Our Instructors >> Mike Tolleth
Mike Tolleth
Mike made his first foray into the world of test preparation immediately after graduating from UC San Diego. After four years of classes and research in such esoteric fields as paleo-oceanography and computational biochemistry, he found himself in possession of Bachelor of Science degree and a firm conviction that he did not want to pursue a Ph. D. Fortunately, after teaching his first few SAT and GRE classes at another test prep company, Mike discovered both a talent and passion for teaching. He nurtured these while teaching chemistry, physics, and mathematics in several San Diego independent high schools, where he faced such challenges as teaching two different courses simultaneously in the same classroom, designing an independent study course in mathematical physics, and convincing second semester seniors to learn anything at all.
Having miraculously survived 5 years of bottle rocket launches and exploding chemistry demonstrations without injuring himself or his students, Mike decided not to press his luck further. He moved back to his native New Jersey to work in the educational publishing industry. While developing curriculum for yet another test prep company, and with his GRE score approaching its expiration date, Mike decided to take the GMAT and surprised himself by earning a 780. Recognizing this as his opportunity to make the big leagues, he applied to join the stellar instructors at Manhattan GMAT.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given his track record of career exploration and departing warmer climates for colder ones, Mike recently moved to the Windy City to enroll in the MBA program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He is excited to meet new classmates and new students, and hopes they’ll all share their insights on where to find the best deep-dish pizza and other Chicago delicacies.
