Scheduling Consultations

This page describes how to schedule a GWC appointment with a peer consultant, explains what happens in a GWC appointment, and describes what kinds of topics we can discuss during an appointment.

How can I schedule a GWC appointment?

The GWC offers appointments both in-person and via Skype. Each appointment is scheduled through a different calendar. Please follow the directions below carefully to ensure you book the type of appointment you are looking for.

University Park Students: To schedule an in-person appointment to meet in the GWC office, click here.

To meet an appointment scheduled through the GWC’s in-person calendar, you will go to the GWC office in 111H Kern (in the building’s lobby, across from the Au Bon Pain Cafe and Bakery). If you have questions or concerns, you may call 814-865-8021.

World Campus/Distance Learning Students: To schedule a Skype appointment or to learn more about our distance consulting service, click here.

Please take careful note of which type of appointment you have scheduled. If you have any questions about your appointment, please feel free to contact us at gwc.psu@gmail.com.

Note:  The GWC follows PSU’s academic calendar and is therefore closed when the university is not in session.

What happens in a GWC appointment?

During your appointment, you will have fifty (50) minutes to speak with a GWC consultant about any writing-related questions you may have. Most writers visit the GWC to discuss a specific writing project they have brought with them. Other writers come to talk about general writing concerns such as organizational strategies, brainstorming, and project management. In either situation, the goal of a consultation is for both the writer and the peer consultant to talk about effective ways to improve writing.

Usually, consultants will begin a session by asking you to describe your project and to identify specific areas of concern. You may want to point out specific parts of your paper to focus on. During the session, you are in charge of what is discussed–you should feel free to raise questions, describe problems, and focus the conversation on the issues that are important to you. Although sometimes it makes sense for the consultant to read or skim sections of the paper silently, most of the time will be spent talking, not silently reading an entire document. Rather than reading your draft silently, consultants will often read sections aloud with you, asking questions about your goals, your audience, and your specific writing concerns.

Although consultants may write down a few notes or demonstrate some specific writing principles on paper, they usually will not write on your document at all. It is your writing, and consultants want to make sure it stays that way. Of course, you are encouraged to write notes, corrections, or revisions on your paper if you would like to do so.

In some cases, consultants will turn to the GWC’s library of writing reference manuals to answer specific questions or to illustrate writing principles. Your consultant may also be able to recommend good reference books if you are interested in buying one for your own use.

What writing issues can we discuss in a GWC appointment?

The focus of a GWC appointment can be almost anything you’d like to discuss:

from “big issues” of

• the organization or structure of your document
• the logic or “flow” of your ideas
• the appropriateness of your argument for specific types of readers (e.g., technical audiences vs. the “general reader”)

to narrower concerns at the paragraph or sentence levels of

• principles of English grammar, style, word choice, and punctuation
• the “flow” of your sentences and sentence transitions
• formatting issues (APA, MLA, and Chicago styles)

Consultants will not edit your paper by marking everything that is “incorrect.” Instead, we will look at your draft for examples of grammatical and organizational issues you might want to consider in revising your work. In fact, our goal in a grammar-focused session is to help you to become better able to revise your own document–both by discussing grammatical principles and by highlighting specific grammatical patterns to watch for in your writing. So, although you should not expect to leave a GWC session with a “corrected” or “edited” draft, you can expect to leave with a better sense of how to edit your draft on your own.

In addition to discussing written drafts, we can also talk about more general writing issues, including brainstorming and other idea-generation techniques; document planning, outlining, and drafting; revision strategies; and proofreading methods. In other words, you may come to the GWC for a friendly and helpful conversation about any topic related to your experiences as a writer!

What if I just need someone to proofread or edit my document?

The GWC is a great place to discuss strategies for revising your work, but sometimes it’s necessary to get an important document edited or proofread quickly and efficiently. The GWC does not provide this type of editing or proofreading service, but writers are encouraged to hire one of the many editors and proofreaders available in Penn State and the surrounding community.

To find an expert editor or proofreader, you should contact one of the following offices and ask for a copy of their editor and proofreader list:

• Graduate Writing Center (111-H Kern Building, 814-865-8021, gwc.psu@gmail.com)
• Graduate Student Association office (111-B Kern Building, 814-865-4211)
• Thesis and Dissertation office (114 Kern Building, 814-865-5448)

Each of these offices compiles a list of professionals who are expert proofreaders and editors of academic English. For a fee, an editor will generally take a copy of your document (on disk or paper), type or write “corrections,” and return the document to you. These editors are not affiliated with the GWC.

If you think you would like to hire an editor, you are encouraged to contact people from these lists early because they may not be able to accept clients on short notice.