Student appointments
Get personalised advice by booking an individual appointment or contacting our writing advice service 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 – the writing advice service 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 advice service
Writing Mentors: fellow students (trained by Academic Skills Advisers), recent graduates, tutors
Individual appointments
Academic Skills Advisers: qualified TESOL and education professionals
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How the service works
Writing advice service
- 15 minutes for the writing mentor to look at your paper
- Once per assessment
- No limit on number of sessions per semester
The service is offered online. 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 appointments
- 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 and 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 advice service
- 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 writing mentor will spend 15 minutes with the work
Individual appointments
- 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 advice service
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 appointments
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 advice service
Undergraduate and graduate coursework students only
Individual appointments
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 advice service
- No booking required
- Access via contact button below
- Mostly same-day response*
- Available from week 4 of the semester to week 2 of the Exam period
*Not on weekend or University holidays and closure days
Individual appointments
- Booking required
- Access via appointment booking button below*
- Book up to 2 weeks in advance
- Available all year
*You can cancel the booking at the same website
Before you use 1-1 services: Please note that any written submissions to Academic Skills must conform to University of Melbourne regulations and guidelines on Academic Integrity.
Writing advice service*
Contact the writing advice service
*The Academic Skills writing advice service
is available from week 4, Semester 2, 2023
finishing exam week 2, November 10, 2023
Individual appointments
If you need any help accessing these services or have questions not answered by this information, please email academic-skills@unimelb.edu.au