"Organic chemistry is my passion - so much so that I have devoted years of my life to earn a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry. During my time in graduate school, I found great joy in sharing this passion with others as both a tutor and a T.A., and helping them to succeed in this difficult subject.

Chemistry (particularly organic chemistry) is not like most other subjects; it is quite unfriendly to rote memorization. A detailed understanding of the mechanisms and the various factors that determine reactivity is critical to mastery of the subject. I strive to guide my students toward mastery of mechanisms and development of their chemical intuition so as to minimize the amount of necessary memorization and give them the confidence to tackle the unfamiliar problems they may face on exams.

As a T.A. I graded countless exams (and I wrote a few myself), and so I know the common traps and mistakes that students stumble on. I have a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em!!) and during my time in grad school I worked as a private tutor in the semesters I was not a T.A. My students enjoyed one-on-one sessions where we worked on tough problems together, some even at the graduate level. They would arrive for sessions with their exams in hand, proud to show me their As and would say "that exam was cake compared to the problems we went over together!" I have had great success in turning my students into the class curve-breakers, and their mastery of the subject has helped them excel on the MCAT, PCAT, and GRE exams.

Organic chemistry has a reputation for being the boogieman of the pre-med world. It doesn't have to be this way! Together we will work through this challenging content and develop the tools and skills necessary to tackle new problems with ease." less...