Joel

Tutoring Experience

While at Oxford, I have regularly delivered seminars on aspects of Geography to groups of school students visiting as prospective applicants. I have also delivered workshops on preparing and writing personal statements as part of Mansfield College’s access program. Having successfully navigated the Oxford applications process twice (I have also been accepted for a Master's degree next year), I would love to share my experience to help prospective applicants succeed.

Tutoring Approach

Oxbridge Interview/Personal Statement Tuition Approach

It is important to recognize that Oxbridge personal statements and interviews are about showcasing more than just academic ability. Interviewers/admissions tutors want to see imaginative thinking and interesting perspectives on a topic. Therefore, my tutoring in preparation for interviews provides a space to think about why you love your subject, and why you wish to pursue it at university level, and to develop how you might express your interest and passion for Geography in a formal interview setting. I begin with an opportunity to ‘demystify’ the admissions process, drawing on my own experiences – we can discuss the logistics and intricacies of the interview before identifying some key points of interest to discuss in greater depth. Later sessions will incorporate a ‘mock interview’, which will replicate the c. 25-minute format used at Oxford and Cambridge. Following the mock interview, we can discuss the student’s strengths and areas for improvement, and I can provide ideas for further reading.

TSA Tuition Approach

I encourage students to complete a full paper under timed conditions in advance of the session, as well as to mark Section 1 (to save wasting time on admin during the session!). I will review and mark the Section 2 essay prior to the session. Then, we can work through any incorrect answers together, and therefore identify any themes in which questions a student may be struggling with. We will also discuss the written task and identify areas for improvement, as well as finding alternative arguments and perspectives which could diversify the answer.

Geography Tuition Approach

My Geography tutoring is carefully tailored to the appropriate exam syllabus, as I recognize that strong exam performance is typically the primary goal of a course of tutoring. That said, Geography is an interconnected subject in which various concepts will inevitably link together, so I also look to provide opportunities for wider discussion which stretches beyond textbook work, building a deeper understanding of key concepts and their real-world applications. A-Level Geography tuition will make use of the Oxford tutorial model – providing an hour in which to discuss a particular topic or piece of written work (I am happy to set and mark written work, or make use of existing schoolwork), and then think beyond this piece and make links to other concepts, scholars, or models.