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Our Thoughtful Team
Sophy Schulman
Admissions Consultant / Tutor
Sophy is currently a first-year student in the MA/Ph.D. program in English at the Catholic University of America, where she's currently waist-deep in Medieval and early Renaissance literature. During some of the finest twenty hours of her typical week, she can be found in the University's Writing Center, where she works with students one-on-one to polish admissions essays, brainstorm arguments for research papers, or fine-tune articles for publication. Sophy brings the same conversational, collaborative, and encouraging approach to each Thought Incorporated tutoring session. What she enjoys most about tutoring is seeing her students' confidence grow as active, sensitive readers, and skillful writers.
Sophy first discovered how much she enjoyed tutoring as an undergraduate at St. John's College; in her senior year, she was approached to design and implement a study assistance program for undergraduates struggling with the demands of the college’s Great Books curriculum. After graduating, she spent a summer interning in the copy department of Philadelphia's Barnes Museum, where she helped edit the manuscript for the book Berthe Morisot: Woman Impressionist, while also working as a freelance French and writing tutor with students at the University of Pennsylvania.
What people are saying about Sophy
"Working with Sophy is such a gift. Tutoring with her always feels like a genuine conversation rather than something stiff or overly formal. Our sessions always carry a tone of togetherness--you can feel her working through every problem right alongside you like a real teammate. By being such a great listener and naturally inquisitive person, she encourages you to discuss your concerns openly and to pose new questions. She shows genuine interest in my ideas and always encourages me to chase them to their fullest and to be excited and passionate about my projects. She has mastered giving advice or prompting that guides me just enough to discover ideas on my own."
-Madeline A.
"Sophy was easily one of the most attentive and supportive members of the Writing Center community at Catholic University. She had amazing brainstorming and writing skills. Her experience in structuring and piecing together a thesis is exceptional. Her guidance was key for my success, helping me get amazing grade on my essay! She is also one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with! Her positivity had a big impact on me as a student."
-Erin T.
Bridget Groff
Admissions Consultant / Tutor
Bridget is a Ph.D. candidate and teaching fellow in philosophy at the Catholic University of America, with special interests in ancient Greek and German philosophy and aesthetics. A Houston native, Bridget earned her B.A in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas, where she also worked as a philosophy and writing tutor. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 2018 to pursue her Ph.D., and earned her M.A. in 2021 with the completion of her thesis, “The Metaphysics of ‘Aesthetic Justification’ in Nietzsche’s Birth of Tragedy.” Bridget has a deep love of film, music, art, and literature, and is passionate about the intersection of philosophy and culture. She loves to incorporate music and film into her teaching curriculum and hosts movie nights with her students to help make philosophical themes fun and accessible. One of her favorite directors is Wes Anderson (Houston born and raised!), and she likes to relate his Fantastic Mr. Fox to Aristotle’s account of nature.
In the last four years, Bridget has worked on the staff of a scholarly journal, The Review of Metaphysics, and as an undergraduate philosophy instructor. Her primary aim in the classroom is to transform her students into careful readers, effective writers, and thoughtful communicators. She believes in the Socratic dictum to transform one’s puzzlement into a deep desire to know and that this desire must be coupled with a knowledge of one’s self. She hopes to instill this love of learning in all of her students and hopes also that her students come to think critically about themselves: their interests, their worldview, and the questions that matter to them the most.
What people are saying about Bridget
Though our readings are very abstract and difficult, the way Bridget explained them in class made me understand what was going on. She was succinct and used examples, metaphors, charts, and terms we could relate to in order explain difficult concepts, and she always had a great balance between professional and relatable. Bridget was also incredibly helpful with papers. I went to her office hours every time I wrote a paper to double check my draft, and she was always available and ready to help.
Elizabeth R.
Bridget was always engaging and always encouraged us to take the lead in our class discussions. I was always paying attention, even at 9 am on a Friday. And when the class got stuck or had nothing to say, Bridget would always say something to spark the discussion. She was always there to help, whether writing a paper, talking about a philosopher, or even sometimes just to talk about life. Throughout the year, I got better with her help. For every paper I was handed back, she would always explain why I got the grade I did and explain how I could improve on the next one. It was the first time a professor or teacher ever sat down with me and explained why I got the grade I did.
Molly M.
Bridget had a lesson plan and a routine prepared for every single one of our classes, which really demonstrated her organizational skills. She provided a comfortable space in which to discuss many different concepts, and her remarkable ability to evoke thought-provoking dialogue encouraged us to think critically.
Andrea S.
On the first paper I wrote for our class, I scored a C-. I was immediately distraught and panicked about my future in philosophy classes, but Bridget spent multiple appointments and hours to work with me, and on the next essay, I received an A!
Georgia N.