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Faruk Bursal

Faruk Bursal Boston, Massachusetts

A B-school professor’s son, Faruk got his own first taste of teaching in middle school, when he tutored his classmates in various subjects “basically for the sake of friendship.” He later enrolled at MIT and became one of the few students to graduate with a perfect 5.0 grade point average—despite some close calls brought on by a steadfast refusal to attend any classes beginning at a single-digit hour. The MIT years also marked the second time that Faruk’s life trajectory touched down in Boston, the first being the occasion of his birth.

Switching coasts to Berkeley, Faruk got his Ph.D. while also teaching GMAT, GRE and SAT classes on the side for another test prep company. He then taught college for five years, found out that he did not enjoy the research-centric life of a professor, and decided to make a career switch to industry. This led to his third (and so far, continuing) sojourn in Boston. Faruk is currently an engineering manager at a major consumer electronics firm, where he enjoys the fast-paced, user-focused world of product design. Nonetheless, he remains a teacher at heart and was thrilled to discover ManhattanGMAT one Thursday evening while surfing the net. He had one problem, though—he did not have an official GMAT score to prove his mettle, despite having aced a number of entrance exams in the past. After frantically searching for an available slot at the local test centers and not seeing any openings for weeks, Faruk lucked out when an open slot turned up that very Sunday. He came out with a 780 and was on his way.

Faruk’s assets as a teacher include great patience and a knack for sensing the stumbling blocks that students face. He also cares deeply about helping his students improve their performance. Outside of class and his day job, Faruk enjoys walking, reading and playing with his two daughters. Favorite activities involve Legos, balloons, Play-Doh and “slipperball.”
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