Which SAT prep academy in Irvine?

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pricedoutJay

New member
Here is new topic.  Any experiences, feedback, and opinions on SAT prep companies in Irvine would be appreciated.  I know they are expensive but also heard a lot of "success" stories.  I mean if I need to spend $2000 over the summer for my kid to raise the score by a few 100 points on SAT (which will never be used or looked at again after high school), I'm thinking why not.  I am just looking for first hand experiences.  Thanks.
 
pricedoutJay said:
Here is new topic.  Any experiences, feedback, and opinions on SAT prep companies in Irvine would be appreciated.  I know they are expensive but also heard a lot of "success" stories.  I mean if I need to spend $2000 over the summer for my kid to raise the score by a few 100 points on SAT (which will never be used or looked at again after high school), I'm thinking why not.  I am just looking for first hand experiences.  Thanks.
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For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
 
For $500, I can take the test for your kid. Guarantee at least 2300+.  You don't want the perfect score - colleges love rejecting those.  This obviously only works if you have a girl. I can still pass for 18. Being asian and all.
 
qwerty said:
For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
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Oooo! Great idea. Qwerty, can you pencil me in, too? I want to hire you for a photo with me & my boys to combat Affirmative Action a.k.a. racial discrimination against whites, especially males.

Qwerty, these college administrators are going to look at your smiling face on the application photo by the hundreds and be simply amazed at the life you've made for yourself in America with all these kids & baby mommas from every corner of the globe!
 
SoCal said:
qwerty said:
For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
Click to expand...

Oooo! Great idea. Qwerty, can you pencil me in, too? I want to hire you for a photo with me & my boys to combat Affirmative Action a.k.a. racial discrimination against whites, especially males.

Qwerty, these college administrators are going to look at your smiling face on the application photo by the hundreds and be simply amazed at the life you've made for yourself in America with all these kids & baby mommas from every corner of the globe!
Click to expand...
No worries, All minorities (Mexicans included) looks the same.
 
pricedoutJay said:
Here is new topic.  Any experiences, feedback, and opinions on SAT prep companies in Irvine would be appreciated.  I know they are expensive but also heard a lot of "success" stories.  I mean if I need to spend $2000 over the summer for my kid to raise the score by a few 100 points on SAT (which will never be used or looked at again after high school), I'm thinking why not.  I am just looking for first hand experiences.  Thanks.
Click to expand...

Didn't work for my child.  Final Score (One and Only try) was only 50 points more than the initial Diagnostic Test Score (which was supposed to be difficult so they can start off with a lower score).  Not worth the entire summer being goobled up in prep.  If we could do it all over again I would probably choose targeted one-on sessions.
 
Irvine Dream said:
SoCal said:
qwerty said:
For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
Click to expand...

Oooo! Great idea. Qwerty, can you pencil me in, too? I want to hire you for a photo with me & my boys to combat Affirmative Action a.k.a. racial discrimination against whites, especially males.

Qwerty, these college administrators are going to look at your smiling face on the application photo by the hundreds and be simply amazed at the life you've made for yourself in America with all these kids & baby mommas from every corner of the globe!
Click to expand...
No worries, All minorities (Mexicans included) looks the same.
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sucks to be asian.  we are minorities, but we were never treated as minorities.
Worst of all, we can't even treat as normally. 
 
qwerty said:
pricedoutJay said:
Here is new topic.  Any experiences, feedback, and opinions on SAT prep companies in Irvine would be appreciated.  I know they are expensive but also heard a lot of "success" stories.  I mean if I need to spend $2000 over the summer for my kid to raise the score by a few 100 points on SAT (which will never be used or looked at again after high school), I'm thinking why not.  I am just looking for first hand experiences.  Thanks.
Click to expand...

For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
Click to expand...

I agree with you but was hoping something little more serious...
 
irvinehomeowner said:
bones said:
I can still pass for 18. Being asian and all.
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You're just tempting qwerasianlover to post another of his imagination pics of you. :)
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this is what bones looked like in my last dream

10382820_800867509947109_2612913091471108369_n.jpg
 
pricedoutJay said:
qwerty said:
pricedoutJay said:
Here is new topic.  Any experiences, feedback, and opinions on SAT prep companies in Irvine would be appreciated.  I know they are expensive but also heard a lot of "success" stories.  I mean if I need to spend $2000 over the summer for my kid to raise the score by a few 100 points on SAT (which will never be used or looked at again after high school), I'm thinking why not.  I am just looking for first hand experiences.  Thanks.
Click to expand...

For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
Click to expand...

I agree with you but was hoping something little more serious...
Click to expand...

Depending on who you ask, you'll get a lot of different answers because test prep is so results driven.  You'll find parents/students will love/hate each and every program.  I think part of the "right" answer comes from who your kid is as a student and where he is at prep.  If he's your usual cutthroat, Irvine kid, then he will probably do ok at/benefit from one of the big SAT prep factories in Irvine.  These type of classes require a lot of student driven motivation and a lot of the improvement comes from peer pressure (seeing other kids improve, posting of scores, etc).  If your kid is behind in any way on concepts, has trouble with standardized testing, needs a lot of coaching/motivation, then one-on-one type tutoring may be the way to go.

If you go the Asian SAT prep factory route, I would pick a place that has developed its own SAT prep curriculum and has quality instructors.  However, I would avoid places like Princeton Review/Kaplan b/c most of their prep is gimmicky and honestly, you can just buy their books and prep at home. 
 
P.S. I do think there's also a timing factor at play here.  A lot of the Irvine asian parental set will prep their kid after 8th, 9th AND 10th grade.  Sometimes again after 11th grade for one last push.  To me, that's overkill.  As with sports, you want your kid to "peak" at the right time.  I would prep once - ideally summer after 10th grade.  Have the kid take the test once or twice that fall and call it a day.  Overprepping doesn't do anything for the kid and they plateau and lose interest in the material after rinsing and repeating several times. 
 
bones said:
Depending on who you ask, you'll get a lot of different answers because test prep is so results driven.  You'll find parents/students will love/hate each and every program.  I think part of the "right" answer comes from who your kid is as a student and where he is at prep.  If he's your usual cutthroat, Irvine kid, then he will probably do ok at/benefit from one of the big SAT prep factories in Irvine.  These type of classes require a lot of student driven motivation and a lot of the improvement comes from peer pressure (seeing other kids improve, posting of scores, etc).  If your kid is behind in any way on concepts, has trouble with standardized testing, needs a lot of coaching/motivation, then one-on-one type tutoring may be the way to go.

If you go the Asian SAT prep factory route, I would pick a place that has developed its own SAT prep curriculum and has quality instructors.  However, I would avoid places like Princeton Review/Kaplan b/c most of their prep is gimmicky and honestly, you can just buy their books and prep at home.
Click to expand...

You are right in your assessment that answers will vary.  My child is a reasonably clever kid, not the cutthroat version but reasonably motivated, but the ASIAN SAT prep factory didn't do much.  My kid was on the top tier based on initial diagnostic test score but the actual test score only increased by 50 and wasn't worth the whole summer.  Based on the diagnostic score I discussed with my wife it is probably not worth it to attend classes but my wife was hesitant because everybody else was doing it.  Based on my experience I would say if your kid is reasonably clever then one-on-one targeted help probably would be the best but then again the "Grass is always Greener on the other side"
 
One on one is always great. Except to find the right person is hard. Also, it can be hard to find one person to do all areas of the test so it can be hard to coordinate.  that's why some kids will do the morning session at the sat factories then supplement with one on one targeted tutoring in the afternoon. The full court press test prep package :)
 
we tried Barun academy in the summer before the SAT test. my kid got around almost 2000 for the assessment and the practice did help him to get consistent into the 2200-2400 area. and this program is not as intense as some other program (e.g. elite) and it fits his need well.
 
Is there an American Idol or The Voice prep course?

I remember taking a SAT prep course back in the day, didn't really help other than it was *practice* (?AllenIverson) so I'm not sure if the value was worth the cost.

Will I do it for my kids? That's up to the Mrs. :)
 
pricedoutJay said:
qwerty said:
pricedoutJay said:
Here is new topic.  Any experiences, feedback, and opinions on SAT prep companies in Irvine would be appreciated.  I know they are expensive but also heard a lot of "success" stories.  I mean if I need to spend $2000 over the summer for my kid to raise the score by a few 100 points on SAT (which will never be used or looked at again after high school), I'm thinking why not.  I am just looking for first hand experiences.  Thanks.
Click to expand...

For $500 ill take a picture of me, your kid and your wife and you can include the family picture in the college applications. This will be proof that they are 50% mexican and will be admitted into any college regardless of SAT scores.
Click to expand...

I agree with you but was hoping something little more serious...
Click to expand...

Well, if we really want to be serious... We all know being Hispanic is not enough to guarantee an Affirmative Action spot. What us whites & Asians really need is a black guy or the most preferred... a Native American man to pretend he's the father of our children. Now, that is a serious solution to the "non-discriminatory" legalized discrimination. It's a shoo-in!
 
So true. Hispanics are already the largest minority on college campuses. By the time, qwerty's hispasian kid goes to college, they'll prob be the majority period. Much better to be Blasian or Native Amerasian or heck even Eurasian.
 
It is so interesting to read about Sat prep courses, Montessori schools, private schools and top irvine schools. I have been posting since 2006 and I have never read a single post of a member's kid got into the top tier college. I have read many friends' kids that got in but never a Talk Irvine poster's own kid.
 
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