I found myself a million years out of school when I decided to apply to grad school. I didn't know…read morewhere to start with any of it, least of all my essays. Like most of life's decisions, I turned to Yelp for guidance and found Carla. Carla's pricey (fear not, she offers a sliding scale) so it's good she didn't waste time mincing words or coddling. She consistently went the extra mile to ground me in what was being asked of each essay. She provided me with great resources and made thoughtful edits. Though meticulously reviewed, my drafts were always sent back quickly. Most importantly, her editing never compromised my voice, style or story. I highly recommend Carla to applicants! ***when reading reviews I always hoped the reviewers would add if they got into their school of choice. I'm happy to report I did!! :) :) Thank you, Carla!

I'm the parent of a student who worked with Carla recently, during the college application process…read more My son had many, many ideas for his common app and supplementals, but had a hard time putting into words what he wanted to convey. Carla helped him find his voice through her kind coaching and partnership with him. He looked forward to meeting with her, and Carla put him in the driver's seat, had him look within, and he was able to put into paper his thoughts clearly and with impact. As parents, we couldn't be happier with Carla's results. We knew he was in great hands. We hope our son carries his lessons from Carla forward to college.

1. Josh is a math guru! It probably has something to do with his fancy Yale architecture and Cal…read moreengineering degrees combined with his experience working with middle school and high school math students. Thanks to his test-taking strategies and math tips and tricks, I feel prepared and confident to sit for the GMAT exam in a couple weeks. 2. Although a bit embarrassing to admit, Josh's experience teaching high school math really came in handy. He is patient and has a clear way of explaining the material to a lug like me. 3. He is a great motivator. He went above and beyond just tutoring math by pushing me when I needed that extra kick and even encouraging me to apply to Top 10 schools. Josh could be a life coach! 4. He works with your schedule and his rates are very competitive. Josh is a godsend! Highly recommended!

From the owner: I am interested in working with all age levels and math subject matters up through pre-calculus, as…read morewell as SAT, ACT, GRE and GMAT (math sections) tutoring. I'm a former engineer who is now in my third year working as a public school math teacher. We can work on strengthening computational foundations (building a solid core of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), as well as developing a comfort with mathematical notation and equation writing. I will work to develop a "math sense" in your child. Additionally, I can help with enrichment activities for more advanced students looking to take their classwork a little bit deeper. My rate is $70/hour, I live in north Berkeley, and I am available to travel in the East Bay. I will happily travel to your house, or another location of your choice (library, coffee shop, etc.) If you are interested, please let me know your tutoring needs (such as grade level, subject matter) and location. I look forward to hearing from you.

Responded quickly and politely. Ended up using a family friend but we'll keep him in mind for SATs.read more

[TL;DR Doug is an incredible tutor. He is engaged, knows the LSAT inside and out, helped me bring…read moremy score above 175, and is 100% worth the price.] I struggle with making decisions very badly, especially when they feel like particularly important decisions. I place importance upon two axes: how much the choice will cost me and how long the choice at hand may last into the future. For example, an inexpensive wine at Trader Joe's is nowhere near as difficult a choice as a $500-$1,000 mattress I will sleep on every night for the next 5-7 years. Naturally, based on these two criteria, picking an LSAT study strategy felt extremely important; not only was the price tag fairly high, but this choice could shape my career trajectory for the rest of my life. I considered a handful of different tutoring options...courses by popular providers like Blueprint, 7Sage, and Kaplan as well as tutoring by some smaller services. In these considerations, I also consulted a lot of different forums; reddit, yelp, and some independent tutor rating services. Ultimately, Doug seemed more qualified than the other sources I had consulted. I worked with Doug from early September up to a November LSAT administration, he was consistent, on time, engaged, communicative, and knew the LSAT questions inside and out. We were able to talk not only about what the right answer was, but also why other answer choices were wrong. He provided strategies and approaches for the exam, and correct approaches of mine that were not serving me. November was the first time I ever sat for the LSAT, and I ended with a score I was thrilled with. I know LSAT tutors can be expensive and this price tag can be intimidating, but I seriously cannot recommend the extra money enough--if you can afford it, which I recognize is a privilege. If starting off with individual sessions seems too expensive, I would also recommend trying a hybrid strategy by first exhausting free resources (shoutout to khan academy, which I used for ~6-8 months before working with Doug) and then working with a private tutor--Doug--who will actually help you achieve what you want through targeted, one-on-one help once your practice score plateaus and/or once your test date approaches. And remember, the law school you go to can/will have an impact on your career outcomes, and the money you spend on the LSAT could pay itself back within your first few months--or even weeks--of your career. Good luck out there to all of you LSAT prepping law school hopefuls reading this, and again, I cannot recommend Doug enough for those of you who really want to see the best results possible on your LSAT. Bonus: All of our tutoring sessions were completely virtual, which is great not only for the pandemic, but also for those who are located outside of Doug's Bay Area/Arizona locales but still looking for a highly-qualified tutor. Tutoring/learning over Zoom can be less than ideal for some, but Doug has enough virtual capabilities configured that learning over Zoom was no problem. He was able to share a virtual "paper" and draw out solutions and other visualizations that may be necessary to the learning process. The virtual aspect is all pro, no con.

When it comes to virtual teaching, Wes Carroll is brilliant. In fact, he is so helpful that even…read moreother educators continue to benefit from his tutelage. As a teacher, Wes knows his audience and is always enthusiastic about the subject matter. In addition, he not only offers well-organized online courses but also video-conference tutoring. As one who has witnessed one of Wes's virtual sessions, I have seen how his expertise with technology can reach multiple students and help them remotely.

This is not strictly related to SAT or math, but it sort of is, so bear with me a sec. I've known…read moreWes for years, but until today he'd never "formally" taught me anything. He spent an hour today helping me learn to play the drums, and it was probably the most effective hour of instruction about *anything* I've ever had. And that's including 15 years of piano lessons, 6 years of clarinet/saxophone, and all kinds of other things I'd spent time trying to learn over the years. Why? The process sounds simple. First, he spent some time to figure out what I knew and didn't know. Second, he zeroed in on the areas where I was having problems, and broke them into a lot of smaller pieces. Third, he gave me concrete things to do to make each of those individual pieces easier to understand, and easier to practice. Fourth, he showed me how to start recombining those pieces, after practice, so I could fit the puzzle back together again having improved each individual piece. It *sounds* simple, but I think in practice it's quite difficult for most people to do in a way that feels constructive, positive, and encouraging. At each step, I felt like I was given the tools I needed to continue working on this on my own, and a clear path to improvement. I've been poking around trying to learn how to play the drums for a few years. In an hour, I learned more, and built up my capacity to learn more, than I would ever have imagined. Utterly spectacular. I think if you've got the chance to learn from Wes, regardless of the subject, you should take it. If you have a kid who's looking to learn math, or test prep, his approach is what I *wish* my teachers did when I was younger. It'd have helped me love the process of learning, not just focus on the test in front of me. Fantastic.

Message me for a discount code! TestMasters was a great experience! My teacher, Dorothy, was very…read morecaring and really made sure that people in the class were truly understanding the material. I increased my score 17 points, so that says something about their methodology. They really breakdown the LSAT so you understand the basics and what to expect on the actual test. By the time you are taking the LSAT, there are no surprises and it feels like just another practice test. I would recommend TestMasters to anyone wanting to take the LSAT. TestMasters helped me be able to go to a great law school and hopefully have a great career in law. Thank you so much to Dorothy and the creator, Robin.

Testmasters is the ghetto version of testing programs. The books look like there made at kinkos and…read morethey don't even have an online system to check out your scores, take tests, etc. Kaplan was much more upgraded and they have supplements online along with tests etc. Just trying to save you guys some money by choosing the right program.

Lisa was wonderful to work with. Knowledgeable and so responsive to my questions and aims. She also…read morejust has great vibes all around. :)

In a few words: professional, caring, patient, fun, and insanely talented!…read more Working with Lisa was an amazing experience! I had some prior music and singing training but I worked with a string of terrible instructors who completely ruined my confidence. Thankfully, I met Lisa and found my voice! She was always patient and caring with me but managed to give me useful and honest feedback. Her extensive experience was very evident and I knew I was in good hands. I didn't only grow as a singer, but saw a boost in my self-esteem as well. You cannot imagine how devastated I was when she moved from my town. Hopefully, our paths will cross and I will get to work with Lisa again!

Lindamood-Bell changed our lives! Our son loved Loved LOVED books when he was a little child, but…read moreby 5th grade he was very, very discouraged: He could barely get through a page. One 7-week summer intensive with the coaches at Lindamood Bell and now we have to tear him away from his books. His reading level went from 3rd grade to the 8th grade level (based on independent outside assessments). It was a big commitment. It was really hard work for him. A very intense program. But we think it was worth it. Added to this review in Spring 2017: Lindamood Bell taught my son more than just reading. They taught him he could work hard and it would pay off. He's an A student now that knows how to teach himself to learn. In retrospect, it was way way worth it!

We completed the LindamoodBell seeing stars program in the summer of 2019. Our daughter was…read morestruggling with reading in second grade. We had her assessed by LindamoodBell's Berkeley Center. The feedback from LMB was very positive. They identified her weaknesses and assured us they could help. We were hesitant to enroll because of the expense, but Ashley (the center director) convinced us that this could be a game changer. The really positive Yelp reviews also helped. Unfortunately, 80 hours later and $10k down the drain, we have absolutely nothing to show for it. Prior to starting the program (and at the very end of second grande) she was assessed by her public elementary school on the Fountas & Pinnell system at a reading level N. Shortly after finishing the program (and at the start of third grade) she was again assessed at a reading level N. She had experienced zero classroom improvement despite our significant investment. I discussed with LMB - including Regional Directors and up the chain, and they disclaimed any familiarity with the Fountas & Pinnell system (which is used broadly by public schools in the Bay Area). They insisted that LMB's own testing showed improvement. I am now convinced that they manipulate those tests to prey on the desires of parents who want the best for their children. Unfortunately, my daughter still struggles with reading, the program did nothing to improve her confidence or desire to read. And objectively, the program had no classroom benefit. I strongly advise that you not waste your money.