Patient Physics PhD with a Passion for Tutoring

Jerry S.

Hi there! My name is Jerry. I earned my doctorate in physics at Oregon State University. Over the course of my PhD (spanning 2018 to 2025), I developed a passion for physics education and also earned a certificate specializing in teaching at the undergraduate/collegiate level. During this time, I have led many terms of introductory physics labs and recitation and have been tutoring professionally since my undergraduate education, and have nearly a decade of experience in one-on-one settings in both math and physics.

In my experience, physics is a difficult subject to learn because of its connections with abstract mathematical ideas. Many students in introductory physics struggling with uniting quantitative reasoning with their understanding of the laws of physics. My tutoring style has evolved to focus on connecting these ideas together, and building confidence in the use of mathematics to "speak physics". As a result, my tutoring focuses on approachable explanations of physical concepts in addition to practical problem solving tips and tricks. Over the course of nearly a decade, I have also built up a library of concise and simple introductions to all major topics in introductory physics.

While the bulk of my experience has been with introductory undergraduate physics students, I am also equipped to help with other subjects as well (calculus, probability/statistics, algebra, geometry). I also have extensive experience in preparing for standardized exams like the SAT and ACT, with scores of 1550 and 34 on the two exams. I have tons of strategies for pushing up to the higher scores for both of these tests, but specialize mostly on the SAT.

Please feel free to reach out and I will be honest up front about whether or not I think I can help!