FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
***My rates are ALWAYS NEGOTIABLE depending on the need, and frequency of our sessions.***
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
First, I always tell my new students that the time spent with me should be the least stressful part of their week. Students often do not learn efficiently, or even learn anything at all, under times of stress. Second, I must be very well prepared and act professional starting from our very first interaction in order to establish the trust and rapport that is essential for the student to take away anything meaningful from our sessions. Third, I have to do my best to portray myself to the student as an ally, colleague, and fellow peer instead of someone above him/her as in a patriarchal structure. Only this will allow us to develop rapport and a mutually beneficial tutor-tutee relationship. Finally, I must always be aware of my students’ emotional state. This will allow me to adapt my teaching approach and methods specifically to each student on a moment-by-moment basis, thereby allowing both the student and myself to get the most out of our time spent together.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
While I was in high school, I was a Valedictorian, IB Diploma Recipient, and AP Scholar. I then graduated from Yale University with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. I spent 3yrs working on primate research in an effort to help develop an AIDS vaccine through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I then entered medical school at OHSU after scoring in the 98th percentile on the MCATs. Upon graduating with an MD, I started a general surgery residency in Brooklyn, NY. After having completed 2.5yrs, I decided to take some time off. My entire life has revolved around academics. To fulfill my childhood aspirations of becoming a Surgeon, I had to explore many of the Sciences (i.e. organic and inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, biology and physics at various difficulty levels, fluid mechanics, pharmacology, human anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, Academic and Clinical Medicine, intensive critical care, etc.) to their depths. Naturally, I was also led to explore, and become proficient in, various subjects in Mathematics, including those that I successfully completed at Yale to fulfill the requirements for my Biomedical Engineering Major. I sincerely believe that it is THIS comprehensive education and experience that allows me to be one of the more qualified candidates on Thumbtack to teach the basic/core sciences, human/biological sciences, and mathematics to students needing help. Additionally, I know through my own experiences what it takes to go through the Admissions Process at various academic/career levels, with each successive tier becoming even more stressful and demanding, which ultimately comes with the price of greater sacrifice and disappointment. I felt the anxiety, depression, uncertainty, frustration, and sense of failure. But, I also had the privilege of experiencing the overwhelming joy, happiness, and sense of accomplishment that naturally comes with overcoming a task that initially felt insurmountable. I am confident that the lessons I learned, and the failures I experienced, while traversing from high school to college, from college to entering the workforce, from the workforce to entering medical school, then finally from medical school to applying for General Surgery Residency allows me to successfully function as a College Admissions Consultant. Mostly through the intangible, yet invaluable, knowledge that I can provide, I can help these students to progress towards further academic success without having to reproduce the wheel.