Categories
Academic Tutors & Counselors
Services & Specialties
SAT and High School Subject Tutoring
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RECOMMENDATION
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WORK QUALITY
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COST EVALUATION
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VALUE ANALYSIS
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ADD YOUR REVIEW
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FR Review:
Less well known than their competitors, Tutor Associates is a secret source for those in the know. This firm distinguishes itself with its warm, engaged tutors that care about the students well beyond their SAT scores. For example, if a student has a math issue from the classroom, the TA tutors are happy to segue into solving that issue during that session. The upside is a much more humane process, but the possible downside is a less rigorous program. The main competitors of TA have a schedule to follow week-by-week, and are afraid to get off-track as their personal compensation is directly tied to how well the students improve from diagnostic to final SAT score.
However, TA further sets itself apart from its competitors with a relatively reasonable fee structure. While others may charge around $900 a session for a “Midrange Associate” (better than Junior, less experienced that a Senior), TA charges less than $300 for a Head/Senior Tutor. And, lo and behold, TA publishes their rates on their website, unlike the over-the-top-expensive, price-elusive competition. Also, TA’s office staff are markedly nice and helpful—before the process begins, a program consultant is sent for a in-home visit with student and parents to try to make the best match with a tutor.
Tutor Associates was founded in 2001 by David Oblath and Gordon Smith who were freshmen roommates at Berkeley and each others’ best men at their weddings. Oblath also has a degree from Columbia’s Teacher’s College in educational psychology and Smith an MBA from NYU. Together, they started with a small cohesive core and now have over 40 tutors on the team. The company tutors for academic classroom work, standardized tests (SSAT, SATs, ACT, ISEE), and does admissions consulting (a new offering as of 2009). There is also a well-established Skype outreach program and an online SAT tutorial for boarding school students. In the summer, much of the Tutor Associates staff can be found in the Hamptons or Nantucket.
In summary, TA has a bit less experience and is a bit less formalized than more established tutoring companies, especially when it comes to the published materials for some of the less popular Subject Tests (Latin, Chemistry) and number of SAT practice tests available. But once students and parents use TA, they never consider using any other service. And the fact that they are so much less expensive than the competition is an added huge bonus.
Representative Client Comments:
"I was so very impressed when one of their Program Consultants, Sasha, came to our house to chat with our daughter and us before assigning us a tutor. She really did a thorough interview and worked hard with us to find a great match in terms of personality and academic style." "It amazes me how much my daughter enjoys her sessions with Christina Chestnut. She is not only getting A's on her biology tests in class but has embraced the academic process." "I have used the other big name tutoring firms-- these guys are at least as good at 1/4 of the cost." "There is no reason to use anyone else."
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