Penn State Penn State: College of the Liberal Arts
Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You can take ESL 015, American Academic Communication, our undergraduate class for international students. You will study academic writing and presentation skills in this class. ESL 015 is offered every semester, including summer.

You can take ESL 015, American Academic Communication, or ENGL 015, Rhetoric and Composition, as a first-year student. ESL 015 is a first-year writing class, similar to ENGL 015, but designed especially to support international undergraduate students.

You can discuss which writing class to take with your advisor. If you grew up speaking another language besides English at home, or attended a high school in a non-English speaking country, you should probably register for ESL015.

You can enroll in ESL 015, work with a tutor at Penn State Learning (the Writing Center) in 220 Boucke (or on-line),  meet with an EPPIC tutor; and attend EPPIC workshops on academic writing.

You can find tutoring for international undergraduates in Sparks 7, Boucke 220 and the Pattee Library through different programs. Check with your ESL instructor, the Writing Center in Boucke 220 or with EPPIC for details.

You can go to the Speaking Center in Sparks 7 (Penn State Learning), schedule an appointment with an EPPIC speaking consultant, or attend an EPPIC workshop for help with presenting and participating in class. Ask your instructor for suggestions too!

You can find tutors for public speaking at the Speaking Center (Sparks 7) and for a variety of speaking genres (conversation, networking, research presentations, job interviews) at EPPIC.