I am a University of Texas - Austin graduate with honors, BS in Molecular Biology. I also hold an MS in Biology from University of California - San Diego, specializing in Cell Biology.
My tutoring experience is, frankly, pretty massive; I have been a tutor almost continuously since 2000. In some cases I taught the same student for several years. Most of these students were international students taught in various Asian countries, but all instruction was in English and the students were from dozens of different nations, including of course many Americans. I also have considerable classroom teaching experience; I have taught Science, Business and Math courses at several high schools and also worked at numerous private schools of different kinds.
Due to my academic background my greatest strength as a tutor is in the area of IB Biology and Chemistry, AP Biology and Chemistry, and university freshman courses in the same subjects. However, I can tutor essentially any Science and Math taught in high school. I consider myself an extremely proficient Math tutor especially with grade 10, Algebra II, Trigonometry and any course below that level. IB Higher Math is a bit of a hard slog for me (as for most students!), but IB Core Math and Math Studies are no problem.
For university work, I can help with General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and almost any undergraduate course in Biology or similar subjects, including Microbiology and Botany. My core strength is in Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. In addition, I can help with humanities assignments, including History, Business, Psychology and English. I am a very capable writer and researcher; I have approximately 80 published freelance writing credits. I also worked as a business journalist in Thailand and started a commercial technical editing firm in Shanghai. I have a fairly considerable business background and took a number of MBA courses including Statistics, Management Theory, Finance, and Accounting, with very high marks. I also studied Economics at freshman level and consider it one of the most enjoyable and illuminating courses I ever took.
In addition to all this I do have a great deal of test prep experience, especially SAT. Besides SAT I have taught GMAT, GRE, SSAT, SAT-II and IB exam prep in various subjects, especially Biology, Chemistry and Business.
My tutoring experience has taught me that almost every student can benefit from tutoring. For gifted students the right tutor can expose them to advanced ideas and connections that they otherwise would not encounter for years, if ever. One of my most talented former students started studying university-level science material in 8th grade. He was later admitted, with my help, to summer programs at Cornell and Harvard that allowed high school students to work in university laboratories; ultimately he went to Berkeley, then medical school and is now a neurosurgeon. I am proud that I had something to do with his success. For students with serious academic difficulties, a tutor can patiently teach them the basic skills they need to surmount their immediate obstacles, while at the same time laying the groundwork for future achievements that in some cases they or their parents would have thought impossible.
In our society, it is unfortunately the case that classroom instruction is often ineffective. In my view, the main reasons are a lax classroom environment that does not promote learning; low expectations; and unfortunately, a relatively low standard of professionalism expected of classroom teachers. Although I have seen both sides of this issue as a classroom teacher myself, and there are definitely some brilliant and dedicated classroom teachers out there, this last problem is a major reason why tutoring can be so helpful. During my tutorials, I have heard countless kids say "I didn't get that at all when Mr X taught it in class, but when YOU explained it it was so simple!"
At the same time, tutoring is not magic. In particular, a tutor cannot do much with a student who is fundamentally unmotivated, although I have learned ways to build motivation given adequate time. In general I feel that tutoring really helps students to achieve their potential.
In terms of my teaching style, I am very direct, professional and no nonsense. To the limits of my capabilities, I try to provide whatever the client wants and will do whatever works in terms of approach and lesson activities, adjusting my methods according to client needs.
As for my interests, I have a lot, including writing, reading, travel (I have been all over Asia and lived in several Asian countries), cooking, photography, racquetball and football (both kinds), among others. I have also visited dozens of universities and worked a lot of different jobs, which is helpful when clients need help with university or graduate school applications, or want advice about career options.
