Hope graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Film and Television with a concentration in Sociology. She's played a significant role in students' educational journeys, including serving as a teaching assistant for a film production class at Tufts University. She first began tutoring out of a simple desire to help others learn.
Driven by the goal of helping students unlock their full potential, Hope acknowledges that traditional classroom teaching doesn't always cater to every student's needs. She aims to offer personalized learning experiences to foster academic growth. She specializes in ACT and SAT preparation, English tutoring, and AP courses.
Hope's tutoring methodology revolves around flexibility and repetition. Her aim is to ensure students feel completely at ease with the test or course material, allowing them to tackle it with confidence. Recognizing that each student learns differently, she tailors her approach to meet individual needs. At the core of her strategy is the pursuit of understanding the "why" behind any learning blocks. She engages in meaningful conversations with students to pinpoint the root cause of the issue. Rather than applying band aid fixes, she delves deeply to address and break down the problem comprehensively. Furthermore, she fosters motivation in her students by meticulously tracking their progress and encouraging reflection. This enables students to recognize the strides they've made, reinforcing their belief in their own potential.
Some of Hope’s standout qualities as a tutor are empathy and understanding. She walks into every session with compassion, enthusiasm, and the belief that every student will experience immense growth. This creates a supportive environment where students feel valued and empowered to reach their goals.
In the past, Hope used to memorize country flags for fun. Nowadays, she enjoys writing and singing music.
Dante earned his Bachelor of Engineering with a focus on Nuclear Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has been tutoring students since high school, throughout college, and into his professional career. Alongside tutoring, Dante currently works as a Mechanical Design Engineer and Nuclear Analyst for Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
Dante's passion for tutoring stems from his genuine love for learning. Once he masters a topic, he eagerly shares his knowledge, finding joy in witnessing the moments when students grasp challenging concepts and gain confidence. He is a firm believer that everyone deserves access to quality education, regardless of their background or abilities. Dante specializes in tutoring AP classes.
Dante stands out as a tutor because of his adaptive pace teaching style: what is considered a goal changes depending on how the student learns. While he focuses on setting realistic and SMART SMART (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic/Relevant Timely) goals, he is extremely understanding and willing to adjust these goals. Additionally, Dante’s tutoring is centered on the belief that any progress is valuable and worth celebrating, no matter how incremental. He emphasizes the importance of reflecting on past achievements to appreciate the progress made and to inspire further growth.
Some of Dante’s greatest strengths as a tutor include his ability to read students’ emotions, allowing him to identify when a problem is particularly challenging for them, even if they don’t express it directly. He is also attentive to the importance of breaks, recognizing when students need a moment to step away from the material. Allowing students a few extra minutes to focus on something else and discuss their day can significantly aid in problem-solving. Additionally, Dante knows when it’s best to call it a day, understanding that a good night’s sleep can help the brain process and synthesize the information learned. He believes that this rest is crucial for returning to the material with a refreshed and more effective approach.
In his free time, Dante enjoys playing board games and video games, doing karaoke, playing instruments, writing music, acting, and singing. In fact, he’s writing his own musical that has already been performed by some talented actors, and he hopes to have it produced one day!
Erin earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University and presently serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. With over 15 years of tutoring experience, Erin has guided more than 100 students to academic success, securing admissions to prestigious institutions such as Stanford, New York University, and Princeton. Her journey into tutoring began with a profound realization of the lifelong impact knowledge transmission has on students' confidence, particularly those who once saw themselves as academically inadequate.
Erin’s belief that every student has the potential to thrive in the classroom if paired with the right educators and resources fuels her enduring passion for tutoring. Beyond facilitating academic excellence, she is committed to nurturing students into sources of support for their peers. She specializes in tutoring English, biology, and psychology at various levels, including AP, ACT, and SAT prep.
As a tutor, Erin’s ultimate goal is to help students rewrite their personal narratives about their academic capabilities and reach their maximum potential. Her motto is "teach the student the most effective ways to learn and they'll grow to be strong, life-long learners.” She focuses on developing learning skills in addition to strengthening a student's comprehension of the subject. She helps students understand the relationship between concepts to increase their understanding rather than just improve their memorization.
Erin’s three greatest strengths as a tutor are her drive, patience, and flexibility. Her drive is evident in the high expectations she sets for all students, motivating them to strive for excellence. Meanwhile, her patience and flexibility shine through in her deep understanding that the journey to success is rarely linear. Erin acknowledges that this path may encompass numerous challenges, failures, and moments of frustration before the initial signs of a breakthrough emerge.
In her free time, Erin enjoys swimming, running, dancing, cooking, baking, reading, playing basketball, and exploring different cultures and foods through travel. Her adventurous spirit has led her to complete a research internship in Cape Town, South Africa, and embark on summer backpacking journeys through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, as well as explorations in France, Spain, and Greece.
While we help students learn and retain knowledge to navigate ISEE content with ease, our assistance doesn’t stop there. We also teach valuable test-taking strategies, such as time management, the process of elimination, and more, to ensure students can confidently walk into test day.
We welcome parent involvement and always strive to keep students, families, and tutors in the loop with our detailed progress tracker. The tracker allows families to check student progress, tutor comments, and next steps at any time.
Our matching process ensures students are paired with their best-fit ISEE tutor based on student/family preferences, goals, and needs. We glean much of this information from our initial call and the intake form you provide us with.
Students can be registered for the ISEE using the ERB website.
Using stanines, scoring a 1-3 is typically considered “below average,” 4-6 is “average,” and 7-8 are “above average.” However, remember that your stanine scores are relative and based on the scores of all other test-takers! Since there are many students applying to all types of private schools, it can be difficult to pinpoint what makes an ISEE score “good” – it depends on your aspirations, school choices, and profile strength.
The ISEE is run by the Education Record Bureau (ERB). You can learn more about the ISEE here.
You can equate stanines to percentile rankings in the following ways:
Excluding the five-paragraph essay prompt, the Lower Level ISEE has four timed sections:
The format of the Upper Level ISEE is similar to the Lower Level. Excluding the essay prompt section, the four timed sections are:
The best plan for your child depends on what you’re looking for from our programs. If you’re unsure which program works best for your child, our expert team is ready to guide you – set up a call with us today to learn more!