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Yale to Princeton to NYC: I Help Students Reach the Next Level
Brendan K.

5.0 (38 ratings)

179 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $189
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About Brendan

Bio

I’m happy that you’re considering working with me! I’m an experienced and accomplished tutor, communicator, and learner, who has achieved a perfect score on every section of the SAT and GRE. Previously, I was one of the most trusted tutors at a company that hired all Yale students. I’ve worked with middle and high school students, as well as undergraduates at Yale, where I got my BA with distinction in the major, and Princeton, where I’m wrapping up my PhD this fall. I’m a former National...

I’m happy that you’re considering working with me! I’m an experienced and accomplished tutor, communicator, and learner, who has achieved a perfect score on every section of the SAT and GRE. Previously, I was one of the most trusted tutors at a company that hired all Yale students. I’ve worked with middle and high school students, as well as undergraduates at Yale, where I got my BA with distinction in the major, and Princeton, where I’m wrapping up my PhD this fall. I’m a former National Merit Scholar, Physics Bowl regional winner, 3-time AIME qualifier, and National AP Scholar with a 5 on all 16 AP tests I took. I aim to help determined students reach the next level through focused, adaptive tutoring—whether it’s for a standardized test, a class you need help in, writing you want to improve, or simply an area you want to learn more about.
As you can see, I’m new to Wyzant. To hear from some of my past students, check out the Testimonials page on my website (brendankolbtutoring.com/testimonials).
What students appreciate most about me is that I am a careful listener who can intuit how a student is approaching a problem and help them work step-by-step to the right answer. Because I attend carefully to how a student thinks, I can adapt as we go, leading to more focused sessions and to better outcomes for students.
For test prep, I focus not only on teaching content but also on building pattern recognition through familiarity with the various types of questions within a subject area. Major standardized tests, unlike IQ tests or the pre-2005 SAT, rely on a fairly circumscribed set of ways to test the material. This means that working through the questions provided by the test maker, with targeted mini-lessons to fill in weak areas, is the best method of preparation. I give students either full practice tests or more targeted question sets for homework and figure out where we need to dig in from there.
To learn more, just reach out below or see my website, www.brendankolbtutoring.com. Thanks for reading!

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Education

Yale University
Philosophy
Yale University
Masters
Princeton University
PhD

Policies

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

ACT English is challenging in large part because of the lack of formal grammar education in US high schools. I can effectively and efficiently walk students through rules like parallelism, appositive phrases, and avoiding dangling modifiers, and make this section much less intimidating.
ACT Math

ACT Math

I've helped a number of students on ACT Math, most recently helping a student bring up their Math by 7 points in two and a half months. I can teach all content and can explain the styles of questions the ACT tends to use.
Algebra 1

Algebra 1

I've helped a number of students master the concepts and techniques of algebra 1. I can help students at any level, whether solving one-step equations for x is causing headache, or a student wants to get right onto the hardest problems.
Algebra 2

Algebra 2

I've helped a number of students master the concepts and techniques of algebra 2. I'm also a 3-time AIME qualifier, so I'm ready to help with more complex problem-solving challenges sometimes presented in an honors algebra 2 class.
Calculus

Calculus

I find calculus to be a really exciting subject, that with patience can be more intuitive than it seems at first. I've helped multiple students bring their calculus grades up to an A, and I also scored a 5 myself on the AP exams, both AB and BC.
Elementary Math

Elementary Math

I've taught fifth grade math in the classroom, and have tutored all levels of math. I'm ready to help with place value, fractions, identifying shapes and angles, and all the rest!
Geometry

Geometry

I've helped a number of students master the concepts and techniques of geometry. I can help students to see how logic, spatial reasoning, and algebra all come together in this complex subject.
GRE

GRE

I know the GRE well, having achieved a perfect score on every section. The GRE stands out for providing excellent preparation materials, which is advantageous because most people taking it are college-educated adults who know how to learn new material with a little guidance. I can walk students through how best to use those and work with them on the places where they find themselves stuck. That includes the Analytical Writing section, which is a tough nut to crack for a lot of test-takers.
Logic

Logic

I've taught introductory and intermediate logic at Yale and Princeton, where I also learned from some great teachers. I can help you with translating between English and formal logic, as well as doing derivations in first-order logic. I can also help you understand what truth tables are all about.
Philosophy

Philosophy

I'm just completing my PhD in philosophy at Princeton; I'll be defending my dissertation next month. I'm qualified to teach a large number of areas of philosophy at the college level. My two main areas of expertise are the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, which I've been thinking hard about for over a decade, and the philosophy of physics, which is the area of my dissertation. But I keep a large libary of philosophy classics and would be happy to talk with you about any of them. You can see more on my tutoring website, brendankolbtutoring.com, or my academic website, brendankolb.com.
Physics

Physics

I achieved a score of 5 on AP Physics B (algebra-based, equivalent of 1 and 2) and also took the C Mechanics test and scored a 5. I can help students to understand the basics of Newtonian mechanics, and also to understand at a conceptual level the changes between classical Newtonian mechanics and modern physics (relativity and quantum mechanics).
Precalculus

Precalculus

I have helped a number of students improve in precalculus and also calculus. I'll help you see what's really going on with limits, logarithms, functions transformations, and the rest!
SAT Math

SAT Math

I achieved a perfect score on the SAT Math when I was in 8th grade. I have a strong grasp of the new Digital SAT, including the types of questions they tend to ask and the best ways to use DESMOS to help work through complex problems more quickly. I am also very good at intuiting how a student is approaching a problem and where there may be knowledge gaps, and using this to build mini-lessons that are adapted to a student's strengths and weaknesses. My students have shown consistent gains, both from learning new mathematical concepts and from growing more comfortable with the types of questions offered on the test.
SAT Reading

SAT Reading

The SAT Reading is a challenging test because it asks students both to analyze texts like grown-ups and to process a large amount of information in a short period of time. I got a perfect score on the test, and I've helped students boost their score by pointing out the reasoning patterns the SAT Reading asks them to use. I've also taught college students at Princeton to read some of the most challenging argumentative texts there are.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

What makes SAT Writing so challenging is that many students have never formally learned grammar in school. I got a perfect score on the test and can both teach students the formal rules they may not have learned, and help them to express ideas clearly, the other major skill tested in SAT Writing. I show students both the patterns in these questions and the real connection these questions have to good, clear writing.
SSAT

SSAT

I've helped students show drastic improvement on the middle level and upper level SSAT, and I can help your family as well. I've seen overall percentile increases of 30 or more, and seen a student's weakest subject increase in percentile by almost 60. My students have been admitted to some of the nation's top prep schools. To read more, check out my website, brendankolbtutoring.com.
Thesis Writing

Thesis Writing

As an instructor at Princeton, I've helped a number of students improve their writing, whether for a 5-page or 25-page course assignment, or a 40-page thesis. One student I worked with went on to win awards for his thesis. As a philosopher, I'm particularly skilled in helping to structure argumentative writing, and have a great deal of experience exchanging professional-level writing samples with colleagues. Please contact me with any questions the testimonials on my website, brendankolbtutoring.com/testimonials.
Trigonometry

Trigonometry

I've helped a number of students understand the basics of trig functions, how they relate to the unit circle, and how they transform when graphed on a coordinate plane. I can also explain trig as it pertains to Calculus, having scored a 5 on both the AB and BC Calculus AP tests.
ACT Reading
ACT Science
Prealgebra
Statistics
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Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (38 ratings)
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Reviews

Wonderful tutor - knowledgeable and caring

We highly recommend Brendan. He is deeply knowledgeable, dedicated, and genuinely invested in his students’ success. He goes above and beyond to prepare each lesson thoughtfully and to ensure students are fully ready for any test or challenge, including high school entrance exams. We highly recommend Brendan to any family looking for a tutor who combines expertise with real care and commitment.

Nazli, 22 lessons with Brendan

Excellent Tutor—Prepared, Patient, and Great with Teens

Brendan reviewed the class materials beforehand, so he came prepared and knew exactly where to start. He listened to my son and used a clear, step by step teaching approach that helped him cover a lot in a short time. He’s also very kind and great with teenagers.

Buj, 6 lessons with Brendan
Hourly Rate: $189
Contact Brendan