David: Henrico County tutor
Certified Tutor
Higher education is a pursuit reserved for those willing to overcome many hurdles, with the understanding that a degree is only the beginning to a successful career. As someone with experience both inside and outside the world of academia, I enjoy guiding students through these obstacles and providing insight into all aspects of academic and career trajectories, including graduate admissions and career applications.
I mainly tutor the GMAT and related quantitative and qualitative subject matter. Students enjoy my ability to relate to them on many levels and my capacity to explain a wide range of topics and break down difficult questions into easily understandable solutions. I believe that students benefit most from a healthy mix of specific, topic-related tutoring and general tutoring about admissions tests and processes. Furthermore, I provide students with the necessary tools to tackle multiple problems through understanding the underlying questions presented in admissions tests.
I am a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Since graduation, I have established a successful career working for international companies in management positions. In my spare time, I enjoy flying private aircraft, camping and playing music.
Connect with a tutor like David
Undergraduate Degree: University of Wyoming - Bachelors, Journalism
- GMAT: 720
Music, Exploration, Flying
- GMAT
- GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment
- GMAT Integrated Reasoning
- GMAT Quantitative
- GMAT Verbal
- Graduate Test Prep
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is simple: listen to the question, assess the problem, and execute a solution
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
For a first session, I enjoy learning about a student's background, goals and objectives. Once those are established, I work to create a sense of accomplishment according to the student's needs.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
To help a student become an independent learner, I spend time understanding the underlying issue and then providing the tools necessary to solve future problems independently.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I foster motivation through reminding students of the end goal and the reward for effort and hard work.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
The most important part of tutoring is listening to a student's question and then slowly working toward a solution that the student fully understands.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension problems are typically based on just a few simple concepts. I would first identify the concept that the student is struggling with and then teach the methods behind the concept.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Establishing a comfortable working relationship is vital to success between a student and tutor. This is accomplished through evaluating a student's interests, abilities, goals, and hobbies in the first sessions.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I enjoy reminding students of the ultimate goal as a method to motivate them. The reward is worth the struggle.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I tutor GMAT and use established techniques taught by many of the major tutoring publishers. I am a firm believer in teaching the concepts behind the method in order to understand a set of problems completely.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Confidence is vital to any successful testing session. To build confidence, I teach many different testing techniques to improve students' speed and accuracy.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I listen to students very carefully.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Each student has an individual learning style. However, the actual methods remain the same. So, I essentially modify my communication styles based on a student's needs in order to effectively tutor a certain area.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I mainly use the Official Guide for GMAT and supplemental materials provided by the official test.