Writing Tutor | English Language Institute

ESL / EAL College Core Writing Tutor

The English Language Institute offers a Writing Tutor for University of Chicago College students with ESL/EAL needs.

Due to COVID-19, all ESL/EAL College Core Writing Tutor appointments will happen remotely until further notice

Writing Tutoring will resume Sunday, April 4, 2021

The ESL/EAL College Core Writing Tutor is affiliated with the Writing Program.

College Core Students

UChicago College Core students can make an appointment for a College Core class.

The day of the tutoring session, the tutor will email the Zoom link and will ask for a copy of your writing.

Once the session begins, you have 5 minutes to join the Zoom call. If you do not join the Zoom call after 5 minutes have passed, the tutor mark you as a “No Show,” and then they will invite people off the drop-in list to take your spot.

Cost: Free

Location: Online via Zoom

Book an Appointment

Non-College Core Affiliates

NOTE: The drop-in list opens 30 minutes before the tutor’s shift begins

UChicago Non-College Core affiliates (other undergraduates, grad students, postdocs, etc.) can sign up to drop in with the tutor.

During scheduled tutoring hours, the tutor will email people on the drop-in list if there is no appointment scheduled or if a student is a no-show. You have 5 minutes to join the Zoom call once they email you, so please monitor your email.

Cost: Free

Location: Online via Zoom

Drop In (Sign in with CNetID)

The tutoring queue can be seen here: [link]

Example screenshot of student in queue

Example screenshot of no students in queue

Tutoring Rules

NOTE: The Writing Tutor is not permitted to edit/proofread student work directly, but can identify issues or patterns of error. The tutor also may not review more than 10 pages of text (Times New Roman font, size 12, double-spaced) in a session.

The ESL/EAL College Core Writing Tutor can:

Discuss the specifications of an upcoming writing assignment
Assist in selecting the appropriate wording/phrasing
Identify patterns of error in grammar and punctuation
Provide tips on producing greater sentence variety
Identify instances of ambiguity
Comment on an essay’s organization and information flow
Provide tips on including North American stylistic features to an essay
Help evaluate and integrate sources or cited literature
Discuss voice, formality, and tone of an essay
Provide self-editing tips and direct students to helpful writing resources

Calendar of Tutoring Sessions (Spring 2021)

Meet our Spring 2021 Tutors

Kat Montemurro

Kat hails from New Jersey and has lived in Chicago for over 5 years. She loves tutoring writing because she enjoy helping students map out structure and know that they’re proving their main point in their papers.

She is a PhD Candidate in Linguistics. Her research focuses on emergent sign languages in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She loves tracing factors that affect language development.

Abigail Hill

Abigail comes from Tennessee and has lived in Chicago for a little over a year. She loves tutoring writing because she enjoys helping students understand and implement writing concepts and supporting them to be more confident in their writing ability.

She graduated from UChicago’s MAPSS program in August 2020 with a concentration in History. Her research focused on the ways in which early modern authors crafted narratives about supernatural occurrences in order to support the credibility of their claims.

“I enrolled in the Academic English Pre-Matriculation Program: Writing because because I thought this is a great opportunity to learn North American academic writing, and it did really help me a lot. My instructor, Tim is very patient and thoughtful. He explained topics like controlling claims, sentence boundaries, and even networking etiquette. In addition, we even had outdoor excursion, which was a great way to get to know Chicago and your cohort! Lastly, thanks every instructor and staff member in the AEPP for providing such a fun and warm place for us to learn and have fun!”

Wuxing

Masters student

“I took Written Communication: Crafting Varied and Impactful Sentences because I am a researcher and academic writing constitutes the most important part of my academic life. I now feel more comfortable and confident to write and manipulate an English sentence, demonstrated by my improved writing and self-editing capability. An example is that one of my recent research papers was accepted without any English language revision. An international student who wants to improve his/her academic writing is highly recommended to take this course.”

Kun

Staff