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Expert Science Tutor for Chemistry, Bio, Physics, Organic and Biochem
Christopher B.

5.0 (640 ratings)

3,158 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $200
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Response time: 2 hours

About Christopher

Bio

Heyo!
I'm a MENSA member who loves to see students that care get the help they need. I prefer to use analogies, mnemonics, and drawings when I teach, so if you learn best through seeing or visualizing material, I will be a great match for you. I began refining my teaching methods at Cornell, teaching lab sections of Intro Biology and TA'ing Advanced Plant Genetics. I feel very comfortable explaining biology and chemistry at any level and have had the chance to do so with hundreds of...

Heyo!
I'm a MENSA member who loves to see students that care get the help they need. I prefer to use analogies, mnemonics, and drawings when I teach, so if you learn best through seeing or visualizing material, I will be a great match for you. I began refining my teaching methods at Cornell, teaching lab sections of Intro Biology and TA'ing Advanced Plant Genetics. I feel very comfortable explaining biology and chemistry at any level and have had the chance to do so with hundreds of students.

I have three goals when working with my students. First: Identify the specific problems facing each student. Knowing this is the key to formatting my lessons and picking strategies to get the best results.

Second: Improve abilities and confidence. I do this by explaining the material in ways that resonate with each student, demonstrating how to solve a problem, guiding my students through the problems, and then asking them to do it independently. Depending on where a student is with the material, I can jump right to one of the later steps.

Third: Demonstrate how to learn and study independently. This goal ensures that I become an opportunity to schedule studying as opposed to a necessity to get learning done. It is the most important for long-term success and I model these methods even when I don’t discuss them explicitly.

More background: I earned my B.S. in Biotechnology /minor in Biochem from Rutgers, M.S. from Cornell in Plant Biology where I was a part of the Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Program. I took the MCAT's 2015 updated version and scored very well (521, the top 1%), but ultimately ended up deciding that becoming a doctor was not compatible with my life and family plans.

I feel that its best to receive help early, before you get too far behind! The earlier you get to me, the more I can do for you, but don't be afraid to schedule a last minute cram session: sometimes desperation can lead to inspiration! Please contact me with any questions you have.
Cheers!
-Chris

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Education

Rutgers University
Biotechnology
Cornell University
Masters
Mensa
Other

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $200
  • Rate details: 5% discount is available for lessons extending 3 months or more Additional 5% for lessons over 90 minutes. 25% discount given to each member of a group lesson.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 6/17/2014

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

Biochemistry

Biochemistry

I think Biochemistry is a challenging and awesome synthesis of biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry which creates an important cornerstone for understanding molecular biology. I've tutored many students in biochemistry at universities/colleges in the NYC area and while there is diversity in the topics covered, I've identified common themes that professors everywhere from CUNY to Columbia focus on. Using these common testing concepts focuses our study time to help you improve your scores on tests. Being able to understand and apply biochemistry is crucial for the MCAT, and my score (top 1%) lets me feel very confident in my ability to understand, interpret, and explain biochemistry concepts to all my students!
Biology

Biology

I taught Biology 109/110 lab sections at Cornell for a total of 5 semesters and I have to say that I love teaching and tutoring students in Bio. So much of the coursework applies to understanding the world around us and even our own biology! Putting these concepts into perspective encourages learning and understanding. Biology is a gigantic subject. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but I focus on breaking down complex ideas so that my students can understand the concepts one part at a time. My goal is to teach students to understand like a teacher does. Once you can explain it to me, in your own words, the comprehension tends to stick and you're ready for any question!
Chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry can be a challenging subject for many students. At its most challenging it incorporates calculus with abstract molecular concepts and unrelentingly asks for answers that are precise beyond 6.02x10^23rd! I prefer to tackle questions by helping my students get a handle conceptually on what is occurring, and then introduce the appropriate formulas or secondary concepts to move us towards the answer. I find that having a framework of conceptual comprehension makes applying the math much more meaningful. To aid me in this I use a whiteboard to visualize the problems for my students which everybody has found immensely helpful. If you have any particular hobbies, interests, or activities that would be applicable, I like to make analogies to aid in understanding. Cooking is a great one because delicious food involves a lot of excellent chemistry!! Digging into past accolades - in the 98/99 NJ Chemistry State Science League I scored 5th in the state. I also scored a 5/5 on the AP chemistry test. Since then I found chemistry to be valuable for my college career, my graduate study, and even cooking! (hint: lets talk about caramel)
Genetics

Genetics

During my graduate work I mentored multiple students in molecular biology and genetics surrounding my research project and the projects which I designed for them. This required excellent comprehension and communication so that they were able to present their research to either their peers, in the case of the summer students, or to write an undergraduate thesis in the case of the fall/spring students. All of my students were able to feel comfortable and give excellent presentations, or received A's for their research credits as a result. A large part of my graduate work required an in depth knowledge of genetics. I used positional mapping to find candidate genes for a mutation. This required that I understand the structure of genes, genomes, and how to use molecular markers to coordinate physical with genetic distances. Additionally, I took and then TA'd for the Advanced Plant Genetics course at Cornell.
MCAT

MCAT

I have significant experience tutoring individually in each the biology, chemistry, physics, & biochemistry portions of the MCAT at the college level. Additionally, I took the newest version of the MCAT (April 2015) and scored in the 99th percentile (521: 132, 129, 131, 129), but ended up deciding that my family's current life plan isn't compatible with medical school after all. However, I put in a lot of hard work and would love to use it and share my knowledge to help prepare students to get excellent scores!
Microbiology

Microbiology

I've had to employ a complex understanding of microbiology in order to pursue my plant molecular biology work that I did for my Masters degree. Using plasmid vectors, bacterial hosts, transfection, and understanding the cellular processes that underly these important types of experiments is crucial to the success of any molecular biologist. Visualizing the cells, bacteria, plasmids, or viruses involved in the topic at hand is probably the best approach to gaining a complex understanding of microbiology. Some microbio courses involve a greater focus on pathology and memorization of disease causing agents, but most microbio courses are best approached through a molecular understanding. Either way I'm excited to help you conquer it!
Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

I have tutored organic chemistry students across the city. Organic chemistry differs slightly for the level of depth and reactions that are emphasized between NYU, Fordham, Columbia, and at the CUNY schools I have tutored for. It is really important that that Organic Chemistry is attacked through explanations and immediate practice. Unlike sciences such as Biology and Chemistry where there is a large set of material to memorize or a smaller set of material to apply, Organic chemistry requires both of these skills in large amounts which makes it very difficult for many students. I love helping my students to know the principles underlying a problem and guide them to 'Ah Ha!' moments during studies. In order to help my students with this, I have assembled a large amount of practice material to share with my students so that we can move directly from the theory to application of ideas and practice of mechanisms in each lesson.
Physical Science

Physical Science

A little bit of physics, a little bit of chemistry, and a dash of geology and bam! You've got physical science. I generally tutor science starting at the high school level, but physical science is a distilled version of the harder courses that I work on with students. I've had the opportunity to help siblings of my older students in the past, so I've gotten familiar with the major themes in P.S. I'm happy to help students who are having trouble in this potpourri of science!
Physics

Physics

Physics is one of those sciences that usually gets taught one of two ways - equation based or example/logic based. What throws students off is when their teacher picks or favors the method that doesn't work well for them, or the teacher goes too fast and students don't get a handle on some of the early ideas. Physics is a science that builds on itself, similar to chemistry. If you don't understand atoms, its hard to understand molecules or moles. In Physics, if you don't understand vectors and force diagrams, centripetal motion becomes difficult. If centripetal motion is difficult, certain parts of harmonic motion become troublesome. If harmonic motion... well you get the idea. I think Physics is one of those subjects where you should get help as early as you think you *might* need it. I feel comfortable using both example based and equation based teaching methods (Although, honestly when I think back to learning physics the first time, I preferred the example/logic based version. So I love helping students think their way through the questions, but quick and dirty equations is effective too!) I've had experience tutoring physics at the high school regular, honors, and AP levels as well as at several colleges and universities (Columbia, NYU, CUNYs, etc) in the city at non-calculus and calculus based levels. If you're looking for physics help on the MCAT, the good news is that most of the physics 2 curriculum won't apply to the MCAT! So you mainly just need to survive the current class and brush up on physics 1 topics. No matter what your physics situation is I'd love to help you out!
Quantum Physics

Quantum Physics

I've Tutored Quantum Physics and Quantum Chemistry for students who I've worked with on my previous subjects, and have forged my experience in the fiery pursuit of quantum knowledge alongside my students. Being my most recent added expertise, I have a deep appreciation for the difficulty and nuance of quantum ideas, alongside the appreciation for the calculus that you have to complete to explain and prove your understanding of these ideas. I'm excited to help you get to the level of mastery I've achieved and guide you down the same crazy path the quantum world presents!
Regents

Regents

I'm an excellent Chemistry tutor and have prepared students for the AP Chemistry and the SAT II Chemistry exams. I believe that the Chemistry Regents are simply another extension of standardized testing and that I can show my students all of the tricks and ways that they will attempt to push on your chemistry knowledge!

Examples of Expertise

Christopher has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 1 question submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (640 ratings)
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Reviews

Excellent pre-med tutor!

I reached out to Chris after returning to school and, quite frankly, failing my first exams in Chemistry and Biology (pre-med). I was having trouble digesting the material taught in the lectures and did not know how to approach the topics I did not understand. It is clear that Chris has a thorough understanding and passion for math and science, and as so, was able to break down difficult material in different ways that catered to how I learned best. He is a very friendly and personable guy – you can tell that he really enjoys teaching others and gets joy from students understanding the material and doing well. I found myself enjoying the material I once found impossible. After meeting regularly with Chris, I aced my finals and, despite my poor “pre-Chris” test scores, was able to finish the semester with a B+ in Biology and an A in Chemistry. I am confident that the learning tools I have gained from Chris, in addition to starting sessions with him before my first exams this semester, will allow me to ace my future pre-med courses. Additionally, Chris is extremely reliable, easy to contact, and encourages you to reach out to him outside of sessions if any questions arise when studying.

Katie, 6 lessons with Christopher

Amazing and kind tutor

Chris has been the most amazing tutor I have ever had! He helped me with general and organic chemistry and explained extremely difficult concepts in a way that was easily understandable. He was extremely flexible and willing to work around my schedule and always very quick to respond any time I reached out. He is there for you not only during sessions but also outside of sessions for any questions. He makes the learning fun with his light-hearted and positive attitude. You can tell he truly enjoys helping students and is passionate about helping you succeed. He is absolutely worth every penny!

Rachel, 3 lessons with Christopher

Smart as ever

He’s just a great tutor. He clarifies things very well. He also helps you get to the objective of the material quickly that will help you for the mcat. He does a great job with letting you know what is high yield for the mcat

Benjamin, 1 lesson with Christopher

Exceeds Expectation

Thank you Chris for helping me with the complex assignment in genetics. Your explanations were both relevant and easy to recall. I appreciate the time.

Kim, 9 lessons with Christopher

Knowledgeable tutor

Takes his time and thoroughly answers questions. Makes sure that you fully understand the material before continuing. Great teacher, glad we were able to get his help.

Tahmina, 64 lessons with Christopher

He helps get you to your "Aha!" moment...

Chris is tutoring me in Gen Chem 2--a course I have not been so confident about. Chris has helped me reach many "Aha" moments during this semester. He is worth more than his weight in gold. I look forward to working with him more this semester and in the future. If you're seeking a patient and knowledgeable tutor, then look no further.

Danitra, 5 lessons with Christopher

Extremely knowledgeable and make the material easy!

I had very very little time before my organic chemistry 2 final and Christopher was able to help me learn all the key material I needed. He is very patient and professional, helped me get a 97 on the final which I thought would be impossible! Had an amazing tutoring session with him, learned a lot and would recommend him to anyone looking to learn material quick.

Sarah, 1 lesson with Christopher

Very knowledgeable, organized and simply amazing!

Christopher is an amazing tutor. We reviewed reactions of alfa Carbon from orgo 2 class. Christopher helped me to understand the concepts and we went through mechanisms.

Nana, 1 lesson with Christopher

Great teacher!

Completely helped me to fully understand the fundamentals of what we did in lab, pieced together the information while having me pick my brain to find the answers instead of just giving me the answers! Showed me how to do all of my figures and was a godsend for this lab paper! Would recommend him to everyone! Worth every penny!

Kimberly, 4 lessons with Christopher

Extraordinary tutor

My son had a lesson with Christopher on the phone which I could over hear. It sounded like he, my son, was talking with one of those "Crash Course" slightly hyper-active (in a good way) love what they do guys! Christopher made my son straighten up his spine, put on his thinking cap and focus and my son wanted more and more. He learned a lot and in a fun way in a short amount of time. This tutor stands apart from most. So if you have a fantasy that one of those Crash Course guys comes into your life in the flesh, this is the guy for you.

C, 20 lessons with Christopher
Hourly Rate: $200
Response time: 2 hours
Contact Christopher