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This document explores problems described by learners of second languages at the university level. It reports on three case studies drawn from a language advisory service at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. An understanding of the range of experiences learners report in a given learning context is likely to shed light on ways in which those learning contexts might be structured for better learning opportunities, or ways in which learners themselves might develop better strategies for making use of the opportunities that are already there. For example, one type of problem identified by the data is a lack of fit between a learner's long term language learning goals and the immediate goals of the course in which they are enrolled. This could be dealt with through a modification of the curriculum or by increased understanding by the learner of how to manage the differing expectations. The problem descriptions were gathered through a series of interviews between individual learners and a language advisor. The focus of this investigation is on three broad questions: (1) In what way are the problems framed through the process of the interview itself? (2) What learning goals are explicitly or implicitly set by or for the learner? and (3) What underlying learner beliefs about language and language learning arise from the interviews? The paper concludes by proposing a framework to use in managing and analyzing dialogues about learning. A main finding is that learners are all guided by some sort of goal. There needs to be better integration of short-term (passing a course) and long-term (using a language for real communication) goals. The basis for any solution lies in making goals central and explicit. (KFT)