Our Instructors >> Neil Thornton
Neil Thornton
The hardest part of growing up in Schenectady was learning to spell Schenectady. As the son of an engineer father and English-teaching mother, Neil has developed a unique ability to break down tough math for poets, as well as to get mathematicians excited about grammar.
After earning his undergraduate degree in writing from Carnegie Mellon University, Neil moved to New Orleans in a desperate bid to become a more interesting person. While in New Orleans, he amassed an alarming number of Mardi Gras costumes, learned to make a Sazerac cocktail, and earned his MFA from the University of New Orleans. He published fiction and essays in several literary journals and magazines and taught college English for 9 years, running classes in Composition, Literature, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Technical Writing, and Managerial Communication.
Neil started teaching SAT classes in 1991 while in college and learned to love beating test-writers at their own game. He’s coached hundreds (thousands?) of students through the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT-verbal, and SAT subject tests (Math level 2 is his favorite) and trained instructors all over the United States. He has scored 99th percentile on the GMAT, LSAT and GRE.
Since moving to New York City in 2007, Neil has become a working stand-up comic, performing everywhere from major comedy clubs to seedy dive bars, with recent shows in New York, Cape Cod, and Washington DC. Other than teaching, writing, and performing, Neil spends his free time reading, running, camping, cooking, snowboarding, and juggling fire.
Feedback From Neil’s Recent Students
"Neil's enthusiasm and calm approach to each problem makes it all seem very manageable. Also he is a wealth of knowledge and expert on all the content. He's great at making people feel comfortable in class and making sure everyone understands. Also great at explaining or being open to hearing alternative methods."
"Knows GMAT inside and out. Explains everything very clearly. Makes learning fun. Excellent teacher...he "reaches" students. Sense of humor. A for Attitude."
"Incredibly enthusiastic. Insanely knowledgeable. Tremendous amount of experience. Super patient. Super understanding."
