I was always that kid explaining the latest topic in chemistry or French to the kids sitting around me in class. And I still remember all of that stuff to this day. Lucky you!
Education
I graduated high school at age 16 with a perfect 6.0 GPA, making me salutatorian of my class of 500+. To complete the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, I went heavy on math and science since those are my favorite subjects—these were my IB exams:
| Higher Level (HL) | Standard Level (SL) |
|---|---|
| Math | Physics |
| Chemistry | Psychology |
| English | French |
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In addition, I took 11 AP exams:
| 9th Grade | 10th Grade | 11th Grade | 12th Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP World History | AP Spanish | AP Calculus AB | AP Calculus BC |
| AP English Literature | AP Chemistry | AP Biology | |
| AP U.S. Government | AP Physics B * | ||
| AP U.S. History | |||
| * AP Physics B is now AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2. | AP English Language |
Right about now, people ask, What free time did you have?! Proper time management was vital, of course, so it’s integral to the study skills I teach my tutoring students now. Being ruthless about using my time wisely allowed me to be a competitive gymnast until college. (I can still do the splits, but that’s about it.)
But also, I only recently realized how fortunate I was to have the teachers I had. They were accessible and straightforward, and the majority were not overbearing — I have fond memories of my math and science teachers especially. As a private tutor, I’ve learned that, unfortunately, that’s far from the case for the average kid. Setting clear expectations and developing a collaborative relationship with my students is crucial.
“With you, I feel like I can say ‘I don’t know.'”
~ Alex, GRE student
Ultimately, it all got me into Princeton University, where I ended up studying molecular biology. (Go Tigers!) I explored classes in a variety of fields: economics and finance, neuroscience, political theory, computer science. I’ve just always loved learning, and I love being part of that lightbulb moment for my students.
As a lover of math (how often do you hear that?) and an avid reader, I scored high on standardized tests as well: the SAT (800 on Verbal), the now-discontinued SAT Subject Tests in Math, Chemistry, and Physics (800 on SAT II Math Level 2), and the GRE (169 Quant, 164 Verbal).
Tutoring Experience
I’ve been tutoring or teaching since 2004:
- volunteer peer tutoring in high school through National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and French National Honor Society
- peer tutoring for calculus and chemistry at Princeton University
- volunteer tutoring with K-12 kids in Trenton, NJ
- private tutoring as a side hustle in college
- teaching English for a summer in rural China
- getting handed the instructions every time my friends and I play a new game (Heh! Just checking if you’re still paying attention. It’s true though.)
The English immersion program I co-taught in China through Princeton in Asia was one of my favorite teaching experiences. I collaborated with the other instructors to design and write the curriculum, textbook, and other instructional materials. And I co-led a public-speaking club, for which I organized and judged a culminating speech contest.
At one point, I thought I’d be a middle-school or high-school math teacher for disadvantaged kids; I even took the necessary certification tests and passed with flying colors.
But nowadays I’m a tutor, and I like it that way. I can give one student at a time my entire focus. I can tailor what I’m saying to their specific needs. I can work independently, without the stress of a teacher’s life.
Being an explainer is kind of my thing. How can I start helping you?
Tutoring with Stephanie 