Award-Winning Argumentative Writing
Tutors
Award-Winning
Argumentative Writing
Tutors
Private 1-on-1 tutoring, weekly live classes for academic support, test prep & enrichment, practice tests and diagnostics, and more to elevate grades and test scores.
Based on 3.4M Learner Ratings
UniversitiesSchools & Universities
DeliveredHours Delivered
ProficiencyGrowth in Proficiency
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Counterarguments are where most student essays fall apart — they either ignore the opposition entirely or wave it away in a sentence. Alana's Yale training in the History of Science taught her to trace how competing claims get built and dismantled with evidence, a skill she now brings to teaching students how to anticipate objections and dismantle them structurally within their own writing. Her additional background in public health research means she's particularly good at showing how to evaluate source credibility and weave data into persuasive claims.

I am a lawyer in the Washington, D.C. area. I tutor in the test prep space - primarily for the SAT, ACT, and LSAT. I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2013, where I was a National Merit Scholar. I then spent one year in the Washington, D.C. area as a SAT/ACT instructor for a testing company, where I taught at four different area high schools and marketed company services to area high school students. I then attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where I was awarded a full tuition scholarship in part from my LSAT score. I also taught an SAT course for the same testing company during my time in law school. My teaching philosophy is simple: figure out what works for you and assisting you in achieving your best score. I'm pretty much always available to answer questions even outside of our tutoring time.
I'm an attorney, Ph.D. student, and aspiring law professor. I am working on my dissertation for my Ph.D. in Law at Yale, having previously earned my J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. I practiced for three years at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., primarily representing television stations. I also speak German, having learned it as a high school exchange student, majored in it in college, and having spent a summer working in a Berlin law office. As much as I love the law--and I really do!--I also love teaching. I recently spent a semester teaching as an Adjunct Professor of Law at a law school; that experience confirmed for me that teaching is what I was meant to do. I have had numerous other teaching and tutoring experiences, including working for my university's tutoring service as an undergraduate student and later working for my law school as a tutor.
Hi! I'm Savannah, and I study Cognitive Science and Organizational Change at Northwestern University. My passion for understanding how people learn, make decisions, and perform under pressure fuels my approach to LSAT tutoring. Mastering this test isn't just about logic, it's also about mindset, structure, and sustainable skill-building. Having scored a 177 with just two months of efficient studying, I believe that with the right strategies and support, anyone can conquer this test. I am dedicated to fostering a supportive learning environment specifically tailored to students' needs, where they feel empowered to achieve their goals.
Karin McKie, MFA, compiles curriculum and personalizes teaching for a broad spectrum of students. I know there is no better, nor more crucial, calling than helping learners communicate their voices and realize their educational dreams. I specialize in tutoring all standardized tests, including the LSAT, SAT, PSAT, ACT, GRE, HSPT, ISEE, Accuplacer, STAAR, TOEFL/IELTS, ASVAB, all AP/IB English and history classes, and more. I also created and published a simple reading annotation system and related strategies specifically to tackle timed tests, as well as teaching critical reading, comparative literature, public speaking, and theater. As a professional writer and editor, I coach students in persuasive writing for schoolwork, college application and supplemental essays, internship and job applications, and the like. For decades, I've taught and lectured at universities, schools, and with individuals in Chicagoland and the Bay Area, and to online students of all ages around the world. I customize study plans with learners and their advocates to utilize existing abilities and add new techniques to reach personal and scholastic goals. I have a BS in Communications and Theater, and an MFA in Creative Writing. I have completed Continuing Education courses at Stanford, Northwestern and DePaul Universities. I'm a professional features writer and culture critic. I've edited Perspective design journal and Reed literary magazine and have performed memoir essays I've written on Chicago Public Radio. I come from a family of teachers and was fortunate to grow up at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, where my anthropologist mom was Education Director. Since early childhood, I've been immersed in multicultural and ELL education. I've devoted my personal and professional time to diversity and storytelling, starting at public TV station WETA in my hometown outside Washington, D.C., where I was certified as a trainer with Sesame Street's Preschool Education Project. I've also taught creativity and teambuilding through improvisation to all ages (as well as creating a kids summer camp), reading for the SAG Foundations BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) program, plus reading and writing skills to at-risk students through the Park District's Kraft Great Kids Program. I've assisted many of my arts marketing clients, including Barrel of Monkeys and Kidworks Touring Theatre, with youth literacy programs at schools and libraries throughout the Windy City.
I am an interdisciplinary educator with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. My background is primarily in integrated arts learning and museum education and I specialize in visual arts, history and art history, and object-based learning. In all subjects, I take a creative, inquiry-based and learner-centered approach, designing opportunities for each unique individual to meet their learning goals.
I'm not tutoring or buried in my textbooks, you will either find me rock climbing at the Triangle Rock Club, playing Ultimate Frisbee, working on my car, or enjoying the great outdoors (beaches, mountains, forests--you name it, I love it). On rainy weekends I enjoy tinkering with computers and old electronics, playing Pokemon, or picking at my guitar.
I am a recent graduate from a masters program in biostatistics at Columbia University. I received my Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences, with a focus in neurobiology at Northwestern University. In August, I will be starting a doctoral program in biostatistics at NYU. I was a teaching assistant at Columbia University in my department and also have tutored graduate students and undergraduates privately as well. My primary areas of tutoring are math and statistics coursework in addition to math sections on standardized tests such as the GRE and GMAT. I am very passionate about helping students feel more confident and excited about math. In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.
I am a graduate of Wesleyan University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with High Honors. With eight years of experience working in education, I've tutored students in math, science, history, and English, as well as helped students prepare for standardized tests. I've guided adults towards passing the US Citizenship Exam and taught English in India, where I lived for six months. Whenever I work with a student I personalize the lessons to fit their particular learning style, since I know every student is unique and having the right fit can make all the difference in making learning fun and effective. My strengths are tutoring the social sciences and humanities, as well as making math and standardized tests approachable to students that normally don't like those subjects. In my spare time I like traveling, spending time in the outdoors (climbing & backpacking), meditation, and playing soccer. Next fall I will be beginning my PhD in Education at Harvard University.
I am a rising sophomore at Harvard College and am about to declare as a Mechanical Engineering concentrator, working towards a Bachelor of Science degree. I've always enjoyed sharing my knowledge with my peers and those around me and have done so in both formal and informal settings. I've been a tutor for both Math and Spanish programs in high school and enjoyed the strides I made with students. I am willing to tutor any subject I have a background in, but am strong in mathematics, the sciences, Spanish, history, writing, and ACT prep. I enjoy teaching mathematics most due to the joy I can see in children once they master a topic and can answer even pointed questions meant to stump them, and maybe even put their knowledge to real world use. As a tutor, I like to give a strong foundation to orient my student, and then gradually grant them more freedom and independence until they can feel themselves grasp the concept, pointing out pitfalls or common errors along the way; teachers who used these methods on me always left the most lasting impressions. Outside of my studies, I really enjoy listening to music, both old favorites and new interests, reading classics, and gaming/playing basketball with my friends.
I'm Solange - a recent graduate from Harvard where I studied Sociology & Women's Studies. I've been tutoring for eight years now, and have worked with a wide range of ages and in a wide range of subjects. Some of my specialties are college prep/test taking II worked in the admissions office on campus); social sciences; and literature/writing.
I am proud to be a part of Varsity Tutors! I am originally from San Antonio, TX; I completed my undergraduate education at Rice University in Houston where I received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Currently, I am in my second year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.
Testimonials
Because the right Argumentative Writing tutor makes all the difference.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A tutor can guide you through the process of moving from a general topic to a specific, arguable claim—one that takes a position rather than just stating a fact. They'll help you identify the difference between a thesis that's too broad ("Social media affects society") versus one that's specific and debatable ("Social media algorithms prioritize engagement over accuracy, which undermines informed civic participation"). Through targeted feedback, tutors can help you refine your thesis so it's narrow enough to support with evidence in your essay, yet substantial enough to sustain a full argument.
A strong argumentative essay acknowledges opposing viewpoints to show you've considered multiple perspectives—this actually strengthens your credibility. A tutor can teach you the difference between dismissing a counterargument and refuting it with evidence. They'll help you structure a counterargument section where you present the opposing view fairly, then systematically dismantle it using your own evidence or logic. This approach demonstrates intellectual honesty while keeping your argument in control, rather than letting the counterargument dominate your essay.
Not all evidence carries equal weight in argumentative writing. A tutor can help you distinguish between anecdotal evidence (a single story), statistical data (numbers that show patterns), expert testimony (credible sources), and logical reasoning—and when each type is most persuasive. They'll guide you in evaluating whether your sources are credible and current, and how to integrate evidence smoothly into your paragraphs so it directly supports your claim rather than sitting as an isolated quote. Strong argumentative writers learn to select evidence strategically based on their audience and the specific claim they're defending.
Logical fallacies—like ad hominem attacks, straw man arguments, or false dilemmas—can undermine even well-researched arguments. A tutor can teach you to recognize common fallacies and help you revise sentences where they appear. For example, attacking your opponent's character instead of their argument (ad hominem) weakens your position, as does oversimplifying the opposing view (straw man). Through peer review-style feedback on your drafts, tutors help you catch these errors before submission and strengthen your reasoning so each claim follows logically from your evidence.
Argumentative essays require strategic organization—not just listing reasons, but arranging them in an order that builds momentum and logic. A tutor can help you decide whether to lead with your strongest evidence (to hook readers immediately) or save it for last (to leave a lasting impression). They'll also help you create smooth transitions between paragraphs that show how each new point connects to your thesis and previous arguments, rather than feeling like isolated claims. This creates a cohesive argument where readers can follow your reasoning from introduction through conclusion.
Revision for argumentative writing is different from general proofreading—it's about testing whether your argument actually works. A tutor can help you read your essay as a skeptical reader would: Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence that advances your argument? Is every piece of evidence actually relevant, or does it just support a tangent? Are there places where you've made claims without sufficient support? Tutors provide targeted feedback on strengthening weak arguments, cutting unnecessary tangents, and ensuring your evidence is doing the persuasive work you intend, rather than just being present.
The tone of a persuasive op-ed differs significantly from an academic argumentative essay or a formal debate brief. A tutor can help you understand how your audience and context shape your voice—whether you're writing for peers, teachers, or the general public. They'll guide you in balancing conviction with credibility: sounding confident in your position without being dismissive or overly emotional. This includes choosing precise, formal language for academic arguments while avoiding jargon that alienates readers, and knowing when passionate language is persuasive versus when it undermines your ethos as a reasonable, thoughtful writer.
Many student writers include relevant evidence but fail to explain how it connects to their claim—leaving readers to make the logical leap themselves. A tutor can teach you to explicitly analyze your evidence by answering: What does this prove? How does it address my specific claim? What assumption does the reader need to accept for this evidence to work? This is where argumentative writing becomes sophisticated: the analysis and explanation of evidence matters as much as the evidence itself. Tutors help you develop this analytical voice so readers understand exactly why each piece of evidence strengthens your position.
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