How I Became
a Full Time Tutor
by Rich Hochstim
Hi folks,
In 1983 I graduated from the University of Miami (FL not OH)
with 42 credits in Chemistry, but I got sideswiped from Chem
grad school when I showed an idea I was working on to my P-Chem
lab partner, who quickly became a good friend. He asked to show
it to others. Their response was very positive. So . . .
My friend and I formed a company in 1984, I applied for and
eventually received a patent. We financed, manufactured, and
marketed, our product, locally, nationally, and internationally,
and by 1986 had lost a ton of money! The company went belly up.
What's the silver lining? Well to finance all this stuff I
started teaching three hour group test reviews for General Chemistry
and Organic Chemistry, as well as individual tutoring in the
same. The turn outs for Rich's Reviews quickly went from
a dozen folks to many dozens, and the demand for private tutoring
went exponential. So . . . I changed direction. If I couldn't
succeed at what I thought I was doing, well then by benzene,
I'd become even more successful succeeding at what I was really
doing.
In 1987 I taught the MCAT course for the only Prep. Co. in
town back then, and expanded my review coverage to include Biology
and Genetics (with Physics following soon after). Besides tutoring
for all of the above, including the MCAT, I also began giving
weekly group workshops in Physics and Chemistry.
For the last three years I have conducted my own MCAT prep
program for both the Spring and Summer MCATs, and last summer
I began work on an MCAT prep book.
And now for the most important detail. It was all, and still
all is, FUN!
Why create the Zone? Because I can't help it, and know better
than to argue with myself.
Hope you find the Zone useful.
Rich
09 May 97