Christopher M. - Tutor in West Springfield, MA (01089)

Hello!

My name is Chris and I am a Masters student in the Clinical Psychology Program at AIC. I graduated from Fordham University in New York City with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Biology as well as a Pre-Medical Concentration. I have taken higher level natural science courses (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) as well as higher level Psychology courses. I hold numerous academic achievement awards, including semesters that qualify for the Deans List. I was chose as an Emerging Leader and also gained an academic scholarship for my continued dedication to my studies as well as service to the local community. I hope, in the future to get my doctorate in medicine with a career focus and board certification in emergency medicine/trauma surgery and also my board certification in family medicine.

My tutoring experience goes back to High School when I was a tutor for Middle School Students. That then turned into helping High School students with their NYS Regents test prep as well as SAT test prep. As a Masters Student at American International College I am a Graduate Assistant in the Office for Academic Success; Academic Resource Center. My duties there include helping undergraduate and graduate students with their academic work. We meet with students who need academic support, develop workshops and presentations related to study skills, organize campus wide tutoring program in all departments to ensure students get the help that they need.

Believe it or not my approach to tutoring is very non-confrontational. I do not pass judgment due to the fact that in my early years of Middle School and High School, I did not have stellar grades. It was through being tutored that I gained the confidence to understand that I could do the work myself and establish the necessary skills to succeed. It is this type of mentality that I pass onto the students that I tutor. It is my belief that anyone can learn any subject and master that subject. All they need is a love for it and a way to relate to the material. As a tutor I do not give the answers nor do I do the work for the student. I show them possible alternatives to the answer and work them through getting the problem accomplished by themselves. I am very comfortable and capable in tutoring any Biology course, from high school to college level, Intro Bio and AP, Anatomy & Physiology, Genetics and so on. Also History and Geography have been passions for me and I have excelled in them. I also scored in the high percentile for the SAT and have conducted focus groups in all three divisions of the test.

I consider myself a practiced, highly motivated, and goal orientated individual with a track record of community outreach, involvement, and exceeding established goals and objectives. Skilled in building long-term relationships with people at all levels of work and/or professional career. I am a funny, very approachable individual that will accomplish goals that have been established.

study skills

As part of any tutoring program that I have been involved in, whether in High School or Undergraduate I have also valued that idea that you can master any subject with three simple things; love of the subject, right application to the material and good study skills. Aspects of time management, good note taking, curbing test anxiety are not only skills for good study but remain life skills that will help students in all aspects of their life. Through my education in psychology I have found theories and principles to apply to battle test anxiety, highlight attentiveness in the classroom and establish a schedule for time management. It is through pure experience, both in tutoring and proceeding through academia that I have gained these skills and have found strategies that work. Each student is different but the principles remain the same.

swimming

I was a Swimmer at my High School. I held the modified level record for the 100 yard Individual Medley. On the Varsity swim team I was undefeated in the 200 yard Individual Medley for my Junior and Senior Years. I came in 7th at the sectional meet in NYS my junior year and 3rd in NYS my senior year of High School. Besides the Individual Medley I swam the butterfly and was the second fastest on the team until my junior year where I took the #1 spot. I was 2nd in the League and 10th in the section my junior year. My senior year I was 2nd in the league again but 8th in the section. I was on the 200 and 400 yard relay teams. Both my Junior and Senior years the 400 yard freestyle relay team came in 1st in the League and 3rd in the section. I have been an avid swimmer since the 5th grade and continued (intramurally) in college, due to a shoulder injury. Besides personal swimming experience I have coaching and training experience for all levels of swimmers. From learning to float to establishing technique for competitive swimming strokes. In High School I was part of a Pee Wee Swim program that taught children in elementary school to swim and develop their competitive strokes. I was involved in that for 4 years. Upon going to Fordham University I became employed through Swim America and Fordham University Aquatics to teach swim technique and development to children ages 5 to 18. Personally trained 3 individual students who, while in High School, needed further development in swimming technique in the competitive realm. I approach training to swim and competitive swim much like academic tutoring; building strength, isolating technique and maximizing sessions to get the best results. References can be provided if needed.

college counseling

While in undergrad at Fordham University I was part of an organization called The Rose Hill Society. RHS, for short, was vested within the Office of Undergraduate Admission, comprised of approximately 170 Fordham students who serve as members of the Ambassador General Board. For the first year on RHS I functioned as a tour guide and ambassador for the University. For the next year I applied for the Executive Board and was accepted to the position in charge of Information Sessions for prospective students. I was in charge of relaying information and counsel to students starting, in the middle of, or finishing the college admissions process. I have worked with dozens of students one-on-one and given talks to hundreds of students seeking out higher educational opportunities. College counseling for me is a passion. Like I've stated in my profile my undergraduate years shaped me as a person and directed my goals in both my personal and professional life. While not only counseling the student on how best to approach the process of application, I believe it is important to understand the aspects of financing for college, writing an amazing personal statement as well as shaping students, through their own passions, into becoming better applicants and therefore more desirable to their top choice. I will also focus on key points associated with the transition from highschool to college. Please email me for more information or if you have any questions as well as to ask about the special circumstances surrounding counseling your student for college.