The NMSU writing center is staffed by English Graduate students, and we possess different writing, teaching, and scholarly backgrounds. While our consultants have diverse writing and academic backgrounds, the consultants you work with may not have familiarity in your specific discipline. Your advisor may be the most important person to speak to about writing conventions in your discipline. However, we can provide you with a different perspective on your writing, and we look forward to working with you on your writing and helping you develop as a writer.
Doing a little preparation for your consultation can ensure your time is spent efficiently. Here are some suggestions we think will make your consultation more effective:
- Register for your appointment by visiting our online consultation schedule and make sure to include a little information about the assignment you're working on and the issues you'd like to address in your consultation. Make sure to schedule your consultation far enough in advance so you can revise based on your discussion with the consultant.
- When you arrive at the writing center, make sure you have a print or electronic copy of your paper (an outline, a pre-write, a full draft is fine or even just a few ideas about the assignment or project can also help), a prompt for the assignment, and anything you feel might be relevant or helpful to the consultant. These materials can help the consultant better assist you and focus your time on the issues that matter to you and your writing.
- You have one hour for your consultation, so if you bring longer works such as seminar papers, conference presentations, or dissertation or thesis sections, you and the consultant will not likely address every issue in that document. However, your consultant can help you learn how to edit your document and find issues on your own that you can address and bring back to the writing center if you wish.
More information about the graduate school's requirements for dissertations/theses can be found here.