<p>I live in suburban Chicago. I have a daughter in 10th grade and a son entering eighth-grade. Both kids are reasonably bright and good students, but have always fared poorly on standardized tests.</p>
<p>My family is in a position where we can afford private tutoring, if needed, to assist the kids. However, we are starting from scratch in that we have no idea where to find such resources or who to trust. A quick search on Google brings up many interesting websites and I do not know which ones to trust.</p>
<p>I have been reading the threads here in this forum and see that most of the information regards group classes or hard resources such as books. If anyone has any advice concerning private one-on-one tutoring, I would certainly appreciate it. If anyone has recommendations for tutors in the western suburbs of Chicago, I would be even more appreciative. Thank you.</p>
<p>I suggest you ask your children’s school for suggestions. I found my tutor by talking to my college counselor at my high school and she gave me some names.</p>
<p>Also, I talked to friends who had tutors and ended up using one of my friend’s tutors. He helped me a lot and I was able to increase my math score on the SAT by 80 points to a 770 through about 3 weeks of tutoring.</p>
<p>If you have the money, I would suggest going with Korean/Chinese/Japanese ‘Hongwon’ or cramming academies. A lot of them are expensive (others are actually very cost effective), but the style of teaching they provide for SAT-type tests - rigorous practice tests followed by intensive review - is exactly the type of teaching success on the SAT necessitates. </p>
<p>A few good chains of SAT prep centers I know (though not necessarily the typical ‘hongwon’), would be C2, ELITE, and TestMasters. All three are well known for seriously pushing students to the limits - difficult and numerous practice tests/homework are routine. All my friends that found great success with such courses usually started very early.</p>
<p>I don’t know your zip code or anything, but you can through some of these centers’ websites to get an idea of local branches.</p>
<p>Thanks to you both for the advice. I will follow both paths that you have suggested.</p>
<p>In addition to asking your school, ask other students for any recommendations.</p>
<p>A word of warning about Asian cram-style academies: for some of them, cash-flow is the bottom line and that can lead to literal “cramming.” I used to work for one of them, and it was both stressful and painful to juggle 1 hs student studying for the SAT, 1 jhs student, and 1 ele student working on addition. :P</p>
<p>Your ideal approach would be to find a competent tutor who charges reasonably 1-on-1. 1-on-1 would still be the most expensive option, but it’s worth it if you are serious about results. I now work for one of the test prep behemoths, and while the overall pay isn’t quite as good, juggling 3 different lessons isn’t something I need to do.</p>
<p>Read my article “Should you take a prep course for SAT math?” It’s posted a few times on this forum - a quick search should bring it up.</p>
<p>I would definitely go with your instincts and do one-on-one tutoring rather than a class. Classes don’t work well for the majority of people for various reasons. Your child’s counselor may be helpful, but they often just give you names of some of the bigger companies that can afford press packets. Prior students are generally the best resource - someone will almost always know someone that had a great tutor, and most great freelance tutors primarily get clients through word of mouth. Craigslist can actually be a great resource as well, but definitely check references and interview - just because someone is smart doesn’t mean they know how to tutor, especially for the SAT.</p>
<p>Great questions (and ones I wish more parents would ask!)! I’ve written several posts about these topics on my blog (I’m an online tutor), but CC won’t allow the link so here’s a few pointers.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Second the suggestions about asking for recommendations. However, don’t rely only on recommendations. The biggest mistake I see parents make is taking one recommendation and running with it. One tutor who was great for one person, won’t necessarily be right for your child (i.e. if your child has LD/ADHD he/she may need a specialist). Also be careful of suggestions coming from college counselors. They frequently have affiliate deals with prep companies. Those companies or individuals may be great, but take these recommendations with a grain of salt.</p></li>
<li><p>Be wary of tutoring services offered by the big prep companies. Their tutors often aren’t all that experienced, they can be more expensive than they should be for the level of expertise, and the biggest sin of all - they don’t use official College Board or ACT materials! That’s a question to ask any tutor you’re considering. Don’t accept anyone who uses “mock” questions.</p></li>
<li><p>Ask about availability, price, travel charges, etc. Independent tutors will frequently negotiate their rates based on the number of hours needed - and they don’t have to go through the corporate hierarchy to do it. You can get more bang for your buck.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t limit your search to your neighborhood. Some of the best tutors I know work online. If you don’t mind me using myself as an example…I work in a very specialized niche in test prep, and working online allows me to see students nationwide. Online tutoring is also a lot more flexible than scheduled sessions, and my students appreciate not having the need to budget in travel time (or pay for it).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Good luck! There’s tons of great options around. All the best to you and your kids.</p>
<p>Private tutors are certainly helpful. In my opinion, the best kinds of tutors are adults between the ages of 25-30. These people will not tire your kids out every session with life experiences nor have an unbearable monotone-- they are young, academically active, and interesting to listen to. A good tutor must know how to engage your child before anything else can be done. </p>
<p>I will be a senior this fall; in my junior year, I had the most incredible tutor that boosted my score up 300 points on the SAT. Unfortunately, I reside in Canada, so I am unable to refer you to him. He majored in english in university, and works as an english teacher at tutorial school. He was raised in China, and came to Canada during his teens, so his math skills were also incredible. He was EXTREMELY engaging, and although he talked a little too much, I grasped every second of his lessons. </p>
<p>Hopefully this helps!</p>
<p>I wanted to thank everybody who replied to this thread a couple of months ago. I am making progress with my search and I am resurrecting the thread to see if anyone has any experience with Varsity Tutors in the Chicago area. </p>
<p>I continue to be on a quest to help my kids fulfill their potential. Any further advice is appreciated. Thanks.</p>