Craig

Certified Tutor

I completed my PhD in English at Harvard University in 2016 and I have been working with students for over 10 years. I've always enjoyed introducing students to new ideas and helping them achieve their goals. In the following paragraphs I'll share my background, detail my experience and expertise, and discuss what motivates me as a teacher. I will also explain my approach to pedagogy.

In 2004 I graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University. The following summer I earned a CELTA certification to teach English as a second language in London. I then worked internationally for four years in Prague, Rome, Brussels, and Milan, teaching students of all ages and backgrounds. I helped hundreds of students score highly on the TOEFL exam and gain admission to top American and British universities. I also helped many students excel on the SAT and GRE verbal exam by helping them extend their vocabulary and develop their analytical reasoning skills.

I left Europe when I was accepted to Harvard University's PhD program in English, which I began in 2008. I received my master's degree from Harvard in 2010 and the following fall I began assisting professors with their courses in Harvard College as a doctoral student. I worked closely with some of the best professors in the world and I modeled my unique pedagogy after their example.

As a scholar with a traditional background in the liberal arts, I share my mentors' staunch commitment to the humanities and the Socratic method as the best way for young minds to discover their potential and develop critical reasoning skills. There are so many dubious test prep and admissions gimmicks out there, but the fact remains that America's best universities look for a particular kind of candidate, a well-rounded student who can reason confidently and express his or her pattern-breaking ideas with clarity, conviction, and grace. No matter what subject I happen to be teaching, everything I do as an instructor brings students a step closer to this significant achievement, one which will truly help them stand out from the crowd.

Last year I worked full time for a veterans' non-profit, helping hundreds of servicemen and women transition from the military and gain admission to competitive American universities. Recently, however, I relocated to the Houston area because my fiancee, who also has a PhD in English, now teaches at a major university here. While I continue my research and work towards publishing my dissertation, I will be accepting students for verbal section test prep for all major standardized tests (SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, LSAT, GMAT, etc.). I am also available for lessons in any humanities related field, from history and literature to philosophy, psychology, cultural studies, and world civilization. My broad experience as a teacher qualifies me to work with students from middle school all the way to the PhD.

I look forward to hearing about your personal vision of success and helping you accomplish it!