Student appointments
Get personalised advice by booking an individual appointment or contact our academic writing Drop-in mentors for tips, resources and feedback.
Get one-on-one advice with Academic Skills.
An Adviser can help you:
- Develop skills such as academic writing, referencing
- Identify improvement strategies for these key areas,
- Refer you to relevant resources.
Which 1-1 service should you use?
Academic Skills offers two 1-1 services – Writing Drop-ins and Individual Appointments – they provide different forms of advice.
You can use both services, but this information will help you decide which service is best placed to help you depending on your needs.
Click on the headings below to compare the services.
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Who we are
Writing Drop-in
Drop-in writing mentors: fellow students (trained by Academic Skills Advisers), recent graduates, tutors
Individual Appointment
Academic Skills Advisers: qualified TESOL and education professionals
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How the service works
Writing Drop-in
- 15 minutes for the tutor to look at your paper
- Once per assessment
- No limit on number of sessions per semester
The service is offered via email. You contact the service (see below), fill out a short form with details and attach your paper/task. We email you with feedback usually within a day.*
*not on weekends or uni closure days
Individual Appointment
- 25-minute* 1-1 appointment
- 4 sessions per semester
- No more than 1 per week
The service is offered via Zoom. You book the service (see below). We email you a link, the meeting is on the day & time you choose from available appointments. You can email us your paper/task.
*PhD students can ask for 1-hour appointments - you can discuss this with your Academic Skills Adviser prior to the appointment.
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What the service provides
Writing Drop-in
- Quick focus on specific parts of your writing
- Reading sections of writing assessment drafts
- Answer specific questions you have about a particular piece of writing*, e.g. referencing, a particular grammar point, the introduction.
*NOTE: you can email sections of work or whole drafts: the drop-in tutor will spend 15 minutes with the work
Individual Appointment
- In-depth focus on study and communication skills
- Feedback on writing drafts, advising on quality of response; advising on broader academic skills such as time management, managing reading
- Answer broader questions you might have about academic work, e.g. incorporating sources, academic voice, critical analysis, improving your English language, managing time, strategies for revision and taking exams.
*NOTE: you can send unfinished drafts of work or finished drafts. You don't need to have a complete piece of writing. We can talk to you at any stage of the writing process.
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What we don't do
Writing Drop-in
We do not offer:
- Proofreading or editing
We do not provide advice on:
- Course planning or course advice
- IELTS tests or time-limit exam answers
- IT questions
- Applications to other universities
- Resume, Cover letters
Individual Appointment
We do not offer:
- Proofreading or editing
We do not provide advice on:
- Course planning or course advice
- IELTS tests or time-limit exam answers
- IT questions
- Applications to other universities
- Resume, Cover letters
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Who we work with
Writing Drop-in
Undergraduate and graduate coursework students only
Individual Appointment
Any enrolled University of Melbourne student*
*If you and a small number (3-4) of classmates or group members have similar questions, you are welcome to join together. Please raise this with the Academic Skills Adviser by email before the appointment.
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Accessing the service
Writing Drop-in
- No booking required
- Access via contact button below
- Mostly same-day response*
- Available from week 3 of the semester to week 1 of the Exam period
*Not on weekend or University holidays and closure days
Individual Appointment
- Booking required - made online
- Access via appointment booking button below*
- Can book up to 2 weeks in advance
- Available all year
*You can cancel the booking at the same website
Writing Drop-in Service*
Individual Appointment Service
If you need any help accessing these services or have questions not answered by this information, please email academic-skills@unimelb.edu.au