Let’s go to camp!

Hootcamp is a “writing bootcamp” experience for graduate students working on their thesis or dissertation. It is a three-day productivity event, where students are able to focus all of their attention on making progress in the actual writing of their thesis or dissertation. Writers will be given a quiet space with structured writing time, limited distractions, and a small community of peers, in order to produce as much thesis/dissertation material as possible in just a few days. There will also be Writing Center consultants available for brief meetings, and one short presentation each day covering topics like writing anxiety, the writing process, and maintaining a writing schedule.

“Thesis bootcamps” are commonly offered in universities across the US and beyond, and have been found to be very successful in boosting student productivity as they draw closer to semester deadlines. The goal is to take away all excuses each student might have to not be writing, and in doing so, make writing their number one priority for each day of the camp. If you find yourself having trouble maintaining focus, having trouble starting a particularly daunting part of your draft, or just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that is ahead of you, Hootcamp is the perfect place to come and find the support you need.

The event will take place Monday 3/11, Tuesday 3/12, and Wednesday 3/13 from 9:30am-3:00pm in the Rowan Writing Center, located in the Campbell Library on the Glassboro campus. Each day will include a free lunch for each student.

In order to participate, students must:

1. Be actively working on a thesis or dissertation proposal, or working on the thesis or dissertation itself after completing data collection/research. (Please be advised that students who are further along in the process will be given priority.)
2. Be willing to commit to the full three days of the event; no arriving late or leaving early, no skipping a day.
3. Submit an application with all required information included.

Please note that your application does not mean automatic entry into the Hootcamp program. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and only if each element of the application is correctly filled out. This winter's Hootcamp will be able to serve 10 students.

Apply to be a Hootcamp Camper

You will find the link to the application form here. Please use your Rowan email address when logging in through Google. The period to apply ends on February 25, 2024. (Extended.)

Hootcamp Rules

1. You must attend each day of the event from beginning to end.
2. During working periods, you may not talk in areas other than the break room and outside of the Writing Center, preferably outside of the library itself to avoid disturbing other library patrons.
3. You may listen to headphones, but they must be at a volume that cannot be heard by other campers in your vicinity.
4. You may not do research during the writing portions of the day; this program is for writing about the information you already have, not using that time to find more information. Write around what you don’t know yet, and come back to it!
5. You must keep track of your progress every day in your writing log, which will be provided on the first day.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jenn Tharp (tharp@rowan.edu).