Services

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Services

Are you an international student or scholar who is looking for a supportive space to work on your academic writing?

Join the EPPIC writing group to build a writing community of multilingual students and scholars!

The EPPIC Write-A-Thon is a writing support group that meets weekly. Each meeting begins with brief goal-setting for your writing that day (and/or a short lesson about a writing tool or resource), and the rest of the meeting time is for your own writing.  An EPPIC writing specialist is available for questions and consultations during the ‘free write’ time.

Spring 2024 Write-A-Thon Schedule:

  • Wednesdays from 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  • Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 pm

Sessions will be held weekly in W102A (study room) near the Search Bar at Pattee-Paterno Library.

If you are interested in joining Write-A-Thon sessions on other days of the week, please complete this short survey to help us schedule meeting times that work well with your schedule.  Additional writing group meetings can be held in-person or via Zoom, depending on members’ preferences.

Would you like more opportunities to speak English with others?

Have you noticed that real-world English in the U.S. is sometimes different from the English you have used in other contexts?

Do you wish you had somewhere you could go to ask questions about the why, what, and how of language and culture at Penn State and in the U.S.?

If so, join EPPIC for Speak UP, a weekly speaking group that focuses on interaction in English in a variety of situations that are common in university life.

Speak UP sessions are a great opportunity to meet others and to explore multiple perspectives on English as it is used in the ‘real world’ of Penn State and beyond!

Click here to see the Speak UP schedule for spring 2024To register, visit the Speak UP registration page on our *new app* here.

Are you an international student, scholar, or post-doc?  Are you interested in improving your academic and professional English communication skills?  Join us for specialized EPPIC workshops on advanced academic writing, speaking, interaction, and job market preparation in a U.S. university setting.  Topics include:

    • Emailing Your Professors:  How to Do It Better
    • Focus on Pronunciation:  The Sounds, Syllables, Rhythm, and Intonation of American English
    • Preparing for Industry Job Interviews in the U.S.
    • Preparing for Academic Job Interviews
    • Strategies for Reading Academic Articles
    • Structure and Flow in Academic Writing
    • Preparing Academic Slide Presentations (Tips for Design, Delivery, and Interaction)
    • Research Writing:  Abstracts, literature reviews, data & results sections

To learn more, visit our workshop information page here.

Click here to view the spring 2024 workshop schedule.    To register for workshops, please visit the *new* EPPIC registration app here.

 

Bring your work!

Are you writing an academic paper, proposal or application?  Preparing for a job interview in English?  Looking for practice and feedback on an upcoming presentation?

EPPIC offers individual consultations (EICs) for international multilingual students, scholars and post-docs to support their skill and confidence in advanced academic and professional English.  Our consultants are highly experienced and multilingual.

 These one-on-one consultation appointments are designed to provide practical support for written and spoken English, including academic writing projects, oral presentations, job interviews, cover letters, oral exams, and more.*

To learn more about EPPIC Individual Consultations (EICs) and to schedule a consultation, visit the EPPIC Individual Consultations (EICs) page.

*Please note that consultations are not available for standardized test preparation, such as for the GRE or TOEFL. Preparation courses for the TOEFL are available locally through Penn State’s Intensive English Communication Program (IECP) and through the Mid-State Literacy Council.

Do you have questions about EPPIC’s services?  Would you like to learn more about the resources at Penn State that can support you in your academic and professional communication in English?

Would you like to improve your skills in writing or speaking?  To contribute more in discussions?  To gain concepts and tools to edit your own writing?  To communicate confidently in networking situations with colleagues or employers?

EPPIC Advisers are here to help you achieve your language-related goals!  Schedule an EPPIC Advising appointment to learn more about how EPPIC, and other resources at Penn State, can support you as you build greater confidence and skill in the many forms of academic and professional English that are part of university life.

To learn more about EPPIC Advising, visit this information page.

To schedule an EPPIC Advising appointment, please click here.

EPPIC offers specialized programs for doctoral students in the Department of Economics in both fall and spring semesters.

    • Fall workshops are designed for current departmental job market candidates, to support the development and practice of job talks, research spiels, interview responses, and preparation for flyouts.
    • Spring workshops are designed for doctoral students in years 2-4 to review the foundational elements of academic communication in Economics, to explore the differences between written and spoken communication in English, and to practice communicating their own research ideas orally, including developing versions of their research spiel to share in professional networking contexts.
    • Individual consultations provide Economics doctoral students with ongoing opportunities to practice and receive feedback on their research presentations, spiels, abstracts, job application materials, and academic writing, informed by empirical analysis of research writing and speaking in Economics.

EPPIC offers workshops for faculty, advisers, staff, and administrators to highlight research-based practices for inclusive communication in our global and multilingual university community.

Workshops available by request include:

      • Pronouncing International Students’ Names
      • Promoting Diverse and Multilingual Perspectives in the Classroom
      • Do You Speak Global English?  Strategies for Collaborative Communication
      • Strategies for Supporting Multilingual Student Writers

 

To learn more, click here.

How can EPPIC serve you?

Would you like EPPIC to visit a departmental event?  To organize an event for international students in your program?

Contact us any time to request a visit, display table or presentation to introduce EPPIC’s services.

Our center also offers customized programming for programs across the university to address specific needs related to academic and professional English, as well as intercultural communication.  To start a conversation with us about a custom collaboration, please send us a message describing your request.

Contact Us about a Custom Collaboration