<p>I am searching for anecdotal evidence that Huntington/Sylvan/etc Learning Centers had a positive influence on a college applicant's GPA. NOT looking for stories on their SAT/ACT prep classes success/failure rates (though I might be interested in that at a later time!) </p>
<p>I have read pros and cons on these centers but would love for the CC Nation to weigh in with actual stories.</p>
<p>We used Huntington for a couple months as a math refresher course before starting freshman year since DD1 did not take math in 12th grade and had to take a mystery required elective (don’t ask) Calculus for Construction Workers and Allied Professions type class (aka Architecture)</p>
<p>Worked out OK but was expensive, considerably more than the prevailing tutoring rate. Not sure I would use them again, I’d be in favor of using local HS math teachers but these are nearly impossible to line up on short notice.</p>
<p>There were some HS age kids doing classes there - most were middle school or seemed to be - but again, knowing what I know, if GPA boost is the goal, hooking up with a math dept teacher from your student’s HS may work the best and maybe cheaper. Here in fly-over-country, HS math teachers would go for $35-40/hr while Huntington 1:1 was more like $50-55.</p>
<p>In our (huge, very competitive, very grade-stingy) HS math dept a lot of kids are being tutored by HS math teachers. Not their own, I hope, but keep in mind that if GPA boost is the goal, your student will be ‘competing’ with students that have such teacher tutors…</p>
<p>Think about whether your kid is more in need of academic prep or organization/study skills. That will help you evaluate the answers that you get.</p>
<p>Thank you Turbo93 and ColoradoMom. </p>
<p>Any other stories out there? Hopefully?</p>
<p>We used Sylvan for our younger son - he’s only in elementary school, so I don’t know if that helps you or not. We found it to be very helpful for him. There were some tutors we didn’t like as much, but we were able to request that he not be put with them. It was expensive, but they run specials, so look out for them. We were also able to use our AAA membership to save money.</p>
<p>Our S has a learning disability and math is really hard for him, so the one on one tutoring really made a difference for him and helped prepare him for this year’s curriculum. I’m considering sending him again this summer.</p>
<p>Not quite your situation, but…</p>
<p>My kid’s step-sibling did not score very well on verbal PSAT. My kid reviewed his scores and noticed that he got every question he answered correct, but didn’t get through the test. Kid advised him to skip the reading comprehension sections, do everything else, and then go back to the reading. Score went up about 100 points on verbal because he answered more questions. </p>
<p>Summer between high school and college, he enrolled in Sylvan to improve reading speed and comprehension. He was a better student in college than high school. It turned out that his slow reading speed was the real culprit–a fact he hadn’t realized. Sylvan addressed that issue. He also learned his limitations and was careful to balance intensive reading courses with courses that required less reading each semester. I doubt he’ll ever be a fast reader, but his reading speed improved dramatically so he’s no longer a painfully slow reader.</p>
<p>So, in his case, Sylvan really helped.</p>
<p>It really depends on your ultimate goal whether a program like Huntington/Sylvan is worth it. If you are trying to get a higher GPA by having your child memorize more information for tests, that he promptly forgets, you are doing him more harm than good in the long run. If your goal is to teach better test taking strategies, how to organize his study habits, etc., well worth attending. I know of several people that have done that with their children with great success.</p>
<p>I feel that if you have to spend hours and hours each week with a tutor to get a 3.8 GPA, vs the 3.3 you might have gotten otherwise, and you end up in a college that wants a 3.8, they are in over their head and will not succeed. If that same child goes to a school that isn’t as rigorous, flourishes there, life will be a lot more promising for him.</p>
<p>What it comes down to is making sure that your kid wants to go to a Learning Center and put in the effort and work into it. Secondly make sure all the tutors & owner are accredited as some LC’s just hire any random person even if they are mediocre.
There are a lot of kids that walk in and openly tell their tutor they are forced to be there and the tutor is left feeling frustrated bc they can’t force a kid to excel or be interested. And then parents wonder why hours of tutoring has not raised their grades. They need to be interested and do the work not expect the tutor to magically make the kid an A/B student.
This is coming from someone who used to go to Sylvan and also one of my siblings worked for Sylvan.
I personally had a great experience back in the day and it helped a lot bc I knew what was expected of me and they really can improve a students grades as long as you put in the effort and listen. I found it more helpful than my teachers at school. </p>
<p>Sent from my iPod touch using CC</p>
<p>Wow, I am SO thankful for the responses! </p>
<p>Jonri: though my son has an excellent vocab (college level) his reading comprehension is just average (at best). They say they will work on that plus increase his reading speed (just what you addressed). </p>
<p>MNCollegeMom: awesome insights, confirmed my thinking and gives me comfort. If GPA is increased because he learns organization and study skills, I will jump for joy. Bumping it only to get into a school he will struggle in? Not my goal!</p>
<p>PaperTiger87: A former Student weighs in, yes! You’ve given me hope. My son agreed to go and realizes he needs help IF he is to dig himself out of the hole he now finds himself in. As long as he stays engaged (and he enjoys it so far) I think this might just be the ticket!</p>
<p>Keep the posts coming! I know I can’t be the only Mom hand-wringing over a kid who is not living up to their potential. Hearing your stories (and opinions) is most helpful!</p>
<p>Find out what the issue is with math - I was blown away to find out (when DD1 was in Freshman Geometry) that half the questions in Geometry tests at her school had no relationship to problems in the book (meaning, the book is so poorly written that one could solve each and every problem in the book (homeworks, review sheets, sample test, online) and still not be near what is needed to pass the test. So I asked point blank, do you actually ask questions on material you outright did not cover? Furthermore, our district does not return tests to home so that students and parents could see what they tanked.</p>
<p>The first was confirmed to me by the head of the math department and promptly blew me away. The second by the principal, and I almost ended up going to the school board to get this resolved - they made an exception in DD1’s case and let us have the tests at home, a big no-no since they reuse the tests…)</p>
<p>To make a long story longer, we pretty much found out that the way to A’s and B’s in math that school was paved with long tutoring hours by the school teachers themselves. This phenomenon was only endemic at the math department… Lots of kids that were good in math, sure (all kinds of AP & IB math) but only one of the three teachers DD1 ever dealt with was remotely approachable, let alone capable or caring.</p>
<p>The Geometry lady I ended up nicknaming Courtney Love (the nickname stuck…), Algebra II was awesome, and PreCalc, taught by the dept head, was abysmal. Sad to say, tutoring by another teacher that was familiar with the way math is taught there was the only answer… We’re now lining her up for DD2. </p>
<p>Should it be this way? no idea… Unfortunately the department was probably too busy teaching AP Topology and IB Complex Theory to worry about teaching common mortal kids…</p>
<p>Wow, I do not THINK we have that “issue” at our school thank goodness but I will be on the lookout just in case, thanks! My son’s downfall is his lack of organization and just plain ol’ sloppiness more so than not “getting” the concepts. That’s the problem with math (no pun intended, ha!)… silly mistakes can do you in just as easily as can the big ones.</p>
<p>I have GREAT success stories for Sylvan. I think the most impressive thing is that they make the curriculum FOR your child. They make it whatever you need.</p>
<p>D (now 15) went in 2nd grade. Her reading levels were low and our school was pathetic in offering help. It was Nov. and they did not plan to implement a program for her until April. They were vague on testing, said everything took awhile, etc.</p>
<p>One trip to Sylvan…they used the CAT test…identified EXACTLY what her issues were and developed her program. She went every Saturday from 9:00-12:00. We’re almost 2 hours away and I work, so no way we could during the week, so they made her own schedule too. She was tested periodically and I was given the results. She went for a year and tested on level at the end. So much for our school doing anything.</p>
<p>Last summer, our college S went for 4 sessions (also 9:00-12:00) for study skills. They have a specific study skills class but it was too expensive and would take too much time. Again, it was 2 hours away. I contacted them, told them some things and they split the program into the ‘most important’ parts they thought he needed. He made A’s in high school without studying, so when he went to college, he needed new skills. </p>
<p>On his first day, they gave him a manuel…the study curriculum they made specifically for him. He made notes in this, added handouts, etc and took it to college this past fall. They gave tips, techniques, what to do or change when you’re not getting it. One little change, and he suddenly remembers facts, etc.</p>
<p>Both kids had one on one instruction. It was expensive, but worth it in both cases. </p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t know about boosting gpa. but in comparison with our experience, I’m sure it is possible.</p>