| Graduate Consultation Questions for Writing Consultants |
| A visit (or a series of visits) to the UWC can be constructive if you've thought beforehand about questions you have about your work. Your graduate writing consultant will be a fresh audience, helping you identify what's working and what isn't. The questions below can help you get the most out of your discussion. |
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| If you're still thinking through your ideas…. |
- Does my tentative focus seem to fit the assignment, as it's described on the assignment sheet?
- Is this idea focused enough for a graduate-level essay? Does it need to be more specific? More limited? More detailed?
- If I focus on this idea, can I address all parts of the assignment?
- If the assignment calls for a thesis statement…can you tell me which sentence it is? How could it be clearer?
- Can you predict how this idea will be developed in the essay?
- Have I made a schedule for drafting and revising the essay (i.e., dates by which to complete different sections, a first draft, a final draft, etc.)? Is there anything I've forgotten, or something that might be rearranged?
- If this writing project involves other requirements, such as multimedia sections or a presentation, what might I do for these requirements, given my focus?
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| If you've completed an early draft…. |
- Can you restate the introduction in your own words, so I can tell what you think my focus is, based on what I wrote?
- How can I make my introduction more interesting?
- What are some strategies I can use to conclude powerfully?
- Does my essay address each part of the assignment?
- Is the purpose of my essay apparent? Is the purpose of each section clear?
- Which section is easiest to understand? Hardest? Any suggestions?
- What kind of organization would you expect based on the assignment and the introduction? How does the organization of the paper work for or against the topic?
- Can you tell that the essay is directed towards a specific audience?
- Where can I include transitional sentences or phrases to help the reader move through the essay?
- When do you first encounter a problem with comprehension?
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| If you're working on a later draft…. |
- Would you characterize the tone as formal, informal, or both? If both, where does it change? How can I be more consistent?
- Which words would you like to see definitions for?
- Am I using an appropriate level of diction for the assignment? Where does my diction become too informal (or formal) for the audience?
- Where am I overusing certain phrases? What words or phrases could I use instead? Do any words stand out as being used frequently? Which ones?
- How do I integrate quotations and paraphrasing in a smooth way? Looking at my quotations, are any not integrated smoothly?
- Is the tone of my essay appropriate for the graduate level?
- Which areas are vague? Where do I need to explain my points further?
- Do I avoid over-generalizations? Do I convince you? Why or why not?
- Why do you think (based on my paper) readers would care about this topic?
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| If you're polishing a nearly-final draft… |
- Did you notice any repeating grammar problems (pronoun/antecedent agreement, subject/verb agreement, etc.)?
- Have I fulfilled all formatting requirements for the essay?
- Is my documentation method accurate and consistent?
- What strategies can help me in proofreading my work?
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