Sam H.

specializes in Latin, English, Writing, SAT/ACT, and Philosophy Tutor Mount Kisco, NY · male

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Education: B.A. in Philosophy, University of Southern California, May 2011. I graduated last Spring with honors (3.60 cumulative GPA) from the University of Southern California, a top-25 national university. My GPA in the Philosophy major was a 3.83. Tutoring Experience: 1. WyzAnt Tutoring, May 2011-present 2. Pace University- Writing Center (New York City Campus), 2 -Writing Consultant -Only undergraduate hired to this position, where I worked aside faculty and graduate students, assisting students of the university with the development of course essays and other written documents (e.g. admissions essays). 3. Harbor Oaks Boarding School (Mars Hill, NC), 2006 -Tutored Algebra 1 & 2 4. Fordham Preparatory School (Bronx, NY), 2 -Tutored Latin I & Greek I Honors *I specialize in Latin, English Language/Writing, and Philosophy* Latin: I have three full years of high school Latin taken while attending Fordham Preparatory School: -Latin I -Latin II Honors -Latin III Advanced In addition, I had one year of Ancient Greek study in the honors program. Upon the completion of my third year of Latin study, I was admitted to an upper-division Latin course at Fordham University--the only prep student ever permitted to take a college-level course in Latin at the university. For each year of high school Latin, I received the following award for my participation in the National Latin Examination: Freshman-Magna Cum Laude Sophomore-Summa Cum Laude Junior-Summa Cum Laude My score on the SAT Subject Test in Latin was a 760/800. I also have one semester of college-level Latin (Latin III), which I took this past Spring 2011 semester at the University of Southern California, in order to fulfill the university language requirement. I have earned an "A" in every course of Latin taken from high school through college. I have extensive experience reading the original works of the following Latin authors: -Julius Caesar ("The Gallic Wars") -Catullus (Various "Carmina," or poems) -Virgil ("The Aeneid") -Ammianus Marcellinus ("Roman History") -Suetonius ("The Lives of the Twelve Caesars") English Language/Writing: I have three semesters of college-level writing, as well as experience tutoring college students (see above, "Tutoring Experience" ) in English writing, especially in the context of specific essays and other written assignments given as undergraduate or graduate coursework across various disciplines. In addition, I have experience assisting ESL (English as a second language) students with grasping and applying to writing the grammar,syntax, and other necessary principles of the English language. I am also able to help in the drafting and revision of college admissions essays, and I have had several of my own admission essays purchased by websites in order to be published for prospective students to use as guides. I was editor of the Journal of Law and Society--a semesterly periodical devoted to an analysis of contemporary issues arising from the convergence of the legal system and society--at the University of Southern California. Numerous samples of my writing are available upon request. Philosophy: I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Southern California (currently ranked 17th nationally for study in Philosophy). My cumulative GPA in the Philosophy major (total of 10 classes taken) was a 3.83. My studies were diverse, and included courses in Ethics, Metaphysics, Formal Logic, the History of Philosophy (Ancient Greek Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, and 19th- and 20th- Century Philosophy), Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophy of Language. Why I Want To Be A Tutor: I have always found the process of teaching others and promoting growth of that ever-useful faculty--the human intellect--to be intrinsically rewarding. There is something special, in my opinion, in transforming individuals who might be otherwise disheartened by their perceived failures in whichever subject into eager students, who look forward to, rather than fear and scorn, the priceless acquisition of knowledge. That "Eureka," or "I've got it," moment in the student makes teaching, no matter the amount of time and patience required, worth the effort. From my tutoring, however, I have pleasantly realized that learning is not merely unidirectional: it is often not just the student who learns from the tutor but also the tutor from the student. "Qui docet, discit"; or, as my Latin students will know: "He who teaches, learns." My tutoring is driven by a deep-seated desire to make a career and life from teaching. My desired occupation is a professorship at the college level and it is toward this end that I am now continuing on from my undergraduate education to receive a PhD in Psychology. Tutoring Method/Philosophy: I always strive to instantiate the virtues of any good tutor--namely, patience, gentleness, concern for the student, and the ability to convey difficult material in simple and easily-understood terms. My goal is never to provide a "quick-fix," however much this is what the student seeks, but to equip students with skills that survive long past our session together, to develop their critical faculties, and to prepare them to become skilled and self-sufficient in the particular area of study with which they are experiencing difficulty.

Mount Kisco, NY 10549