Our tutors - Kelly Yu

Kelly, Classics and English - University of Oxford

I’m Kelly! I am currently a second-year undergraduate student at Trinity College, Oxford, reading Classics and English, and working towards the second Prelims exams of my degree. Before university, I acquired A*AA in English Literature, Classical Civilisations and Psychology respectively, and an A* for my EPQ. As a person from Hong Kong, I am fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, all language that I am passionate about. I have also taught Mandarin as a foreign language for students as young as 7, where word games and daily conversation have been my focus. I started Ancient Greek from scratch a year ago, and am now reading ancient poets and writers such as Homer, Herodotus and Euripides with relative ease. I therefore understand the difficulty in acquiring a language quickly. At the same time, I believe that learning new languages is an inherently rewarding process, as it allows access to different sets of culture and history.

I have had experience tutoring GCSE students for English literature, guiding students through coursework and 16+ entrance exams. I have also been an Oxbridge admission tutor, where I read through personal statements and conducted mock interviews. Overall, I believe in the approach of tackling exams by understanding the mark scheme and exam skills, yet simultaneously fostering students’ interests in the subject they are learning, as this truly motivates what they're doing. I always cater the workload and materials we work with to the student's specific needs and interests in order to foster this enthusiasm.

Outside of academics, I am relatively active on the theatre scene, though I am mainly interested in various Greek plays. I have performed in the Oxford Greek Play, Medea and I recently produced and performed in Orestes, a production entirely in Greek. I look forward to teaching students from all walks of life and diverse interests.