PhD ABD, Anthropology, University of Chicago
SAT/ACT prep at all levels; especially strong results with students stalled in the mid-range; warm, empathetic, and direct.
Areas of focus
SAT – Reading and Writing
SAT – Math
ACT – English
ACT – Math
ACT – Reading
Background
PhD ABD, Anthropology, University of Chicago
MA, Anthropology, University of Chicago
MA, South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania
BA, Philosophy, Kalamazoo College
Recent outcomes
SAT | 11th grade | The Paideia School | 1250 → 1510
SAT | 11th grade | Convent of the Sacred Heart High School | 1210 → 1380
ACT | 11th grade | Menlo-Atherton High School | 30 → 35
ACT | 11th grade | Apex High School | 28 → 32
Approach
It is my philosophy that preparing for the SAT and ACT has less to do with mastering content (important as that is) and more to do with developing a disciplined, thoughtful, and calm approach to the test itself. Any student with even a small amount of motivation can memorize facts from a textbook or pick up tricks from social media. I believe that the true value of tutoring derives from how we help our students to build a new disposition for test taking and provide the consistency and structure to help them internalize it. To do so, I develop a warm and collegial relationship with my students, enabling even the least confident students to look at their weaknesses with a clear eye while also recognizing strengths that they may not realize they have.
Q&A
A resource you’d hand a curious student?
I give my students customized problem sets that I create in order to drill down into content while building technique.
The mistake you see most often?
Especially when it comes to the reading and writing sections, the biggest mistake I see students make is looking for what is right about an answer choice rather than what is wrong about it. The broader mistake here is not taking advantage of the multiple choice format of these tests.
What you look for in a good-fit student?
I look for students who are open to my low-key, warm, and direct approach that involves actively looking for weak spots and developing techniques for overcoming them.
What parents or students get wrong about prep?
A very common misperception is that ACT and SAT performance is primarily an outcome of the content you know rather than the approach you take.