After graduating from UC Berkeley in 1991, Andrew moved to Italy and discovered that he had an affinity and talent for teaching. Two years later, he founded the first of three English schools in Rome and over the next 17 years personally taught thousands of students of all levels in classes, taught hundreds more in one-to-one lessons, and prepared hundreds of others for the standardized tests TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System).  As the owner of three language schools, he also gained valuable insight into teaching and tutoring by managing scores of qualified English language instructors and overseeing the progress of their students.

Before returning to the United States, Andrew prepared for the GMAT on his own and scored a 740 (97th percentile) on the first try. In the last five years, before beginning his MBA at UCLA Anderson and while a student there, he helped scores of men and women prepare for the GMAT, GRE and SAT to get into the schools of their dreams.  He employs a balanced focus on the quantitative or verbal concepts themselves (e.g. ratios, geometry, algebra, idioms, analogies, verb tenses) and general strategies (e.g. reading the answers first, backsolving, choosing numbers, time management, and, when all else fails, intelligent guessing).  While he realizes that some students benefit from employing a pre-thought-out method or process for each question type while others prefer a looser, more case-by-case approach, Andrew encourages ALL his students to look for takeaways in each question that are applicable to a wider range of questions. He has prepared students of all levels as well as those with learning disabilities and has used a wide range of teaching materials.

Before the first lesson together, Andrew has a free telephone consultation with the student to learn his/her availability, time requirements, score goals, and academic history. He then almost always assigns a diagnostic test to get a better idea of his/her strengths and allow Andrew to plan for the first lesson.  Based on the student’s progress and time issues, he assigns homework between each lesson then checks on the progress by text or email the day before the following lesson.  Andrew is a very good listener and extremely patient, although he does keep after the students to work as hard as they can to reach their goals.  He finishes each lesson by asking the student for feedback as well as for their thoughts and feelings about their progress.

He looks forward to starting this journey of growth and learning together!

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