Will
Certified Tutor
I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and am passionate about environmental issues, public education, and urban planning & design. After taking nearly all the AP & IB social studies courses my high school had to offer, I headed to Chapel Hill where I majored in environmental studies and minored in city & regional planning. Since graduating from UNC I spent a year working in Bangkok, Thailand, followed by six months working in Cape Town, South Africa, and four months working in Auckland, New Zealand. After all this globe-trotting I spent a year as an AmeriCorps member with Habitat for Humanity in Durham, NC. I recently moved up to Washington, DC and am eager to work as a tutor at Varsity Tutors.
I love working with AP/IB history & English students, SAT test prep students, and GRE verbal reasoning students. Additionally, I enjoy working through job/school/scholarship applications with people of all ages. Having successfully applied to multiple scholarships and fellowships and mentored younger friends over the years I am eager to share the lessons of my experience with other people looking to reach their full potential.
I know what it's like to be struggling on a specific test or in a particular subject area because that was me in most math classes since middle school. Luckily, I was able to get solid math tutors throughout those years who taught me not only math skills, but also showed me how a good tutor can empower a student to solve problems on their own. I hope to not just support my students to succeed on tests and in class but empower them to thrive holistically.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Bachelors, Environmental Studies
Running, swimming, hiking, carpentry
- AP Human Geography
- College English
- College Essays
- College Geography
- English
- Essay Editing
- Geography
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE Analytical Writing
- GRE Verbal
- High School English
- High School Geography
- Homework Support
- IB History
- IB History HL
- IB History SL
- Other
- PSAT Critical Reading
- SAT Reading
- Social Studies
- Test Prep
- Writing
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would ask a few questions about why the student is seeking tutoring in the first place. If they are preparing for a test, I'd ask why they want to excel on the test. Where are they trying to go? What do they want to achieve? From there, I'd work to structure my lessons around these student-driven big picture goals and values.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Every person is different and has unique goals and passions. As a tutor, I would do my best to really know each of my students and incorporate their passions creatively into each lesson. GRE test prep is instantaneously more exciting when the reading samples are relevant to the student's life!
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Having struggled with math subjects for many years, I know what it is like to struggle through a topic and how important it is for a teacher or tutor to have patience. In short, I would never give up on clearly communicating alternative explanations or different paths to the answer.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Having a large vocabulary is not only an important aspect of test prep, but it's a key to success in college, and in the professional world beyond. Reading vocabulary-dense articles or stories that are of interest to the student helps motivate a student struggling with reading comprehension or verbal reasoning.