Consultants in the Reading-Writing Center, many of whom are themselves graduate students and all of whom are trained in holistic, process-centered peer consulting, help fellow writers both strategically, and with practical support for the project in hand: from brainstorming, to getting words on the page through extended drafting and revising, our consultants act as both test audience and experienced commentators, talking with students about their goals and expectations, and offering practical help, feedback and advice. In addition, RWC consultants can help hone analytical reading skills that are an essential prerequisite for effective academic writing.
The RWC currently offers online appointments via Zoom or an option for written feedback. Please note that we do not provide editing or proofreading services; our written feedback mirrors, as far as possible, the dialogue-based approach of our other appointment options. There is, therefore, no implication of plagiarism in seeking RWC support. RWC consultants can, however, help writers build their own editing and proofreading skills.
We regularly meet with graduate students working on theses and dissertations and other long-form projects such as articles for publication. Ideally, these dialogues become a collaboration that includes input from advisers, so that consideration is given to both form and content as the project develops. We also frequently work with bilingual and multilingual students at the graduate level, addressing the particular challenges of producing a long manuscript in academic English. We are happy to help, not only with the text in hand, but also with strategic approaches to producing your best written work.
Graduate students who want to work with a graduate consultant may make appointments for free sessions, up to 2 hours each week, at any of our locations; or you can register for a semester-long class (ENG 5998) that provides more structured, but still individual, RWC-based tutor support, for 1, 2 or 3 credits. For more information on registering for credit, please visit our web page here.
Graduate student writers often appreciate the consistent, semester-long, support of one, or sometimes two consultants, plus the mutually-agreed deadlines, that ENG 5998 supplies. However, we appreciate that not everyone wants to take a class for credit. For that reason, and when our resources allow, we can also arrange for graduate students to meet with the same tutor or tutors at the same time every week for the whole semester.
For more information on our services, please contact the Reading-Writing Center at english-rwc@fsu.edu.