Carolyn

Test Prep Master & Scholar w/ Over 20 Yrs Experience, 50+ Subjects

$85 / h
31 reviews
443 rating s
Naperville , IL ( 60563 )
30 miles

I completed my M.A. in Comparative Literature on full fellowship at the University of Southern California (USC). I have over twenty years of experience as a teacher, tutor, and academic mentor. My extensive experience teaching at universities and tutoring privately -- to students of many ages, in diverse circumstances and in a variety of subjects -- enables me to effectively tailor my approach to a student's strengths. I consistently rank in the 99th percentile on many standardized tests. I...

Email Carolyn Read More about Carolyn

Subjects offered by Carolyn
Reviews

handwriting

I attended Catholic school for 8 years and took classes to learn D'Nealian print and cursive while there. The same school provided mandatory art classes to instruct students in calligraphy, with an emphasis in the Gothic style. As an avid poet and writer, I've been interested in chirography for years and recently learned the Chancery style.

AFOQT

social studies

I began tutoring social studies approximately 6 years ago while working for a tutoring company called Club Z!. In the several years I worked for that company in my capacity of private tutor, I had the opportunity to share with dozens of students ranging in age from 8 to 18 my education in history, geography, government and, to a lesser extent, sociology. The fact that both the honors program to which I was admitted a year early and my major Comparative Literature gave me a remarkably broad background in both world and American history, among others. I continued tutoring social studies, mostly to jr high and high school students, while working at Fortune Tutoring in Beverly Hills after receiving my M.A. in Comp Lit.

SSAT

spelling

ACT Reading

ACT English

ACT Math

ACT Science

elementary math

elementary science

logic

Logic can -- and, verily, must -- take many forms, given that it governs not only the way in which we reason and the manner in which sound arguments are constructed, but the very way in which we think. Indeed, the work done by post-modern philosophers (the most notable among them being Jacques Derrida) has made great strides in establishing the history of logocentrism as the very history of history itself. I have an extensive background in both philosophy and literature (studied with a comparative approach) both as an undergraduate and a graduate student. Additionally, I received an 'A' in my course in formal logic at USC.

PSAT

ASVAB

physical science

geology

TOEFL

While serving in my capacity as instructor at the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) at University of Oklahoma, I had the opportunity to teach a TOEFL class that met every day for two hours. I enjoyed watching the majority of my students pass the test on their first attempts. I've also tutored the TOEFL for many students from many different countries though the years and am well-versed in all sections of the exam.

GMAT

GED

SAT reading

SAT writing

proofreading

GRE

world history

literature

government & politics

psychology

anatomy

SAT math

ESL/ESOL

I received my M.A. in Comparative Literature on full fellowship at the University of Southern California where I studied literature and philosophy in French, Italian, German and Latin. Because my training is in literature and languages, I am able to appreciate both the difficulties and benefits of translation and mastering foreign languages. Before graduate school, I had the opportunity to serve as an instructor at the University of Oklahoma's Center for English as a Second language. There I was able to apply my knowledge of standardized tests to my TOEFL class and my literature background to courses in English language and grammar.

geography

English

writing

grammar

European history

Having majored in Comparative Literature with an emphasis in French and having lived in Europe several times means my knowledge of European history is fairly comprehensive. I'm especially well versed in French, English, Irish and Italian history, but my understanding of all European history is deeply rooted in the study of its literature and languages. I bring to my tutoring of European history a broad and personal experience of it.

French

I began French as an undergrad as an extension of my studies in Latin. I took one semester of French as an undergrad before I received a university grant to study abroad, living in Paris for a year. While there, I was permitted to skip the next level to take the advanced class (the equivalent of French III) at the Sorbonne. I later earned my M.A. in Comparative Literature from USC with an emphasis in French literature.

geometry

Microsoft Word

prealgebra

Latin

I began studying Latin in high school, completing Latin I, II, and III in two years. I received a silver medal on the National Latin Exam and competed in the state Latin Convention in several areas, including extemporaneous speaking. Upon admission to USC as an undergrad, I passed out of Latin II and began studying French, while maintaining an emphasis on classic literature and philosophy. I have had the opportunity to tutor beginning and intermediate Latin many times in my career and enjoy elucidating the sometimes unexpected rapports between Latin and Roman thought and the various topics I teach and tutor.

reading

biology

Biology is a science that came naturally to me, and I enjoy laying bare concepts and terms to my students that they may otherwise struggle with. I offer a wide range of help with biology, from long term, weekly or biweekly appts to help students stay up to date with their classes, to more short-term help with projects, quizzes and tests. Please do let me know how I can be of assistance to you.

vocabulary

algebra 1

algebra 2

American history

Danya H. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn is a terrific tutor! She is very knowledgeable, experienced, knows how to explain well, and patient. I needed help preparing for my GMAT exam, and Carolyn was the one to reach for, and helped me go through it all. She is patient, flexible, but reliable. Anything in Math and English wouldn't stand in her way. We had a couple of proofreading lessons as well for my college application, and together we mastered the personal statement and resume requirements. She is very helpful, and would go beyond what is expected, always on time and very efficient. I would strongly recommend having Carolyn as your tutor, she is the best!

Joan S. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn did a wonderful job helping me prepare for the GRE and GMAT. I had to take both tests on a very short timeline to meet application deadlines, and hadn't taken a standardized test or a math class in nearly a decade. Carolyn was able to quickly identify the areas where I would need the most help, and tailored the focus of our sessions for maximum impact on my scores. She's extremely intelligent and able to explain concepts clearly. Great test takers aren't always great teachers, but Carolyn is very much both. My GRE Quantitative score increased by a full five points, and my Verbal by seven in just over a month. I have Carolyn to thank for helping me bump my scores up from "okay" to great! She's prompt, easy to reach, fun to work with, and very knowledgeable. I would recommend Carolyn as a tutor without reservation!

David G. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn is a great tutor and REALLY knows her stuff. I worked with her mainly for the math portion of the GRE and within 1 month I felt more confident than ever to crush the GRE. Aside from being a wealth of knowledge, she has great strategies for tackling the GRE as a whole and excellent advice to keep in mind on test day. In my experience there are some tutors that are just plain boring. Carolyn is NOT one of them. She is always full of energy and eager to teach, which is motivating to anyone preparing to tackle the daunting GRE and GMAT. I guarantee that after working with her, nothing will seem impossible or daunting, and you will 100% go into your test more confident and ready than ever. I more than appreciative of her help, and am excited to move on to the next chapter of Graduate School.

Marcy S. from Chicago, IL

My daughter took the ACTS at 15 without studying. She received a score of 28. A year later after having just a few sessions with Carolyn, she got a 35. Carolyn was very quick in understanding my daughter's weaknesses. She was also methodical in her instruction and confident in what needed to be worked on and how. Carolyn very much understands testing and how to study for it. Now at 17, my daughter has received merit scholarships averaging around $18,000 a year for four years, from several U.S. colleges. It is definitely worth the investment to have a tutor!

Laura S. from Park Ridge, IL

Carolyn has been the most important reason I was able to successfully prepare for the GRE and be able to confidently take the exam on test day. She laid out clear and easy to understand rules and guidelines to what to expect on the exam and how to approach a variety of problems. Most importantly, she altered my study schedule to fit my needs and provided me with the materials and knowledge I needed to maximize my performance on test day. Every time we met, she clearly remembered what we had gone over and personalized our meetings to continue to work on my areas that needed improvement. I am confident that Carolyn would be a phenomenal tutor for anyone who is looking to raise their score. With only a month until test day, she was able to work with me to raise each of my scores by a significant amount. She was friendly, organized, easy to understand, intelligent and an incredible support. Reach out to Carolyn right away and start prepping for test day! I promise you'll feel confident and prepared on test day.

Rakan A. from Chicago, IL

I used Carolyn's services for a term paper that had a lot of grammatical mistakes. She helped me to make it look professional. I appreciate her help.

Teyu C. from Lincolnshire, IL

Carolyn did a great job going through all the GMAT techniques in the short two weeks that we had. The sessions were fast-paced and I would always leave feeling accomplished. Hiring Carolyn was my last resort after hitting the same score twice, and I was able to break the ceiling and score a higher score after we met a handful of times! Thank you Carolyn!

Sue M. from Western Springs, IL

Carolyn is prompt, thorough and engaging. She's been a great help to my daughter already after only a few weeks!

Marcus C. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn has surpassed our expectations of what a tutor can do. Our nephew has been with us on an extended vacation from Colombia; he is 15 years old. So a school for ESL was not possible unless he was 16. It goes without saying, he didn't have a teacher, a class room, a book or assigned lessons. So, we thought of a tutor to help him advance his English. I would think it would be tough for a tutor to come in and work with this kind of situation. She not only is a tutor, but has been a teacher and provider of lessons. Her attitude is wonderful and our nephew likes her very much and has improved his English. Carolyn is easy to reach, returns calls promptly, and has a flexible schedule. Our nephew has felt comfortable with her from the beginning and when asked if he is learning, he definitely agrees. In fact, we are going to ask Carolyn back to help with my husband's GMAT review, as he is trying for his 2nd master's degree, but his first degree in the USA.

Jaber H. from Chicago, IL

I worked with Carolyn to improve my statement of purpose. I can honestly say that she is a very nice person. Plus, she is very talented in writing. She helped to recognize some ideas, change words to be more academic, and correct some grammatical mistakes. I feel more confident with my statement of purpose now; I can say that it will increase my chances in getting admission for the PhD. Thanks Carolyn for your help.

Jill D. from La Grange, IL

This has been a great experience. Carolyn is always on time and gets started immediately. The time seems to be filled with continuous tutoring.

Kirti P. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn worked with my son in preparation for the ACT test. She met with him twice a week for three weeks. She was very professional and quickly identified what he needed to work on. She was always on time and easy to communicate with. I would highly recommend Carolyn.

Steve D. from Oak Park, IL

Our daughter had her first session with Carolyn and loved working with her. She gives Carolyn 5 STARS for her excellent tutoring skills, friendly demeanor, and rigorous academic approach to the material - Thanks! Update: My daughter had another great session with Carolyn this weekend. I can see and hear my daughter building confidence and learning valuable skills as she and Carolyn prep for the upcoming SAT. Great to work with a professional and knowledgeable tutor! Thank you for your continued excellent work!

Dale R. from Winnetka, IL

Carolyn is a wonderful tutor. She helped me greatly improve my GRE score. She has extensive experience working with students. She has taught me test taking strategies and the best methods to approach questions. Her explanations are clear and if I do not understand something, she is able to re-word it in a different way. She is very organized and always has a clear plan for each session. She responds to emails and calls promptly. Overall, I would highly recommend Carolyn!

Bill H. from River Forest, IL

Carolyn tutored our freshman daughter in algebra and biology. I think our daughter is bright, but was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work required of her and she wasn't able to focus. Carolyn helped simplify the coursework and concepts to a point where my daughter was able to bring up her grades in both courses two grade levels. Carolyn was on time, easy to get a hold of, and worked around our schedules. We couldn't have asked for more.

Toshiko P. from Winnetka, IL

We feel very lucky to have Carolyn as our 7th grader daughter's tutor for Algebra 1 and English. She has a passion for teaching and is personable, and is inspiring our daughter much more than we have seen in the others.

Karin R. from Oak Park, IL

I am a mid-career adult working in education and I hired Carolyn to help me study for the GRE. I had already taken a live in-class 4 week course for the GRE and wanted to improve my performance within a very specific quantitative / math discipline. Carolyn was able to easily understand my ability, my deficits and my desired score within math practice sets; hence she helped me tremendously. She was able to quickly determine where my quickest gains would be and where I didn't need to spend anymore time studying. She has a quick intellect, she's intuitive and is a great listener. Within minutes she got me to the zone of proximal development and taught me what I wanted to know. Carolyn was a valuable asset and certainly worth the price I paid. We didn't waste a single minute of time and during our time together I not only improved within the math arena - she gave me a better understanding about my skills in the written essay portion of the GRE and consequently improved my confidence. I would highly recommend her to anyone. THANK YOU! Karin

Ashtan J. from Chicago, IL

I want to start off by saying my expectation were very high as Carolyn has rave reviews from her other students. However I was very disappointed in the service that she provided. During my first session she was about 30 mins late but I tried to get over that. She seemed like she has a decent grasp of the GRE content so I signed up for another lesson. This was a big mistake. During our second lesson she was knitting......yes knitting as she was tutoring which was a HUGE distraction for me. She lacked focused and I'm upset that I spent my time and money working with her. All we did was discuss Kaplan GRE strategies that I could've purchased the Kaplan book and reviewed myself. Her lessons lack structure as we just randomly did GRE quant problems. I've since found another tutor who knows what he's doing but beware of Carolyn. I think she's probably a good high school tutor but for graduate students she doesn't seem to be a good fit.

David G. from Washington, DC

Livia F. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn helped me study for the GMAT exam, I've been teach 10 lessons by her, she is patient, flexible, and very professional. Her explanation is clear, easy for understanding. Thanks for her passion, and it is fun to work with her :)

Anna O. from Chicago, IL

Not only is Carolyn an amazing person, she is an even more amazing tutor. Carolyn has helped me develop strategies for solving different math problems and taught me a variety of ways to figure out the right answer! She has also provided ACT books! I highly recommend Carolyn for tutoring!

Randi L. from Schaumburg, IL

Carolyn started preparing my daughter for her ACT and with Carolyn's assistance, we are optimistic that she will do very well

Toshiko P. from Tustin, CA

Angela M. from Chicago, IL

I contacted Carolyn to ask for assistance with my graduate school application essays as well as improving my GRE score. In just two hours, she made my originally lengthy and convoluted essay succinct, totally coherent, and something I can really be proud to submit. She has the perfect balance of listening to your suggestions while giving her own. My essay rocks now thanks to her! Our GRE sessions have also been going very well so far. I highly recommend Carolyn!

Leslie B. from Chicago, IL

We had our initial meeting with Carolyn and she immediately jumped and began her session and recommended tools and plan for ACT preparation.

Lina D. from Chicago, IL

I have worked with Carolyn on GRE preparations for about 2 months. I am happy to say that in that short span of time, my scores on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the exam went up by about 10 points each. Carolyn is a great tutor! She is prompt, responsive, confident, personable, knowledgeable, and reliable. It is evident that she has a lot of experience with the test material and working as a tutor. We discussed not only how to solve test questions, but also guessing and timing strategies. I highly recommend Carolyn!

Sara B. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn helped me with the quantitative section on the GRE. She was the third tutor I've tried, and by far the best (the other tutors I tried weren't from Wyzant, I've had only great experiences with tutors here). I wish I had found her sooner! She helped me for a few weeks before I took the GRE for the 2nd time. In about two weeks, my score went up significantly. Carolyn knows how to explain things in an understandable way. She is so organized, a great teacher, and really knows what she's doing. I can't imagine a better tutor!

Paul K. from Bensenville, IL

She definitely helped me reach my goals on the GMAT. She is very flexible and easy to reach by text or call.

Angeli O. from Chicago, IL

Carolyn is currently tutoring me for the ACTs and she is a tremendous help! She is very well educated and has intelligent strategies that will help ace the ACTs. She is very professional and is great at explaining problems. She doesn't just provide you the answer when you are wrong, but allows you to acknowledge your mistake and fix it. And if you don't understand a problem, Carolyn carefully words her explanation in a way that is easy for you to understand. She's super friendly and easy to talk to. Overall, great tutor and highly recommended!

Kate V. from Chicago, IL

Reviewed for ACT. Carolyn is knowledgeable, patient, and very friendly!! Also went out of her way to make time & place to meet convenient for us!!

Vania M. from Plainfield, IL

Carolyn was the second tutor that I attempted to have as my tutor for the GMAT. After meeting her for our first session I knew right away that I no longer needed to continue my search. She is very knowledgeable on the content and can describe a problem from different points of views. Carolyn, was very flexible with the location and scheduling. Prior to Carolyn I had studied rigorously but my score was not improving. Working with her has drastically improved my GMAT score. I would most definitely recommend her, and I would be grateful to have her as my tutor again. Thank you Carolyn for being so kind and for offering all the help that you could!!! :)