Working with Julio

I have a BA in History and Literature from Harvard University (’03) and an MFA in Writing from FIU, and I am currently completing an EdD degree at the University of Florida. I’ve also done extensive coursework in mathematics, computer science, and the natural sciences.

I taught AP English Literature at Coral Reef High School for three years and freshman composition at FIU for four years. I have been an SAT, ACT, and academic tutor for 22 years, starting as a college freshman. For the last 15 years, managing and operating a tutoring company has been my primary profession.

You can read more about my background on my profile page.

I help students with a variety of academic challenges. My current rates are below.

• SAT/ACT Preparation — $195/hour
• Academic Support — $135/hour
• College Admissions Support — $15,800 (flat fee, unlimited hours)

For a full overview of everything Studyworks offers, see our Services & Rates page at studyworksprep.com/services.

You can contact me by email, text message, or WhatsApp to schedule lessons directly — there’s no booking system to navigate.

I accept payment in a variety of forms, including cash, check, Zelle, and Square.

• Zelle: use the Zelle tag Studyworksprep
• Square: I’ll send an email invoice, payable by any major credit card

All weekday lessons (Monday through Friday) are conducted over Zoom:

us02web.zoom.us/j/9367139390
Meeting ID: 936 713 9390  ·  Passcode: 516222

Weekend lessons take place at our South Miami office: 5966 S Dixie Hwy, Suite 300, Miami, FL 33143.

Yes — in addition to helping students with standardized tests, I operate an in-depth college consulting service. I have more than 15 years of experience with the college application process, and have personally helped write and edit more than a thousand college essays (not an exaggeration!).

The fee for this service is $15,800, which most families pay either as two payments (50% at the start, 50% at the end) or through monthly installments. I’m open to other payment structures depending on your family’s needs.

I work with a maximum of 8 students per year, so it’s important to reserve your spot early. If you’d like to learn more, please let me know right away — you can also read about the full program on our College Admissions Consulting page.

Preparing for standardized tests is not like preparing for a quiz or test in a high school class. It’s not enough to know the material: students taking the SAT or ACT have to apply the knowledge they possess in new and challenging ways. Both tests require students to draw on their critical thinking, problem-solving, and close-reading skills.

To get better at these tasks, students need repetition, practice, and in-depth review. My process begins with practice tests — real exams that students took in the recent past. I assign sections and questions from these tests, then review the work very carefully. It’s important to learn or discover something from each question, whether the student gets it right or wrong.

As I work with a student, I often uncover major gaps in their math or verbal backgrounds, and we work together to fill those gaps. You can read more about the Studyworks approach on our Our Methods page.

To start the tutoring process, I take stock of a student’s target colleges, grades, and other factors to develop a target score. Once we have a target in mind, I keep careful track of the student’s score as it changes over time. I administer regular full-length practice tests and make an effort to score even individual practice sections or passages.

A student should take the SAT or ACT when their practice test scores are close to their desired target. The tests I use are real exams from the last few years, so they’re a strong indicator of progress.

That said, students must often take the official test multiple times before they achieve their full potential. The official test brings in elements that are impossible to replicate in practice — especially the stress and anxiety of test day. The more often students take the test (both as practice and officially), the more comfortable they become with the process.

In most cases I recommend taking both tests, unless a student is truly struggling with one relative to the other. These days, both the SAT and the ACT are widely accepted by all colleges and universities, and many students find they are naturally better at one.

As part of the tutoring process, I expose students to both tests very early and determine which is the better fit. We then focus most of our energy and time on the appropriate test — but most students should still take both multiple times.

There is a lot of overlap between the skills and questions covered by the two tests, so preparing for one often helps substantially with the other. Because there are limited opportunities to take official tests, and because there’s a high degree of randomness in the questions students face on test day, it’s worth taking advantage of both exams.

There’s no single “right” time to get started — it mostly depends on how close or far a student is from their target score. If your child is a good test-taker who just needs a little extra help, it’s fine to start a month or two before the test. If your child struggles more with standardized tests, or has a very ambitious target, they’ll need more time.

It’s important to note that last-minute tutoring (“Hey, my test is this weekend, can you help?”) is not particularly effective — for standardized test prep or academic tutoring. The brain needs time and repetition to master difficult skills. Doing five hours of tutoring the week before the test is not nearly as effective as doing one hour a week for five weeks.

For scheduling, payment, or anything else, the easiest way to reach me is by email, text, or WhatsApp. I’m always happy to talk through your student’s goals and figure out the right plan.