Your Tutor
Julian Diaz
About Your Tutor
Over the last 8+ years, I've worked with more than 500 students in organic chemistry courses at some of the most demanding STEM programs in the country.
I studied Chemistry at the University of Michigan and specialize in helping students succeed in the CHEM 210 / CHEM 215 sequence at Michigan and the Chem 3A / Chem 3B sequence at UC Berkeley. Over the years, I've developed a deep familiarity with the challenges these courses present, the way specific instructors teach them, and the skills students need to perform well on exams.
In addition to Michigan and Berkeley, I've worked successfully with students from UCLA, UC San Diego, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, Emory, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, and many other universities.
My approach to tutoring is centered on mastery of the fundamentals: formal charges, resonance, curved arrows, and reaction mechanisms. Organic chemistry becomes significantly easier when students learn how to identify the critical structural features that determine reactivity and develop a strong mechanistic framework for approaching unfamiliar problems. Rather than teaching students how to solve a particular question, I focus on helping them understand the underlying principles so they can approach new problems confidently.
Many students come to me feeling overwhelmed by the pace and difficulty of organic chemistry. My goal is to help them build a framework for understanding the subject, develop confidence in their problem-solving abilities, and feel like they have someone in their corner throughout the semester.
Outside of chemistry, I enjoy cycling, chess, and reading contemporary fiction.
What Students Say About Working With Me.
Support Throughout the Semester
"Beyond his knowledge of the subject, he genuinely cares about his students' progress and goals. His consistent support, patience, and encouragement also helped me stay motivated." — Sue, UC Berkeley"I often entered sessions feeling lost and overwhelmed, but always left feeling relieved and much more prepared."— Annie, University of MichiganCourse-Specific Prep
"His practice questions closely matched the style and difficulty of the questions I saw in the actual course."— Toby, UC Berkeley"He emphasizes what you truly need to know to be successful rather than overwhelming you with unnecessary details."— Ethan, University of MichiganPersonalized Instruction
"He explains class topics in a much simpler way than my lecturer and tailors sessions to the professor you have."— Varnika, University of Michigan