Nicholas
Certified Tutor

10+ years of tutoring

Nicholas

Bachelors, Physics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • I began tutoring as a volunteer assignment in high school, later being promoted to an advisory block teacher my senior year.
  • While a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I continued to tutor other students, mainly in physics and mathematics.

Test Scores

ACT Scores
Composite31
Math33

About Me

Eventually, this lead me to a position as a TA and lab technician in Phys 406: Physics of Music Lab. In total, I have tutored for about 8 years. My favorite facet of tutoring is exploring the different ways in which students learn a topic. An explanation that resonates with 90% of students, may not clarify things for the other 10%. Part of being a good tutor requires me to identify many alternate routes to explanation, should the more common ones not work well. This interests me greatly, as it broadens my own understanding of the topics in math and physics I find so interesting. An added bonus is being able to help someone meet their classroom goals. I recently earned a B. S. in Physics with Distinction in the Curriculum from U of I at Urbana-Champaign with a Minor in Mathematics. I also took enough math courses out of my own interest that I was a mere 12 hours away from completing a double degree in Mathematics. Students preparing for AP examinations may want to know I received a 4 in AP Physics B, a 5 in AP Calculus BC (5 in the AB subscore), and a 5 in AP Chemistry.

Hobbies & Interests

Piano, Bass Guitar, Scuba Diving, Coding, Carpentry

Education

Bachelors, Physics - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Q&A with Nicholas

I feel a student does not know, until they can do. Thus, my approach is problem centered. There are 4 steps I walk a student through. 1. Identify: The student and I decide what concepts the problem revolves around. We define any jargon and spell out our goal clearly. 2. Write it down: I get the student to rephrase the question in the language relevant to the course (equations, mathematical notation, pseudo-code, etc.). 3. Do: This part is the actual work. Simplifying equations, solving x, writing code, etc. Usually after walking through steps 1 and 2, this step is the easiest. 4. Question the Answer: Once the work is done, I ask the student to explain their answer. Why does it make sense? What is the answer saying about the problem? How do we know it is the correct answer?
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