Workshops & Events
Our workshops are open to the entire CSULB campus community, including undergraduate and graduate students, as well as the general public. So, if you are interested in a workshop, please register below.
Spring 2023
When: Wednesday, January 25th, 3pm-4:30pm
Where: University Library 201
Description: This workshop focuses on the nuts and bolts of drafting your statement of purpose. Topics include “dos and don’ts,” avoiding “kisses of death,” statements of confidence, effective essay structure, and useful sentence stems.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, February 2nd, 2pm-3:30pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: This workshop covers the important steps of preparing for and applying to graduate school. This session is ideal for students wanting to learn about how to apply to master's degree, credential, and doctoral programs and is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and non-CSULB students.
Presenter: Paola Plascencia (Paola.Plascencia@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, February 16th, 11am-12pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: This workshop will cover the procedures of formatting theses and dissertations for both publishing your thesis and obtaining library clearance to graduate.
Presenter: Cecilia Paredes (Cecilia.Paredes@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, February 23rd, 4pm-5:30pm
Where: University Library 201
Description: This workshop focuses on how to write clearly about specialized topics and how to make academic discussions both understandable and engaging for readers.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Wednesday, March 1st, 4pm-5pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: This workshop will cover the procedures of formatting theses and dissertations for both publishing your thesis and obtaining library clearance to graduate.
Presenter: Cecilia Paredes (Cecilia.Paredes@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, March 2nd, 2pm -3:30pm
Where: University Library 201
Description: This workshop covers the important steps of preparing for and applying to graduate school. This session is ideal for students wanting to learn about how to apply to master's degree, credential, and doctoral programs and is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and non-CSULB students!
Presenter: Paola Plascencia (Paola.Plascencia@csulb.edu)
When: Wednesday, March 8th, 3pm-4:30pm
Where: University Library 201
Description: This workshop covers basics of funding for graduate studies, including topics such as graduate assistantships, campus vs. external funding, and loans.
Presenters: Paola Plascencia (Paola.Plascencia@csulb.edu) and Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Tuesday, March 21st, 3:30-5pm
Where: University Library 201)
Description: This workshop demystifies the dreaded “writer’s block” and provides actionable advice on how to stop worrying and start writing (and hopefully even enjoy it!).
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Tuesday, March 28th, 10am to 7pm
Where: University Library, 2nd floor (Graduate Study Space)
Description: The Graduate Writing Retreat is a full-day writing "get-away" for graduate or post-bac students to make progress on a major writing task over Spring Break. Writing tasks can include a thesis, seminar paper, dissertation, comps, independent study, class project, or any writing work that requires sustained focus. The Retreat will take place in the “Graduate Student Collaborative Space” (University Library 202), which will be closed to non-attendees, creating a quiet, distraction-free setting. The Graduate Center will also be serving refreshments, including lunch and dinner (the registration form below has further details and the option to indicate dietary restrictions). Furthermore, Graduate Center staff, including the Graduate Writing Specialist, will be on hand all day to answer questions or help you overcome writing “roadblocks.” The event is free and open to all currently-enrolled graduate/post-bac students, but registration is required. The deadline to register is Friday, March 24th, to ensure a proper food and beverage order.
When: Thursday, April 27th, 4pm-5:30pm
Where: University Library 201
Description: This workshop covers essential skills for acing your end-of-semester projects, papers, and exams, including: (1) writing to your audience, (2) overcoming writing anxiety, and (3) using metacognition to improve your learning. Each topic will be briefly discussed, and resources for further reading/learning will be shared.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
PAST WORKSHOPS
A selection of our past workshops are listed below:
- Applying to Grad School 101
- GRE review
- GMAT review
- Teaching in Community College
- Publishing Your Research in Graduate School
- Acing Your Academic Presentation
- Navigating Graduate School as an Underrepresented Student
- Qualitative Inquiry 101
- Graduate School - Student Life
- Funding Your Graduate Studies
- Writing a Statement of purpose for Graduate School
- Applying to Doctoral Programs - What You Need to Know
- Applying to Grad School for Undocumented/DACAmented Students
- Creating a CV/Résumé for Grad School
- Grammar for Grad Students - Verb Tense and Voice
- Grammar for Grad Students - Punctuation
- Grammar for Grad Students - Parts of Speech and Agreement
- Grammar for Grad Students - Complete Sentences
- Grammar for Grad Students – Parallelism & Modifiers
- Writing Literature Reviews
- CSULB Thesis & Dissertation Formatting
- Funding for PhD Programs
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- APA Formatting & Citations
- Overcoming Writing Anxiety & Developing a Writing Habit
- Graduate Writing Institute (GWI)
- Managing Time & Stress in Graduate School