Lucy

I have a PhD from Imperial College, and a first class honours undergraduate degree. I am a very friendly, reliable and punctual tutor. I enjoy helping build students confidence when approaching problems, helping them gain independence and problem solving skills. I have experience with learning difficulties - I have ADHD and as a result have taught myself numerous learning and memory techniques which I help students learn and apply.

I was born and raised in Reading, attending the Abbey School until university age, after which I studied Materials Science and Engineering at Swansea University.

I completed my PhD in 2020, studying 'Superalloy Development' at Imperial College which was completed in collaboration with and sponsored by Rolls-Royce plc. on new gas turbine engine materials. My technical area is materials/metallurgy which is a unique blend of maths, chemistry and physics.

Tutoring Experience

I have tutored Maths GCSE since I was 16 and Chemistry/Physics/Biology for two years.

On top of private tuition, I have taught a number of Undergraduate courses at Imperial College London. These included group labs, tutorials and advanced microscopy, from which I learnt to adapt my approach and explanations to multiple different students with all different levels of ability.

I have also been a marker for student reports and exams, where I learnt how markers grade work and what they look for. I can explain to students the key phrases and answer structures that markers seek from students.

I also offer help with writing style and personal statements as I have had extensive practice at both, and thanks to extensive interactions with admissions tutors during my PhD and teaching at Imperial College I can advise on what they're looking for.

A common 'problem' I have seen students encounter is not being 'good' at sciences and math. Throughout my PhD I took part in STEM outreach activities and take pride in making STEM interesting and applicable. My key method is showing students how much math and science they use in every day life without evening thinking.

I have excellent personal links with admissions tutors at Imperial College, with whom I have often had debates about admissions and student applications/attributes. I enjoy advising students on University choices - from locations to subjects - which I personally found incredibly daunting at 18. I am knowledgeable about what Universities look for in their applicants and can review personal statements and applications.

Tutoring Approach

I take pride in understanding the students learning style to better inform my approach and help build confidence. I help students break problems down into logical, bite-sized pieces to make working through the steps easy and straight forward, whilst gaining maximum method marks.

I also like to make the learning relatable to every day life, which I find materials makes easy for maths, chemistry and physics topics (both chocolate and sweet/candy/sugar science is heavily dependent on all three!).