Hello everyone, welcome back to a new semester!
We know that you are probably busy with school work and writing assignments. Remember, Dalton Writing Center is always here to help you.
Here we have provided some useful information about consultations.
Booking an Appointment
Step 1: Go to the Meetingbird link for your individual consultant
This link had been sent to you via email by your consultants in last semester
Step 2: Click on the link
This link will lead you to the booking page
Step 3: Select a day and time your consultant has available that works for you
Before the Consultation
After you have received your writing assignment instructions, you should begin outlining your ideas. Consider thee following questions:
Who’s my audience and what’s my purpose?
What are you trying to accomplish in your essay? What are you trying to express? Have a clear overview of what you are going to write could help you to start much more easily.
What is the main idea I’m asserting in this assignment?
Have you illustrated your idea clearly? Can anybody else understand your idea?
What are the supporting claims to my main idea?
A paragraph should start with a topic sentence, a claim to prove your thesis.
How will I prove my supporting claims?
In this body paragraph, you should use one quote from the novel or the literature you read.
What do I want to discuss in the writing consultation?
Express all your concerns regarding the assignment. Be specific. Do you want to bring your outline or the first draft? Be aware of your goal of coming to this consultation.
What is feasible in a 30-minute consultation?
We are trained to help and want to see you succeed, but we are not miracle workers. We will quickly have a look at your work and provide a few suggestions. We can’t give you a perfect draft in just 30 minutes, but we will help you make progress.
During the Consultation
Your consultant will begin by asking you a few questions about what you’re trying to accomplish with the assignment and what you would like to discuss.
You should explain the assignment and what kind of help you’re seeking from the consultant. Be specific—the clearer you are the better advice you will receive.
Explain the details of the assignment, your audience and purpose of the assignment, and what you’re finding difficult about completing the work.
Not all the consultants will know the books or articles you’re writing about, so you should be able to articulate a little about the context of your writing assignment.
For example, if you’re analyzing literature, please provide the story line and main themes.
If you’re recapitulating a science article, please briefly summarize the research topic and findings.
If you’re working on research for IRP, please explain your IRP topic and the research questions, then briefly summarize the research you are reading.
Your consultant will continue to ask questions throughout the consultation. Be communicative with your consultant. The more you talk, the better information you will receive.
Once they understand your assignment, they will share what they find to be the strengths of your assignment and offer a few suggestions to make improvements. Take notes, listen carefully, and ask several questions.
While we can offer suggestions about editing grammar, we prefer to discuss big-picture revisions such as structure, organization, topic sentences, and evidence.
Consultations are more effective in the beginning stages of a writing project, while editing grammar is one of the last steps to writing a paper.
Meeting with your consultant early can ensure you’re moving in the right direction to completing your paper.
After the Consultation
Complete the WC Consultation Feedback Form
Please be serious and honest with the feedback. We review your responses, so we can improve the quality of our consultations. We believe it’s important to communicate with teachers, so they can support during class, while we can help you outside of class.
When you are working on revisions, review your consultation notes and consider the advice.
It can be difficult to remember what you discussed in your consultation. However, you should take notes during the consultation and try to apply the suggestions independently.
While consultants would love to see your revisions, we simply cannot reread your writing projects over and over. We want to help, but we are also limited to 3-5 consultations per week. If you want to discuss your revisions, perhaps you want to have a follow-up meeting with your consultant. You should then...
Book another appointment
If you’re working on a longer writing project, book another appointment in the next week or two to discuss the revisions you have made. Sometimes writing projects need several drafts, and that’s okay.
If you want to discuss questions or concerns you have about your revisions, book an appointment!
Everyone needs a little help now and again, so please don’t be afraid to ask your consultant for advice. Book your appointment today! The Dalton Writing Center is here to help you to improve your writing and support you in your academic goals.
Text 文案 / 詹若婕 Jodi Berry
Arrangment 排版 / 申烁雯