As a Junior in high school, I didn't even know you could study for the SAT. At the time, most of us believed that your score revealed how smart you were and ultimately determined your future. Fortunately, my art teacher advised me to see a private tutor he knew. She was a lawyer who tutored SAT in her spare time. After five months I got through 20 SATs and my score increased over 200 points. I then started to tutor some of my friends.

​​

Throughout college I would spend my summers in Korea teaching SAT to classes of 30-40. Before my first class they told me to tell the students I had already graduated college. They threw me in without training, because I was attending Yale and they expected that I would be able to teach. The situation forced me to improve my teaching very quickly, and I found that I enjoyed explaining things and working with high school students.

​​

Math had been my strongest subject in high school, and I enjoyed solving problems and competing in contests on the math team, which helped tremendously on the SAT math section. My friends and I even made a pact to get perfect SAT math scores by our senior year. I am not a genius and I did have to practice to get there. So if you are strong in math, an 800 is attainable. It is absolutely not necessary to get into a great school, of course.

​​

In college I majored in Religious Studies, which taught me how to read and write for the first time. This was enforced by graduate school, which amounted to 7 years of reading, writing papers, and talking to advisers about my writing. Eventually I decided to become a Physician Assistant, and I was forced to return to the sciences. As a result of my long path through various schools, I am comfortable in both the humanities and the sciences. I am able to think in different ways through diverse perspectives, which helps in standardized test prep and essay writing.

​​

I have worked full-time and part-time teaching the SAT, college essay, and other subjects. I have taught privately, in groups, in summer programs, and in classes. I have seen the SAT change formats twice and personal essays reach the level of a polished short story. Competition is much more fierce today than when I applied to college in the 1990s. Preparation for the SAT and coaching for the application essay is now assumed. Without them, you are at a serious disadvantage.

​​

Working as a psychiatric physician assistant in an outpatient setting allows me time to tutor during the evenings and weekends. I am also trying to pay back my student loans! I encourage you to explore this site and others as well. If you go with tutoring, find someone you believe is qualified but also a good match for you. There is no pressure and no gimmicks. I am confident I am one of the best tutors you will be able to find.

​​

Please send me any questions that you may have. I look forward to working with you.