Jonathan Wayne
Private Tutor
SAT & ACT English | College Essays
About Me
With years of experience tutoring high schoolers and young adults in English, history and all kinds of essay-writing, I equip my students with the tools necessary to succeed as they take the next step towards college. With a history degree from Cornell, English skills have been deeply woven into my DNA; it's my mission and greatest pride to see them imparted upon my students, too.
SAT & ACT Prep
Using my self-authored LightWords learning system, I teach SAT & ACT skills through short stories, pattern recognition and in-person mini-exams. Additionally, my system breaks down the lengthy tests into four distinct question types, which we master one-by-one through trial and error. By keeping material fresh, excitement high, and grammar lessons to a minimum, I aim to teach only in ways that I myself would enjoy learning.
College Essays
In my essay-writing workshops, I employ a Socratic method designed to push my students towards richer, more expressive writing. If you're looking for someone to spoon-feed answers and smudge their fingerprints all over your work, you've got the wrong guy; I pride myself on guiding my students towards a final product which showcases their unique voice to the fullest extent possible. I've worked with students across a variety of disciplines, with essays accepted to top programs such as Harvard Law, NYU and Einstein College of Medicine.
Testimonials
"I found Jon while I was working on my application to NYU (I was waitlisted the year before). I was working on it day and night, but no matter how many drafts I wrote, no matter how many dozens of meetings with my college guidance, English professors, and the like, I just couldn’t get it right. Then, by luck, I found Jon. I shared with Jon what I had written, and immediately he saw what I was trying to write; he heard the voices, felt the scenes, and he sipped coffee with me until I could put it onto paper and submit my killer essay. John made it simple, easy, and a bit magical. If anyone in the world can help you write that damned essay, it’s Jon. I couldn’t recommend him more. (Btw, I got in to NYU.)"
- Binyomin Eidlisz, former client
