Lucy

A passionate and friendly tutor with a PhD in mathematics from Tsinghua University (China) and a Masters in Physics from the University of Oxford, over four years of experience delivering engaging tutorials, meeting people where they’re at and cheering them on to new success.

Maths and physics are underrated subjects. They can feel daunting and obstinate, and appear completely irrelevant to our day-to-day lives. But they are powerful, and are woven into the very fabric of our existence, from the interactions between atoms, to the collisions of black holes. They can even be seen in the way flowers grow. Understanding the basic principles of these subjects allows us to explore realms we could never touch – to literally reach for the stars.

My goal is to inspire you to aim high and find your success in these subjects that many find challenging. You are capable, and conquering these topics is achievable.

Tutoring Experience

Six years ago I jumped at the chance to be a teaching assistant for the international students’ calculus course, a role I served for four years. Thanks to my passion for the subject and for helping people succeed, my classes saw double the attendence than other teaching assistants: forty students in total. One year I was asked by the students to offer additional lectures in the run-up to exams, and they attracted fifty people. One lecture I delivered on Christmas Day, wearing a red santa hat!

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and supporting many students through a tutoring agency since the start of the pandemic, offering engaging and impactful tutorials online from my home in Bristol and campus in China. I loved working with maths and physics students because I could see immediately the positive impact that I was having on people, encouraging them and inspiring them to succeed during what can be an incredibly difficult time in their lives.

Having gone through the education system in the UK, given lectures to undergraduate students in China and presented my own original research to world-leading experts, I can combine different techniques to present each topic in a way that’s clear and relevant, whether that’s getting right down to the nitty-gritty of the abstract details, or considering practical examples that crop up in everyday life. Whatever works best for you. I am familiar with the popular exam boards, but have a specialty with Edexcel mathematics and OCR physics A-levels.

As part of my teaching assistant role during my PhD, I have marked hundreds of exam papers from undergraduate students in mathematics, as well as marking several A-level papers as part of my role as a tutor. I know what the examiners are looking for, and I can help you know too, as well as how to approach and break down the exam questions.

Tutoring Approach

Everyone has the potential to master the disciplines of maths and physics. I want to help you unlock yours. It’s not about data-dumping, cramming, information-overloading, but about truly understanding the beautiful processes of logic and reality, building techniques that can crack the toughest problems, and helping you see maths and physics in a whole new way.

Every student has their own story, their own style, their own ways of learning. During our tutorials, I’ll get to know yours and present topics in a way that’s relevant, meaningful and interesting to you. It’s not about memorising, gimmicks or short-cuts; I want to help you really understand the underlying principles of what we do, so you can take that knowledge and apply it to new and exciting problems.

Whether you’re breezing ahead, falling behind or studying independently, I will meet you where you’re at and help you achieve your goals. My sessions encourage interactivity and creativity. It’s not an hour or two of me talking at you, but a team effort – you can have real impact on the session, on what we study, and you’re given the space to tackle difficult challenges, make valuable mistakes and grow from them. And if one method doesn’t work for you, we’ll try another until we find the right fit.