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A photo of Ben, a tutor from Union College

Ben

Certified Tutor

I am currently in my junior year at Union College. I will graduate with a B.S. in Biology in June of 2016, and plan to go to medical school after. My tutoring experience is quite varied. Back in high school I was the TA for a computer science course and a volunteer tutor in chemistry and biology. More recently, I have done more informal tutoring, such as helping friends at college with biochemistry and MCAT preparation, and helping my younger sister with note taking skills, AP US History, and ACT prep. I tutor a wide range of subjects, from computer science to history and biochemistry to critical reading. My favorite subjects to tutor though, are standardized test prep and biochemistry. Though enjoying standardized tests is not a common opinion, I have always liked the logical nature of standardized test questions, and the fact that simply by working on a few test taking skills students can see marked improvement. Biochemistry, while far from a simple field, is one of my favorite subjects. I find the chemical basis for how biological mechanisms work to be fascinating. Biomedical research is also a passion of mine; I have worked in a handful of labs since high school, from a critical care surgical lab studying treatments for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome to a study on managing diabetes. In my free time, I enjoy reading (especially nonfiction scientific or political books), playing tennis, listening to and playing music (I play piano), and the occasional Netflix marathon. I believe that no matter the subject, every student has the potential for success.

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Ben’s Qualifications
Education & Certification

Undergraduate Degree: Union College - Bachelor of Science, Biology, General

Test Scores
ACT Composite: 33
ACT English: 35
ACT Reading: 36
ACT Science: 35
Hobbies

Biology/biomedical research, tennis, music, piano, reading

Tutoring Subjects
10th Grade Reading
10th Grade Writing
11th Grade Reading
11th Grade Writing
12th Grade Reading
12th Grade Writing
5th Grade Reading
6th Grade Reading
7th Grade Reading
8th Grade Reading
9th Grade Reading
9th Grade Writing
ACT Science
Adult Literacy
Algebra
Algebra 2
AP
AP Biology
Biochemistry
Biology
Cell Biology
College Algebra
College Biology
College English
College Level American History
Elementary Algebra
Elementary School Reading
English
Essay Editing
Evolutionary Biology
General Biology
Graduate Test Prep
GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
GRE Subject Tests
High School Biology
High School English
High School Level American History
High School Writing
History
Honors
Immunology
Life Sciences
Math
MCAT Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
Medical Terminology
Medicine
Middle School Reading
Molecular Biology
Neurobiology
Other
REGENTS Prep
SAT Subject Test in Biology E/M
SAT Subject Test in United States History
SAT Subject Tests Prep
Science
Social Studies
STAAR Prep
STAAR EOC Prep
Summer
Technical Writing
Technology and Coding
US History
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Assess their strengths and weaknesses, and then figure out what areas to spend the most time on to get the biggest benefit.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Teaching study skills and test taking strategies can help.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I've found that when a student is struggling with a specific concept, it helps to try a variety of examples and ways of looking at the topic. One might click where another did not.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

I think the best way to assess understanding is to ask the student to explain the concept to me as if I was the student. If you can explain a concept, it shows a high level of understanding.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Generally I've found the best way is to give practice tests in the areas the student feels less confident in to pinpoint where work needs to be done.