Testimonials

COLLEGE ESSAYS

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​​​​​Dear Eric,

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Thanks for your support these past months.  We are all very excited about Karen’s admission results and feel fortunate to have been referred to you last spring. 

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The college application process caused Karen to reflect on her life and talk about herself in a way that she has not done before, while at the same time learning a new writing style in a relatively short period of time.  Thanks for encouraging and guiding her in those efforts.  I suspect, the benefits of her work the past few months will extend far beyond filling out applications and securing a college acceptance and will be good preparation for a liberal arts education.  

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Thanks again for your help and effort. As you can imagine, Karen is extremely happy with the outcome.  

-- Geoff and Michiko

 

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Eric,

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I just got the letter from Vanderbilt, and I was admitted into its Peabody education program!!! I guess our whole excitement about the Stein college was kinda in vain. But I really appreciated your words about the presentation, these are some wise words..

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Anyway, I feel kind of sad not to be able to meet with you every Wednesday anymore. I really enjoyed having those conversations with you. I could really resonate with you and felt understood when we discuss about the things I am interested in. I guess this is happiness: the transient feeling of being able to resonate between the words in which we incarnate our emotions and ideas. This is what I, and I guess all humans, would deem as meaningful.

 

The application process was absolutely demanding, but I also really cherish the time I shared with you! Thank you so much.   -- Andy

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Before Eric, I was uncomfortable with college essays. Writing them would have been miserable without his help. He encouraged me to write what matters most to me, and guided me away from the pitfalls of reverse-reverse-reverse psychology as I tried to guess what admission officers want to read. He noticed small things in my remarks that I had no idea would work for a personal statement, and with his help that casual remark became an essay that resonates with me the most and still makes me smile. He helped me let go of the pretentious language I used to elevate my confidence, and taught me to be proud of my own voice instead. Most of all, Eric is funny and kind, and he became a friend I looked forward to talking to each Sunday amongst all the chaos of my senior year. Seek his help, you won’t regret it.   -- Cee

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The college application process would’ve been 100x more daunting and stressful if not for the help of Garth and Eric. They helped me every step of the way, from narrowing down my college list to pressing the submit button. Through their guidance, I’ve not only been able to craft work I am genuinely happy with, but learn more about myself.
 

Following their suggestions throughout the process made everything in this application journey so much easier for me. I was able to use their advice beyond the selected applications we were working on together. They’re definitely super knowledgeable about this whole process and know what they’re doing! Both of them helped refine my essay multiple times (giving me great advice every edit), and yet I never lost my voice. It is so apparent that Garth and Eric genuinely care about every single one of their students and I am beyond grateful for all their support!  -Alice

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I like to say Eric is my good friend. As I worked on my essays with Eric, I found him a source of inspiration and a talented producer. In our weekly video calls we got to know each other well, making for good essay communication. Talking to him not only improved my English skills, but also opened my mind to dig more in depth. That’s very important! Eric is a person who can push you to think more about your self-identity. Take myself as an example: after I decided to use my fiction writings for a topic for my essays, he asked me three questions. Why? What? How? These questions are easy but hard to answer. I remembered that I wrote about 6 paragraphs to answer those questions. Then Eric helped me to combine my scrappy thoughts into a complete story. Eric is always full of passion and has a lot of fancy ideas. I see him as a romantic poet under realism. He loves everything in life. And trust me, you will love and be inspired by everything when working with him.   -- Lily

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TUTORING

 

Eric worked with our son on history for two years. Instead of just teaching dates, time and events, Eric instilled the ability to think historically. He is excellent when it comes to help his students on how to write research papers, advance a clear argument, speak to alternate viewpoints and present compelling conclusions. Eric taught my child how to work with primary sources, how to communicate ideas and arguments clearly and convincingly. Of course, he is also very passionate and knowledgeable about US and EU and World history and/or any subjects related to history. We are very happy with Eric and will work him again in the future.

-- Liz

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​Eric has been my son's main English teacher/tutor for his entire high school experience.  He has been outstanding--Eric's understanding and mastery of the subjects he tutors are impressive; and he is committed to helping my son learn how to think critically and develop a lifelong relationship with learning.  Most impressively, Eric can connect with young adults and inspire their best learning process, which is a rare quality.  I would recommend Eric most highly and would be more than happy to discuss further.  - Morena

 

​I have never met such a responsible teacher like Eric before. When my son confirmed with his lesson, he immediately gave my son a great deal of help in assigning after-school study tasks. I believe my child can achieve the goal under his professional guidance in the future.  -- Rebecca  

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Eric is by far one of the best tutors that my son has worked with. He is extremely well versed in history, patient, diligent and engaging. My son looked forward to working with him weekly to prepare for his APUSH exam. My son completed the course with amazing grades and already said he would love to work with him next year. You cannot go wrong with Eric. - Jill

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Eric is a fantastic tutor - always punctual, well prepared for the lesson and positive. We are so lucky to find him. He helped my son, who was a Junior last school year, to prepare for the AP US History exam. He got a 5! Very pleased with the result. Thank you, Eric.   -- Anna 

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I was struggling with AP US History until Eric started tutoring me. His patience, knowledge and skills helped me get over my biggest challenge, essay writing, in a short time! Does not matter what kind of questions I had, Eric ALWAYS answered without looking things up, and explained everything clearly. He is also willing to help with other types of questions such as multiple choice and short answer. Eric is super nice and amazing, definitely a strongly recommended tutor if anyone needs help with history!   -- Sann

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Mr. Eric guided me from the beginning to end of an article-length paper on the Iran Hostage Crisis. I have been to several research programs for high school students, and I can say that Mr. Eric gave me the most helpful and professional guidance. As a professor, Mr. Eric can give comments from a professional historian perspective. Meanwhile, as an experienced tutor, he is also able to give advice on the general structure and language usage of the paper. Thus, I HIGHLY recommend you ask for help from Mr. Eric if you are thinking about completing a professional history paper.
(HE KNOWS A LOT ABOUT HISTORY PAPERS!) - Justin

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​TEST PREP

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My son was having a hard time writing essays and prepping for the ACT writing portion and ACT reading section. Eric helped him think critically and write better and gave helpful tips to speed by the reading section. He explains things, stays very positive and is encouraging. My son scored a 35 on his recent ACT exam. I highly recommend Eric as a tutor!   - Sharmila

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Eric did a fantastic job tutoring my 11th grade daughter for the AP U.S. History exam. He identified the areas where she needed improvement (i.e., the areas that her AP class at her school fell short) and systematically helped her build her knowledge, skills, and confidence before the exam day. The fact that Eric is a college professor and has been a College Board grader of the APUSH exam for many years comes through in his tutoring lessons. He effortlessly integrates the historical content with exam strategy. During the final 2 weeks before the exam, Eric worked magic by helping my daughter become fully prepared and confident before exam day. We won’t receive her AP score for several weeks, but I believe there is a very high likelihood that she will score at least a 4 (and probably a 5); and, she couldn’t have done without Eric. If you are able to secure time with Eric, then you will be happy with your investment.  - Brian

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My daughter and I met Eric for the first time and right off the bat we could tell he loves to teach. Eric is very patient and explained the material in a way my daughter was able to comprehend and made her feel comfortable, which was fantastic. He provided great tips in taking the English portion of the ACT. He also gave her extra handouts so she could practice on her own. I plan on using Eric again in the near future. Thanks Eric!  - Alyssa

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Eric is a fantastic teacher. My daughter decided to independently study and take the AP European History exam. With Eric’s help she was able to accomplish this goal and pass the AP test. Eric kept her motivated and on task when on many occasions she wanted to give up because it was just too much material to cover. I appreciate Eric’s honesty with her and gentle nudging to complete homework assignments on time in order to achieve her goal and pass the test. I recommend Eric if you are looking for the best History teacher – one that can help your child stretch their capacity to learn and retain material, and achieve stellar educational outcomes.  - Lilit

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Eric taught my daughter SAT Reading and Writing. He is knowledgeable, patient and accommodating in scheduling. My daughter started at a relatively high starting point where it is difficult to improve further. My daughter prepared for about a month and half with Eric, and got a score well within the top 1%. Thank you so much, Eric! - Shin

 

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