Past Experience
After finishing my graduate work at the University of St. Andrews (located in St. Andrews, Scotland), my wife and I moved to the San Diego area so that she could pursue her own graduate work. Almost immediately, I began working at the San Diego branch of Elite Educational Institute. Because of my teaching experience and educational background, I was at first responsible for working with both remedial and advanced students on all subjects related to reading, writing, and the high school English curriculum. This quickly transitioned to working with kids on their college admissions essays as well as standardized test preparation. From 2011–2019, I was able to work with and be mentored by some of San Diego’s premier college consultants while also receiving support from a company with offices that span, among other places, the entire West Coast. During this time, I have taught, tutored, and counseled over 1,700 students, many of whom have gone on to attend elite universities, including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.
Past Experience
Changes
I had been thinking of starting my own company for some time, so when my wife was offered the opportunity to open up an office for her own company in Portland, we both seized the opportunity. As a considerable number of high school students in California apply to colleges and universities in Oregon, I was already quite familiar with the public and private in-state schools, making the transition all the easier.
Short-term, Apogee will mainly be focused on college admissions, though there will also be tutoring available for SAT/ACT and anything connected with the high school english curriculum. Yet I also have bigger plans for Apogee, centering around what I believe an independent educational organization can provide to the students of Portland. This vision stems not only from my experience working with incredibly gifted students in the San Diego area but also from my belief that what students are lacking today is a communal space outside of school in which they can collaborate, share ideas, and take on the role of teacher rather than just student. But for now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves…
Our Location
From experience I’ve come to find that meeting in coffee shops and libraries places students in an environment brimming with distractions and that tutoring and counseling sessions are far more productive when done in a professional office setting. For the time being, our office is located in the Woodstock neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It is a detached home-office with a bike rack, multiple standing (or sitting) work stations, and coffee bar.
Because there is no formal waiting area, I try to keep a 15 minute buffer between students so that nobody is standing around waiting in the event that a session goes a little longer than planned. Doing things this way also ensures that I can meet with more students than I could with constant commuting.
With that said, I am open to some commuting from time to time, and there is always the possibility of occaisional teleconferencing—something I already do with a number of students in San Diego. All of this can be discussed over email or in the free consultation.
Our Location
