How to Schedule a Writing Consultation (In-Person and Online Appointments)

The Writing Studio’s scheduling platform, WCOnline, makes easy to find, schedule, and view your appointments. We think you will find WCOnline pretty straightforward to use, but we have put together a guide below that walks you through how to schedule and access our writing consultation appointments.

First those about to hold their first Writing Studio appointment, we recommend you also take a moment to look over this General Overview about our appointments and our Appointments FAQ and Policies.

Page Quick Navigation

• Quick Start: Scheduling and Accessing Appointments (WCOnline)
• New Users: Register an Account
• How to schedule using “Appointment Search” (alternative to the calendar view)
• Modify or Cancel an Appointment
• The Waiting List Feature

Quick Start: Scheduling and Accessing Appointments (WCOnline)

Scheduling an Appointment

1. On the Writing Studio homepage, click the “Schedule an Appointment” button.
2. When prompted enter your VUnetID and password to sign in.
3. New users will then be directed to complete a brief registration profile.
4. Within WCOnline, you will first come to Welcome and Schedule Navigation page. Simply select the Writing Studio schedule.
   • Your other option will be a Tutoring Services’ schedule, on which undergraduates can sign up to meet with a tutor for specific courses in math, science, or economics.
5. You have reached the Writing Studio’s schedule, which displays appointment slots starting with the current date. To see the next six days scroll down or click the calendar icon above the schedule.
   1. As you’ll see the schedule for each day is a grid:
      1. Writing Consultants working that day are listed in alphabetical order down the left-hand side.
      2. Appointment starting times are listed along the top.
      3. Location: The location for each appointment is listed in parentheses next the Writing Consultants’ name.
         1. e.g. Joe Smith (Online), Mary Smith (1801 Edgehill).
   2. To find an open appointment, look for and click on a blank, white box.
      1. Complete the questions in the “Appointment Form.” Be sure to include any specific topics you’d like to discuss with your consultant.
      2. Select “Create Appointment.” Doing so will confirm your writing consultation appointment and generate a confirmation email or text (depending on which communication option you selected in your profile).
      3. You may return to modify or cancel the appointment as necessary.
   3. Note that light blue boxes have been reserved by someone else. (The darkest blue boxes are not available as appointment slots.)

Arriving to or Accessing Your Appointment

In-Person Appointments

We ask that you arrive at least 5 minutes early to your appointment at any of our physical locations (1801 Edgehill, Commons 217, the BCC, the KC Potter Center, or Central Library). This will allow you to check-in and begin your appointment at the top of the hour.

Online Appointments

Approximately five to ten minutes before the start of your appointment, log-in to the Writing Studio scheduler.

Find and click your scheduled appointment, which should appear under “Future Appointments” and in yellow on the schedule grid.

Click “Open Appointment.” Then, click on the red text “Start or Join Online Consultation.”

See our Synchronous Online Appointments Overview guide for more details.

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New Users: Register an Account

On your first visit, you will need to go through the quick and easy process of registering a new account in the WCOnline scheduler. You must use your Vanderbilt email address to register.

In setting up your profile, you will be able to decide how you want to receive alerts from us, whether by email or by text.

You can also return to and update your profile and contact preferences at any time.

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Schedule an Appointment Using “Appointment Search” (alternative to the calendar view)

The calendar grid view is the display WCOnline will default to for clients, but clients may also select the “Appointment Search” function. “Appointment Search” is intended to allow clients to quickly find appointments which suit their needs; and, if failing to find perfect matches, offer up recommendation of close matches to the criteria specified.

Reserving an appointment (in Appointment Search)

When you log into WCOnline, you will land on the Appointment Search view.

Step 1: Find an Appointment.

Under “Find an Appointment” you will select from the following:

• Preferred Appointment Date*
• Preferred Appointment Time*
• Preferred Staff or Resource
• Focus schedule by location
• Meeting Type
  • Any Available, Online, Face-to-Face

*Required fields.

Step 2: Click “Find Appointments”.

You will be shown a number of Perfect Matches or Close Matches, depending on availability. If it is a Close Match, the appointment card will explain what criteria could not be met perfectly.

Step 3: Click “Reserve”.

The appointment block will appear with the date/time details, location, consultant, and the consultant biography. You will complete the fields below this information, including letting the consultant know what you’ll be working on.

Step 4: Click “Create Appointment”.

You will receive a notification at the top of the block noting whether the appointment was created successfully. Likewise you will receive an email with confirmation details and important information regarding your appointment.

Step 5: Attend the appointment!

Whether in-person or online we look forward to seeing you. If you have any questions about creating an appointment, please email writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.
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Modify or Cancel an Appointment

To modify or cancel an existing appointment, simply return to the schedule and navigate to the day and time of the appointment.

In Appointment Search, this will be in the list under “Today’s Appointments”. Click on “Open Appointment” and click “Edit” or “Cancel”.

In Calendar Display, click on the yellow (or red) appointment block to open the “View Existing Appointment” window or tab. At the bottom of the form, you will find the options to “Edit Appointment” or “Cancel Appointment.”
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The Waiting List Feature

Don’t see an appointment when you need it? We encourage you to use the Waiting List feature built into our scheduling platform, WCOnline, to be alerted to openings on our schedule on a specific day or at a specific time.

Before signing up for the Waiting List, please keep the following in mind:

• The WCOnline Waiting List feature provides notifications only and does not reserve appointments for anyone.
• The Waiting List feature only sends notification of openings on a specific day based on optional limits you sent when joining the Waiting List.
• Once you receive a Waiting List notification, you must still log in and reserve the appointment yourself on a first-come basis. (Keep in mind that a number of individuals may receive the same notification for the same opening.) 

To Join the Waiting List (for openings on a specific day):

1. Open the Waiting List window
   1. From the Appointment Search menu: Click on “Find Appointments” for the search criteria you selected. If you do not see an appointment that fits your needs, click “Waiting List” at the top of the page.
   2. From the Calendar Display: Click on the “Waiting List” link in the bottom right corner of the day on which you are seeking an appointment and sign up.
2. Set your desired limits on the waiting list notifications you wish to receive (all limits are optional):
   1. Limit to a specific staff or resource (in this case a specific writing consultant)
   2. Limit to specific focus by location or modality (i.e. online)
   3. Limit to a specific time range (appointment start and/or end times)
3. Select “Join Waiting List.”
4. Note your Communication Preferences:
   1. As noted in the box at the top of the Waiting List window, waiting list notification are sent either by email (default) or text message based the communication preferences set in your profile.
   2. To change your preferences, follow the link provided in the Waiting List menu or open the “Welcome, [Your Name]” menu at the top of the page and select “Profile and Communication Options.”

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Questions?

Please contact the Writing Studio at writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.

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