Graduate Student Writing Center
The Graduate Student Writing Center (GSWC) offers virtual one-on-one, in-person, and asynchronous appointments with qualified writing consultants. We also offer a variety of writing workshops and retreats.
HOURS:
Sunday: Asynchronous Appointments Only
Monday-Thursday: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.
*Please note that the Graduate Student Writing Center will close starting December 5th for Winter Break.*
NEED WRITING SUPPORT?
*Please contact our office at [email protected] or 619-594-2718 to request assistance.*
The first step to schedule an appointment with a professional Graduate Writing Consultant is to register for an account here.
Once you have created an account, you have access to:
- schedule your own appointments (consultants cannot schedule appointments for you)
- schedule a maximum of two 45-minute appointments per week (Sunday - Thursday) up to 14 days in advance with any available consultant you choose
- specify the area(s) of writing you'd like to focus on during your session along with how you would like to work with your tutor (through online, asynchronous, or in-person)
- monitor, modify, and/or cancel your scheduled appointments
- put yourself on our waiting list for one or more days to be notified of any openings in our schedule
- attend our weekly writing retreats held every Wednesday starting September 4, 2024 (not applicable during winter break).
Online - a virtual, 45-minute session with a consultant
- these sessions are conducted online, allowing you to meet one-on-one with a consultant
- students are allowed two sessions per week (week begins on Sunday)
- to start your appointment, click on the scheduled date and time, then select the “Start or Join Online Consultation” button to begin your session
Asynchronous - you do not meet live with a consultant
- these sessions are notated with (Asynchronous) in front of the consultant’s name
- you DO NOT attend the asynchronous appointment
- submit the document you want to be reviewed when you schedule the appointment by clicking on the “File Attachment” button at the bottom of the “Create New Appointment” form
- you will receive written feedback from a consultant on your document within 48-hours of the scheduled appointment date
Writing Retreat – an in-person face-to-face session Wednesday between the hours of 1:00pm – 3:00pm
- sessions are held every Wednesday from 1:00pm – 3:00pm in the GLaD office (Student Union Suite 250).
- you will meet face-to-face with a consultant and receive on the spot feedback
- you are encouraged to attend early and often
Creating an Account:
Scheduling a Synchronous Appointment:
Scheduling an Asynchronous Appointment:
- Who uses the Graduate Student Writing Center? - We see graduate students from their first years in
grad school all the way through their dissertation defense. - How much do our services cost? – The services are free to SDSU graduate students.
- Do I need to have a draft before I meet with a consultant? – No. Our consultants can support you at
any stage of the writing process from brainstorming and outlining to drafting and revising. - How do I log into my appointment? - Log into the scheduler, click on the date and time of your
appointment, and then select "Start or Join Online Consultation" to begin your session. - How many appointments can I make per week? – Students can schedule TWO appointments per week
and the week begins on Sunday. - How far ahead can I make an appointment? - Students can schedule up to 14 days in advance with any
available consultant you choose. - How do I cancel my appointment? – You will need to login the scheduler, click on your appointment
time and select “cancel appointment” at the bottom. - What if I have scheduling conflicts and cannot meet with a consultant? – We offer asynchronous
appointments for students who cannot meet 1:1 with a consultant. - What are asynchronous appointments? - Asynchronous appointments are a type of support where the
consultant and the student do not meet in real time. Instead, the student submits their work (like a draft
or outline) and any specific questions or areas they would like feedback on. The consultant then reviews
the submission independently and provides detailed written feedback within 48-hours. - What is the “no show” policy? - Appointments will be marked as a no-show if the participant has not
arrived within 10 minutes of the scheduled start time. Missing two appointments during a semester
without prior cancellation will result in your account being deactivated. - How long are the virtual online appointments? – Online appointments are 45-minutes in length.
MEET OUR CONSULTANTS
Arline Oaklee, Ph.D.
Dr. Arline Oaklee holds a M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, & Professional Communications
and a Ph.D. in Cultural studies, specializing in educating university students across
disciplines to develop seminar papers, theses, and dissertations from concept to final
draft.
Bree Merschel, M.A.
Bree Merschel teaches Rhetoric and Writing Studies at SDSU; she can offer support in any field/discipline but specializes in the humanities, the digital humanities, and professional development materials (CVs, resumes, cover letters, etc)
Miranda Muñoz, M.A.
Miranda Muñoz background as a writing tutor extends about 6 years. Since receiving MA in English Lit from SDSU, she has taught in the RWS department and at Cuyamaca College.
Troy Mikanovich, Ph.D.
Troy Mikanovich recieved his Ph.D. in Religion and American Politics at Claremont Graduate University. He holds a B.A. in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in Religion, Ethics, and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union.
Katrina Denman, Ph.D.
Katrina Denman (ABD, History) has five years' experience as a university writing consultant and instructor, with a particular emphasis on the Arts & Humanities, Public Health, Education, and grant/fellowship applications.
FALL 2024 WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS
The dynamics of the graduate school workload are unique, and it is often a challenge to integrate academic demands into the rest of life. This workshop gives you tools to thrive during graduate school by providing time management techniques to increase efficiency, plan effectively, and achieve work-life balance. It will also touch on reading and notetaking strategies to help manage your class workload as productively as painlessly as possible.
Session 1
Date: September 3, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: September 12, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
With the added demands of graduate school, such as multiple simultaneous writing assignments in numerous courses, theses, qualifying exams and dissertations, prewriting strategies can make a huge difference in developing sustainable writing practices. In this webinar, learn about how developing a writing plan can help you tackle longer projects one step at a time, allowing you more time and attention for each part. We will discuss how this can be applied during coursework as well as during the more independent post-coursework phases.
Session 1
Date: October 8, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Session 2
Date: October 29, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location : Zoom
Many of your professors and programs want you to write "in APA style." And while the APA Publication Manual is many things, it is not terribly user friendly. Nor can it help you figure out what elements your professors consider central to APA and what things they think are superfluous. This workshop can't exactly do that either, but it will cover the core baseline principles of writing in APA, including citations, formatting, clarity, and style.
Session 1
Date: August 29, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Session 2
Date: September 9, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Session 3
Date: November 15, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Many graduate students are expected to take effective notes, but have not been formally taught how to do so. In this webinar, you will learn tips and best practices for making the most of your time reading by developing targeted notes. This webinar will explore how you can approach readings to maximize your time and provide you with tips on how to develop useful note-taking strategies. You will leave with different note-taking approaches for various research contexts. This webinar will provide you with ideas about how to write clear notes that can help you write your papers, thesis, or dissertation.
Date: September 5, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Date: September 24, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This webinar will cover how to accurately paraphrase, quote, and cite research material, with specific reference to APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines. It will also include tips on effective notetaking to avoid accidental plagiarism.
Date: September 10, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Date: October 1, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This webinar will cover the essential elements of writing a successful grant proposal, including how to structure the application and how to highlight the value of your project. It will also include some specific tips on applying for common grants for graduate students (NEH, NSF, etc.)
Session 1
Date: November 5, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: November 19, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
What is the difference between revision and editing, anyways? Join this webinar to learn more about the differences between revision and editing as well as a variety of techniques for developing your work. There are multiple levels of revision ranging from organizational to content-level and this webinar helps you to approach each phase of revision effectively. Come learn strategies geared towards developing your drafts and you will leave with tips about revision and editing best practices.
Session 1
Date: October 16, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: November 4, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Does feedback from your professor confuse you? Join our "Managing Faculty Feedback" Graduate Student Workshop to gain proficiency in understanding, processing, and effectively incorporating feedback from professors.
Session 1
Date: November 20, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: December 2, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
