Critical Reading & Writing

Individual Appointments:

Students sometimes feel overwhelmed by the scope of the writing task set before them. It may seem that there is too much information and too little sense of direction or focus. Other times, students may feel that they have reviewed the assigned material, but they do not really have anything more to say on the topic. Sometimes, a student may have unrealistic expectations of the first draft or may not want to submit an essay unless it is "perfect."

If you are experiencing these writing blocks, you are encouraged to schedule an individual appointment with an academic skills counselor.

Structured Groups for the Writing Process

For Graduate ESOL students

Description: A basic model for evaluating writing will be presented, which includes the following parts: unity, support, coherence (organization/flow of thought), and sentence skills (grammar/structure). Steps in the writing process cover pre-writing, writing a first draft, revising, and proofreading/editing; these steps will act as another framework for effective writing. With these structures in place, participants will assess their own writing needs, including grammar; will review rules; and will strengthen their own specific writing skills.

The Structured Writing Group will start on January 31, 2012, and will meet every Tuesday for seven sessions, through March 13, 2012. The time and location for the group is as follows: from 2:00PM to 3:30PM, in Room 0120 in Francis Scott Key Hall.

If you are an international graduate student interested in improving your writing skills, please register online (click "Register Here" below). For further information, please contact Shirley Browner at 301-314-7702 (email: sbrowner@umd.edu) or the LAS Main Desk at 301-314-7693.

Register Here