About
My name is Tomislav Zabcic-Matic. I am a Harvard Applied Math and Computer Science graduate (Class of 2019), and I will be starting a PhD in Computer Science in the fall of 2020.
I have been tutoring CS for over 3 years, and have helped many other students at Harvard, including those with no prior CS experience, excel in introductory CS classes.
I was also a teaching assistant for a course on Graph Theory and Combinatorics, and helped revive the popularity of this class, from an enrollment of fewer than 20 students several years ago to a current enrollment of nearly 40 students.
During my time tutoring at Harvard, I was consistently requested as a tutor for CS 50 and CS 51, Harvard's two introductory CS classes, based on recommendations from past tutees, and from friends whom I occasionally helped to understand various CS topics.
I have significant experience programming in C, Python, Javascript (ReactJS for web development), and OCaml, among other languages.
I can be found on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomislavzm/
Highlights
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I prefer to first talk with the student and understand their background in computer science in order to properly judge the level of understanding that I can assume when working with the student. I then like to tackle some problems at the appropriate level of knowledge for the student and determine how the student thinks about various programming concepts, and how comfortable the student is with implementing concepts that they understand at an abstract level. This allows me to adapt my teaching style to the way in which I believe a student will learn best.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am a graduate of Harvard University (Class of 2019) with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Math and Computer Science. I have also been accepted to PhD programs at several prestigious universities, and will be enrolling in one of these programs in fall 2020.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$40 per hour of in-person instruction. I am also responsive to emails and text messages asking follow-up questions, provided that they do not consume a significant portion of my time, as I am still actively involved in research at Harvard.
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching after several friends who I helped with computer science problems told me that I was an excellent teacher and that I should sign up to be a student tutor through Harvard's peer tutoring system. I became a tutor in the fall of my Junior year at Harvard, and found that I greatly enjoyed working with my tutees. I kept tutoring every semester for the remainder of my time at Harvard, and in my year since graduating, have continued to informally tutor some of my friends who are still enrolled and need some help in their computer science classes.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked primarily with students enrolled in introductory computer science classes at Harvard, and also with students of all class years who took the graph theory course that I was a teaching assistant for. However, I am comfortable teaching students of any age who would like to gain proficiency in programming.