Margherita Devine
Location: Central London
I predominantly teach:
College choice, SATI General
I also teach:
Application Essays, Application process, SATII Italian, SATII Latin, SATII Literature
Experience
I tutored Latin extensively throughout undergraduate, primarily teaching introductory-intermediate level students at McGill one-on-one or in small groups. I did this privately as well as through the Classics department; I was the departmental tutor attached to the language classes. I also tutored high school students in the Montreal area.
At McGill I helped with training for new debaters, and at Cambridge I led debate workshops for novices at the Cambridge Union.
Biography
I was born and raised in New York City, where I went to the Brearley School. I attended Brearley from kindergarten onwards with the exception of my junior year, when I went to School Year Abroad in Viterbo, Italy, a program devised by Exeter, Andover and St. Paul’s.
I went on to McGill for my undergraduate degree. I graduated with First-Class Honours in Classics and History (specializing in 18th-19th c. Britain), though I sometimes felt like I also minored in debate; I was heavily involved in McGill’s Debating Union as a competitor, judge and tournament director. I spent the summer after my sophomore year in Rome doing an intensive spoken Latin course with the senior Latinist at the Vatican.
Last year I studied at Cambridge, graduating with an MPhil in Classics in July 2011. I had such a great experience that I decided to stay in the UK!
On a non-academic note, I play squash, I run, I love rock music and I try to travel as much as I can.
Personal Approach
I have extensive experience tutoring students and know that they can make enormous progress with smart studying and hard work. Half the battle is adjusting to the mindset required by the test; after that, everything gets easier. Doing well on College Board tests is about understanding the meeting point between the 'game' of the test and the specific skills (like critical reading or algebra) that are being tested. It is a balance of substance and strategy that can be mastered. My goal is not only to teach test-taking techniques but to instill confidence in the student, and to encourage the development of his or her abilities to their fullest.