I was looking for an SAT tutor in Boston for the summer, and after a quick google search found Gold…read moreTest Prep. I was immediately attracted to Gold Test Prep because of the flexibility in lessons, which is something I needed. My tutor was very dedicated and helpful, and I saw that my SAT score improved in just a few weeks. The lessons were also very enjoyable as my tutor was easy to talk to, and I didn't find myself dreading going to tutoring sessions like I'd expected. Payment is also very easy (you just answer a Paypal invoice). All in all, my experience with Gold Test Prep was a considerably effortless and smooth one, and something that I would definitely recommend.

I used Gold Test Prep to help me study for the SATs. I had an amazing tutor you helped me learn the…read morecontent better and Gold Test Prep made it easy to schedule sessions and were always checking in and answering any questions I had, highly recommend!

We switched our eldest to Fayerweather at the start of 3rd grade seeking a school where the…read morelearning would be significantly challenging, values-rooted, and joyful. We wanted a place where our inquisitive kid could really stretch her edges and feel comfortable taking academic risks (and sometimes making mistakes). Now 12, she has a deep sense of who she is and what matters to her - and this strong sense of self has allowed her to take risks (academically and socially) and push herself as a learner and community member. She understands that justice and community are the essential foundations for learning and social impact. Our younger child (now 7) started at FSS in kindergarten and we have found that, while quite different from his older sibling, he is just as seen, valued, and supported. He has gotten incredible guidance navigating his intensity and high energy, and he is academically challenged in just the right ways - he works on meaningful problems and his sense of accomplishment is significant. Fayerweather has helped him have a voice and language for his feelings, his challenges, and his successes. The loving support and developmentally appropriate and thoughtful curriculum have allowed him to discover his best self and build the skills and agency to choose his actions wisely. FSS is all we hoped, for both kids.

We just started school at Fayerweather this fall, and my 1st grader and 6th grader cannot get over…read morehow friendly the school community is. My son came home from school after his second week of being a new kid (a middle schooler, no less -- in the 6th grade) and said "mom I give it 5 stars!!! Everyone is SO nice, teachers and kids, and I love it!!!." Now that we are four months in, happily his review remains. He also says that his homeroom and math teacher is "literally THE best math teacher" he's ever had. I'm continually impressed with how in touch with my son's learning style the teachers are, and he's growing leaps and bounds. My 6 year old daughter, who is usually shy, is coming out of her shell socially and is really starting to take to reading (which she has avoided prior to Fayerweather). Her teachers are incredible and so in tune with her and helping her to grow where she is ready to, and there is such insight into the social emotional ecosystem of the classroom. Fayerweather has the academics *and* the community we'd hoped for -- the school has a joyful, healthy, connected vibe and is inclusive and diverse to boot. We couldn't be happier.

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.

Tara was incredibly helpful. Through working with him, I was able to get my GRE quant score up from…read more160 to 166. Tara clearly knows the test extremely well. He was able to show me small, nuanced tips and tricks that were easy to grasp and saved me huge amounts of time on the test. He was patient and accommodating, and worked to configure the lessons around what I needed help with. He was also quick to identify the issues that I myself didn't know I was specifically struggling with, and was able to easily find similar problems to reinforce my newly learned skills. I found the digital format of the sessions to be great. Tara recorded everything we discussed down in a digital notebook that I had access to after our sessions. Having the notes and problems written out were a great study aid. I highly recommend Tara for anyone looking to improve their quantitative test scores!!

I highly recommend Tara if you are looking for quant test prep…read more Tara's teaching philosophy is unique. Tara knows the test exceptionally well. The way he structures his content will help you cut out the noise and fluff you sometimes get from formal test prep courses. He shares little things, such as timing strategies and shortcuts, that will help get you to your target score. I've worked with tutors in the past, where I spent the majority of the sessions working on problems myself. The tutors shared a list of problems, had solutions next to them, and referred to the solutions verbatim if I had questions. Unlike these tutors, Tara ACTUALLY teaches. Every question he puts in front of you is very intentional. Tara knows exactly what each question is testing and makes sure you understand. If you don't, he remembers and knows where to find similar questions for you. He expects you to do your homework, put in the hours on your own, learn the basics, and bring him questions. You will get so much more from time spent with Tara than most of the tutors out there. I also had zero issues working with Tara online. He's actually incredibly proficient at using the digital tools available to replicate an in-person session. Again, Tara does this way better than other online tutors I've worked with. The way he writes out his notes and works through the problems live with you online is very structured and easy to follow. Working with Tara helped improve my GMAT quant score from 38 to 47. My overall GMAT score also improved 100 points. I am retaking my GMAT to put my best foot forward. I am confident that the foundation I gained from working with Tara will take my score to the next level. Set up a trial session with him, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

I completely trust Dr Yatin and her team! I sent all 3 of my children to Tangi as they prepared for…read moretheir ISEE/SAT/ACT.

Three of my children have gone through the Tangi program for SAT prep and successfully improved…read moretheir scores. My youngest child, an eleventh grader at Boston Latin School just completed the program in November and got an excellent score on the December test. This place offers small class sizes and expert teachers, but what I really like is their willingness to accommodate our tight schedules, to group certain students together to improve their study habits, and their friendly but stern teaching methods. Each of my children had different needs, but the teachers make sure to cater material to improve students' weaknesses and keep their strengths sharp. I truly appreciate everything Tangi has done for us. December 2020, Boston, MA

I prepare for TOEFL test by myself more than one year and the score is lingering around 90, that is…read morenot enough to apply for good school. So I joined the half day program in order to get TOEFL score 100+. It has been 10 weeks now. I feel the time and budget spent in the Academy at Harvard Square is worthwhile no matter when I can get the satisfying score. The skills I learned are very helpful for the TOEFL test. Most importantly, the staff in this school are very professional and friendly. I got a lot of encouragement and help.

I strongly believe that with great caring instructors of The Academy at Harvard Square, anyone can…read moreachieve their target TOEFL score quickly. I raised my score from 50 to 93 in 4 weeks!

Varsity Tutor is a bad company. Don't join; there is no cancel option on the website and you have…read moreto literally call and speak to someone to cancel the tutoring sessions; otherwise, they will keep deducting, and even if you cancel the day of renewal, your money is gone. It's bad practice; I don't know how they are operating legally without a proper option to cancel your subscription on the website.

This one star is for Customer Support. They are absolutely the worst Customer Support. They screw…read moreup a classroom session, I spend hours on Saturday trying to get it resolved. They FINALLY resolve it on Wednesday (today)...I confirm it. Almost IMMEDIATELY (within ONE MINUTE) I get a notice that it was cancelled. They are worthless. I've spent hours on the phone. Instructors are great....Support and Operations are run by incompetent people

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.