Sally

Sally graduated with honours from Princeton University, where she studied English as a pre-medical student in the Global Health & Health Policy Program. Her senior thesis was a double award-winning narrative about the impact of an infectious, stomach cancer-causing bacterium on the First Nations populations of Northern Canada. Fluent in French and passionate about medicine, Sally has been involved in a variety of medical research in Canada, France, America and the UK. After completing a Non-Profit Service Fellowship upon graduating from Princeton, she completed Columbia University’s Post baccalaureate Premedical Program. Desiring a deeper understanding of the social and historical dimensions of health and medicine, Sally then completed a Master of Philosophy in Health, Medicine and Society at Cambridge University, where she received first class honours for her dissertation. She then went on to serve as a Research Associate at Cambridge, working on a European Research Council-funded project that aimed to better characterize and understand the changing dynamics of diagnostic innovation in the realm of cancer screening.

Sally’s passion for teaching spans across all ages and subjects: she comfortably transitions from grade school learners to graduate students, helping to break down difficult science concepts, while at once working to elevate reading and writing skills. Her experience as a student of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences has equipped her with the ability to recognize and communicate the connection between these seemingly disparate worlds in a way that inspires and energizes her students. As a four-year Varsity Women’s Ice Hockey team member at Princeton, Sally also has extensive experience with the drive, commitment, and skill necessary to excel in elite level athletics. While at Cambridge, she earned her Full Blue for her performance on the Women’s Ice Hockey Team, rowed in the first boat for her college, and then coached the Women's Ice Hockey Team for a season upon graduating. Sally’s experience with both the British and North American educational systems means that she is well-equipped to advise not only what a successful Oxbridge application entails, but also what Ivy League schools are looking for in a prospective student.

SUBJECTS: English, Writing, Biology, Chemistry, Group Science Classes, French, ISEE, ACT, SAT, IB, AP (Human Geography Biology, Chemistry), GRE, MCAT.

Tutoring Experience

As my resume outlines, I have worked for an educational consulting firm based out of Manhattan for nearly seven years. In this time, I have worked with students ranging from 5-27 years old in the following subjects: biology, chemistry, English (reading comprehension and writing skills), French, sociology, biochemistry, statistics, and genetics. I have a wide range of topics that I can cover with my students because I have undertaken a wide range of studies myself: I majored in English Literature for my undergraduate (Princeton '14), then switched over to natural sciences for a two-year program (Columbia '17) while working in New York. I then pursued a combination of sociology, anthropology, and philosophy for my graduate studies (Cambridge '18). I am particularly well versed in helping students to develop and execute independent research projects, and help advise them on university and/or job applications. Additionally, I have been tutoring test prep (AP, ACT, SAT, etc.) for several years and have had many students in the IB curriculum. When I moved to the UK in 2017 to pursue my graduate degree at Cambridge, I began to acquaint myself with the British educational system. I am very comfortable tutoring students in A-levels and GCSE for chemistry, biology and English. I have also taught with Oxford Summer Courses (OSC) going on three years now. In addition to teaching small classes in biology, I work one-on-one with students in biochemistry and genetics, and have been employed by OSC to develop workshops and curricula in transferrable skills and personal marketing.

Tutoring Approach

I aim to provide my students with focused, subject-specific support while at once offering generalized healthy study habit tips. I have noted in my years of teaching and mentoring that in order for students to be truly successful, they must develop strong study and learning habits as a foundation to mastering the granular details of any given topic. If my students already have a strong general study approach (note taking skills, organization of study materials, punctuality, communication with their teachers, etc.), then I am able to really focus on the detail of the subject in which they are requiring additional support. I like to review class material with my students, encouraging them to paraphrase concepts as we discuss them together. I also like to supplement sessions with videos and readings that I have found to be particularly insightful for past students. I work through practice problems with my students - both those provided by their teachers, as well as supplemental worksheets that I have created over the years. For some students, I make practice exams tailored to the topics and format that their teacher emphasizes. With respect to scheduling, I believe that maintaining a regular meeting time with students, typically weekly, is the best way to foster significant and lasting improvements. I often find that a big piece of the puzzle re: improving grades and achieving success is simply a matter of changing the mindset: the course needs to become an accepted part of the regular schedule in order to receive due attention in the student's life. I help with this by making the sessions fun in addition to focused! Supplementing with related material that is interesting for the student to watch/read typically helps! Additionally, being there to offer insight re: how to maximize their chances of pursuing tertiary education at a top institution often inspires my students to get into gear. I not only have experience getting into and excelling at two Ivy League schools (playing hockey as a NCAA Division 1 athlete at Princeton), but also navigating the British educational system as a graduate student at the University of Cambridge.