Hello and thanks for visiting my page. I'm Cynthia, a prospective tutor-mentor for your K-12 students, SAT and ACT students, TOEFL students, and college applicants. I also tutor adults in writing and editing. Below, I've provided information to help you decide whether I'll be a strong match for your needs.
THOROUGH & EFFICIENT PERSONALIZED SERVICE
I'm a third year law student, college scholarship reviewer, and former published cancer genetics researcher looking for two to three clients to tutor as a more meaningful alternative to my typical law school jobs. I prefer to dedicate myself primarily to a few students whose learning styles and habits I can come to learn well. I strive to help these students understand & master each subject, set high standards, improve study skills, gain intellectual curiosity about each subject within the context of the world they live in, be cognizant of issues in their social or extracurricular lives that are interfering with their academic achievement, and--consequently--make better grades and have brighter futures. In doing so, I’m happy to be available by phone to students outside of our in-person tutoring sessions, and to work with the students’ teachers and families as needed to better tailor my sessions to the students’ needs.
Especially for SAT, ACT, and TOEFL takers, my method involves identifying and correcting misconceptions students have about test materials by having a dialogue with students about targeted practice sets that I design based on the students' performance on diagnostic tests. We focus on learning, never rote memorization, and encourage students to fully understand how to identify correct answers and eliminate wrong answer choices quickly and easily on tests like SAT, ACT, and TOEFL.
Efficiency is also key to my service. Students today have difficulty juggling their activities, schoolwork, social lives, sports, while largely ignoring their sleep and nutritional needs. These students don't need extra work; they need more strategically-assigned work and tailored help that lets them learn optimally in the limited time they have. And often, the very reason many students resent school work is that they view most schoolwork as superfluous and pointless "busy work." I've found that these students genuinely appreciate and enjoy the time-saving tips and study methods that help them truly learn (never merely memorize) more efficiently; and view efficient learning as a welcome change from most traditional classroom approaches.
MY STORY & PERSPECTIVE ON TUTORING
As a tutor, I become part of the team of adults that is responsible for your child's academic success. My philosophy is that when a student is not motivated or is not learning to his or her potential, we (the adults who've taken on the responsibility for the student's success) must be accountable. By accepting responsibility for students, it's our duty to provide these students with the resources and guidance they need to excel, and to keep trying until something works. There are effective ways to help every child, even when it isn't immediately apparent or simple.
While I was a straight-A student who loved school as a child even while struggling with ADHD, my younger brother made it to college only with repeated intervention & constant oversight from my parents and me. Although he’s now an independently functioning, straight-A computer science sophomore in college, he likely wouldn't have made it into college without our persistent intervention. My brother’s story—-and my experiences as a volunteer tutor during college—-have made me realize that some students do need a (reasonable) degree of extra oversight, attention, and individual guidance to stay motivated and reach their potentials. When such students don’t have older siblings, a tutor can help fill that role, and sometimes relate to children and teens better than parents can.
TUTOR BIO & CREDENTIALS
I graduated high school as a national merit scholar and valedictorian, with a total of more than $1 million worth of merit-based scholarship funding offers. I was accepted to several ivy-league schools, but instead took the four-year, full-ride Roy H. Park Scholarship for excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character to North Carolina State University, where I graduated with honors and published my genetics research with our neighbor school, Duke University. After working as a genetics research specialist at Emory University, I started law school for biotechnology patent and environmental law.
Despite my passion for learning and longstanding history of academic excellence, I was also a typical teenager with typical teenage social and personal issues-—like ADHD and a consuming social life-—which threatened my academic success at times. I expect these experiences, however, will make me a more empathetic and insightful tutor for similarly situated students.
Currently, I’m in my last year of law school and serve on the review committee to recruit and select applicants for the Park full-ride merit-based college scholarship. I also continue to be an avid reader who especially enjoys reading about educational psychology and innovative teaching and tutoring methods. I hope my interest in keeping up with the field--in conjunction with my 300+ hours of volunteer tutoring experience--makes me a more insightful and adaptable tutor for your student.
Please feel free to contact with me with any questions or requests. In everyone's best interest, I hope to tutor those students who I will be a strong match for, so please tell me a bit about your student to help us make that assessment together. Many thanks again for considering me as a prospective tutor, and I hope to have the opportunity to help you.
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