FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
YOU SAY THAT YOU'RE HIGHLY EXPERIENCED. HOW MANY ONE-ON-ONE WRITING LESSONS FOR HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE YOU ACTUALLY PROVIDED?
The crowd in this stadium offers an accurate representation of the thousands of students I've tutored individually over the past sixteen years.
​I DON'T USE SKYPE, ZOOM OR FACETIME. DO I HAVE TO DOWNLOAD AN APP TO DO A VIRTUAL LESSON?
Yes, but it's simple and fast. I'll text, WhatsApp or email you a link to meet me on Zoom, and you can download the app in less than a minute.
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IF ACT AND SAT ESSAYS ARE OPTIONAL, WHY BOTHER WRITING ONE?
Even though many colleges don't require standardized-exam essays, some schools do and others recommend them. Not writing an essay limits a student's choices at application time. Moreover, I hear time and again from parents that lessons with me helped raise their high schoolers' general writing skills, which will serve them for a lifetime.
​I WANT TO WRITE A PRACTICE ESSAY FOR YOU TO REVIEW, BUT I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A SCANNER. CAN I SEND YOU PHOTOS INSTEAD?
It depends on the quality of the photos. I recommend downloading a mobile-scanner app. The following one is easy to use—and it's free if you don't mind an unobtrusive watermark at the bottom of each scanned page: https://www.camscanner.com/user/download.
DOES HANDWRITING MATTER ON ACT OR SAT ESSAYS?
Yes, but writing legibly isn't enough. It's human nature to judge appearances, and scorers subconsciously judge essay content based on how it looks. When I review essays, I pay close attention to the handwriting and offer tips on how to make it more appealing. Relatively simple changes, such as adjusting the size, slant or height of letters, can lead to higher scores.
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WHAT PAYMENT METHODS DO YOU ACCEPT?
Credit card, personal check or cash—paid before or at the start of the session. In the case of college-application-essay guidance other than "jump start," please call, text, WhatsApp or email me about payment terms (some of the work is completed on my own).