Roger scored in the 99th percentile in the
UCAT and achieved a 98.9 ATAR score in 2012, but that's not the only reason we think Roger is a brilliant tutor.
Q: Aside from being academically exceptional, what other some of your other pursuits?
I was selected for the Australian Delegate to India for AMSEP (Asian Medical Students Exchange Program) (2015) which included cross-cultural peer-teaching amongst medical students from Australia, Indonesia and India. We spent a week at Lady Hardinge Medical College with a focus on Obstetrics and Gynaecology + Paediatrics and got to experience the public and private medical systems in India.
I also directed Medshow 2014: Aching Bad, which raised $5000 for HIV/AIDS charity 'Little Traveler's Australia'. Probably the most rewarding project I've undertaken in my life. It involved a whole year of writing and directing; collaborating with dance, vocals, band, tech and logistics teams to ultimately create one great musical production. It took a whole lot of effort for a bunch of silly times and I have no regrets.
Q: Tell me about your experience as a tutor.
I started off tutoring at a small company in the city, which marketed towards international students. I taught English and economics in small classes and 1 on 1, but I found that many of the students there weren't enthusiastic and were only there because their parents forced them! I eventually started teaching privately and took on UMAT® Exam as well. My best experiences are two students I taught who ended up doing better than I did in the respective subjects I taught. One student I worked with since the start of year 11, who was initially struggling hard with English essays and concepts. She worked hard and put in genuine effort to improve herself and eventually scored 96 in English Advanced and got Dux of her school! Another UMAT® Exam student of mine was a Music teacher and had never seen any UMAT® Exam questions before. He wanted to do dentistry and came to me for a bit of help in understanding the UMAT® Exam and its approach. He scored 100 and I was jealous.
Q: Why do you do it?
Being a tutor is the most enjoyable job I've had because I get to work with people who genuinely want to learn and strive for a long term goal. Tim Minchin says that everyone should be a teacher some point in their life and I have a moral code to always listen to barefooted men with long hair, so here I am.
Q: If you could tell all UMAT® Exam students one thing, what would it be?
If you know without a doubt that medicine is your end goal, the UMAT® Exam is actually more important than your ATAR. Once you get an ATAR above 95, getting into Med (as long as you're not picky with which Uni) is practically about your UMAT® Exam and Interviews. I never want to encourage people to disregard their HSC, but its worth putting these things (and how they're broken up) into perspective!
If you would like to enquire about private tutoring with Roger, email sydney.manager@gradready.com.au for more information.
Mention the code: 'TPROG' in your email and receive 10% off the cost of your first private tutoring session with Roger.
