Jade holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Religion from Boston University. While there, she earned a scholarship to study in Cambodia and Vietnam, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, won four academic awards, achieved high honors, and secured a U.S. government scholarship for teaching English abroad. With 12 years of tutoring experience, Jade volunteered as an English teacher for immigrants, served as a professional tutor mentor, and was a teaching assistant in Vietnam through a Fulbright scholarship. Despite facing obstacles from a limited educational background, Jade's success story is a testament to the transformative power of mentorship and education. These challenges fueled her determination to create a positive impact in the lives of students facing similar struggles.
As a tutor, Jade’s mission is to offer the same unwavering support and encouragement that proved instrumental in her own journey. She specializes in SAT and ACT tutoring, with an emphasis on the English, Reading, and Writing sections, as well as English, history, sociology, and anthropology courses at all levels, including AP and IB.
Jade employs an empowering and personalized tutoring style, fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment. In her approach, she recognizes each student's unique strengths and challenges, celebrating both small and significant achievements to boost confidence and underscore the progress made through practice. Empathy, patience, and practicality are also major components of her tutoring style, as she emphasizes both academic success and holistic development, including critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By fostering open communication, she encourages students to express their challenges and questions. With a focus on active participation and critical thinking, she aims to instill confidence and a passion for learning that extends beyond the tutoring sessions.
Jade’s greatest strength as a tutor is her adaptability. She develops personalized learning plans and utilizes diverse resources to address the unique needs of individual learners, ensuring that the tutoring sessions align with their goals, preferences, and interests. She strongly believes that clearly defined and personalized goals give students a sense of purpose and direction.
In her free time, Jade enjoys collecting passport stamps, gardening, ballet, paddle boarding, and practicing chado (a traditional Japanese tea ceremony). She immerses herself in art, explores the realms of literature, and treasures the beauty of learning languages. On a rainy day, you’ll find her cozily curled up with a book and a tea latte.
Mark earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. His passion for helping students led him to become an admissions coach, aiming to make the college application process less stressful and daunting. Professionally, he has served as a consultant at IBM.
Mark finds coaching to be dynamic and exciting. He believes it's enriching for both himself and the students; he helps ease their stress while they reflect, ask tough questions, and grow through the process.
As a coach, Mark compares himself to a therapist; to help students achieve success, he aims to understand each one deeply. By doing so, he can help match them with the perfect college and enable them to build a more comprehensive application narrative. If a student is involved in a club, Mike enjoys learning about what inspired that interest. If students play sports, he determines whether that interest is driven by competitiveness or a desire for community. Mark believes every application should paint a clear picture so that the admissions board gains a sincere understanding of the student.
Marks believes that inculcating a growth mindset is incredibly important. He emphasizes that nothing is permanent and reminds students that their starting point isn't fixed; improvement is always possible with effort.
In his free time, Mark enjoys going to the gym, long-distance running, recreational tennis, reading, writing short stories, and spending time with his two pet bunnies, Luna and Benny!
Pamela has earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a PhD from Stanford University, where she served in admissions as an Application Reader. In this role, Pamela made admissions decisions and was part of a 40-person committee. This experience gave Pamela a profound understanding of institutional priorities, class balance, and the nuanced factors influencing admission decisions. Professionally, Pamela is an Admissions Interviewer at Stanford University School of Medicine.
As a first-generation international student, Pamela understands the challenges applicants face without access to resources. This personal history fuels her passion for ensuring that aspiring students are well-informed about the expectations of college admissions officers, recognizing the often opaque nature of the process.
With a background deeply rooted in education and academia, Pamela has witnessed the transformative power of learning throughout her professional life. She strategically emphasizes the importance of working hard and smart, instilling a holistic approach to the application process in her students. She navigates the complexities of the admissions process, acknowledging that merit is not the sole determinant.
Pamela's impressive track record speaks volumes, as applicants she has coached have gained admission to prestigious institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Duke, Penn, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, Emory, Vanderbilt, and many others.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Pamela leads an active lifestyle immersed in nature, residing in the woods and engaging in hiking, rock climbing, running, and various outdoor pursuits. Complementing her coaching role, she dedicates time to teaching in prisons and volunteering as a Search and Rescue aid.