A current student in their graduate program and greatly appreciate the education that they provide…read moreto working professionals with the option to complete the program remotely. Teaching and support staff are amazing and curriculum is updated to stay current with industry. One of the best values for the high caliber of education offered.

There is systemic injustice at Harvard Extension School. Their policies as stated on their website…read moreare not upheld. I had a professor who graded anything beneath a 90% as a 0%. So, in other words, if you don't get an A you fail your assignments. I withdrew, brought this to the attention of the Dean, and asked for financial credit so I could take another course instead. She did not respond but simply forwarded my concern to a registrar who refused to do anything about it. The registrar said, wrongly, that the professor was acting in accord with HES policy. The grading system on the website does not in point of fact map onto the grading system of all the professors. So be forewarned that you may end up with a professor who will give you an F if you get less than an A. Don't waste your money at HES and don't expect the administration to act justly. I've matriculated a different program. HES just lost the 30K they would have made if they would have simply rendered a just decision.

Without the experienced and steady hand that Angela and her team at Boston Academic brought to the…read moretable, I don't know how my son would have gotten through this hyper competitive world of college applications. Thanks to Boston Academic, my son was admitted to UPenn and we are all so grateful and happy! Cannot recommend their services enough!

GISB is not only our three kids' school, but it is also our family's cultural home. All our…read morechildren started in GISB preschool, and by now, our oldest daughter is studying neuroscience at Boston University, our son is writing his "Abitur" right now and will decide if he wants to study in the US or in Europe, and our 8th grader can't stop talking about how excited she is to go for a school exchange with Oslo next school year. Over the 16 years at GISB, our kids have always been taken care of, both emotionally and academically. The teachers are young and committed, the principal is competent and visionary, the parent community is strong and supportive. The German International School Boston has that name for a reason. The curriculum is German based but also covers the American highschool curriculum, and our families are international. Last year we had 39 different nationalities at our school. The annual turnover is hard, many families come for a predefined amount of time to Boston and then leave (some also stay!). But that also means that you have friends all over the world since GISB by now has a worldwide network of families who help each other. Our graduates finish school with the International Abitur and the Massachusetts High School diploma, opening doors all over the US and Europe. If you want your child grow up in a warm, nurturing setting where he/she will be raised with excellent academics and a strong focus on character-building, then you should consider this truly wonderful school!

My children attended GISB for four years. Below is an honest review of our experience. I wish I…read morehad an honest review of the school before we had decided to enroll there. Hopefully this will help parents who are considering GISB make an informed decision. Location: The traffic in Allston is bad now and will only get worse as Harvard opens its new Engineering Campus in 2020. Facilities: Upper campus is an old Catholic school that is quite shabby in areas. There is no air conditioning in the summer. The heat fails in the winter. The paint is worn out in the stairwells. The parking lot has rusty twisted broken fences. Some specific spaces such as the library have been renovated recently and are OK. Lower Campus, where the pre-K and K grades are located, is a recently converted office building. The lower campus space turns out to be quite cramped when it is full of students. If you have a young active child that needs to move and get their wiggles out over the course of the day this will be a challenging environment for them. Tuition: The German International School of Boston (GISB) demands all the tuition upfront for the school year and there are no refunds for any reason. Buyers beware of any service that demands all the money up front and puts "no refunds for any reason" in the fine print. There are also a lot of various extra fees for the after school classes, ski week, vacation week camp, etc. School Calendar: The GISB academic calendar follows the German academic calendar rather than the American academic calendar. This means that there are two week breaks in February and April where parents must scramble for childcare. Teacher turn over: In the four years that my kids attended GISB they lost teachers every year (sometimes even mid-year) for a variety of reasons (disputes over pay with the administration, visa issues, pregnancy, health problems, etc.). There is no substitute teacher pool to draw on so when a teacher is sick it is a mad scramble to cover the classroom. Even when there is plenty of advance warning of a teacher's departure. (This teacher is pregnant. She will be going out on maternity leave in 4 months.) There was no planning on the part of the administration on how to cover the class room and it was an ad hoc assortment of people covering the class which was very detrimental to the students. Teacher's Credentials: Being a private school the teachers are not subject to the same credentialing criteria as public-school teachers. When I asked the administration if I could see the credentials of my kid's teachers, I was told no. What are they hiding? Why won't they share their teaching staff's credentials? Teaching style: Modern pedagogy acknowledges that students have a variety of learning styles and that teachers need to craft their lesson plans to cover different types of learners. GISB seems firmly stuck in the 19th century with one method of teaching and if your kid doesn't get it too bad. It obviously must be the kid's fault. My older child entered public school a full year behind in reading skills than his peers after we left GISB. Thankfully he was immediately identified as someone who needed some extra help with learning to read and after just one semester in public-school, he was up to grade level. Clearly there was no learning disability on my child's part. My child just hadn't been taught to read. I have talked to other parents who have left GISB for public-school and they have related similar experiences. If a school can't do something as basic as effectively teach kids to read... Social Environment: The small classes mean that the social environment is somewhat stifling. If you kid doesn't make a friend in the handful of other kids in their class, it will be a long lonely year. If your kid becomes the target of a bully, there is no avoiding the bully. The bully is right there all the time. The teachers seem at a complete loss of what to do when bullying is brought to their attention. The teachers and school administration at GISB clearly view the student's behavioral, emotional, and social development as not their responsibility. My experience so far in the public-school system is the complete opposite. The public-school system views its mandate as helping children grow as a whole person and this includes the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral development. Addressing of Concerns and Grievances: The GISB administration, parent council, and GISB board have no interest is addressing issues that are brought to their attention. There is a constant shirking of responsibility. The standard excuse they all give is "But you have to understand GISB is a young school." GISB has been around for 18 years and there are plenty of resources available on how to effectively run a school. The public-school principal of my children's current school has a clear "The buck stops here." attitude which is so refreshing after GISB.

My experience working with Njoki was amazing. My family purchased the Silver package during my…read morejunior year to help me prepare for college from start to finish. They helped me find scholarships and grants that covered more than half of my tuition. With the help of focus admissions I got into my first choice school.

I am extremely pleased with the services I received from focus admissions. The owner is very…read moreintelligent and passionate about her work, which is evident in her results! I got into my dream school and was able to get two scholarships to help fund my education. This program required a lot of commitment but with the guidance and great feedback I received from Njoki, the application process was very manageable. I will definitely be back when I am ready to apply to graduate programs.

My son is an OSDC grad, and he is a happy, well-adjusted kid. The physical space will get a…read morelong-awaited renovation from Harvard in 2010. The parent help shifts take a while to get used to, and it's admittedly a major investment of time from a busy work schedule. You take your kid to OSDC initially because your infant or toddler got in, but you later realize that you've been lucky enough to get chosen to join a highly educated community of parents and teachers who invest their time, money, and energies into children. It's cool, and we miss it.

Love love love OSDC. Our daughter started there as a tiny 3-month old, and from day one, I knew I…read morewas leaving her in nurturing, experienced hands. What we didn't realize we'd also be gaining was a warm, vibrant community of families and teachers, knit closely by the co-op aspect of OSDC. While it does take some time/commitment to do a weekly to biweekly 2-hour parent help shift in the classroom, I found this priceless, as I really felt like a part of the classroom and got a terrific sense of what my daughter's daily experience was like. It was great to see the teachers in action, and I loved getting to know all of my daughter's little classmates. 5 years later, some of our best friends are parents from my daughter's original infant room class; her 3 best friends are also ones she made while at OSDC, even though we've since moved on to kindergarten! Can't say enough great things about this place, truly. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that we're lucky enough to have our next child also go there...

My husband went to BU and wasn't thrilled about the experience. Expensive and not very hands on…read moreexperience, obtuse staff, not allowing creativity and working with students for their development. We went back recently, visiting the campus and trying to do an event here that would have benefited the students. The staff wasn't interested, jumped to say "No", before thinking, considering, trying to make things work. It would have been more workload for them, so they don't put students first. And treat Alumni like crap, not like family. The only upside is the campus, very pretty, beautiful buildings, nice beach. A few subway stops alongside the campus. Although construction at the main dorms, so harder to navigate. Newer buildings not so great, kind of a sore spot for the eye! Very, very mixed feelings!

In 2001, I visited Boston University when my first girlfriend received her scholarship there. The…read morecampus felt vibrant and full of promise. Walking those historic corridors together, watching her pride and excitement, left me with unforgettable memories. BU wasn't just a university, it became the backdrop to a special chapter in my life. Grateful for that moment.

As a parent whose children have aged out of Mathnasium, I cannot state how much my kids benefited…read morefrom the program. Each had their own reasons for being there: one needed help filling in the gaps, the other wanted to be challenged. Both left feeling great about their skills and their grades showed. The one-on-one instruction with two others at pod kept them motivated and relaxed. Great instructors and a good set up without the stress of a classroom program. Thanks Mathnasium!

This is not a friendly learning center for people of color. I recently visited Mathnasium Newton…read morewith my 8 year old daughter. Despite having an appointment, the owner ignored me for 43 minutes while taking white customers, who entered the center after me. When she did sit down with me, she was rude and clearly did not want to speak with me. I bought some of my observations about her obvious racial preference to her attention. Her response was not apologetic or even acknowledging of an error. She instead told me that "technically her appointment was not with me, but with my daughter". As a black woman, as a mother, as a human being, I will never return to this center!

We couldn't be happier with our experience at SSDS! Our children (Kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th…read moregrades) are thriving in an environment that is both academically strong and deeply rooted in Jewish values. The teachers are incredibly dedicated, nurturing, and truly know each child as an individual. The curriculum is engaging and fosters both a love of learning and a strong sense of community. What really sets SSDS apart is the warm, inclusive, and supportive community. From holiday celebrations to the monthly family Shabbat singing and dancing, we feel so fortunate to be part of a place that not only prioritizes education but also instills a love for Jewish traditions and values. Our children come home excited to share what they've learned--whether it's a new Hebrew song, a STEM project, or a meaningful Torah lesson. If you're looking for a school that will nurture your child's academic, social, and spiritual growth, we wholeheartedly recommend SSDS. It has been the best decision for our family!

I never expected to send my kids to a Jewish day school. We ended up at Schechter because my…read morehusband is an alum... and I'm so glad that we did! Schechter gave us a community in Boston -- a community that feels like an extended family -- and has given our kids an amazing education, a moral code, and a foundation for the future. Schechter Boston is a place where every student is known and feels that the belong. And parents feel the same way! As someone who grew up culturally Jewish (attending a Hebrew school where I learned very little), I am so grateful for all that my kids are learning, and jealous that I didn't have the same educational experience!