Phil McDonough

Tutor

Bio:
Hello, my name is Phil McDonough, and I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and I approach tutoring with the mindset of an engineer. By identifying and targeting the root causes behind gaps in a student’s understanding, I seek to help them build a solid conceptual foundation of the subject matter, leading to a greater degree of knowledge retention and increasing their confidence and efficiency in testing scenarios. I want to see these students’ scores improve, and I also want to see them develop the type of mindset that leads to long term success in any academic setting.

My skills in the hard sciences are strong and my knowledge is fresh; as an engineering undergraduate, I was utilizing concepts from calculus, trigonometry, algebra, and physics on a daily basis in projects and technical reports. I’m also very proficient when it comes to standardized testing; my ACT composite score is in the 99^th percentile and I scored a 36/36 on the science portion of the test. I’m confident that I can help improve a student’s performance in all areas of the ACT and SAT, as well as classroom subjects related to math and science. Additionally, as an avid reader and someone who has written countless pages of reports, I’m well prepared to guide students as we work on their abilities in reading, English, and writing.

My personal interests include playing and writing music, watching sci-fi television shows, and reading works of fiction and non-fiction on a wide variety of topics. I also love learning new skillsets, and I’m currently working to teach myself the basics of Python programming and computer animation.

Tutoring Subjects:
ACT/SAT Test Prep, Calculus, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Physics, Probability/Statistics, Science, Reading, English, Writing, Vocabulary.

Education/Degree/Certifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago

Cities I Service:
Chicago, Park Ridge, Niles, Des Plaines, Rosemont, Norridge, Harwood Heights, Online