Student & Parent Testimonials

The mentorship has completely changed the way I approach research. Instead of trying to make my paper sound impressive on paper, I learned how to make every claim defensible. My mentor never let me settle for vague explanations, and my work became much stronger because of it.

— Xi** Ha**, Hong Kong, China
From our first meeting, it felt like my mentor was invested in helping me produce something meaningful rather than just finishing a project. With every draft my work became more focused, every argument became stronger, and by the end I had far more confidence in my own ability to tackle difficult questions independently.

— Ja** Sp**, Orange County, California
Working one-on-one with my mentor was easily the most intellectually challenging thing I've done in high school. Every meeting forced me to justify my assumptions instead of simply repeating what I'd read. By the end, I was thinking much more critically about markets.

— Da*** Fo***, San Jose, California
Alex made this module, and even the whole term, 10x better through his amazing teaching methods, engagement, and overall support of my studying and future plans. He genuinely brought the material to life and motivated me to go above and beyond; Alex is honestly the best teacher I’ve had in my SOAS experience.

— Second‑year student, SOAS
This was my first time leading a full research project, and Dr. PK guided me from a vague idea to a publishable paper step by step. His feedback was detailed, honest, and always pushed me to think more deeply about my methods and results.

— K*** K****, California
I always felt supported working with Dr. PK—he answered questions quickly, read every version of my paper carefully, and helped me navigate the submission and revision process with confidence.

— D**** K***, Vietnam
Working with Dr. PK completely changed how I see academic research. He broke down complex concepts in statistics and econometrics in a way I could actually apply, and he never let me settle for ‘good enough’ in my drafts.

— A*** K****, California
Alex is easily the best tutor I’ve had in any of my modules at SOAS. His willingness to answer every question and make students feel comfortable is unparalleled.

— Undergraduate student, SOAS University of London
After 3 years at SOAS, Alex is comfortably one of the best tutors, if not the best tutor I had during my time. The tutorials were extremely stimulating and interactive, and it was very evident that Alex had real passion for the module. He consistently went above and beyond to support my learning.

— Final‑year economics student, SOAS

Student perspectives

What serious mentorship feels like.

The strongest feedback is not about polish or prestige. It is about learning to ask sharper questions, defend an argument, and keep revising when the easy answer falls apart.

Student names are abbreviated for privacy

Independent thinkingQuestions before conclusions

Direct feedbackEvery claim must hold

Real ownershipThe student remains the author

The research experience

Students describe the change in their own work.

These reflections come from students who worked through demanding questions, repeated revision, and the responsibility of defending their own reasoning.

The mentorship has completely changed the way I approach research. Instead of trying to make my paper sound impressive on paper, I learned how to make every claim defensible. My mentor never let me settle for vague explanations, and my work became much stronger because of it.

From our first meeting, it felt like my mentor was invested in helping me produce something meaningful rather than just finishing a project. With every draft my work became more focused, every argument became stronger, and by the end I had far more confidence in my ability to tackle difficult questions independently.

Working one-on-one with my mentor was easily the most intellectually challenging thing I’ve done in high school. Every meeting forced me to justify my assumptions instead of simply repeating what I’d read. By the end, I was thinking much more critically about markets.

Mentor feedback

What students say about the people guiding the work.

We separate mentor-specific teaching feedback from GRF program testimonials so the context behind each statement remains clear.

Alex DrydenTeaching feedback

Alex made this module, and even the whole term, 10x better through his amazing teaching methods, engagement, and overall support of my studying and future plans. He genuinely brought the material to life and motivated me to go above and beyond; Alex is honestly the best teacher I’ve had in my SOAS experience.

Alex is easily the best tutor I’ve had in any of my modules at SOAS. His willingness to answer every question and make students feel comfortable is unparalleled.

After 3 years at SOAS, Alex is comfortably one of the best tutors, if not the best tutor I had during my time. The tutorials were extremely stimulating and interactive, and it was very evident that Alex had real passion for the module. He consistently went above and beyond to support my learning.

Dr. PKResearch mentorship

This was my first time leading a full research project, and Dr. PK guided me from a vague idea to a publishable paper step by step. His feedback was detailed, honest, and always pushed me to think more deeply about my methods and results.

I always felt supported working with Dr. PK—he answered questions quickly, read every version of my paper carefully, and helped me navigate the submission and revision process with confidence.

Working with Dr. PK completely changed how I see academic research. He broke down complex concepts in statistics and econometrics in a way I could actually apply, and he never let me settle for “good enough” in my drafts.

Student outcomes

Where student work has been recognized.

Recognition varies by student and project. These examples describe venues represented across prior student outcomes and do not imply guaranteed publication or competition placement.

Research journals

Journal of Emerging Investigators
Journal of Student Research
National High School Journal of Science
Curieux Academic Journal
Publications affiliated with APS, AMS, ACS, IEEE, and Springer

Competitions and conferences

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair
Science Olympiad
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

Choose the structure. Then do the work.

Compare the five-Fellow Research Desk Cohort with private one-to-one mentorship and choose the setting that fits the student’s project.

Explore the cohort Private mentorship

Where our students have been recognized

Select research journals:

Journal of Emerging Investigators

Journal of Student Research
National High School Journal of Science
Curieux Academic Journal
Publications affiliated with major societies such as the American Physical Society, American Mathematical Society, American Chemical Society, IEEE, and Springer

Select competitions and conferences:

Regeneron ISEF
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Science Olympiad
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

The mentorship has completely changed the way I approach research. Instead of trying to make my paper sound impressive on paper, I learned how to make every claim defensible. My mentor never let me settle for vague explanations, and my work became much stronger because of it.

Working one-on-one with my mentor was easily the most intellectually challenging thing I've done in high school. Every meeting forced me to justify my assumptions instead of simply repeating what I'd read. By the end, I was thinking much more critically about markets.