About
What better way to show you than by telling you a story...
The mom of one of my past students (also named Matt) came to me at the beginning, concerned for her son's well-being. He was a very smart kid but recently lost motivation. He wasn't trying anymore and his grades were showing it.
As I started working on his math with him, I learned a lot about his personal life, which was not the easiest. But we continued together. I invested my math knowledge and my mentoring support. I showed him that he was incredibly valuable, worth my time and energy, that he had a future that was good, in spite of his current circumstances.
A year into our meetings, he told me that he had been an alcoholic (AS A HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR), but was done with that. He started planning his future, planning to go to San Diego, study, and also work as an EMT.
And now he's thriving.
Whereas before, he was spiraling.
This is the transformation my academic work with kids has been able to have time after time.
Even if you aren't dealing with the same level of struggle, every single student has opportunity for transformation. Even if it's a simple SAT score boost. Or a C- turning into an A-. Whatever the transformation you need, it is possible.
I don't just tutor to raise grades and test scores. I mentor students into healthy thinking, and I show them that no matter what their academic history, they are capable, smart, and absolutely able to excel in school. Good school grades, SAT, ACT, and GRE scores flow from this place.
In fact, often, after working with me, my students go on to not need my services anymore because they are excelling like never before.
It's like rolling a snowball down a hill. At first, it's small and takes some care and some pushing to get it going. But eventually it starts to roll on its own.
I have had countless students boost their grades in school.
I have had dozens of students boost heir SAT scores, allowing them to get into their desired colleges.
I have had parents profusely thank me for the drastic changes they see in their kids. Higher confidence, vanished depression, solid grasp on their vision for their future, more grit and determination and drive.
I have written and published a book on how to develop this healthy Conqueror's Mindset. The book is called More Than Standard.
See More Than Standard (with over 15 5-star reviews) on Amazon.
https://amazon.com/dp/1734114614/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_sbR5DbJ8XFZAV
In addition, I have high reviews around the web:
Yelp (there are nine reviews here, but for some reason Yelp only displays one of them as "recommended") https://yelp.com/biz/conquer-the-test-santa-cruz
My own website: https://morethanstandard.com/testimonials
Get in touch if you are needing support in:
Math up through Pre-Calc
English (Writing and Lit)
Biology
Chemistry
SAT
ACT
SAT Subject Tests
GRE
LSAT
College Apps
College Essays
Mindset Coaching
Education
I graduated from a private college prep high school, Monte Vista Christian School, with a 4.2 or 4.3 GPA (I don't remember the exact decimals!)
I took and passed 5 AP exams (Govt, US History, European History, Calculus AB, and Literature)
I scored a 1340 on my SAT in high school with no coaching or classes.
Since then, I applied for a tutoring job several years ago at a test prep center in New York (C2 Education). Without refreshing, studying, or training, I scored a perfect 800 on math and a 750 on the reading/writing.
I graduated cum laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.A. in Communication studies.
I took a couple seminary classes at Alliance Theological Seminary, but then my daughter was born, and life changed :)
I enjoy seeing students come alive in confidence, in passion, in understanding that they are WAY more capable than they ever knew before. I love helping them overcome obstacles that used to seem impossible. I love being available to encourage them as they go through the many difficult stressors of high school.
I love to invest not just my head knowledge and my coaching skills, but also my heart, into my students. I get students sending me texts all the time asking if I can help them through various situations. They even ask me to pray for them on SAT test day.
I work to de-pressurize their academics, showing them that their succes and their destiny are rooted first in the kind of person that they choose to be, not in their performance.
From this place of a healthy view of themselves and their schoolwork, SATs, and College Apps, they can perform without stress and pressure. And their performance soars. That makes it worth it.
Reviews
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Megan H.
Jessica P.
Sophia C.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I offer free consultations to my new students and families. During these meetings we get to know each other and fully decide whether we are a good fit for each other.
This meeting as well as all of our tutoring sessions happen through zoom. It's powerful, convenient, and extremely effective.
When first beginning to work together with a student, I get to know them very quickly and build a good relationship where they trust me, even to the point of texting me on SAT test mornings to ask me to pray for them :)
I also quickly assess their strengths and weaknesses, and their biggest needs in the moment. I'm always working with both long term goals for the student's success, and short term goals in mind. Keeping up with current classwork while also rebuilding old concepts that never stuck and also equipping students to build and work from an actual study/work plan.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Education
- I graduated from a private college prep high school, Monte Vista Christian School, with a 4.2 or 4.3 GPA (I don't remember the exact decimals!)
- I took and passed 5 AP exams (Govt, US History, European History, Calculus AB, and Literature)
- I scored a 1340 on my SAT in high school with no coaching or classes.
- Since then, I applied for a tutoring job several years ago at a test prep center in New York (C2 Education). Without refreshing, studying, or training, I scored a perfect 800 on math and a 750 on the reading/writing.
- I graduated cum laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.A. in Communication studies.
- I took a couple seminary classes at Alliance Theological Seminary, but then my daughter was born, and life changed :)
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My school subject coaching sessions are $80 per hour. The sessions usually run for 1 or 1.5 hours depending on the specific student and subject.
My SAT, ACT, and GRE coaching sessions are $100 per hour and run for 1.5 hours.
My College Essay sessions are also $100 per hour and run for 1.5 hours.
I meet weekly unless there are unusual circumstances, and I offer discounts to families who pay for a month at a time.
I offer scholarships at times if a family is unable to pay full price.
How did you get started teaching?
I started when I lived in New York and was attending seminary. I worked full time at the seminary, but needed additional income. So I interviewed at a local tutoring center that specialized in the SAT, but also worked with students on school subjects.
When I took their diagnostic SAT to see whether I would qualify to teach, I scored 800 on math and 750 on reading, and they were ready to hire me on the spot :)
Since then, I have worked for myself so that I can have the freedom to spend better quality time with students, one-on-one. The typical system with this company was three students to one teacher at a time...which caused teachers to feel frantic and divided.
Now, I get to invest the exact right amount of time needed.
What types of students have you worked with?
I've worked with students of all ages, K - Graduate level.
I've worked with students who feel confident and who we would consider smart. As part of their driven nature they hire me to help them excel even further.
But lately I have been working with a lot of students who are struggling in their particular subject area. Some even have official diagnoses of ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.
Together we rebuild their self-worth, their confidence, and their skills so that they can experience for themselves how smart God really made them to be.
I most often work with high school students. And among those students, my most common subjects are test prep, math, english, and chemistry.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I recently was a guest speaker at a local church. I love doing that kind of thing. It's what I was made for. But what was really cool was that I invited a handful of my past students to come and watch.
To my surprise, 4 of them showed up! And a couple even brought their families!
I love knowing that my work with my students has resulted in lasting connections where they actually WANT to come to something like that!
Also, this hasn't happened yet, but I'm about to have my third daughter. I LOVE this event.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Make sure the teacher or coach you are working with is just that: a coach and a mentor.
Don't just settle for a tutor who is only focusing on the grade or test score. Your success depends on way more than mere academic knowledge. It depends on your inner game: your confidence, your mindset, your narrative in your mind.
Work with someone who treats you as a whole person and addresses all of these deeper factors essential for your success.
That said, definitely make sure your coach knows the subject, obviously. I'd look for past reviews as proof--whether on their own site, on tutors.com, on yelp, on Google, etc.
Most of all, ask for a free initial meeting so that you can fully go over your situation in detail without pressure of having to pay and commit. Also, then you can get a sense of whether you even like the person or not. That's huge.