Our Services
High School Secondary Level (Grades 11, 12 & 13)
One-on-one help on your specific high school essay, book report, or admissions essay.
A tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. can help you to brainstorm ideas, how to research, guide you on how to write an outline, structure your paper, and cite your resources, as well as help you proofread your paper.
A tutor will also provide support and constructive feedback on your assignment, as well as guide you to discover your writing skills. These skills can set you up for future writing success at the post-secondary level.
The tutor will not write the paper for you, but will provide guidance on becoming a better and more self-sufficient writer.
College or University Post-Secondary Undergraduate Level
One-on-one help on your specific essay.
A tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. can help you with brainstorming ideas, develop research questions and thesis statements, as well as discuss claims, reasons and evidence in order to build a strong argument. They can also support you with building an outline and structure your paper. A tutor can help you identify and determine quality resources (the foundation with which to build your paper) and how to incorporate them effectively into your paper. They can also help you maintain a timeline, and assist you in proofreading your paper.
A tutor will provide support and constructive feedback on your assignment, as well as guide you to discover your writing skills. These skills will ease your workload as you will be more efficient in researching, drafting and revising your written assignments. Overall, all the skills we teach will provide you with the opportunity for much improved work-life balance as you will be a more efficient writer.
The tutor will not write the paper for you, but will provide guidance and support on your journey to becoming a better and more self-sufficient writer.
One-on-one help with in-class presentations.
A tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. can help you with communicating your material visually. Just like a paper, a tutor can help you brainstorm ideas and develop research questions, as well as help you develop a strong argument (claim, reasons and evidence). They can help you choose effective graphics, themes, colour schemes, etc., as well as be a ‘sounding board’ for dry runs prior to the big day.
The skills you acquire while working with your skilled tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. will ultimately ease your work load, and provide you with the skills to become a more effective presenter.
The tutor will not create the presentation for you, but will help guide you on becoming a more confident presenter.
University Post-Secondary Graduate Level (Master & PhD)
One-on-one help with your specific graduate process.
Each student’s experience at grad school can vary significantly. Some may have a fully engaged supervisor and committee, while others are left high and dry to fend for themselves. Hopefully, you are not in the position of the latter, but if you feel like you are, please feel rest assured that you are not alone. In fact, just Google ‘‘dumped’, or ‘broke up’ or ‘forgotten’ or ‘mismanaged’ by graduate supervisor’’ and you will find a number of posts by grad students who may feel the same way you do. Don’t fret! We are here to support you in navigating the process.
Tutors at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. are here to support and provide guidance to graduate students who are at all levels of the graduate process. If you are a Master student, a tutor can help you prepare for your proposal (e.g., provide constructive feedback, etc.) and presentation (e.g., choose effective graphics, etc.), as well as review your Thesis (e.g., content, grammar, etc.) and help you prepare for your defense (e.g., dry runs, ask ‘what if’ questions, etc.).
If you are a PhD student, tutors at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. can help you prepare for your comprehensive exam (e.g., review and provide constructive feedback, etc.) and internal defense (e.g., critique your presentation, etc.). As a PhD candidate, we can help you by reviewing your dissertation and provide time to critique ‘dry runs’ of your defense (e.g., ask the ‘what if’ questions that may be asked by committee members and attendees, etc.).
Group Sessions
These sessions are for:
(1) A group of students who have to complete a group or team writing assignment and/or presentation. (2) A group of students who have the same assignment, but have to complete their own individual writing assignment or presentation.
A tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. can meet with a group to discuss the assignment, brainstorm topics, develop research questions and thesis statements, as well as discuss claims, reasons and evidence. Also, a tutor can help you decipher quality resources and how to incorporate them into your paper, as well as help you construct the paper tailored to your particular audience. These sessions can also be used to help you or group maintain a timeline, and provide a space for others to read your drafts. It is well-known that peer feedback can have a positive impact on a fellow student’s writing performance!
Essay Review Only
You submit a draft copy of your writing assignment, along with assignment guidelines/instructions.
A tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. gives one-time written formative feedback, strategies and resources on your single authored draft writing assignment in order to enhance your writing skills.
If you would like to submit a group writing assignment (more than a single author), the tutor needs written permission from all other authors prior to review. Please contact us for additional information.
The student and tutor do not meet one-on-one via Zoom. The tutor aims to have a 48-hour turnaround time to review and respond to papers.
Academic & Professional Mentoring
A mentor encourages your goals and dreams!
A mentor/tutor at Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. can provide advice in regard to university work-life balance, research ideas, and graduate school, as well as provide professional guidance.
Your coach can also provide you with tools to sponsor critical thinking, manage teamwork dynamics, facilitate learning opportunities, enhance communication, weigh professional opportunities, etc.
We are here to listen to your goals and dreams.
What a tutor will not do!
A Sharpest Pencil Tutoring Inc. tutor will not:
(1) Grade a student’s paper, or suggest a grade.
(2) Write or rewrite a student’s paper or portions thereof.
(3) Contact a student’s instructor to request the assignment guidelines/instructions, etc. The onus is on the student to provide all the necessary material needed and/or requested by a tutor.
(4) Assess the level of a student’s learning or understanding of the course material.
(5) Provide assistance with take-home, online and/or distance exams.
Please note: The onus is on the student to ensure they follow their instructor's guidelines and adhere to the regulations and policies of their institution.
Our Rates
Dr. Nelsen’s private rates start at CAD $50-$100 per hour.
Please contact us for more details.