Workshop Series

ELSO offers workshops on a range of topics related to writing and speaking available to graduate and professional students from all language backgrounds. These workshops are not credit-bearing but do require registration. There is no fee. Students may choose to register for only one or two workshops or may register for the full set.

Questions about ELSO Workshops may be sent to the ELSO email account.

Fall 2026 Workshop Series

Fall 2026 ELSO workshops will take place on Fridays from 4:00-5:30 pm in Caldwell Hall room 250.

To register for an ELSO workshop, visit WC Online and choose "ELSO Fall 2026 Workshops" from the Schedule drop down menu. Navigate through the schedule to the date of the workshop you are interested in and click on the white box next to the description, and fill out the registration information.

Career fairs are where company representatives meet and talk with students. This year, Cornell is offering a variety of career fairs, including four that will take place from September 15-17. These events will be in person on the Ithaca campus. Learn why companies participate in career fairs, and why you should consider attending. Discover how they are conducted, ways to prepare for them, and resources that can help. You’ll also have time to practice your self-introduction (i.e., elevator pitch). 

At conferences, during networking events, even just waiting in line at Starbucks, these are all times to make contacts and talk about your academic work with others. In this workshop, you’ll learn about and practice starting a conversation and continuing it to make friends and connections. You will also learn strategies for making your academic work understandable for others outside your field.

Cornell University now provides free access to a Cornell version of Microsoft Copilot, one that keeps your information private. How can this generative AI tool and others (e.g. ChatGPT, Quillbot) be used effectively and ethically in support of writing in English? During this workshop, you will have a chance to explore ways these tools can be used during the writing process, learn ways to use them with less risk, and reflect on the extent to which you want to incorporate them into your own writing practice.

Are you writing a statement of purpose, research statement, personal statement, or something related (e.g., statement of intent)? Statements such as these are commonly required when applying for (1) graduate programs, (2) fellowships, (3) academic positions, or (4) some non-academic jobs. In this workshop, we will discuss how you could approach them and introduce some guidelines for composing them. We will also talk about when and how you might use GenAI chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot) to write them and when and why you might want to avoid using them. 

AI technology has become widely accessible and is rapidly evolving. Learn how AI-powered tools such as Chat GPT and MS Copilot can help you feel more prepared and confident to speak. Explore and evaluate ways these tools can effectively support your pronunciation, help build fluency and be personalized to real life communication. Whether preparing for presentations, interviews, or everyday conversations, you will expand your awareness of how AI can help improve your oral communication in this interactive workshop.

Request emails are emails in which the sender asks the receiver to do something (such as serve as a reference), give permission for something (such as permission to audit a course), or confirm something (such as confirming a meeting time). Graduate students often need to write request emails to professors, advisors, peers, and potential employers. This workshop will introduce elements of request emails and introduce strategies for crafting request emails that are clear, polite, and effective. Be sure to bring a laptop computer to participate in the workshop activities.