Raymond Barglow, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Tutor. I have taught SAT and ACT test preparation classes at public and private schools here in the San Francisco-Bay Area, including Berkeley High School, Head-Royce School, Skyline High School, and Oakland Technical High School. I also tutor students one-on-one to help them perform at a high level on the college admission tests and in school.
I received an undergraduate degree in physics, with a minor in biology, at the California Institute of Technology. Then I came to the University of California at Berkeley and studied standardized testing under the guidance of Professor Michael Scriven. I received a doctorate in philosophy from UC Berkeley and a second doctorate in psychology at the Wright Institute. I have taught at UC Berkeley and at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut. Currently I’m advising a UC Berkeley student organization that teaches SAT and ACT preparation classes at local high schools.
Pamela Montanaro, M.S., Co-Founder and Tutor. I have a Master’s degree in educational psychology and counseling from the University of Southern Maine. I worked as a teacher and counselor in Maine’s public school system, and co-founded and ran a tutoring service for students in the Oxford Hills School District. I enjoy tutoring high school students one-on-one, helping them prepare to take tests and do well in school.
Having raised six children, I’m quite familiar with the opportunities and challenges that high school students face! One of those challenges is making a successful transition from high school to college. There’s much that we can do, as parents and as teachers, to help students take this important step in their lives.
Michael Barglow, M.A., Tutor. I have a masters degree in English from San Francisco State University, a master’s degree in education from UC Berkeley, and California teaching credentials in English and social studies. I founded Arrowsmith Academy, a high school in Berkeley, where I taught and served as the director for nine years. Then I taught English and U.S. History at Skyline High School in Oakland, California for 11 years. There I trained student teachers and brought in student volunteers from UC Berkeley to work with my students one-on-one. Currently I am involved in environmental education and advocacy, as an activist in the East Bay Sunflower Alliance.
Dhruvkumar Joshi, M.S., Tutor. I have a master’s degree in biology from Howard University and a masters degree in chemistry from California State University at Hayward. I’ve taught chemistry and biology at Vista College in Berkeley, California State University in San Francisco, and Chabot College in Hayward. I have scored AP Chemistry tests for the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, which makes and administers the SAT and the SAT subject tests. Practice and persistence — these will help you do well on these tests!
Cynthia M. Robey, MBA., Consultant. www.college-watch.com. I am a credentialed college planning consultant serving students and families in California, Texas, and other states. I’ve guided students to schools such as Stanford, Columbia, Brown, Vassar, the University of Pennsylvania and California public and private universities.
I’ve been doing this work for ten years and have visited 100+ colleges to meet with admissions officers and administrative staff. I’ve developed a college-planning program that is customized for each high school student whom I counsel. The college admissions process today is certainly not as simple and straightforward as it was in the past. I recommend that students begin preparing for admission to college no later than ninth grade.
I am a graduate of UC Berkeley’s College Admissions and Career Planning program. As a member of the UC Berkeley Freshman Reader’s Program, I evaluate the applications of high school students seeking admission to UC Berkeley. I am a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association, the Independent Education Consultants Association, and the Western Association for College Admissions Consulting.
