English Consultations
What We Do
We work with NYCU students to help them overcome various challenges they may face when using English for academic and professional purposes, including:
- writing assignments for their coursework,
- theses and dissertations,
- personal statements / statements of purpose for current NYCU students and recent graduates of NYCU who are applying to study abroad,
- CVs / resumes for current NYCU students and recent graduates of NYCU,
- practicing for the speaking component of English standardized tests (e.g., IELTS), and
- practicing for English-language interviews (e.g., job interviews, interviews for admission to universities abroad).
Our consultations may focus on a variety of issues regarding the writing process, including:
- how to get started on a piece of writing,
- how to organize a piece of writing,
- how to develop an argument or an interpretation, and
- how to avoid plagiarism and use sources appropriately.
We also help NYCU students to prepare for delivering presentations in English, both for their coursework and for extracurricular activities (for example, a presentation for a conference or a workshop). Our consultations may focus on:
- writing issues: e.g., drafting slides for a presentation, and
- presentation issues: e.g., fluency, pronunciation, body language.
When it comes to grammar, we teach students how to fix patterns of error that we identify in their written work (e.g., the use of articles, subject-verb agreement, etc.). That said, we are not a proofreading service, and our tutors will not go through students’ writing to fix grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, etc.
We do offer consultations for group work. If a group of students produces a piece of writing as part of a group project, all of the students who have worked on that piece of writing are required to participate in the consultation.
What We Don’t Do
There are a number of kinds of writing that we do not work on, including:
- writing in languages other than English,
- creative writing (e.g., fiction, poetry), and
- professional writing (e.g., legal writing, business writing).
Please note that we do not offer the following services: proofreading and/or copyediting.
If students ask us to work on something that does not fit what we do, we will end the consultation and, if possible, direct students towards some helpful resources elsewhere.
In-Person Consultations
Before the consultation begins, students should be prepared with the following materials:
- for writing assignments: any relevant instructions from the instructor of the course, and any other materials that the student thinks may be relevant to the assignment (e.g., previous assignments for the course, the instructor’s comments on previous assignments, a copy of the book or article that the student is writing about, etc.);
- for personal statements / statements of purpose: any relevant instructions from the school or program to which the student is applying;
- something to use to take notes during the consultation (e.g., a pen or pencil and a sheet of paper, a laptop, or a tablet)
- a paper copy (at most 10 double-spaced pages, or about 2,500 words) of the piece of writing that the student would like to work on.
- First, the tutor will chat with the student for a few minutes regarding what issues the student would like to focus on during the consultation. That said, after reading the student’s work, the tutor may decide to prioritize other issues.
- Next, the tutor will spend no more than 20 minutes reading what the student has written so far.
- The tutor will then devote any remaining time to having a conversation with the student about how to improve the student’s writing.
- The consultation will end when the student and the tutor decide to end it, or when time runs out after 50 minutes.
Online Consultations
We also offer online consultations. After the student schedules an online consultation, we will send them an email within about one day with their tutor’s name and email address and a Google Meet link.
The student should email the tutor any relevant materials (including any writing that the student has done in either docx or pdf format) at least 10 minutes before the consultation is scheduled to begin.
Before the consultation is over, the tutor will send the student a link to our short, post-consultation survey, which the student should complete before the consultation ends.
Other than that, online consultations are structured in more-or-less the same way as in-person consultations
The student should email the tutor any relevant materials (including any writing that the student has done in either docx or pdf format) at least 10 minutes before the consultation is scheduled to begin.
Before the consultation is over, the tutor will send the student a link to our short, post-consultation survey, which the student should complete before the consultation ends.
Other than that, online consultations are structured in more-or-less the same way as in-person consultations
Consultation Policies
For in-person consultations, students should arrive at least five minutes before the consultation begins and check in with our administrative assistant.
Students will need to show us their NYCU ID card. We only offer our services to NYCU students and recent graduates, and if they are unable to show us their NYCU ID card, we may cancel their consultation.
If a student arrives late for a consultation, we will not extend the length of the consultation. For example, if a student arrives 10 minutes late for a consultation that begins at 11:00, the consultation will still end by 11:50 at the latest.
If a student is more than 15 minutes late, the consultation will be canceled. If the student is more than 15 minutes late for two consultations in a given semester, that student will be banned from scheduling a consultation with us for the rest of the semester.
Students are limited to one 50-minute consultation per day and a total of three consultations for a particular piece of writing. This policy also applies to longer pieces of writing like theses and dissertations. Students are welcome to schedule multiple consultations for a longer piece of writing. But they should keep in mind that we will be able to work with them on, at most, 30 pages of writing over the course of three consultations.
We do not offer consultations on writing assignments that are due the same day as the consultation.
Students will need to show us their NYCU ID card. We only offer our services to NYCU students and recent graduates, and if they are unable to show us their NYCU ID card, we may cancel their consultation.
If a student arrives late for a consultation, we will not extend the length of the consultation. For example, if a student arrives 10 minutes late for a consultation that begins at 11:00, the consultation will still end by 11:50 at the latest.
If a student is more than 15 minutes late, the consultation will be canceled. If the student is more than 15 minutes late for two consultations in a given semester, that student will be banned from scheduling a consultation with us for the rest of the semester.
Students are limited to one 50-minute consultation per day and a total of three consultations for a particular piece of writing. This policy also applies to longer pieces of writing like theses and dissertations. Students are welcome to schedule multiple consultations for a longer piece of writing. But they should keep in mind that we will be able to work with them on, at most, 30 pages of writing over the course of three consultations.
We do not offer consultations on writing assignments that are due the same day as the consultation.
Booking a Consultation
If you are interested in consulting with us, please either email us at llwc@nycu.edu.tw or call us at 02-2826-7000 ext. 65351 to book a consultation. Before contacting us, please check our Google Calendar to see when the next available appointments are. (Note: In order to view the calendar, you must log in to your NYCU Gmail account.)
When you contact us, please tell us:
- Who you are and whether you are:
* a current NYCU student
* a recent graduate of NYCU - Whether you would like to schedule:
* an in-person consultation (on the Yangming Campus, Zhi Xing Building (Front), Room 203 (above 7-Eleven))
* an online consultation - When you would like to meet for the consultation:
*Please give us three available times based on the appointments that are available on our Google Calendar.
