Testimonials | Conquer Chemistry

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Results and Testimonials

Here’s what past students have said about their chemistry tutoring experience with Michael and the results they have achieved.

“I am incredibly fortunate to have found Michael as a chemistry tutor. As I struggled to understand many of the larger concepts in class, he always thoroughly explained concepts that I had difficulty with and made sure I was comfortable using them. Although I asked many questions, he never made me feel as if my questions were insignificant or obvious. I also appreciate that Michael would consistently challenge me to apply concepts on my own after we had reviewed them, in order to make sure I could do the work myself. Michael has a unique ability to explain concepts in a variety of manners simply and helped me to understand concepts visually or in ways that I was more familiar with. He consistently supported my success as a student and made sure I had accurate goals and resources to improve my performance in the class. He encouraged me to study practice exams earlier to become more familiar in applying new concepts. He was easy to meet with and I feel our sessions were always productive. Michael helped me feel much more confident in my chemistry ability, and without his help I would not have had the same outcome in the class. I would definitely recommend Michael as a tutor to anyone looking for further support as a student.”
Anna B.

“Michael was a very helpful tutor. I saw a tremendous improvement in my test scores after starting to see him as a tutor. As a chemistry 1a tutor, he had a very good knowledge of the subject and was also very willing to search for answers if he was not 100 percent sure on his own. He provided extra materials and help for further practice of the subject after tutoring sessions. Michael was very good at explaining the topics in a way that made things very clear while also providing examples for actual practice with topics. This made me feel more prepared for tests because he helped teach me to work out the problems on my own. He was very flexible in scheduling and always answered my email questions in a timely manner. Overall, he was a very good tutor.”
Melissa V.

“Michael is one, if not the best tutor, I have ever had. There were many times where I would stumble upon certain concepts in lecture, study group, and while studying that just confused me. But Michael seemed to clear up all the confusion. He explains everything extremely well and with clarity. As the type of student who wants to understand every concept in its entirety, I like to ask detailed questions jumping from a variety of topics really quickly, and Michael always answers them in way that is both efficient and easy to follow. He really helped me to solidify my understanding of all the chemistry concepts covered.
With Michael’s help, I felt extremely confident in the material and felt ready going into the final. I had never felt more prepared for an exam in my life. Without Michael, I wouldn’t have managed to pull out a solid A in the class. With Michael as a tutor, Chem 1A will not be as bad as it once seemed and may actually be pretty manageable.”
Arielle L.

“Michael is a fantastic tutor and without him I would not have gotten an A in Chem 1A. He is precise and can answer any question you throw at him. He explained every concept clearly and better than my GSI could. I’m really glad I found Michael as a tutor. Before every tutoring session I would have a list of things that I couldn’t process on my own. Michael would go through each concept or question carefully explain it in a way that made chemistry look easy. After each session I always felt so much better about chemistry and could focus my time on other classes instead. After performing well above average on all the midterms and the final, I can say that I would not have done as well without Michael as my tutor.”
Jessica L.

“Chem 1A is a class in which one can easily feel lost or overwhelmed. Michael, however, did a great job assisting me while not telling me all of the answers. He is fun, kind, and without a doubt an expert in the subject. Whenever I met with Michael, I always knew he would go out of his way to ensure I understood a concept or question if I seemed hesitant even if I may have lied and said it was fine. He also allowed me to feel comfortable and inquisitive when I bombarded him with a heap of questions. I felt very prepared going into every exam with his help. Overall, Michael is awesome person who truly help you build problem solving, critical thinking, and chemistry skills. By the way, this guy’s super funny. You know won’t be disappointed after you meet him the first time!”
Navu G.

“Michael has been an amazing tutor. I have been away from school for a very long time and have fallen behind in Chemistry quite a bit. With his help, he has helped me gain confidence in the subject of Chemistry and my other skills, such as in Math, as well. He is able to explain things in a well thought out, clear and concise manner. Michael doesn’t’ just take you through the step-by-step process for solutions and give you the answer. He guides you though the process in a way that one must think independently in order to solve the problems or answer the questions. This way of teaching has really strengthened my studies and analytical way of looking at my work. Michael also is very personable. He makes you feel comfortable when asking questions and confident when you solve the problem. His willingness to work with your schedule and be there at any time to answer questions is a credit to how dedicated he is to his work as a tutor.”
Anna K.

“Michael is an excellent teacher. Having been away from school for over 18 years and coming from an English Major background; my mortal enemies were naturally math and science. Michael reconciled the feud between algebra and I, making me see that Chemistry could be mastered and sometimes, even fun.
His explanation of stoichiometry, mole theory, gas laws were easy to understand and I slowly climbed from the precipice of an F to a very respectable B+ at the end of the course. I am extremely grateful for his patience, his willingness to accommodate my schedule, and his commitment to making me a better student!”
Gail L.

“Michael has been an outstanding Chemistry 1A tutor during my first semester at UC Berkeley. His positive and driven attitude not only helped me perform well in the class, but it also helped me get adjusted to the rigor of the university. I distinctly remember being quite overwhelmed and confused during the first few weeks of the course, but Michael was able to clearly explain and differentiate the topics and equations discussed in class. In addition, he showed me some shorthand and shortcut ways to solve problems, which ultimately made understanding the theory behind the arithmetic much easier. After the roller coaster ride that was chemistry at UC Berkeley, I successfully attained a grade of a B in the course and could not have done it without Michael’s tutoring!”
Scottie W.

“Starting chemistry tutoring with Michael saved my grade in chemistry! After earning a low C on the first midterm, I knew I needed to find a tutor that would help me learn the material more efficiently and effectively. Michael knows the chemistry material very well and was able to answer my questions clearly and in multiple ways when I still did not understand. Michael’s tutoring also made studying much less stressful since I knew I could always have an explanation on various concepts. Couldn’t have earned an A in chemistry if it wasn’t for him!”
Marisa L.

“In my attempts to find a tutor for my first college chemistry course, because, of course, I was struggling terribly in the class, I came across Michael’s “Chemistry Tutor” website. It was exactly what I was looking for, academic assist regarding the same exact class at the same exact university. I did not know what to ask or expect during our first meeting. Luckily, Michael came prepared with his laptop, pen and notebook ready to attack my difficult questions. He was very efficient at that as well. He always had answers to my enigmatic questions. When I did not understand it the first time, Michael would explain it to me a second time, trying a different tactic that would help me better understand a concept. If the second explanation was still confusing to me, he would explain it a third, fourth, however many times it took. If an immediate answer did not come to mind, Michael would never fail to follow up with an email after our meeting. Michael is a patient, understanding, and sometimes even a humorous tutor.”
Kathleen T.

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“Michael is an outstanding tutor. He understands the material so well – it seems like second nature to him! He is great at explaining concepts in a way that is easy to understand, and he is good at pin-pointing trouble areas and helping you work through them. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to hire him as my tutor. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner!!”
Christiane F.

“Michael was an amazing tutor. He patiently and thoroughly explained topics. I could ask him any question and he would not only answer the question but tackle the entire concept I was struggling with. He helped me pass the class, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.”
Lucy E.

“Michael was a wonderful tutor and life mentor. I can honestly say that without him I would not have been as successful as i was in Chem 1a. Not only did he help me understand the topics I had difficulty with, he was able to give me insight on how to study for not only first semester chemistry but also classes in college in general. He made my first semester dramatically easier with his lenient time schedule and helpful attitude. 11/10 would recommend Michael!!!!!”
Alyssa H.

“ Michael is hands-down the best, most upbeat, positive, and helpful tutor I have ever had the pleasure of working with. When I first started working with Michael, I was nearing the end of my first semester of chemistry, was struggling with the concepts, and desperately needed to bring my exam scores up. From the beginning, he was super flexible with his scheduling and hours, and was very patient and understanding. He always took the time to break down problems and demonstrate different problem-solving strategies that were easy to understand.
It was very immediate to me that chemistry was like second-nature for Michael and that he truly understood the material. Not only did he explain concepts in detail to me, Michael also made sure to challenge me by asking questions about previous material we’ve covered as well as how I would arrive at the problem we were dealing with. He took the time to understand my approach to chemistry and coached me where I needed the most help. After only a few sessions with Michael, I saw my exam scores shoot up from low C’s to high B’s/low A’s.
At first I was unsure how tutoring through skype would be, but it was actually very convenient. Michael uses a system that allows you to see everything he is writing as well as any documents he pulls up.
Overall, I would recommend Michael in a heartbeat to anyone who needs help in chemistry. He is not your average tutor, but instead shows a genuine interest in helping his students succeed.”
Lina I.

“ Michael was referred to me by a friend of mine who had received help from Michael, and had great results. At first I was a little skeptical being tutored via skype, but I gave it a shot, and it turned out to be a great decision for myself. Chemistry is a class I have struggled in quite a bit, and Michael was there every step of the way. Skype allowed for the hours to be more flexible to accommodate our schedules, he makes great use of the program so you can see him, and also an additional screen to help work problems out on. He demonstrated a lot of patience, and not only was willing to explain and re-explain, but also find other ways to explain things to help them make sense. I ended up getting a B in the class, which for someone like me is usually unheard of. A great deal of that grade is because of his help in this subject!”
Heather W.

“Michael tutored me this past semester in chemistry, and I picked up so much information from him teaching me than I would by just learning from my class material itself. Michael made sure to be very flexible with my schedule which helped out a lot since I have a busy schedule, he was available when I needed him to be. His teaching skills were beyond amazing I was able to retain the information and do very well on my test. In the beginning of the class I was not doing so well, once I started tutoring with Michael my grade increased right away. He was very patient and understanding.”
Brittany S.

“Michael is an amazing chemistry tutor who not only gives concise, detailed explanations, but also encourages his students to break the problem down and analyze the ways to arrive at the solution. At first, I felt overwhelmed at all of the concepts covered in lecture and frustrated at the results of my initial approach to the chemistry material. Thanks to his visual examples, tips on improving my critical thinking and study skills, and the extra materials he offered as practice, I felt prepared for each exam and did well overall. Michael’s patience and understanding made me feel comfortable in asking him the many questions I had during tutoring sessions and he gave explanations on the course material that cleared up any of my confusion. He challenged me to apply concepts that I was struggling with and encouraged me to independently work towards a solution, which really made sure that I fully grasped what we’d just covered. Michael was also willing to work with my schedule and definitely taught me ways to approach a science course at Berkeley in a way that made it more manageable. Overall, I highly recommend Michael as tutor who is committed to your success and will give you the support you might need as a student in chemistry!”
Anna G.

“Michael was hands down the most incredible teacher I have ever had (professors included). He takes the time to explain things in a way that is easy to understand, and helps you work through exam-type problems. Michael helped me improve my exam scores and learn new study skills that have helped me long past the semester we worked together. He was very flexible in working with my schedule, and took the time to make sure I was prepared for each exam. In addition to a detailed understanding of the material, Michael always found a way to make chemistry more enjoyable, and gave me confidence that I could succeed in classes well beyond chemistry.”
Annika K.

“I used Michael as a chem 1A (general chem) tutor and couldn’t thank him enough. Michael was able to break down chemistry in an easy, understandable way which made the subject much less overwhelming. He is patient, understanding, and clear on his explanations. I was a bit skeptical in the beginning about utilizing Skype for a tutoring session, but it ended up being incredibly convenient. Michael uses an online system where I can see everything he’s writing as well as any documents or web searches he pulls up on his desktop. He was also very flexible on times so if I had a quick pre-exam question, it was easy to “meet” up and receive explanation for my question, even if it was just a quick 10 minutes. I took chemistry as a prerequisite for physician assistant programs so I needed to do well in the class. Before I began tutoring sessions with Michael I was extremely concerned about not excelling and by the end of the course, with Michael\’s amazing assistance, I received an A!”
Isabelle S.

“ After getting a D on the first midterm and a 37% on the second, I really didn’t think I’d pass chemistry. But after getting Michaels help on the third midterm and the final, I not only passed the class but ended the class with a solid B! (And got an A on the final!). I was kind of hesitant at first with the tutoring being over Skype and not in person. But the Skype tutoring turned out to be excellent! Michael had a notepad that he shared on the screen for me to follow along as he showed me step by step how to solve the problems. The way he explained everything to me made so much sense (during lectures I was always so lost)! Something that stood out a lot to me about Michael was that he was familiar with my specific professor, professor head gorden. This helped a lot because Michael was always following along with what we were learning at each time and his tutoring was targeted towards the types of problems that professor head gorden would put on tests. The tutoring was very efficient. I would usually compile a long list of concepts that I didn’t understand prior to the tutoring session, and almost every time we were able to cross all the items off the list in just an hour! If you’re like I was and struggling to make it through Chem, I highly recommend Michael as a tutor. If I have a hard time in Ochem, I know I’ll be asking Michael for help again!”
Ashley C.

“ Michael tutored me in the fall for chem and it was extremely helpful. I was really scared going into chemistry that I would not get a good grade because the class was very fast paced. Michael was really good at explaining difficult concepts to me in different ways, and I was able to get a really good understanding of concepts we learned in class. If I was not able to understand something the first time, Michael always found a way to help me understand it in a different way!

Also, he was very flexible with scheduling sessions… I had some early morning sessions as well as ones that went pretty late, so I really appreciated that he could accommodate my busy schedule.

I would definitely recommend Michael if you are struggling in chemistry at all or even just need someone to work through some practice problems with you before a midterm!”
Maya P.

“ Michael was a great tutor for my son. Michael helped him overcome the challenges of Honors Chem by ensuring he had a strong understanding of fundamental chemistry concepts. I think the experience with Michael\’s study approach has given my son study skills that will help him through future AP and college classes, as well. Michael was also very dependable, personable, flexible and dedicated to ensuring my son did well. Just wish he tutored non-chem subjects, too!”
Nina M.

“ This year I took General Chemistry at UC Berkeley which is notoriously known for it’s challenging content however with Michael’s help it was pretty manageable. Michael helped me at all hours of the day and dealt very well with time conflicts. Overall Michael was incredibly flexible with my schedule. In addition, Michael was incredibly helpful. He helped me with everything from discussion sheets to finals prep. He constantly reassured me and gave me more confidence in my myself and my capabilities to succeed in the class. He was also a great friend at the same time. I learned from him fairly easily and it felt very comfortable and easy as if talking to an older brother or friend. He knew his material well, very well, but he also had a really likable personality that made learning enjoyable and made chemistry more interesting. Overall I enjoyed taking chemistry and I 100% feel that my satisfaction with the course and the semester was due to Michael’s help.”
Dina A

“ Michael is an AMAZING tutor and knows exactly what part you are struggling with and is always willing to explain the topic in another way until you get it! He also really knows his chemistry and is very good with explaining things, and wants to see his students succeed! Thanks to Michael I ended Chemistry with an “A” and scored high “A” scores on my tests and was able to ruin the curve for the class!! I highly recommend him as you will definitely see better results after working with him!!”
Adam M.

” Michael tutored our student through a challenging high school chemistry course at a private high school in San Francisco. Our student had consulted with another tutor, and it wasn’t a fit. Then we found Michael. His explanations were clear and concise, and he would go over material until our student understood it well. He helped fill in gaps of knowledge and was able to explain the material in different ways with plenty of detail. Michael is calm, organized, and very personable. Our student really liked him, especially because he treats his students like grownups. All of the tutoring took place over Zoom, so he’s very familiar and facile with providing online tutoring, which turned out to be a huge plus when Covid hit. Our student would work directly with Michael to set up sessions, and following each session, Michael would provide me, the parent, with a brief, but detailed summary of what they reviewed, how much time was spent, and how much time was left on the clock. Billing was easy too. Hands down he is one of the best tutors I’ve seen, and I wish he taught more subjects because he was really fantastic. I would not hesitate to recommend him, and I have passed along his name to many other parents. “

Jennifer W.

” I had the opportunity to work with Michael during both my General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry classes. O-Chem’s material was completely new to me, and Michael’s patience, encouragement, and expert teaching style helped me tackle tough concepts during my time in the class. If a concept in the assigned reading was not “clicking” for me, he would help me see it from another angle, creating practice problems along the way to help cement my understanding. I ended up doing quite well in the class, and I think that working with Michael definitely improved my confidence as I moved through challenging subject matter. Michael was incredibly professional and fantastic to work with, and I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a highly knowledgeable Chemistry or O-Chem tutor. “

Blair J.

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