Nasia K.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
University College London (UCL) – Psychology BSc
Predicted a 1st
HAEF Athens College International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme – 42/45 grade total
Psychology HL: 6/7
Biology HL: 6/7
Chemistry HL: 7/7
Mathematics A.A. SL: 7/7
French B SL: 7/7
English L&L SL: 6/7
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Love Learning Tutors: Psychology, English, Mathematics
Common Entrance: English, Mathematics
International Baccalaureate (IB): Psychology, English, Mathematics
Transition Mentor at University College London (UCL)
SKILLS & INTERESTS
Beyond tutoring, I am interested in literature, as seen through my recreational reading and creative writing! I am also skilled at video editing with the Adobe After Effects software and occasionally take on editing work for UCL’s various societies. My favourite movement-oriented hobby is dancing – mostly hip hop, commercial or K-pop styles! Finally, I would like to note I speak Greek (fluent) and French (decent) in addition to English (fluent).
WORK EXPERIENCE
Quantitative Psychology Research Assistant at UCL
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Growing up, I was always interested in many learning disciplines – a jack of all trades, if you will. I was privileged enough to receive an incredible, multi-faceted education catering to my every interest. I had every opportunity and, thanks to my dedicated teachers and tutors, confidence to pursue any subject that drew my attention. I first became interested, or rather, fascinated by the work of a teacher in the sixth grade of primary school. Seeing the work of perhaps the most inspiring teacher in my academic career, a teacher who gave us all the tools to learn and grow and gave us the space to use them how we wished, I wished I could one day do the same for others. My interest in teaching and helping mould new minds was renewed when my much younger brother began his own formative journey. Being a high school student at the time, I began helping him with his homework where I could – digging up my knowledge of primary school mathematics, literature, and history. The joy I felt every time I saw him take the tools and instructions I gave him, put them to use and succeed was indescribable. Slowly, our shared time spent poring over his homework became the highlight of my long and tiring IB days. The pinnacle of happiness I ever received from this activity came when my brother burst into my room and proudly showed me the mathematics tests he aced.
Although I have not had much formal teaching experience beyond that, I believe I am well suited for tutoring. I am still just as enthusiastic about learning as I was when I was younger. The only difference is that now I am equipped with the necessary knowledge, discipline, and tools to pass this enthusiasm on to others. I am very communicative and expressive, which I believe is a great benefit for building and maintaining rapport with students. I also enjoy cooperating with people and working together towards a common goal. This is, in my opinion, what tutoring should be: a collaborative effort to improve and achieve shared goals. This fruitful collaboration is mostly made possible thanks to the one-on-one, personal context of tutoring. I know first-hand how impersonal certain teachings can feel in big classes. Students may not feel comfortable expressing their confusion, asking questions, making mistakes, or putting themselves forward as a result. At a younger age, I used to struggle with the same issues. Despite my love for learning, I was too shy to voice concerns or questions, or even participate in lessons I was knowledgeable in. My tutors put enough air in my lungs and gave me the voice I needed to speak up and take an active role in my learning. I now wish to do the same.
Although I started out as a jack of all trades, I have since decided to focus on few disciplines and become master of those few rather than spread myself too thin. I would love to have the opportunity to spread not just my knowledge, but my love for psychology, English and mathematics with others. I will consider myself successful only if I can instil my students with the confidence and enthusiasm I had as a kid to pursue learning. In order to achieve this, I intend to design personalised lesson plans for each student to account for their individual character and interests. I will bolster their strengths and help them address their weaknesses and turn them into even bigger strengths! Being a student myself still, I believe I will be able to empathise with my students more easily and provide them with my hands-on experience as guidance. The tools to learning and growing in academia are not limited only to the knowledge of a subject. They extend to relevant time management and studying skills that can usually only be acquired through practice and personal experience. While I cannot guarantee that my techniques will work for all my students, I can still share my most efficient and useful study and exam tips! Speaking of exams and exam preparation, I plan on covering past papers with my students and critically analysing their responses to give them a better sense of what is expected of them. I will work to create a welcoming and encouraging environment where students can feel comfortable to ask questions, make mistakes and later learn from them.