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Sonya E.

Exceptional Writing, Literature, and ACT/SAT/GRE Tutor

Exceptional Writing, Literature, and ACT/SAT/GRE Tutor

$100/hour

5.0 (533 ratings)

  • 1,387 hours tutoring

About Sonya

Bio

I've always loved learning. To me, teaching is an extension of that thirst for education. I started tutoring my fellow classmates in high school and never stopped seeking to help others learn. In graduate school, I taught writing and rhetoric classes to students from the science and engineering schools, helping them develop vital communication skills. My biggest passion is for the English language -- I love helping students express their thoughts as well as teaching them how to see the...

I've always loved learning. To me, teaching is an extension of that thirst for education. I started tutoring my fellow classmates in high school and never stopped seeking to help others learn. In graduate school, I taught writing and rhetoric classes to students from the science and engineering schools, helping them develop vital communication skills. My biggest passion is for the English language -- I love helping students express their thoughts as well as teaching them how to see the beauty of language. However, I also have a strong math background and have helped numerous students prepare for and pass standardized exams.

For the last three years, I have worked primarily as a private tutor specializing in ACT, SAT, GRE, English, college admission essays, and other forms of writing. It pleases me greatly to watch students grow in confidence and knowledge as we discuss test strategies and strengthen their content knowledge. I teach test prep in a way that is conscious of the fact that standardized testing is only one step in a student's journey, and I try to impart my students with skills that will empower them to succeed after they have moved on to the next stage in their education. One of the greatest gifts I own is the ability to learn and teach myself new things, and I try to pass this gift on to my students through fostering intellectual curiosity.

My writing tutoring is my biggest strength and passion. From essay writing to rhetorical analysis, I can teach any genre of writing. In addition to my academic writing interests, I also write poems, short stories, and screenplays. Indeed, one of my jobs is to provide screenplay coverage for a Hollywood agent who deals in distribution rights to foreign films. By my count, I have read and analyzed around 10,000 pages of screenplays within the last year. I am a speed reader and can impart many of my strategies to students, which is particularly valuable for the timed reading sections on the SAT, ACT, and GRE. And with the new writing sections on

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Education

Rice University
English
UC-Irvine-CA
Masters

Policies

Schedule

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Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Subjects

Business

GRE,

GRE

I have been a GRE tutor for three years, and have helped numerous students go to the grad program of their dreams. While my background is in English, I am also a strong mathematician and can provide strong support in all areas of the test. Patient and adaptable, I am used to working with older students who have not been in a math class for a whille, and help such students identify content areas that need extra attention as well as teaching strategies that will help them succeed on test day.
GMAT

Corporate Training

GMAT, Grammar, Proofreading

Elementary Education

Grammar

English

ACT Reading,

ACT Reading

I am a speed-reader, and avidly devour books in my personal life. My approach to reading on the ACT teaches students how to digest as they go and retain information under time pressure, as I teach students study habits that will aid them when studying in college. Many students struggle with speed, but I have extensive experience identifying the cause of such issues and addressing them. Adaptable, I do not believe a one-size-fits-all approach works when it comes to test prep, and I strive to meet the needs and learning styles of each individual student.
English,

English

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, which requires an intimate knowledge of film as well as a strong attention to details both in terms of content and grammar. With my deep-seated understanding of grammar, I can help your student grow more articulate and precise in their use of language.
Writing,

Writing

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, and through this experience became immersed in screenwriting. Whether you are tackling a creative or academic assignment, I can help you articulate and develop your ideas into polished, compelling work. Many students who come to me for test prep end up seeking help with college admission essays.
ACT English, Grammar, Literature, Proofreading, SAT Reading, SAT Writing

Homeschool

English,

English

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, which requires an intimate knowledge of film as well as a strong attention to details both in terms of content and grammar. With my deep-seated understanding of grammar, I can help your student grow more articulate and precise in their use of language.
Writing,

Writing

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, and through this experience became immersed in screenwriting. Whether you are tackling a creative or academic assignment, I can help you articulate and develop your ideas into polished, compelling work. Many students who come to me for test prep end up seeking help with college admission essays.
SAT Math, SAT Reading

Math

ACT Math, SAT Math

Most Popular

English,

English

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, which requires an intimate knowledge of film as well as a strong attention to details both in terms of content and grammar. With my deep-seated understanding of grammar, I can help your student grow more articulate and precise in their use of language.
Writing

Writing

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, and through this experience became immersed in screenwriting. Whether you are tackling a creative or academic assignment, I can help you articulate and develop your ideas into polished, compelling work. Many students who come to me for test prep end up seeking help with college admission essays.

Science

ACT Science

ACT Science

In high school, I was the president of my school's science club and used that as an opportunity to conduct college-level experiments purely for the sake of education. While my college background is in English, I've always had a fascination with math and science, and love that tutoring gives me a chance to share my passion for these subjects with new students. I intimately understand the math and science sections of the test and have proven success helping students -- from those that are struggling to make their way into a community college to those trying to bump their score up from a 33, I can help. My strength in this area is my ability to break down and explain concepts even to those who are not as comfortable or familiar with science as they'd like to be.

Summer

Writing,

Writing

My background has heavily focused on mastery of the English language. I have experience teaching writing and rhetoric at UC-Irvine. Writing is my passion, both personally and as an educator. I have an MFA in writing poetry, as well as years of experience writing fiction. I cover and recommend screenplays for a Hollywood agent, and through this experience became immersed in screenwriting. Whether you are tackling a creative or academic assignment, I can help you articulate and develop your ideas into polished, compelling work. Many students who come to me for test prep end up seeking help with college admission essays.
SAT Math

Test Preparation

ACT Reading,

ACT Reading

I am a speed-reader, and avidly devour books in my personal life. My approach to reading on the ACT teaches students how to digest as they go and retain information under time pressure, as I teach students study habits that will aid them when studying in college. Many students struggle with speed, but I have extensive experience identifying the cause of such issues and addressing them. Adaptable, I do not believe a one-size-fits-all approach works when it comes to test prep, and I strive to meet the needs and learning styles of each individual student.
ACT Science,

ACT Science

In high school, I was the president of my school's science club and used that as an opportunity to conduct college-level experiments purely for the sake of education. While my college background is in English, I've always had a fascination with math and science, and love that tutoring gives me a chance to share my passion for these subjects with new students. I intimately understand the math and science sections of the test and have proven success helping students -- from those that are struggling to make their way into a community college to those trying to bump their score up from a 33, I can help. My strength in this area is my ability to break down and explain concepts even to those who are not as comfortable or familiar with science as they'd like to be.
GRE,

GRE

I have been a GRE tutor for three years, and have helped numerous students go to the grad program of their dreams. While my background is in English, I am also a strong mathematician and can provide strong support in all areas of the test. Patient and adaptable, I am used to working with older students who have not been in a math class for a whille, and help such students identify content areas that need extra attention as well as teaching strategies that will help them succeed on test day.
ACT English, ACT Math, GMAT, PSAT, SAT Math, SAT Reading, SAT Writing

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (533 ratings)
5 star
(522)
4 star
(9)
3 star
(1)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(1)

Reviews

Show reviews that mention

All reviews helpful professional ideas critical helped me prepare

Featured review

Very kind and Professional

Sonya helped me polish my personal statement 10x better in just an hour. She is very professional and knows exactly what areas need improvement. Definitely will be working together again.

Sorob, 6 lessons with Sonya

Amazing tutor

Sonya has a wide breadth of knowledge and is clearly a very experienced tutor. She helped me a lot on getting the score I wanted on the GRE as well as editing my personal statement for graduate school. Her writing abilities are especially top-notch and she helped me learn how to write more effectively and with more clarity.

Jessica, 9 lessons with Sonya

great first lesson

In our first lesson we did a quick get to know you. Sonya made sure I was able to let them know exactly what I was working on, how I like to work, and what I think I most need help with. We then dove in on the assignment I felt was most pressing. I felt very comfortable voicing my opinions and if I didn’t Sonya made sure to stop and ask if what we were doing was helpful. We worked on an assignment basically starting from scratch and they helped me come up with ideas for the assignment, we looked for research together, and made an outline and goal for our next meeting. Overall the lesson was very helpful with getting me organized without feeling extra pressure. I highly recommend Sonya as a tutor.

Antonia, 10 lessons with Sonya

Exceptional

She is exceptional. Her editing skills are amazing and her comments and suggestions are invaluable. She is extremely efficient and my kid’s essay got much better after just about an hour of her time. She is trustworthy.

Toby, 13 lessons with Sonya

Sonya is Amazing

Sonya was prepared. She was interested in my vision and passion for this project and brought across great ideas and pointed out my deficiencies with care yet honesty. I’m so excited about this project because I know my screenplay will be better after our work is done!

Yolanda , 14 lessons with Sonya

High level comprehensible tutor

Their preparation for the ACT and SAT as well as for my AP exam was understandable and very helpful in improving the areas that I previously lacked in. I received the finer points I needed to improve my already sufficient skills to push them over the top. I was able to get everything I needed in sessions as short as an hour.

Su Na, 30 lessons with Sonya

Sonya is Amazing

Sonya was prepared. She was interested in my vision and passion for this project and brought across great ideas and pointed out my deficiencies with care yet honesty. I’m so excited about this project because I know my screenplay will be better after our work is done!

Yolanda , 14 lessons with Sonya

grateful for the help

Sonya is wonderful to work with. I would have struggled with the essay prompts for days and procrastinated, but Sonya pulled the answers out of me in a way that was fun and painless. She put my thoughts into words in a way that looked really good. Thank you, Sonya.

Siew, 6 lessons with Sonya

Saved my daughter from a last minute deadline

Sonya was patient and kind with my daughter. She taught her how to write and polish an essay. I have tried to help her for years, and all it took was 1 hr and 40 minutes with Sonya. Thank you.

Siew, 6 lessons with Sonya

Patient, dynamic and inspirational tutor

Sonya is working with my daughter on reading comp and writing in preparation for the ACT and SAT tests. My daughter actually looks forward to her sessions! Her confidence is building and she seems to be having fun during the sessions--this despite my daughter being a math and science girl.

Kathleen, 24 lessons with Sonya
Contact Sonya

Response time: 1 hour

$100/hour

Sonya E.'s Photo

Sonya E.

$100/hour

  • No subscriptions or upfront payments

  • Only pay for the time you need

  • Find the right fit, or your first hour is free

Contact Sonya

Response time: 1 hour