Mei
Certified Tutor
I graduated from Northwestern University in 2013 with a double major in Economics and Legal Studies and a minor in Business Institutions. I am originally from Austin, TX and migrated north to play Division I Collegiate Women's Golf. As a student-athlete, I learned priceless time management and study techniques that allowed me to balance my course work with 20+ hours a week of athletic commitment. In my senior year, our team made Nationals for the first time in 20 years (eventually placing 15th), and I was awarded the Margaret Akerstrom award for highest female student-athlete graduating GPA (3.9). Currently, I am employed as a financial technology consultant and work with clients to build personalized solutions to address their unique needs.
I developed a passion for teaching others how to be successful at a young age. I am the oldest child of three and have a brother (4 years younger) and a sister (8 years younger). Growing up, I excelled at math; however, my brother and sister struggled to understand the concepts. My parents tried to teach them, but ultimately, this resulted in more rebellion than progress. I volunteered to help and found that I really enjoyed the process. The most satisfying experience was tutoring my brother and sister and seeing them begin to develop confidence in school and finally make better grades.
What makes me different from most tutors and educators is my strategic mindset. Most teachers recite their curriculums like clock work and take the key details for granted. For example, when solving for the length of the longest side of a right triangle "ABC" (Pythagorean theorem), they will show 2 examples in class without explaining why side "C" is "C". Then on standardized test, the sides are now labeled "EFG", and the child struggles to properly choose the correct inputs to the equation. Memorizing formulas is good, but understanding how and why is better. Answers are good, but repeatable problem solving skills are better. Doing practice tests is good, but focusing on the troublesome problems is better. Simply - knowledge is good, but intelligence is better.
My favorite subject matter to tutor is SAT prep (especially math). The best part about the SAT is there are no surprises. Although the questions are "different", they never really "change". What this means is that even a child who regularly struggles at math, reading, or writing can memorize the framework and question types and conquer the SAT. There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that every second of tutoring SAT preparation will guarantee higher scores for the student.
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Undergraduate Degree: Northwestern University - Bachelors, Economics
- SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1510
- SAT Math: 780
- SAT Verbal: 730
Golfing, Running (Marathons), Cooking, Exploring Chicago, Attending Concerts, Blogging (2 blogs - personal/professional)
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Algebra 3/4
- Business
- College Algebra
- College Business
- College Economics
- Economics
- Geometry
- Gifted
- High School Business
- High School Economics
- Homework Support
- Macroeconomics
- Middle School Math
- Pre-Algebra
- PSAT Prep
- SAT Prep
- SAT Math
- SAT Mathematics
- SAT Reading
- SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 1
- SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2
- SAT Subject Tests Prep
- SAT Writing and Language
- Study Skills and Organization
- Test Prep
What is your teaching philosophy?
What makes me different from most tutors and educators is my strategic mindset. Most teachers recite their curriculums like clockwork and take the key details for granted. For example, when solving for the length of the longest side of a right triangle "ABC" (Pythagorean theorem), they will show 2 examples in class without explaining why side "C" is "C." Then on standardized test, the sides are now labeled "EFG," and the child struggles to properly choose the correct inputs to the equation. Memorizing formulas is good, but understanding how and why is better. Answers are good, but repeatable problem solving skills are better. Doing practice tests is good, but focusing on the troublesome problems is better. Simply - knowledge is good, but intelligence is better.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Context is always the first step. Understanding the purpose of the tutoring journey (preparation for a specific test versus boosting skills) makes a big difference in the right tutoring strategy. Next, it is important to understand where they comfortable versus struggling before diving into the materials. I would focus on the materials the child is struggling with and have them work some practice problems without my guidance. This allows me to identify why they are struggling. Identifying why they are struggling rather than revealing answers is the key to making them self-sufficient.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I would focus on the materials the child is struggling with and have them work some practice problems without my guidance.