How far in advance does Dr. Benson take appointments?

Generally speaking, students can reserve time four weeks in advance. In November or December, when the holidays are approaching, this is case by case.

What is Dr. Benson’s availability?

Monday through Friday, 4:30 pm to 10 pm, and 8 am to 11 am on Saturdays and Sundays, assuming slots are available.

The exception is three day weekends and holidays.

Please make a note of this so there is not a last minute scramble to address projects that happen to be due after a three day weekend or holiday.

Sometimes, last minute efforts to finish projects or to study are difficult to avoid.

In the event that there is a pressing due date or a teacher or professor has posted newly assigned work the week before a three day weekend, Dr. Benson will make an effort to accommodate scheduling requests for the Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays of a three day weekend, but note that meetings may fall outside typical appointment times, and that they are not guaranteed.

My student’s friend/neighbor/classmate/cousin/sibling is going to join because they are in the same class. Is that ok?

Yes, but please do not simply send the Zoom link to the friend/classmate/sibling etc and then have friend/classmate/sibling/etc appear in the Zoom waiting room as a surprise.

Please make arrangements with Dr. Benson in advance so the request can be accommodated and planned for.

Can we use a platform other than Zoom?

Sure! If you prefer Meet, that’s fine too.

Can we meet in person?

So that she may serve as many households as possible, Dr. Benson only meets on Zoom, preferring to spend time assisting students instead of driving.

What is the cancellation policy?

Notice must be given within twelve hours of meeting start time in order to avoid being invoiced for the meeting.

Effort will be made to accommodate last minute requests to start meetings slightly later or earlier, but these cannot always be accommodated. 

Families will be invoiced for meetings if twelve hours notice is not given, or if the request for last minute changes can’t be accommodated.

My student just has a super quick question. Can we book a fifteen minute session?

The smallest slot available is a half hour.

My student just got assigned a huge project. Can we book a four hour session?

In order to maximize productivity, the longest sessions are one and half hours.

Will we receive a confirmation before our appointment?

When making a reservation to meet, you will be sent a calendar notification. This serves as confirmation of the appointment, as well as your reminder.

If your student or your household does not use Google Calendar, please do make sure to note meetings in your own calendar system.

Households can also feel free to text or email Dr. Benson ahead of the appointment to confirm.

You may not receive an additional confirmation.

Therefore, please note appointments in your own calendar system to avoid last minute cancellations.

When is payment due?

Invoices are sent upon the conclusion of an appointment, or shortly thereafter. Payment is due within 72 hours unless explicit arrangements are made otherwise.

In the event that a family consistently falls behind on payments, payment may be required to secure an appointment.

If my student makes an appointment with Dr. Benson, should the family expect an invoice?

If a student makes an appointment to meet, it is assumed to have been approved by their parent or guardian, and an invoice will be sent.

Do I need a W9?

You will be making payments to a Venmo, Zelle, or bank account linked to an LLC to make everyone’s life easier when it comes to tax reporting.

Therefore, a W9 is not necessary but available upon request.

I am a graduate student and I need help with editing dissertation chapters, an annotated bibliography, a paper I’m preparing for publication, my master’s thesis, or my dissertation proposal. Can Dr. Benson help?

Yes! Dr. Benson earned a master’s degree through not only completing requisite coursework but also through submitting masters theses in three different subject areas.

Dr. Benson then went on to earn a PhD in part through successfully defending a 200+ page interdisciplinary dissertation in front of a four person committee of scholars.

Dr. Benson has also published a number of single author articles in peer reviewed publications and presented at flagship academic conferences in gender studies and area studies.

Finally, Dr. Benson earned a number of grants for research in areas that include, but are not limited to, anthropology, legal anthropology, gender studies, area studies, and general excellence.

Get in touch and we’ll make a plan to get you on track to complete your master’s thesis, submit that article to a journal, and/or defend your dissertation or dissertation proposal on time.