98th Percentile UCAT Medical Student | 5 Years Tutoring Experience | Multiple Students Accepted Into Their Top Preference Medical or Dental School

Find out more about Allan

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I developed an interest in medicine after doing work experience in many different areas and getting to see the unique way that you can help people on a personal level in medicine, something which I've always enjoyed about volunteering.
  
  My interest in private tutoring has also been there for a long time. I first discovered my interest after being asked by other students to run revision sessions, and getting lots of positive feedback. My friends and colleagues told me that I helped them understand the content in a much more 'why' driven way, rather than just memorisation, and I consequently continued to run many more sessions.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach chemistry, mathematics, UCAT and medical interviews. I really enjoy digging deeper and explaining why things are the way they are in chemistry and mathematics, even if it is outside the scope of what is normally taught. My reason is two-fold, I do this not only because it helps students memorise the content better, but also because it helps them develop an appreciation for the subject, hopefully inspiring them to see learning as interesting and fun. For my medical subjects, I like to discuss preparation plans, answer questions and ensure students have a strong understanding of the requirements they will need to meet to be accepted.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  One of my role models was a chemistry Olympiad teacher I had in high school. He helped to raise my marks from a middle rank to rank one in a selective high school. He was inspiring to me because he made classes not just informative, but also enjoyable. People would specifically request to be in his classes out of any other teacher, and I aspire to be a tutor with the same amount of impact on my students.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  The 3 most important qualities to me are preparation, adaptability, and enjoyability. It's important to be prepared for all lessons to ensure that the lessons can be time efficient, and student's attention can be fully capitalised on. However, depending on the student's level and the questions they ask, it's vital that you can adapt the plan to best accommodate their needs. This benefit separates private tutoring compared to just taking classes. Lastly, it's imperative to be enjoyable to your students, because, if learning is fun, they will naturally perform much better.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I had ranked in the bottom half of multiple of my subjects by the end of year 11 but placed 2nd overall at the end of year 12 after starting tutoring and trying my best. It's never too late to try to improve your grades. Yesterday may have been the best time, but today is the next best time to get started.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  One challenge I faced when studying for the UCAT was how it was a skill-based test rather than a content-based test like everyone is used to in high school. I wanted to have a textbook or something to study, but I soon found that to be unhelpful. I realised the most important thing was to not spend too much time reading theory, and on the flip side, not spend all my time just doing questions. It was actually to spend a lot of time reviewing the questions I had done, both wrong and slow, and think about why I got it wrong, how I could have done this more efficiently, and what I can do next time to avoid this mistake. Sometimes you need to slow down in studying for the UCAT to speed up.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I have a passion for STEM more holistically. Aside from studying STEM in my medicine degree and teaching, I have been involved in many STEM activities. These include FIRST robotics, where my team placed in the top 8 out of over 4000 teams globally, running quantitative finance workshops and UNSW rocketry, where I am currently helping to make a 2-stage rocket to go to 50,000ft.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions)?

  I am a Superprof because I treat my job as a professional career, rather than just a side hustle. This means I have invested a lot into getting a professional microphone, camera, headphones, lighting and more, and a lot of time preparing resources and teaching plans for my students.