Standard customer email responses

By Standardized Test

ACT/SAT

Hi Anne,

Thanks for contacting MyGuru about ACT prep.  I am a co-founder of the company and I handle many initial matches between students and tutors.  I’ve included a short description of MyGuru below this email.

If you’d like for me to give you a call today to discuss MyGuru and our tutoring options, just let me know.  Otherwise, this email provides more information on how we can help.

Potential tutors

I’d most likely want to connect you with Payman, whose background includes:

• Bachelor of Sports Psychology, MBA (Master of Business Administration) - University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
• Most recent test score was a 99th percentile GRE score prior to beginning his MBA program
• Recently made a switch from career in business to full-time tutor/teacher
• Has tutored numerous students (>20) for the ACT over the past year or so (also has SAT, GRE, math and English experience)
• Unique tutor with the following perspective:
  • Prefers to call himself an academic coach and test prep mentor.  
  • Treats every  student as a unique individual who needs to be motivated, supported and adapted to.
  • Believes that that without trust between a coach/tutor and a student, learning is far more difficult.  Making learning fun, efficient, and innovative is what separates a great teacher from a good one.

Payman can cover all sections of the ACT, so unless your schedules really don’t match up, I think he’s going to be a good fit for you.

Tutoring Approach

The tutoring experience would include both, customized 1-1 instruction, and guidance on how to develop a personalized study plan so your son can study on her own time.  Before the first session, we’d ask him to complete a diagnostic practice test from the attached PDF, so we could form a performance baseline and customize a study plan accordingly – or if you have a detailed score report for a previous test, you could just bring that to the session.   The materials used would be the Real ACT Prep Guide. 

Pricing

Depending on how many hours you purchase, your hourly rate for working with us would be between $55.25 and $65.00per hour.  Your base hourly rate would be set at $65.  However, we do offer 5, 10, or 15% discounts for investing in 5, 10, or 15 hours in advance. So, $65 x 85% = $55.25 per hour for a long term relationship of 15 hours.  In addition, all unused hours are refunded in full, and the first hour comes with a money back guarantee.

Most students start with one hour and then go from there if it’s a good experience.

I fully realize that our “profile” on UniversityTutor.com lists an hourly rate of $45.00.  However, this is a general rate cutting across a wide range of subjects and tutors, and for ACT prep with Payman, who honestly specializes in this test and does a lot of customized preparation to help each individual student, that above rates are the best we can offer.  If you compare to other private tutors, you might find many cheaper options.  However, if you compare to places like Kaplan and Princeton Review, we are much cheaper.  I firmly believe the quality of the teaching is better with Payman/MyGuru than most other places you’ll find.

Next steps

If you’re interested in learning more or moving forward, please let us know, and then Payman or I will follow up with you. 

Thanks for considering MyGuru.  I can be reached at 847-778-5778 (personal cell) with any questions or concerns if you prefer to speak via phone.

Mark

Mark Skoskiewicz

Founder, MyGuru

888-513-1456 (office)

847-778-5778 (cell)

www.myguruedge.com

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on LinkedIn

Follow Us on Twitter

About MyGuru

We are a boutique provider of 1-1 tutoring and test prep with a core concept-led approach, meaning our objective is to help our students understand the fundamental concepts, not tips and tricks.  All of our independently contracted tutors have many years of tutoring experience and impressive academic backgrounds.  We require a minimum of three years of tutoring and/or teaching experience.  All of our tutors have undergraduate degrees, and most have advanced degrees.  We also require standardized test scores in the 90^th percentile at a minimum.  We strive to have a small but highly qualified team and one of our founders personally interviews each  tutor.  We believe that tutoring requires a different skill set than classroom teaching, and we know that simply understanding a given subject well doesn’t create a great tutor.  So, we look for the unique mix of interpersonal and communication skills that creates a great tutor.

GRE/GMAT 

Hi Vanessa,

Thanks for contacting MyGuru about GRE tutoring.  I am a co-founder of the company and I handle many initial matches between students and tutors.  I’ve included a short description about MyGuru below this email as well.

Given you’re in New York and looking for an in-person GRE tutor, my top choice for you would be Sonam, who is cc’d to this email.   You can read on for more info on what we offer, or let me know when to call you to discuss MyGuru and how we can help you with the GRE.

Your likely tutor: Sonam

Sonam has a decade's experience in test-prep teaching and tutoring.  He has taught and tutored for the GRE, GMAT, and SAT, part-time for Kaplan from 2001-2011 at centers in Ithaca, NY; Albany, NY; New York, NY; and Washington, DC.  He has a Ph.D. in English from Cornell University and a BA in English from Haverford College.  His SAT, LSAT, and GRE scores were in the 99^th percentile.  Although his academic background is in English, his test prep experience spans all sections of the GRE – math, verbal, and writing.  He’s worked with students more focused on Quant than Verbal in the past, as well.   

If Sonam wasn’t available or your schedules didn’t align, I’d have several other similarly qualified options to consider, but Sonam is my top choice – he’s had several recent, very positive, GRE tutoring experiences through MyGuru and gets good feedback on his approach.

MyGuru’s Approach to GRE Tutoring

You and Sonam would both use a copy of The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test  If you didn’t have a copy already, we’d purchase one for you before the first session.  The initial session would be diagnostic in nature, and Sonam or another tutor would help you develop a study plan based on the results of a practice test you’d take before the first session and which is attached to this email.  There would be problems assigned as practice between sessions, and practice tests taken regularly to track progress.  The whole experience would be highly customized around your strengths, weaknesses, and performance on practice problems and tests as your test date draws nearer. 

Questions for you

I have a few questions for you to help me confirm Sonam is our best match, and to help Sonam begin to think about how he’d approach helping you prepare for the GRE:

• Have you taken the GRE before?  What did you score?
• What is your target score?
• How have you been preparing so far?
• When are you taking the GRE again?
• When/where are you most available to be tutored?  Typically, Sonam meets students somewhere in Manhattan at a quiet coffee shop or public library – but he’s flexible.

Pricing

We realize private tutoring is a significant investment.  However, if you do research on pricing, you’ll find our prices very competitive vs. wll known competitors like Kaplan, Princeton Review, or Manhattan GRE – so, we believe we offer a very good value given the quality and experience of our tutors. 

To be specific, your base hourly rate would be set at $80.  However, we do offer 5, 10, or 15% discounts for investing in 5, 10, or 15 hours in advance. So, $80 x 85% = $68.00 per hour for a long term relationship of 15+ hours.  In addition, all unused hours are refunded in full, and the first hour comes with a money back guarantee.

If you’re interested in learning more or moving forward, please let me know.  I’ve cc’d Sonam, who will follow up within 24 hours to discuss potential times/places for an initial session.  If something does get scheduled, I’ll follow up to discuss payment options to confirm the relationship.

Thanks for considering MyGuru. I can be reached at 847-778-5778 (personal cell) with any questions or concerns if you prefer to speak via phone.

Mark

Mark Skoskiewicz

Founder, MyGuru

888-513-1456 (office)

847-778-5778 (cell)

www.myguruedge.com

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on LinkedIn

Follow Us on Twitter

About MyGuru

We are a boutique provider of 1-1 tutoring and test prep with a core concept-led approach, meaning our objective is to help our students understand the fundamental concepts, not tips and tricks.  All of our independently contracted tutors have many years of tutoring experience and impressive academic backgrounds.  We require a minimum of three years of tutoring and/or teaching experience.  All of our tutors have undergraduate degrees, and most have advanced degrees.  We also require standardized test scores in the 90^th percentile at a minimum.  We strive to have a small but highly qualified team and one of our founders personally interviews each  tutor.  We believe that tutoring requires a different skill set than classroom teaching, and we know that simply understanding a given subject well doesn’t create a great tutor.  So, we look for the unique mix of interpersonal and communication skills that creates a great tutor.

MCAT 

LSAT 

By Professional Test

Pre-Nursing Entrance TEAS, HESI & Nursing Licensure NCLEX-RN

Hi Cecilia

Thanks for contacting MyGuru.  I am a co-founder of the company and I handle many initial matches between students and tutors.  I’ve included a short description about MyGuru below this email, as well as your original request to us. My wife is a nurse and we do a fair amount of NCLEX tutoring, so I understand what you’re going through.

If you’d like for me to give you a call to discuss options over the phone, just let me know.  Otherwise this email contains more info and some questions for you.

Questions for you:

• How have you been preparing so far?
• When are you planning on taking the test again

Our tutors tend to help by doing three things:

1. Working with you as a general guide/mentor to help you craft a study plan
2. Teaching you how to approach NCLEX questions on test day (i.e., helping you develop the critical thinking/test taking style that the NCLEX demands)
3. Providing help with content review/mastery (if necessary)

Potential Tutor (s)

While we do have tutors in Chicago, since you have failed the test four times, I think connecting you with our most experienced NCLEX tutor is more important than connecting you with someone you can sit down with face to face.    

So, my personal recommendation for you is actually not located in Chicago.  I’d suggest a tutor named Ann who is located in FL, but works with students over the phone/internet if necessary.  She has been an Advanced Practice Nurse for many years, and her undergraduate degree is in Psychology.  She also has a M.S.in Counseling.  Most importantly, she’s a former Adjunct Faculty member for Kaplan University’s Nursing Department, and has taught NCLEX prep in a class setting, and 1-1.  Her background is listed here - http://www.myguruedge.com/team/tutors/tutor-team/#nclex  She just has a knack for helping students organize their study efforts and approach the questions differently to begin to become more confident and increase their chances of success on their next attempt at the NCLEX.

Ann would probably be happy to get on the phone with you to explain her approach, but basically you’d simply talk through how to approach NCLEX questions, and she’s probably recommend some specific materials to invest in.

Pricing

To work with Ann, you’d be looking at a long term rate of ~$60 per hour.  The first hour comes with a money back guarantee, and all unused hours are refunded in full.  You could of course speak with a tutor on the phone before paying and confirming an initial session.

Please let me know if you’re interested in learning more, talking to a tutor, or moving forward.  Ann will contact you to introduce herself regardless.

Thanks for considering MyGuru. I can be reached at 847-778-5778 (personal cell) with any questions or concerns if you prefer to speak via phone.  Let me know what you’re thinking at this point.

Mark

Mark Skoskiewicz

Founder, MyGuru

888-513-1456 (office)

847-778-5778 (cell)

www.myguruedge.com

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on LinkedIn

Follow Us on Twitter

About MyGuru

We are a boutique provider of 1-1 tutoring and test prep with a core concept-led approach, meaning our objective is to help our students understand the fundamental concepts, not tips and tricks.  All of our independently contracted tutors have many years of tutoring experience and impressive academic backgrounds.  We require a minimum of three years of tutoring and/or teaching experience.  All of our tutors have undergraduate degrees, and most have advanced degrees.  We also require standardized test scores in the 90^th percentile at a minimum.  We strive to have a small but highly qualified team and one of our founders personally interviews each  tutor.  We believe that tutoring requires a different skill set than classroom teaching, and we know that simply understanding a given subject well doesn’t create a great tutor.  So, we look for the unique mix of interpersonal and communication skills that creates a great tutor.

Certified Public Accountant: CPA

Chartered Financial Analyst: CFA