An Interview with an IB Math Former Student
While much of Aegis Advisors’ expertise comes from our committed and knowledgeable tutors, we wanted to take the opportunity for readers, especially students, to learn from their peers. In this blog post, we are bringing you an interview with a student, whom we are calling May to protect her privacy, who completed IB Maths in the past few years and worked with a Hong Kong based IB maths tutor through Aegis Advisors. May is now in her second year of studies at an elite university in the United States but continues to praise her experience working with a private tutor in IB math. Here is an expert from our conversation with May.
Aegis: Tell us about your experience taking IB math in Hong Kong.
May: I have always had a numbers mind, so I was excited to take IB math higher level. I had never struggled with math before this course, but in the first month or two I was struggling. The class moved so fast, and I was used to catching on to everything more quickly than my classmates. So, when I started to fall behind, something I had never experienced before in math, It made me feel ignorant and embarrassed. I wanted to be mad at the IB course, thinking it was ridiculous for us to know all that information, but, my mom and I talked it over, and I decided to embrace the challenge. My first step was to search out the best Hong Kong based IB math tutor, and I found that at Aegis Advisors. I had already worked with them to study for the SAT, and they were a great match. Tutoring changed the game for me. At first I met with my tutor twice a week to catch up on everything. She was able to identify where I lacked comprehension and explain the complex material in an understandable way. With this basis, I was following the material better in class and felt more confident.
Aegis: So what would you tell other students who are thinking about seeking Hong Kong based IB math tutors?
May: I would tell them that tutoring changed my entire IB math experience. It’s not that my tutor did my work for me or made me feel dumb because I needed extra help. She adapted to my learning style in a way that my teacher couldn’t because there were so many students in the class. I learned concepts and remembered them better with little tricks my Hong Kong based IB math tutor taught me and felt very prepared for every assessment. I met with my tutor once a week–twice on weeks with assessments–for the entire two year course. She got me through IB math and taught me so many skills that have helped me in college.
Aegis: Great transition, so what did tutoring help you with as you moved to university?
May: Something a lot of students do not know is that some of the elite universities in the US and UK do not allow students to engage outside tutors for their subjects; it is considered a form of cheating. Students can only use on campus resources for support in their classes. This was a big shock for me because I learned so much from my Hong Kong based IB math tutor and the other Aegis experts I worked with in high school. However, I felt so lucky that I did work with a professional, private tutor in high school, because it taught me so many study skills and innovative methods of explanation that helped me ace college math courses. I think having private tutor in subjects like math while in high school is an opportunity all youth should take advantage of. And, my personal recommendation is that students should work with Aegis Advisors for Hong Kong based IB math tutoring. They really set me on a path for success, and I am so thankful for my amazing tutor.
Well, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. All our staff here at Aegis Advisors work vigorously to make sure all of our students learn as much as May while using our services. Whether an elementary school student needs help with reading, a middle schooler needs help with chemistry, or a high schooler needs help with IB and college test prep, our expert tutors are here to help.
Aegis Advisors has a team of experienced and committed private tutors who can help on IB math as well as a full range of subjects across all major curriculums. Contact us today for support across all major curriculums for both in person and online tutoring.