Sheptin Tutoring Group, LLC Opens Central Office in Chappaqua. Open House on Sunday, May 18th from 2-5 pm at his office at 175 King Street.

Alan Sheptin enjoys applying mathematics to everyday life. When I sat down with him this past week to discuss his expertise and education consulting business, he asked me if I knew what causes the ‘echo’ effect in Grand Central's Whispering Gallery. Next time you’re in Grand Central, try out this effect within the four archways, on the way down to the lower concourse in front of the Oyster Bar restaurant. (The answer is revealed at the end of this article.) 

Alan is an adjunct professor at Iona and Mercy Colleges where he teaches Statistics and Calculus. In July and August, he teaches a course at Iona called Mathematical Thinking, in addition to Calculus.

Sheptin’s idea for a tutoring business grew right out of his dorm while attending the University of Pennsylvania. As Resident Advisor in an all freshman dorm, he noticed a need to help freshman study for Calculus.  

After graduation, he went straight into the corporate world, working as an actuary at top insurance firms. Developing new products was one of his responsibilities, which now comes in handy in developing new programs for the education consulting business.

While working full-time, Alan began to teach SAT, GRE, and GMAT courses at Kaplan, and tutored students privately in math.

Nine years ago, Alan had an epiphany and decided to leave corporate America and develop his own business. In 2006, his first Regents review class had nine students. Within six months, he witnessed a 33% increase in business.  And it has kept growing dramatically ever since. 

He decided to open an office in Chappaqua this year. This office is a central point where parents and students meet with him. Alan found this to be a more efficient way to conduct business.  

In 2011, the president of World Cup Nursery School called Alan with an unexpected business proposal offering him 12 classrooms for use on the weekends. Alan had a great location to go full steam ahead with weekend and evening tutoring courses from this point forward.  The partnership has been extraordinarily successful.  “When parents call me, they fondly recall their children’s days there. Some of them ask me if their kids will be sitting in the small desk and chairs.  I joke that we provide them with ‘big-boy’ chairs and tables.”

He believes his style of small class size is key to success. Eighteen is the maximum number of students in a class. “I want kids to feel confident and have the ‘I’m not giving up’ attitude,” said Sheptin. He added, “Repetition is key in learning.” He believes the study guides he and his team have developed benefit students as well.

His staff is comprised of licensed teachers in all academic subjects. Chappaqua is his largest market. He also has clients from Armonk, Bedford, Katonah-Lewisboro, Somers, North Salem, Brewster, Carmel, Scarsdale, Riverdale and even students from The Bronx High School of Science. Students from Buffalo, Pennsylvania, and even Turkey, use Skype to study with Sheptin and his team.

In 2013, his Regents and SAT tutoring courses attracted well over 400 students. Additionally, his company privately tutors over 150 students annually. Many Greeley parents approached him over the past two years for midterm and finals review mini-classes in subjects such as Math, Social Studies and Science. This program has grown exponentially, and parents in other nearby districts have been inquiring about replicating this program.  

He shared some of his success stories with me. “It is not an anomaly for a student to call me reporting a score of 100% on a Regents exam. Then, there was a student who received a combined score of 1470 on all three sections of the PSAT. After taking my course, this student scored a 1900. The student’s parent called me a ‘miracle worker’,” stated Sheptin. Another example is when a student scored in the low 700s on the Reading and Writing portions of the PSAT. The student then scored an 800 on both the writing and reading portions of the exam after Alan’s course.  ACT students experience the same fate: many score in the 30s, beyond their expectations.  His Regents students routinely score in the high 90s on the exams.  It is not uncommon for Sheptin’s “alumni” to attend the top universities in the US and abroad. 

Sheptin Tutoring Group, LLC offers one-day/ six-hour Regents course two weeks before the exams. They typically cost between $140-$180. Alan believes a short, quick program helps kids take inventory of their skills. “By the end of the day, they will know where their strengths lie and can better manage their final few days of study,” added Sheptin.

Sheptin now offers GMAT and GRE private tutoring. Many of his students who he worked with in high school and college return as clients applying to graduate school. He just recently expanded into the Long Island market serving the towns of Melville and Woodmere, with future plans of expanding in the upstate cities of Buffalo and Rochester.

Alan grew up in Brooklyn and attended Midwood High School. He credits an outstanding faculty from his high school for his love of learning.  Alan and his college sweetheart, Lisa, have been married for 27 years. She is a teacher at the Windward School. They have a son, 23, and a daughter who is a college freshman. In his spare time, he and his family enjoy traveling to distant places, such as Russia, as well as places as close as the Cloisters.

Sheptin Tutoring Group, LLC is welcomes you to meet him at an Open House on Sunday, May 18th from 2-5 pm at his office at 175 King Street.  His website, www.sheptin.com, contains information about all classes and services available.

Answer: The ceiling forms a parabolic arch that focuses the sound from one side across to the other.  It is the most efficient way to distribute sound.