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15+ Year Skilled English/Writing, SAT/ACT, History, College Apps Tutor
Mark L.

4.9 (121 ratings)

301 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $75
Contact Mark
Response time: 1 hour
Mark L.'s Photo

15+ Year Skilled English/Writing, SAT/ACT, History, College Apps Tutor
15+ Year Skilled English/Writing, SAT/ACT, History, College Apps Tutor
Mark L.

4.9 (121 ratings)

301 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
4.9 (121 ratings)

301 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

About Mark

Bio

Over the years, I've skillfully worked with English composition and literature (with essay writing in all forms and subjects), creative writing, speech, world history, social...

I always strive to reinforce the unique qualities in each student. Over the years, I've found that a number of academic problems stem from poor technical skills: an inability to grasp core themes, develop ideas, take and/or utilize notes or adequately comprehend tedious prose. A sharp awareness of individual student needs or challenges and effective approaches comes through experience. I've had my own highly successful tutoring service for the past 10+ years, personally assisting 350+ students (fifteen were placed in the Ivy League). In comparative terms, I logged 14,000+ hours tutoring over that span of time. Hence, I am only new to the Wyzant "online" family. As the Internet can often be uncertain, I've made a point of meeting prospective clients first, before any formal arrangements. I hold a Bachelor's in American and English Literature and a Master's in International Relations.

Over the years, I've skillfully worked with English composition and literature (with essay writing in all forms and subjects), creative writing, speech, world history, social studies, political science, health, psychology, philosophy and sociology. In addition, I've trained students for the SAT (reading comp, written structure and essay sections), the ACT (reading comp, written structure and essay sections) and TOEFL exams, and I've helped prepare personal statement essays for university applications, along with any college counseling needed (and private school apps/essays as well).

(Just no math, chemistry or physics)

All my students have additional access for homework questions (via text, talk or e-mail). I set out to initially protect their grades, while working ahead with what they will be seeing in class. I tailor coursework for the individual needs or challenges of a given student. The majority of my students are between 5th and 11th. I can also work with a few students together, depending on age/skill level, adjusting fees accordingly. Aside from tutoring, I'm a full-time published/working writer, and college lecturer.

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Education

University of California San Diego (UCSD)
English Literature
United States International University San Diego (USIU)
Masters

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $75
  • Rate details: I require a very preferred night before notice (4 hours “only” for an emergency), or it’s a charged session. I value my time immensely.
  • Lesson cancellation: 4 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 1/27/2015

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Sat

Approved Subjects

Corporate Training

Grammar

Elementary Education

Study Skills,

Study Skills

A great deal of my private tutoring of the past fifteen years has involved "efficiency techniques" (what I call "survival skills"). I preach "balance"----an ability to effectively prep for tests, extended essays or projects, while retaining a bit of "me time" (I call it "sanity time"). My first or second lesson with most students encompasses a "long-term memory" system, which utilizes a series of cards in a revolving pattern (albeit a more enjoyable approach). Additionally, I utilize many "proactive" systems of production, which bypass frequent student delays of "considering" (more often daydreaming). At Seattle University, I was invited to other classes, as a "guest lecturer," to convey my unique card system method, and other organizational essay "technique tricks."
Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary

English

ACT Reading,

ACT Reading

I've effectively worked with ACT and SAT prep for the past dozen years. I am a published, working writer as well.
English,

English

17+ years private teaching English/history/study skills/SAT
ACT English, Grammar, Literature, Reading, SAT Reading, SAT Writing, TOEFL, Vocabulary, Writing

History

Classics,

Classics

My Bachelor's degree is in American and English Literature. Our course load wholly encompassed the "classics." Our American analysis spanned 350 years, through the colonial writings of Bradstreet, to Cooper's Pathfinder, to Franklin's Autobiography, to Emerson's Self Reliance, to Poe's Raven, to Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby, to Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, to Faulkner's Sound and Fury. Our English analysis encompassed about 650 years, through Milton's Paradise Lost, to Shakespeare's Macbeth++, to Wordsworth's, Tennyson's, Browning's and Arnold's poems, to Bronte's Jane Eyre, to Wilde's Importance of Being Ernest, to Kipling's Kim, to Conrad's Typhoon, etc. My Master's degree is in International Relations. Our course load included Tocqueville's Democracy in America and Ikle's How Nations Negotiate, among many others. My lower division courses included classics in Psychology (Freud, Jung) and Philosophy (Plato, Spinoza, Voltaire, Spencer, Nietzsche, etc). In fifteen years of tutoring, I've read/worked on many contemporary classics in history and literature: Animal Farm, Catcher in the Rye, Ender's Game, etc. My private reading encompasses classics in Architecture, History, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and naturally, fiction and non-fiction. Also, I recommend and lend "teen classics" to students, from my extensive library.
Social Studies,

Social Studies

As you're aware, middle school social studies is an introductory overview towards more specialized high school and university courses. My Master's degree is in International Relations. My Master's thesis was "Central European Security and International Peace." I've been privately tutoring social studies, American and World history, Government, Political Science, Geography, Physical Science, etc., per individual student needs, for fifteen years. I am also a freelance writer, and have researched and written about "social studies related issues" (naturally, at a much higher level).
American History

Homeschool

English,

English

17+ years private teaching English/history/study skills/SAT
Study Skills,

Study Skills

A great deal of my private tutoring of the past fifteen years has involved "efficiency techniques" (what I call "survival skills"). I preach "balance"----an ability to effectively prep for tests, extended essays or projects, while retaining a bit of "me time" (I call it "sanity time"). My first or second lesson with most students encompasses a "long-term memory" system, which utilizes a series of cards in a revolving pattern (albeit a more enjoyable approach). Additionally, I utilize many "proactive" systems of production, which bypass frequent student delays of "considering" (more often daydreaming). At Seattle University, I was invited to other classes, as a "guest lecturer," to convey my unique card system method, and other organizational essay "technique tricks."
Reading, SAT Reading, Writing

Language

TOEFL

Most Popular

English,

English

17+ years private teaching English/history/study skills/SAT
Study Skills,

Study Skills

A great deal of my private tutoring of the past fifteen years has involved "efficiency techniques" (what I call "survival skills"). I preach "balance"----an ability to effectively prep for tests, extended essays or projects, while retaining a bit of "me time" (I call it "sanity time"). My first or second lesson with most students encompasses a "long-term memory" system, which utilizes a series of cards in a revolving pattern (albeit a more enjoyable approach). Additionally, I utilize many "proactive" systems of production, which bypass frequent student delays of "considering" (more often daydreaming). At Seattle University, I was invited to other classes, as a "guest lecturer," to convey my unique card system method, and other organizational essay "technique tricks."
Reading, Writing

Other

College Counseling,

College Counseling

Over the past fifteen years of private tutoring, I've worked on 5+ university applications per year. So much of the process is searching through a student's relative fog of "what I want to major in" or "who I want to be." Aside from planning and editing personal statement essays, a quarter of the time may be spent assessing aptitudes and what I refer to as "resonances." I've utilized Myers Briggs tests and even the What Color is My Parachute workbooks, in order to help steer students in the right direction, and most importantly, avoid having them switch majors mid-stream, thereby tacking on a year or two to a degree. I've become very proficient as a university counselor.
Study Skills

Study Skills

A great deal of my private tutoring of the past fifteen years has involved "efficiency techniques" (what I call "survival skills"). I preach "balance"----an ability to effectively prep for tests, extended essays or projects, while retaining a bit of "me time" (I call it "sanity time"). My first or second lesson with most students encompasses a "long-term memory" system, which utilizes a series of cards in a revolving pattern (albeit a more enjoyable approach). Additionally, I utilize many "proactive" systems of production, which bypass frequent student delays of "considering" (more often daydreaming). At Seattle University, I was invited to other classes, as a "guest lecturer," to convey my unique card system method, and other organizational essay "technique tricks."

Special Needs

Speech,

Speech

Public speaking or speech classes were included within my American and English Literature degree. In addition, my International Relations degree focused on "Peace and Conflict Studies," which boiled down to actual speech protocol within State Department and White House venues (our professor was a former assistant to the US Secretary of State). Over the past fifteen years of private tutoring, I've worked with dozens of students in speech classes, creating and refining the actual written prose and tailoring the presentation and overall credibility of the public presentation (along with methods for holding the interest/eye contact of the audience). I've also worked on numerous school government speeches with students. My own work in front of classrooms at Seattle University and Lake Washington Technical College has furthered my ability to effectively convey useful speech techniques.
Study Skills

Study Skills

A great deal of my private tutoring of the past fifteen years has involved "efficiency techniques" (what I call "survival skills"). I preach "balance"----an ability to effectively prep for tests, extended essays or projects, while retaining a bit of "me time" (I call it "sanity time"). My first or second lesson with most students encompasses a "long-term memory" system, which utilizes a series of cards in a revolving pattern (albeit a more enjoyable approach). Additionally, I utilize many "proactive" systems of production, which bypass frequent student delays of "considering" (more often daydreaming). At Seattle University, I was invited to other classes, as a "guest lecturer," to convey my unique card system method, and other organizational essay "technique tricks."

Summer

Study Skills,

Study Skills

A great deal of my private tutoring of the past fifteen years has involved "efficiency techniques" (what I call "survival skills"). I preach "balance"----an ability to effectively prep for tests, extended essays or projects, while retaining a bit of "me time" (I call it "sanity time"). My first or second lesson with most students encompasses a "long-term memory" system, which utilizes a series of cards in a revolving pattern (albeit a more enjoyable approach). Additionally, I utilize many "proactive" systems of production, which bypass frequent student delays of "considering" (more often daydreaming). At Seattle University, I was invited to other classes, as a "guest lecturer," to convey my unique card system method, and other organizational essay "technique tricks."
Reading, Writing

Test Preparation

ACT Reading,

ACT Reading

I've effectively worked with ACT and SAT prep for the past dozen years. I am a published, working writer as well.
College Counseling,

College Counseling

Over the past fifteen years of private tutoring, I've worked on 5+ university applications per year. So much of the process is searching through a student's relative fog of "what I want to major in" or "who I want to be." Aside from planning and editing personal statement essays, a quarter of the time may be spent assessing aptitudes and what I refer to as "resonances." I've utilized Myers Briggs tests and even the What Color is My Parachute workbooks, in order to help steer students in the right direction, and most importantly, avoid having them switch majors mid-stream, thereby tacking on a year or two to a degree. I've become very proficient as a university counselor.
ACT English, SAT Reading, SAT Writing, TOEFL

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

4.9 (121 ratings)
5 star
(114)
4 star
(5)
3 star
(1)
2 star
(1)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Great tutor with many years of experience

Mark is a fantastic teacher. My son, who’s a reluctant reader, learns many ways to meet the challenges of reading and writing in school. I always appreciate Mark’s summary of what took place during each lesson and the various strategies that he uses to keep my son interested. Mark has the patience and years of experience to help my son to gain proficiency in processing information, which is very important in the modern world. I look forward to working with Mark for many years to come.

Susan, 12 lessons with Mark

Patient and knowledgeable teacher

We had a awesome experience with him my daughter is very satisfied with his teaching approach. She was really nervous about her skills but now she is happy and will to learn more from his experience. Thanks, Mark! We really appreciate your help.

Samreen, 1 lesson with Mark

college essays

Mark really helped my son form his ideas for the college essays. Starting these essays was difficult for my son. After talking with Mark, he was able to get his topic ideas going. He was a great "personality fit" for my son as well

Karin, 2 lessons with Mark

Committed to making an impact for his students

In our initial meeting, I was impressed when Mark asked very specific questions and listened very intently to the responses in order to recommend a tailored solution for our teen’s tutoring needs. He’s clear about areas where he can help (protect the grades, prep for ACT/SAT, writing, etc.), as well as areas that are outside his wheelhouse (math and science). I appreciated Mark’s balance of focus (he quickly gets right down to business!), humor (he put our teen at ease and kept her engaged and enthusiastic through the session) and professionalism (he is quick to communicate and respond to questions). We were feeling a little overwhelmed with all the college prep work that needs to occur during the junior year in high school and I am confident Mark would be an excellent strategic ally for any student who wants to do well in school and get into a great university.

Deborah, 1 lesson with Mark

Patient Writing Tutor

Mark takes time to really understand what my son is passionate about and pushes him to develop ideas. My son really appreciates the structure that Mark provides.

Kristina, 4 lessons with Mark

Mark is just what my daughter needs!

He is very patient, and knows what both my daughter, and I need. I could use a bit more patience, but fortunately he has that in spades. I can't say how happy I was to see my daughter excited about trying out new study methods... really?!? Worth every penny.

Lainey, 2 lessons with Mark

Tutor who has many skills and experiences

For my first lesson, he showed me different ways of developing ideas, which are basics of writing. I got to know that he has different skills and therefore available to teach me in different ways. I could plan my schedule out based on those various resources he has.

Dooho , 9 lessons with Mark

A good tutor

Mark is a well rounded and enthusiastic tutor. My daughter liked him and found him helpful in reviewing for SAT/ACTs. He responds promptly and made efforts to work within her challenging schedule. Thanks Mark!

Tanya, 3 lessons with Mark

Very responsive and helpful

Mark was very helpful for our son. He was very responsive, on time and was well prepared for our sessions. He definitely helped our son improve his grades.

Iryna, 6 lessons with Mark

Excellent tutor. Very courteous and pleasant to speak with.

My son just started lessons with Mark a month ago and yet I already had seen remarkable changes with my son's approach to studying. He had greatly improved with his time management skills and feels more confident with any new subjects. My son feels comfortable with each lessons and finds lot of effective techniques that he now applies to his day to day learning. We are looking forward to years of learning with Mark.

Noriel, 5 lessons with Mark
Hourly Rate: $75
Response time: 1 hour
Contact Mark