Jess is a former Senior Educational Consultant at top Bay Area college consulting and test prep firms. He is a graduate of Stanford University, where he was a standout student and instructor in science and subsequently gained entrance into one of the most selective medical schools in the country, UC San Francisco, with an admit rate of 1%. However, he quickly found out that medicine was not his calling and became a high school teacher in the Bay Area while completing the Master's in Science and Mathematics Education program at UC Berkeley. Since 2021, he has found a passion working as an educational consultant.
Jess has been teaching for more than 15 years and has earned numerous accolades in his teaching career, including the Departmental Excellence in Teaching Award at Stanford University and the Medical Scholars Program at UCSF. Jess has a true passion for teaching and strives to cultivate a growth mindset at all times in both himself and his students. In addition, his hobbies include rock climbing, meditation, technology, moral philosophy, and contract bridge, for which he was a national champion.
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I've scored in the 99th percentile for every standardized test I've ever taken - including the MCAT. I'm not a "natural" - I simply understand how to study efficiently. There is a way to be strategic about how you study for every standardized test, and I love sharing these tips with my students. In the past, my students have improved by an average of ~250 points (or equivalent) on their SAT (or ACT). Last year, one student improved by more than 400 points (reference available)! Recently, I've helped my students master the new digital SAT by drilling specific problem types that have dramatically helped my students on the harder math section. I usually see significant improvements in my students in about 3-4 months, although sometimes I see dramatic improvements in as few as 4-6 weeks.
I know what it takes to get into the absolute most selective colleges and universities in America - I was able to get into my top choices for college (Stanford), medical school (UCSF), and grad school (UC Berkeley) by being strategic with my applications and understanding how the game is played. I LOVE helping students put their best foot forward to tell their story in a compelling way and gain entrance into their dream schools. I do everything for my students, from test prep to extracurricular development to helping them apply to summer programs and, of course, helping them put together UNIQUE, AUTHENTIC, and STRATEGIC college essays that they're proud of.
My students have been admitted to Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Brown, UCLA, UCSD, and so many more.
I'm new to Thumbtack, but I have a ton of referrals from REAL Bay Area families that would love to chat - on the phone - about their experiences working with me - Please ask!
Although I'm confident that I will work great with your student, I absolutely love meeting new families and am happy to offer the first session for free to see if we are a good fit!
Please note my rates ($275/hr) before contacting. See my poster below for a full list of all the services I provide.
Jess
