Victoria holds a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. As a first-generation college graduate, she understands students' challenges when navigating the admissions process. In her own experience, she was forced to find outside resources. Even in college, she networked to find alumni and professionals working in government to help her with job applications. Victoria completed approximately 100 informational interviews over four years, and now she wants to help students in the same place that she was in by becoming their guide and resource. Professionally, Victoria works at the US Department of State - Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
As a coach, Victoria’s teaching style is structured. She excels at helping students with ideas and an outline/plan without doing the work. Victoria likes to be a support system, encouraging people to do their best by being there for them when they need her and being a sounding board to make sure applicants are confident in the decisions they are making (i.e., ensuring that an essay topic is the right one, choosing what to put on a resume, etc.)
Victoria is motivated by deadlines; she finds that having a set schedule and clear expectations helps students stay motivated, too. She considers herself Midwest-friendly. She is outgoing and always happy to help or be available when needed. Victoria is respectful, positive, and realistic. She is always looking for solutions to problems and sticking to a plan.
When she isn’t working, Victoria enjoys lifting weights, watching sports (basketball, baseball) and reality TV (Housewives, Selling Sunset, Vanderpump Rules, etc.), journaling, visiting museums, and trying new restaurants and coffee shops.
Aastha completed her Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Yale University. She is also set to attend the Emory School of Medicine in the fall. Aastha has years of experience tutoring elementary and high school students in a variety of subjects and has also served as an English tutor for over six years. Her tutoring journey began with a simple desire to be an educational guide for students. She finds immense joy in providing students with fresh perspectives on concepts they previously found challenging.
Aastha's passion for tutoring is driven by her desire to help students navigate challenging academic situations and reach their full potential. She specializes in ACT and SAT preparation, as well as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, history, writing, English, and math, including at the AP level.
Aastha's tutoring approach is characterized by adaptability and personalization. Her interdisciplinary thinking enables her to tailor her methods effectively. She invests time in understanding each student's unique style, character, and abilities and then coaches them accordingly. Aastha is non-judgmental and genuinely curious about her students, listening to their challenges and working collaboratively to transform weaknesses into strengths.
Aastha is adept at motivating students and guiding them through learning obstacles. She provides constructive feedback, highlighting their strengths and improvement areas, while acknowledging their hard work. She believes that with consistency, students can develop a fresh perspective on subjects. When students encounter difficulties, she encourages them to take a break to reset. For complex concepts, she breaks them down into manageable parts and uses real-life examples to enhance understanding.
In her free time, Aastha enjoys hiking, reading, and doing yoga. She also has a unique talent for wrapping dumplings quickly!
Sarah completed her Bachelor of Arts in Language and Cultural Studies and Plant Biology at Sarah Lawrence College. She boasts five years of professional teaching experience but began her tutoring journey early in her high school career, fueled by the gratifying experience of witnessing students grasp challenging material.
Sarah's enthusiasm for tutoring stems from her belief that any subject can be enjoyable when presented in an appealing way to students. She is proficient in a diverse range of subjects, including K–6 math, all levels of biology (including AP), reading, writing, English Language Arts (ELA), ESL, AP Language and Literature, creative writing, and SAT reading and writing.
At the core of Sarah's tutoring philosophy is the empowerment of students through consistent encouragement. She believes students have been programmed to fear failure instead of embracing it as a part of the learning process. So, she takes a unique approach by celebrating mistakes, considering them stepping stones for growth rather than obstacles. Sarah's adaptability in the face of these stepping stones shines in her lessons, where she breaks down complex problems into manageable pieces for better understanding. Beyond being informative, Sarah’s lessons are also highly engaging; she connects academic concepts with students' interests to keep them motivated.
Sarah is adept at guiding students towards becoming confident and independent learners. Instead of simply providing them with answers, she equips students with the tools and information necessary to independently solve problems, fostering a sense of self-assurance.
Besides tutoring, Sarah is deeply interested in plant biology. She even worked as a research assistant at the New York Botanical Garden on an algae-based project! She also enjoys reading, creative writing, and spending time with her cat, named President. When he misbehaves, she likes to pretend to be a member of the Secret Service—Mister President, don't climb on the fence!
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!