Richard

Tutoring Experience

During my degree, I worked as a Student Mentor for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, which is dedicated to helping students from state-funded schools and disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in applying to top UK universities, including Oxbridge.

I also tutor one-to-one in Mathematics and/or Philosophy University Admissions, providing comprehensive support in all areas of the admissions process with a variety of original mock interview questions, homework sheets and tailored learning resources that I produce in LaTeX and Overleaf.

I am an experienced tutor specializing in helping students prepare for University admissions in Mathematics and/or Philosophy degrees. This included mentoring students at the Oxford Mathematical Institute during my degree.

I offer stimulating and challenging lessons tailored to the individual and designed to help you realize your full potential. I make the most of online tools to create engaging custom visuals and explanations that will thoroughly answer your specific questions.

Tutoring Approach

For the Oxford Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) I organize the exam syllabus into eight key subject areas starting with an exploration of curve sketching – an open-ended topic that encourages independent problem solving and introduces the MAT as a test of one’s fundamental understanding of mathematical concepts learned at school. I tailor my lessons to my student’s goals, and their strengths and weaknesses that I observe from their performance in lessons and on the homework sheets.

I then teach Geometry, Calculus and Trigonometry consecutively as they are highly connected topics on the Admissions Test with lots of interesting links to explore. For GCSE, A-level Maths or Further Maths, I would use plenty of examples, clear visuals and communicate with the student to ensure they understand the basic ideas and keywords. I would also emphasize regular, spaced reinforcement and practise questions to put their knowledge into long-term memory quickly. Regular communication is important to establish all these things.

Teaching Philosophy Admissions has two main parts I focus on: first, providing and discussing wider reading material for the student’s Personal Statement based upon their specific philosophical interests. Second for the University Interview stage, developing their ability to construct clear, logical arguments and defend them against objections. In a mock interview, I introduce an idea in Knowledge, Reality or Perception that the student is unlikely to have come across before, to help them get better at grasping new arguments.