Our 2021 Graduates

ACT English Test and ACT Reading Test  

For the ACT, I started off with a 28 on both the English and Reading sections. After working with Ryan over the course of a couple weeks, I learned the required skills and the most efficient methods to tackle the ACT. Although the homework load was intense, often including hours of reading and practice sections, completing them greatly facilitated my improvement process. Ultimately, I was able to achieve a 35 on the English section and a 33 on the Reading section on the official ACT test.

High School Humanities and English

One of my biggest weaknesses when writing was offering insightful analysis. To help with my critical thinking, Ryan often gave me examples from various perspectives so I could learn to outthink my classmates. In addition, he always gave extremely constructive feedback on my essays and assignments. During my Humanities and English courses in 10th and 11th grade, Ryan effectively guided me to an A on many assignments, most notably a research paper on deforestation and a literary paper on William Faulkner. Learning under Ryan has taught me to become a much stronger writer and has allowed me to develop a more analytical mindset.

Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics

Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics was a course that I was relatively unfamiliar with at the beginning of my junior year. Through learning with Wayne, he rapidly helped me gain interest to perform well. Challenging aspects about AP Microeconomics were all the terms and graphs, as well as their interconnections. Wayne facilitated my understanding by giving real life examples that I could easily relate to. To help me prepare for the AP Microeconomics exam, Wayne went through the many free-response and multiple-choice questions and explained them very thoroughly. Consequently, I was able to perform well in the course and scored well on my school exams.

Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics

Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics was also a course that I was relatively unfamiliar with at the beginning of my junior year. Since I learned AP Microeconomics first, one challenging aspect about AP Macroeconomics was identifying the differences between AP Microeconomics concepts and the newer AP Macroeconomics concepts. Wayne again facilitated my understanding by providing real life examples that I could easily relate to. As a result, I received almost straight As in all my high school course exams and homework assignments. To help me prepare for the AP Macroeconomics exam, Wayne also assigned Diagnostic Tests (DTs) and reviewed the practice questions very thoroughly.

Note: Hyeryn earned a perfect AP 5 score for the AP English Language and Composition 2020 exam.

Please read Hyeryn’s article, “AP English Language and Composition 101”.

SAT Essay 

Ryan mainly helped me clean up my writing to make it more concise and smooth. Many of my sentences were choppy, and some word choices were redundant. He helped me cut down word count and create smoother transitions. The SAT Essay requires rhetorical analysis, so Ryan helped me break down the passage and figure out how to identify various rhetorical tools to implement in my writing. Ryan always sent a follow-up email after a class to remind me of what we discussed and my areas of improvement. He was very direct and honest for clarity, and the feedback was detailed and helpful. The homework load was manageable, since homework was usually just a draft rewrite. The training was difficult at times because it seemed like I wasn’t making progress and my confidence dropped, but I was encouraged by Ryan’s motivation. He’s very accessible because he checks his emails and chats frequently to be as prompt as possible. 

Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition

For Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition (commonly referred to as “AP Lang”), Ryan helped me balance the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with the free-response questions (FRQs). We spent adequate time on reviewing the differences between each type of essay and how to write most effectively. For Question #1, Ryan taught me how to judge which source is useful and which is not. For Question #2, Ryan explained how this essay is more advanced than the rhetorical analysis of the SAT Essay. We spent a lot of time on how to break down more sophisticated passages. For Question #3, Ryan taught me how to incorporate appropriate examples and personal opinion cohesively to write a higher quality essay. He provided me with grammar packets and vocabulary tests to hone my writing skills, and he provided me with sample MCQ packets to help me practice my analytical skills. 

To prepare for the newly modified AP exam, Ryan still gave me Diagnostic Tests (DTs) because the MCQs and the other two essays still held value. The other parts required critical thinking skills that I might benefit from while writing the Question #2. As for school assignments, Ryan always offered his help to add feedback to my papers or brainstorm with me. 

The homework load is not too much, but sometimes it can become a bit hefty if there are multiple rewrites or additional grammar homework. Same as always, Ryan is quite accessible and he provides prompt feedback that is clear and simple.