
Vip
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Columbia College of Columbia University - Bachelor in Arts, Neuroscience and Behavior
Graduate Degree: St. George's University School of Medicine - Doctor of Medicine, Medicine
SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1560
SAT Math: 800
SAT Verbal: 760
MCAT: 40
Reading, Board Games, Video Games, Hiking, Running, Computer Programming
College Biology
College Chemistry
College Physics
MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
GRE Subject Tests
High School Biology
High School Chemistry
High School Physics
MCAT Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
MCAT Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
MCAT Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
SAT Subject Test in Biology E/M
SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 1
SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2
SAT Subject Tests Prep
What is your teaching philosophy?
Fundamental understanding is the only correct target. Combined with coaching on practicing your question-attack strategy with maximal error reduction, I can make anyone a test-destroyer given time.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Before I start the clock on our first session, I discuss the student's responses to my pre-session email questionnaire, which tells me the whole of their academic story to give context to their current challenge. Once I have a good idea of who my student is, I can properly use our time to diagnose their conceptual or problem-solving blocks correctly.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I constantly focus on getting students to bind their new scientific knowledge to their ample experience as humans who have been around for approximately two decades, so they use their knowledge as a lens to see the world. Whenever a student comes up with their own mnemonic of equal correctness, I change my slides to use theirs, because reinforcing such behaviors when they occur is the key to successful training of independent learning.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Studying may be hard, but it should never be boring. My lessons are animated and personable. The brain is not a bucket, and what a student does with information determines recall. Since actually being strong is the best way to build confidence, I have learned over time how to make students strong in as little a time as possible by conveying core principles, and then guiding them through the various applications of those core principles.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Try another way. With all the experience I have, I have never once been stymied in trying to explain a concept. I will learn the answer to a stumper in front of you and model ideal self-directed learner behavior. Once I understand, I can explain it to you. Guaranteed.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I personally only teach reading comprehension at the MCAT level. My answer depends on whether they are ESL students or native English speakers. For all students: read, read, read. For ESL - that and vocabulary. For all students taking CARS: grammatical analysis, etymology, and structural passage dissection are all tools that I teach that can both raise understanding of the passage and raise points out of proportion to understanding.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
When I start to work with a student, getting them to believe in the method has proven to be the most successful. A quick lesson on cortical neuroanatomy and overall information flow within the CNS gets most students on board with my teaching method, which is different from that to which they are used to.