The Writing Center is an excellent resource for graduate students working on projects both big and small! Approximately 30% of our appointments during the semester come from visiting graduate student writers and we want that number to get even higher!
Both our graduate and undergraduate consultants enjoy working with these writers offering their advice on writing while also learning about all the exciting scholarship they are working on. You can also choose to work with our graduate consultants specifically, since they are experiencing the same things you are: writing for more specialized audiences, navigating the academic job search process, and so on. Feel free to shop around: our consultants come from a variety of academic backgrounds and bring different strengths with them, so you might try making an appointment with more than one consultant to find the person with whom you can work most successfully.
Here are some of the ways we have helped graduate students writers:
- Working on drafts of chapters of culminating projects like a dissertation or thesis. This includes both global (content and organization) and surface level (grammar and style) concerns, as well as brainstorming ideas if you’re just starting the project.
- Providing feedback on conference posters and presentations.
- Scheduling repeating appointments at set days and times each week with the same consultant. This builds a special rapport between the consultant and writer, as they become familiar with your work and can ask more-informed questions as part of their feedback.
- Offering accountability appointments has been a popular addition to the Writing Center. Sometimes we just need a space and a set amount of time to focus on writing. These appointments do not require a draft to be written. Rather, it is a space with a consultant working in solidarity with you on their own writing with the option to set goals and have conversations during the appointment.
- Reviewing drafts of syllabi, assignment sheets, and rubrics for courses you are teaching. What better way to make sure you’re reaching a student audience than having a student reader?
- Writing emails to a professor or dissertation committee can be nerve-wracking. Let us help you find that professional tone that will help get your question answered promptly!
- Helping prepare for the job market by workshopping CVs and cover letters and even conducting mock job interviews.
- Hosting writing events such as the winter Write-A-Thon, the May writing retreat, and summer writing groups to help stay motivated and productive during academic breaks.
Interested? Head over to https://unl.mywconline.com/ to create an account using your UNL credentials and sign up for an appointment!