What to Expect at an Appointment

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During your session a peer consultant will ask you to describe your concerns and will then take a look at your writing.

Student peer consultation
Student peer consultation

If you are just getting started, the consultant will help you strategize. If you have a draft, the consultant can discuss your paper’s focus or argument, help you develop and organize supporting ideas, or assist you with citing sources. Consultants can also talk with you about the clarity and style of your writing and help you with grammar and punctuation. Although the center will never merely "fix" a paper for you, we will help you identify problems and avoid recurring patterns of error.

We can…

  1. Help you understand a writing assignment.
  2. Offer strategies for battling "writer’s block."
  3. Discuss your ideas for a paper or project.
  4. Assist you with the development, organization, style, or clarity of a draft.
  5. Coach you in editing and proofreading skills.
  6. Assist you with quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and responding to sources.
  7. Help you with citation systems such as MLA or APA.
  8. Consult with you as you revise.

We can’t…

  1. Write any portion of your paper.
  2. Correct every error for you, although we will help you identify and avoid errors.
  3. Evaluate a professor’s assignment or comment on the grade a paper should receive.
  4. Help you with course content.

How to Prepare

Please come to your writing appointment prepared to share a draft and discuss your work actively; consultants will not provide content for essays or silently "fix up" you writing for you. If you have a full draft ready for review, please proofread and edit it to the best of your ability and then bring two printed copies to your session. Please also bring your professor's assignment prompt, if available. If you have not yet started writing, bring your notes and ideas; your consultant will ask questions to help you move forward and create an outline.

Overall, consultants respond to drafts by discussing a variety of aspects, such as focus, development, structure, style, grammar, source integration, or delivery. Be prepared to talk with your consultant about honing your own craft and think about each session as a part of the process of cultivating the arts of writing and speaking.

Supporting ESL/ESOL Students

All WSC consultants are trained to help students with diverse linguistic backgrounds adapt to the conventions of Standard U.S. Academic English.

Additionally, our Multilingual Specialist is a faculty member who can meet individually with students interested in more intensive language acquisition work. Please contact Suzanne B. Spring at 315-228-7316 or sspring@colgate.edu with any second language concerns.