I’m a Yale grad who has been working as a pre-college writing and test prep tutor in individual and virtual classroom settings for over 10 years, helping students of diverse abilities and backgrounds develop sustainable and strategic individual approaches to writing and admissions exams (SAT, ACT, SSAT, SHSAT, AP Lit and Lang). My methodology is informed by my own experience navigating my own pressure-ridden applications as a student of competitive New York City public schools, as well as my current-day experience as a professional violinist within the exacting world of classical music. I teach skills, perspectives, and frameworks, refined over my decade of working, that help students move through not only the essay or exam at hand, but also their academic and burgeoning professional lives. My students have received admission to numerous excellent schools, including Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, USC, and NYU; the focus, however, is aimed less at the name of the school than cultivating the sort of student they will be once they set foot on their desired campus.

I am a passionate writing tutor who draws upon my undergraduate studies in Yale’s English and creative writing departments, as well as my active professional life in journalism as a freelance feature reporter and music critic for The New York Times, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and other publications. I'm keen on designing personalized writing curricula for students who are looking to develop or cultivate facility with the English language in any form or genre. I provide in-person service for select clients in Manhattan or Brooklyn depending on location, and remote services otherwise.

Contact me for questions about rate and availability: jengersten [at] gmail