FAQs

What are the subjects you tutor?

At Studio Shvakel, we mentor over 43+ subjects! Please find the list here

What is your teaching philosophy?

Great question! As mentors, we recognize how important a teaching philosophy (your tutoring style) is. As such, we’ve outlined our views here

Are there any contracts? What are your policies?

Nope, no contracts! Not only is paper a waste of trees, but it is also a waste of our collective time. Naturally, though, just like many mentors and educational consultants, we have our own policies. They are outlined here

Do you have any studying advice? How should my son/daughter study?

Another great question! Anticipating your needs, we have outlined both our studying guidance, as well a current list of study habits that is updated regularly with the advice of current students in our present cohort. Please find them here and here

Are there any exceptions to your cancellation policy?

Yes, of course. Naturally, though, we do not specify these exceptions.

Please understand — our policy is not personal — and it should not be taken personally. With over 20 years of collective experience, our team finds this policy as essential to “protecting” us. Its sole purpose is to respect not only our time, but also your time.

We want to be as effective as we can. If you need a session, then contact us. If you’re still on the fence, don’t hesitate about taking some time to think (this policy makes sure that we do not get someone who is unsure, and then spontaneously cancels, especially after we’ve already prepped for the meeting)

If an emergency happens, just like they sometimes do, then our team will handle this on a case-by-case basis.

We want to be clear: manipulation is not a recommended tactic.

We’ve worked with swathes of both parents, and students, and while our experiences are overwhelmingly positive (otherwise mentoring would just not be worth it), we get the occasional “manipulator” (as we call them) time-to-time. If this is the case, and it is continuous, then per Policy #3 (Rudeness), we will terminate our professional partnership

What are your qualifications?

Great (and valid) question!

Our founder’s qualifications (and story) can be found here. In the case of our team, their qualifications (and story) can be found here

Please note — all team members of Studio Shvakel are known by Sasha personally, unlike many other tutoring centers.

Marie is Sasha’s younger sister, whom he has mentored, especially in the mechanics of how to tutor, for the last few years.

Siya is Sasha’s “bestie”, a close friend and confidant since 9th grade, who also happens to be insanely talented (and smart)

Joseph studied at UC Davis with Sasha, completing his B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (like Sasha) at the same time.

We only hire people we trust — and personally know — because we know how valuable (and delicate) good mentorship is.

What if my child plays a sport?

As current/former students, we understand both the unique rewards and challenges of playing a sport.

If we, or one of us, is so lucky to receive the opportunity to work with you, then you should have full faith in our scheduling flexibility (something we know is a “must” given how many games/meets there can be)

On the other hand, we want to emphasize — no tutor is a “silver bullet”. What do we mean by this?

We mean that, at the end of the day, there are only 24 hours. We aren’t even awake for all of them. This is why it is important to build, maintain, and constantly refine both an efficient, and an effective, studying routine.

Playing sports is a great thing, especially for the mind (and building mental “toughness”). But, like all things in life, you will have to prioritize.

Let’s be clear — that does not mean cutting sports.

Instead, it means making sure you study (as well as attend to the best of your ability) your classes, in addition to sports.

If you do not attend class regularly, it will be very hard to improve (tutoring/mentoring is not a replacement for attending class, or studying).

Are you flexible?

Yes.

If you find yourself needing to reschedule for a Grandparent’s birthday, your birthday, a sports game/meet, or something else, please don’t worry!

Though it is best to maintain a set schedule, we will do our best to satisfy all your needs.

What if I have to cancel?

For all general purposes, Policy #1, which can be found here, would apply (we will handle unique circumstances on a case-by-case basis, upon which we will make the final decision).

Please note — we will always confirm 3-4 days before, giving you plenty of time to confirm.

Do you do tutor weekly, bi-weekly? How does it work?

At Studio Shvakel, we begin recruiting students, for the next academic year, in January. In August, we will set up our schedules, offering a variety of permanent times to our students. We will meet weekly (for the most part) at this permanent time, established by both student and mentor.

We recognize that not every student may need weekly tutoring. In these cases, we will add you to our ASAP list. If we cannot get a spot filled, for the week, we will immediately contact you with a possible time, and see if it works.

It is worth noting, though, that, due to unpredictable student schedules, the time offered is not consistent. It depends on who is out in a given week (i.e. someone may have a sports meet, or someone may have had a car accident).

Weekly tutoring is more reliable, since it is on a set schedule.

Do you do summer tutoring?

Yes. We offer two options — “head-start” tutoring and course advancement assistance.

If you are looking for “head-start” tutoring, this is essentially identical to yearly tutoring, except during the summer. Whether you choose to meet 1X, 2X, or even 3X per week, we can automatically tell you, based on both our experience, and on the course, how many Chapters we can get “ahead” on. The last few years, this has been a popular option, especially with newly-entering freshman (who will be adjusting to high-school rigor, as well as any extra EC’s…extracurriculars…they may be participating in).

If you are looking for course advancement assistance, we offer help in all subjects, regardless of how you take the course (in other words, it does not matter if you are taking BYU, APEX, Florida Virtual, etc…we are familiar with all of these courses)

What is your rate?

For new students, our rates are as follows: individual ($80/hr), group ($70/hr). This is standard for our area

What is included in your tutoring service?

In addition to personalized feedback after every lesson, our mentors will provide you with additional practice (for each section you learn), as well as numerous (think 5+) practice tests before each quiz/test.

We are also proud to offer digitized notes after every lesson. In this way, students can stay organized, which is critical for future success. Because we label our notes by date, students (who stay organized) can, before every test, review all the notes from our sessions, leading up to the test. To see samples, please click here (Algebra 1), here (Geometry), or here (Algebra 2).

Can I ask you questions outside session?

Yes, but we do charge for our time (like most consultants would).

For many years, we used to answer any and all questions for free.

In recent years, however, it has become increasingly clear — our time is valuable (especially since 50% of our team is comprised of current students) — and answering questions, for free, on the fly is not realistic (some of us work with 45-50 students).

We want to help you to the best of our ability, and yes, there will be many cases where we will not apply this policy.

For all official purposes, though, this policy is in effect.