory visit, called a Roadshow, takes under 10 minutes. Please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mcia.edu.

Our services are provided to MICA students or alumni only. If faculty or staff would like a review of their written documents, our professional tutors can be hired on a consulting basis. To arrange such a consultation, please contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu.

Yes. We offer virtual tutoring but with restrictions: only MICA’s distance students or MICA alumni who live outside Baltimore can request virtual tutoring. Please have your student contact Michele Glenn at mglenn@mica.edu to arrange a virtual appointment. Students should give us two weeks advance notice.