Consulting Services

Please read our guidelines for information about our in-person individual consulting services. Then,

What do we do in a consulting session? Writing Center Instructors can:

Answer your questions or respond to your concerns about your paper

Point out strengths in a draft

Point out weaknesses - spots that are unclear, repetitive or irrelevant

Help you to clarify your audience and purpose

Comment on the effectiveness of the paper's structure

Help you to develop a clear, forceful style

Identify patterns of error in sentence structure or grammar

Make you more aware of what professors look for in student papers

Advise on research methods and library resources

Refer you to sources for improving your writing

Writing Center Instructors Cannot:

Rewrite the draft or tell you what to say

Type or write corrections on your draft

Guarantee you an A

Address every strength and weakness in the draft

Point out every error in sentence structure, grammar or mechanics

Please note that rudeness to or disrespect of any Writing Instructor will not be tolerated and will result in immediate withdrawl of Writing Center privileges.

Scheduling and Cancellation Policies

CGU students may have up to 8 hours a semester of consulting through The Writing Center. However, in order to make our services available to the greatest number of students, you may only make one individual consulting appointment per week.

Once you request an appointment through this service, you will receive an email confirmation of the appointment within 24 hours. If you do not receive this confirmation, or encounter any difficulties with the online scheduling service, please phone or email the Writing Center.

If you need to cancel an appointment, cancel online or phone us at least 24 hours in advance of the appointment. If you do not keep your scheduled appointment, or if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice, the hour counts toward your allotment for the semester. After two missed appointments or late cancellations, your Writing Center privileges may be revoked for the semester.

To make a consulting appointment, please click here to go to our online scheduling service. This service allows you to search for available appointments, register as a Writing Center user, and schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments from any internet-linked computer.

Special Circumstances

Some CGU students require frequent, regularly-scheduled appointments. For example, students who have special needs or are working on long projects, such as dissertations or M.A. theses, may wish to meet with a particular Instructor on a weekly or biweekly basis. These appointments will count against your 8 free semester hours. If you are interested in setting up a series of regular tutoring sessions, please contact our office to be matched with an Instructor.