Christopher B.
Private tutor in Rutherford, NJ
Education
Rutgers University - B.S. - Biotechnology Minor - Biochemistry Cornell University M.S. - Plant Cell & Molecular Biology Mensa member 5's on my AP's (Bio & Chem) 521 on the new MCAT (99th percentile) Professionally tutoring as my full-time career since 2012.
Experience
Heyo! I'm a MENSA member who loves to see students that care get the help they need. I prefer to use analogies, mnemonic devices, and drawings when I teach, so if you learn best through seeing or visualizing material rather than rote memorization or repetitive listening I will be a great match for you. I have previously taught lab sections for Introductory Biology at Cornell University and TA'd for the graduate level advanced plant genetics. I feel very comfortable discussing and explaining biology and chemistry at any level and have had the chance to do so with hundreds of students throughout my TA'ing and tutoring career. I have three goals when working with my students so that I become an learning enabler beyond the lessons. The first is to identify what types of problems each student is encountering in their studies. There are a bunch of different reasons that students seek help. Knowing which applies to each student is the key to moving forward effectively. Some reasons that I have experience with are: mismatch between the teaching style and learning style, poor teaching, difficult concepts that need additional support, poor study habits, good study habits but poor dedication/discipline, lack of accountability, diagnosed/undiagnosed learning disabilities, or combating a sense of being overwhelmed. Sometimes the trouble is less distressing: moving from a B+ to an A, preparing or improving for scores on standardized science tests (SAT subject/MCAT) where support isn't provided from the school or teacher, or providing expertise on projects and papers. My second goal is to improve my students' ability and confidence in the subject(s) that we're working on. I do this through explaining the material in ways that resonate with each student, demonstrating how to solve a problem, guiding my students through the problems, and then asking them to do it independently. Depending on where a student is with the material, I can jump right to one of the later steps. I really believe that with teaching and explanations which match a student's learning style, and dedication from the student, true mastery and excellent grades are in all my students' reach regardless of where they are starting from. The third goal is to demonstrate how to learn and study by example and identifying appropriate practice. This third goal is the most important in the long term for my students to improve their study habits and learn how to tackle material independently in future courses. This goal helps me to ensure that students need me less as time goes on and I become an opportunity to schedule studying as opposed to a necessity to get studying done. This kind of teaching isn't always done explicitly, I model or explain how to study or sometimes I'll explain my thought process when setting up for a quiz or test. Ultimately, I want all my students to gain skills that will help them learn throughout their future studies. Helping students engage and conquer science is one of my most enjoyable goals in life, so I've found that this strategy of becoming a learning enabler makes me the most happy and my students the most successful. Some more background about me is that I received my B.S. in biotechnology from Rutgers (minor in biochemistry), and M.S. from Cornell in plant biology where I was a part of the Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Program. I'm an excellent molecular biologist with a desire to help people understand more about life from molecules and up! I currently help my students with biology, chemistry, physics, genetics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology. I also help students prepare for the SAT II, Regents, and AP in biology and chemistry. For long term lessons (4 months or more), I do offer a discount so please inquire about it if you're interested in long term help from me. I feel that its best to receive help early, before you get too far behind! The earlier you get to me, the more I can do for you, but don't be afraid to schedule a last minute cram session: sometimes desperation can lead to inspiration! Please contact me with any questions you have. Cheers! Chris PS - I see that University Tutor does not list my rate on this page. I charge $160 hourly, though I offer discounts for long term (over 1 month) and long duration (over 90 minute) lessons. Biology I taught Biology 109/110 lab sections at Cornell for a total of 5 semesters and I have to say that I love teaching and tutoring students in Bio. So much of the coursework applies to understanding the world around us and even our own biology! Putting these concepts into perspective encourages learning and understanding. Biology is a gigantic subject. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but I focus on breaking down complex ideas so that my students can understand the concepts one part at a time. My goal is to teach students to understand like a teacher does. Once you can explain it to me, in your own words, the comprehension tends to stick and you're ready for any question! Chemistry In the 98/99 NJ Chemistry State Science League I scored 5th in the state. I also scored a 5/5 on the AP chemistry test. Since then I found chemistry to be valuable for my college career, my graduate study, and even cooking! Chemistry can be a challenging subject for many students. At its most challenging it incorporates calculus with abstract molecular concepts and unrelentingly asks for answers that are precise beyond 6.02x10^23rd! I prefer to tackle questions by helping my students get a handle conceptually on what is occurring, and then introduce the appropriate formulas or secondary concepts to move us towards the answer. I find that having a framework of conceptual comprehension makes applying the math much more meaningful. To aid me in this I use a whiteboard to visualize the problems for my students which everybody has found immensely helpful. If you have any particular hobbies, interests, or activities that would be applicable, I like to make analogies to aid in understanding. Cooking is a great one because delicious food involves a lot of excellent chemistry!! Genetics During my graduate work I mentored multiple students in molecular biology and genetics surrounding my research project and the projects which I designed for them. This required excellent comprehension and communication so that they were able to present their research to either their peers, in the case of the summer students, or to write an undergraduate thesis in the case of the fall/spring students. All of my students were able to feel comfortable and give excellent presentations, or received A's for their research credits as a result. A large part of my graduate work required an in depth knowledge of genetics. I used positional mapping to find candidate genes for a mutation. This required that I understand the structure of genes, genomes, and how to use molecular markers to coordinate physical with genetic distances. Additionally, I took and then TA'd for the Advanced Plant Genetics course at Cornell. MCAT I have significant experience tutoring individually in each the biology, chemistry, physics, & biochemistry portions of the MCAT at the college level. Additionally, I took the newest version of the MCAT (April 2015) and scored in the 99th percentile (521: 132, 129, 131, 129), but ended up deciding that my family's current life plan isn't compatible with medical school after all. However, I put in a lot of hard work and would love to use it and share my knowledge to help prepare students to get excellent scores! Organic Chemistry I have tutored organic chemistry students across the city. Organic chemistry differs slightly for the level of depth and reactions that are emphasized between NYU, Fordham, Columbia, and at the CUNY schools I have tutored for. It is really important that that Organic Chemistry is attacked through explanations and immediate practice. Unlike sciences such as Biology and Chemistry where there is a large set of material to memorize or a smaller set of material to apply, Organic chemistry requires both of these skills in large amounts which makes it very difficult for many students. I love helping my students to know the principles underlying a problem and guide them to 'Ah Ha!' moments during studies. In order to help my students with this, I have assembled a large amount of practice material to share with my students so that we can move directly from the theory to application of ideas and practice of mechanisms in each lesson. Regents I'm an excellent Chemistry tutor and have prepared students for the AP Chemistry and the SAT II Chemistry exams. I believe that the Chemistry Regents are simply another extension of standardized testing and that I can show my students all of the tricks and ways that they will attempt to push on your chemistry knowledge! Additionally, I've logged over 1000 hours with 'the other big site' and I'd be happy to show you my references if you'd like. My rate here is significantly lower since University Tutor has a much friendlier disposition to tutors.
Subject Expertise
IB BIology SLBiochemistryBiochemistryBiochemistryBiochemistrySAT Subject Test in Biology E/MAP ChemistrySAT Subject Test in Biology E/MMolecular BiologyMicrobiologyMicrobiologyIB BIology SLBiochemistryIB BIology HLIB BIology HLIB BIology HLGeneral BiologyCell BiologyCell BiologyBiologyBiologyAP BiologyAP BiologyAP BiologyIB Chemistry SLMCAT Physical SciencesMCAT Biological SciencesPhysicsAP Physics 1AP Physics 1Molecular GeneticsGeneticsGeneticsSAT Subject Test in ChemistryInorganic ChemistryOrganic ChemistryRegentsGeneral ChemistryChemistryIB Chemistry HLHonors ChemistryHonors ChemistryGeneral ChemistryGeneral ChemistryChemistryChemistryChemistry
Availability
Any day at any time
Can Meet
Up to 45 minutes away at my regular hourly rate
Hobbies
I'm interested in your interests or your child's interests. I wrap the concepts around metaphors and analogies that will help my students. Common hobbies are sports, baking/cooking (great for lots of chemistry analogies!), traveling, and toys. Balloons are a very useful vehicle for describing gas laws, and other kids toys can be helpful! Outside of lessons, I like science and technology, video games, console & PC, woodworking and spending time with my kids.
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