Experienced Biology, Medicine and Science Tutor - Medical Student from King's College London.

Find out more about Nikhil

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I've developed a passion for teaching during my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science, where I was chosen from a select group of students to educate my fellow medical professionals as an Anatomy Demonstrator. This opportunity, usually only held by senior doctors, allowed me to consolidate anatomical and clinical knowledge with peers through the healthcare sector, from medical students and nurses, to paramedics and physiotherapists.
  
  After refining my skills in teaching, I took my experience online to work as a private tutor during the COVID-19 pandemic. I helped students who were struggling with the rapid changes in education to develop better knowledge and understanding in topics such as biology, chemistry and the medical school entrance exams.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I enjoy teaching a variety of subjects. However, my passions lie in medical and biological sciences. Teaching biology content allows me to discuss with students the mechanisms of life. How the body can move, fight off disease and reproduce. How organisms can range from the size of bacteria to the complexities of the blue whale. And, through medical tutorials, I can show students how the body is affected by pathology, and how healthcare teams can provide robust treatment and management. My tutoring lets me discuss the topics I am most passionate about, as well as assist students who wish to learn more.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  My biggest educational inspiration is my Religious Education teacher, Ms Hyland. As well as teaching me the history and philosophy of the major world religions, she taught us how to research and explain our viewpoints thoroughly. She helped us to develop confidence with challenging material. And, most of all, she treated us with respect and independence. I hope I can use the lessons she has taught me and pass them on to all of the students I get the opportunity to work with.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  A truly good tutor is one who can completely understand the needs and struggles of the students they work with. Every person is unique, requiring guidance in different areas and needing different methods to consolidate new knowledge. I try to figure out what methods and techniques will best help the student, actively listening to them and implementing taught content in ways they will find most helpful and useful.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I remember my biology teacher (another educator who greatly inspired me), spending multiple hours after school with me, explaining content that I had trouble understanding and refining that knowledge with me. She showed a level of dedication and patience for me that ultimately resulted in me achieving the top GCSE biology results in the school that year. That showed me how important it was to be the kind of educator that is willing to go above and beyond for their students and is something I strive to do with the next generation of students.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  One of the biggest challenges I faced in medical school was at the beginning of the journey! Achieving a place in medical school requires balancing academic performance, extra curricular activities, volunteering, work experience, entrance exam practice and interviews in one of the most challenging years of secondary school education. As I was the first in my family to attend medical school, I lacked a lot of useful guidance and support in this journey, which only made the challenge feel even more insurmountable.
  
  Now that I have achieved that goal of a medical school place, I wish to pass on that knowledge to parents and students who were in a similar position to me. I want to be the guide that helps to make such a lofty journey into a more achievable goal to strive towards.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  My career in medicine allows me to combine and refine several passions of mine. I am an avid learner, always passionate to consolidate new fields and concepts in the healthcare space. I am also passionate about self improvement, working daily to improve my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing through daily study, exercise and meditations. Finally, I am always interested in exploring new hobbies and skills, taking some time to learn computer programming and Hindi.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P)?

  My time in education has shown me that the best students are not always the ones who are naturally gifted. Instead, it is the students who consistently work to the best of their abilities, who reflect on their areas of strength and improvement, and who have a profound passion for learning.
  
  I wish to be a Superprof for this group of students. I want to help them further develop that passion by teaching them the subjects I care most deeply about. I want to point them to the best resources so that they can engage in independent study and nurture their own skills. Finally, I want to guide students in achieving their goals, going beyond what is expected of them, much like my teachers did for me.