Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

We will be happy to work with you on your dissertation chapter, dissertation prospectus, grant application, research paper, research statement, conference abstract or presentation and coursework. We are ready to help you at any stage of the writing process from an outline to the final draft. We refer all students who require assistance with CVs and other career materials to Victoria Blodgett at Graduate Career Services.

Participating departments include Ph.D. programs in all disciplines and master’s programs administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Students in these programs are eligible to use our consultation service. Students from professional schools, post-doctoral fellows, MD students, and JD students are currently not eligible.

First, schedule a consultation using the "Book Now" button. You can sign up for no more than two 30-minute sessions per week. If you need to be tutored in excess of this limit, contact Elena Kallestinova to seek permission to use extra time.

Second, e-mail your chosen advisor with your piece at least 24 hours in advance. Please provide 48 hours notice if your piece is longer than 1000 words. The advisors are also able to provide feedback about short pieces of writing without engaging in pre-reading. When you come to the consultation, please bring a printed copy of your piece, as the Graduate Writing Center does not provide printing services.

On the day of the consultation, be sure to check the directions to the Graduate Writing Center. We are located just off the walkway between Mory's and Toad's Place.

During the actual consultation, your chosen advisor will establish rapport with you and get a sense of your goals for the session. Our goal is to improve your writing in the long run as opposed to merely correcting errors that have arisen in the short term. Come prepared to discuss the issues you would like to address.

Finally, feel free to schedule a follow-up appointment if needed.

If you need to cancel your consultation, use the link in the confirmation email that we will have sent you. Please report cancellations at least 48 hours beforehand to provide other students with ample opportunity to utilize the time slot. If an emergency arises less than 48 hours before your appointment, you should immediately contact the Director, Elena Kallestinova, and cc your advisor. Please be aware that in cases of two unexplained absences at appointments or frivolous cancellations, your eligibility to use the Graduate Writing Center will be revoked.

The Center’s objective is to help graduate students grow as independent academic writers, rather than to fix their writing problems. Therefore, the Writing Center does not provide copy-editing or proofreading services. If you are interested in improving your editing and proofreading skills, please consult our online tutorials.

The writing advisors will meet you in the Graduate Writing Center located on 35 Broadway, 294A (near room 210). The entrance to 35 Broadway is at the back of the building. Take the passage between Mory’s and Toad’s off York Street and turn left into the small courtyard. The Graduate Writing Center is on the second floor.

McDougal Graduate Writing Advisors are Ph.D. students with extensive experience in editing and teaching. Advisors’ positions are competitive and selective. The advisors in the Graduate Writing Center have proved themselves to be excellent in providing feedback to other students’ writing. We are very proud of them!

If you want to be a writing advisor, please contact Elena Kallestinova for more information. The applications for the new academic year are usually considered in March and April.