Writing consultations are one-on-one conversations in which our specially trained Peer Tutors support you in a writing project. You can attend a writing consultation at any point in your writing process, not only after you have something written. The basic goals of a writing consultation are to help you meet the requirements of your writing assignment with confidence and to address specific concerns you may have about academic writing. In concrete terms, over the course of a consultation you might:
Are you interested in a writing consultation in English? Sign up using our new online scheduling app.
Peer Tutors approach consultations as interested readers asking questions and engaging you in a dialogue. This allows you the space to develop your ideas in collaboration with a Peer Tutor and to come to solutions together. Real-time, face-to-face communication is therefore quite important to us. At the same time, we are aware that video conferencing does not work for everyone. Thus, in addition to "normal" consultations via Zoom, we are also offering the opportunity to receive detailed written feedback this semester. You can email us up to five pages to be reviewed. The process for making an appointment either for a writing consultation or written feedback is simple: find an appointment slot on our new scheduling app and choose your preferred form of consultation.
In preparation for a writing consultation, we will gladly read up to seven pages of your text. As we read, we focus on big-picture issues and often ask ourselves the following questions:
We assume that a personal conversation about one's writing makes sense at any stage of the writing process, whether you are narrowing your topic or working on a late-stage draft. We also find that everyone, regardless of their experience with academic writing, can benefit from a writing consultation because every writing project is different and presents unique challenges. That said, to visit our writing center you should meet the following requirements:
While peer tutors are there to support you, you are ultimately responsible for the content, revision, and correctness of your own text. Specifically:
The Writing Centre helps students of English or American Studies develop their academic writing skills in English through one-on-one coaching sessions. Students have the chance to optimize essays, response papers, and term papers.
You will receive support for your PhD project mainly through GRADE. In addition, our research staff offer writing advice on exposés and drafts. You can have consultations either in English or German, at native-speaker level.
Please register for a consultation with us here. We are able to provide you with up to twelve consultations per year for your dissertation.
The International Study and Language Center (ISZ) offers open writing consultations for students and doctoral candidates who speak German as a foreign language.
The counseling service from Studentenwerk and the University Psychotherapeutic Counseling Center (PBS) specialize in supporting students in stressful and anxiety-inducing situations. Especially in cases of persistent writer's block, parallel use of the services offered by the writing center can be helpful.
While both centers' websites are in German, they do offer their services in English. Simply send an email to the contact addresses listed and request a consultation in English.