Lisa is an expert at what she does. In our case she helped our high-schooler produce authentic and high quality college application essays that helped her get into the college of her dreams!! Our daughter struggled with learning how to "highlight" herself in the essays - Lisa was able to help her tap into the most interesting parts of herself and tell her story in an interesting way. Plus, my daughter looked forward to meeting her at every session Another bonus was that as the parent, I didn't have to do anything but trust Lisa's process and watch my child be inspired to do her best. Thank you Lisa!!! read more

If you are looking for SAT, ACT, Subject Tests or ISEE tutoring Inner Genius Prep​ offers personal tutoring with excellent results! I can't say enough great things about the attention and quality assistance that both my children recieved during the stressful process of studying for the SAT and applying to colleges. Between the two kids we worked with IGP for about 5 years. Over that time, the entire family build lasting relationships with the tutors through mutual respect and trust. My children have very different learning styles, and IGP was able to tailor the pace and focus of the tutoring to serve each child's needs. We are thrilled with the colleges that the kids were accepted to, my son is a Freshman at Pomona College, and daughter will start Bard College, Fall, 2015. The one on one attention was a huge part of their process and success. Both kids also worked with the tutors to help them finesse their College Application essays. They would brainstorm on the essays, and make sure that every word used communicated exactly with the kids wanted to say about themselves. Thank you IGP, we miss you already. http://www.innergeniusprep.com read more

Inner Genius Prep - Thanks Lisa! I'm headed to Pomona College! - College Counseling Near Me

I suggest anyone looking for assistance in college prep take a beat before assuming that all of the maximum-star reviews are legitimate. I've given them the two stars instead of one because I take responsibility in paying them for literally -- email exchanges which proved worthless. I originally contacted them regarding my son's application for Spring 2016 (it's a long story which I'll spare you, but suffice to say he was in the top 8% of his class, got a 32 on the ACT already and had been accepted at great schools for the fall). Ultimately, we needed --quickly -- any insight into schools that offered spring admissions and assistance with FA forms. Lisa (owner) pushed very hard for their not-inexpensive services (for example, even though he had a 2060 on the SAT, she suggested he retake it and work with one of their "Top Tier" tutors, eight sessions for $1680). Although the hourly rate is $150, they insisted (by basically telling us) that we would be meeting with Tamara for 90 mins ($225). However, Tamara wasn't available for 11 days and in that time, my son put together his essays and application. In the meantime, th. ey sent several Paypal "bills," encouraging paymentBy the time she was available, I agreed to still meet with her to discuss the FA forms. She then informed me she wasn't qualified to do so and suggested we cancel, which we did. I offered to pay them for their **email time** and assumed it would be about $50, but they charged me $150 ($155 for paying with Paypal) saying Tamara had "already done" research on schools, and that we had "changed our minds" (absolutely untrue; I kept them abreast of what we knew, had done, needed). Since I was paying them, I asked for the "research" which arrived several days later and consisted of rushed, cobbled together list with the names only of less than 10 schools -- and four of them had incorrect information. It was information we had before we first contacted them. The bottom line -- they may be perfectly helpful for your high school junior who really needs help getting into a state school -- but they will push you to sign up for as much as they can. Given our experience, I'm not only suspect of their actual abilities, but the "glowing" reviews. This is just my experience. Again, I could've just canceled and wouldn't have been legally obligated to pay anything for their inferior email assessments and suggestions -- that was clearly my choice. I just suggest you be VERY wary. read more

Lisa and her team at Inner Genius Prep have been lifesavers for my family. Each of my three kids received prep from her and it made a material difference on their test scores. I can't recommend her highly enough read more

My student worked with Lisa and her team for college admissions and we had incredible results with scholarship packages from 7 Universities. I will absolutely be working with Lisa and her team again. This is a fantastic investment for your college student. read more

Had an amazing experience working Lisa who helped me through my essays to get into college. I had a low GPA to start with so was relying heavily on my Essay to boost my application. I got into my #1 school ultimately, and all thanks go to her! read more

Inner Genius Prep is a great tutoring center that helped me get into all of my top five schools. My meetings and work with inner genius prep were incredibly helpful, efficient, and enriching. While working with my tutor, Lisa, I not only learned how to write college essays but learned key skills in time management, writing, grammar and so much more. I couldn't have had a better college process experience than I had with IGP. They are so helpful and genuinely care about their students getting into their schools. Thanks to IGP I am going to my top school and got scholarship offers from three of my top five. read more

Lisa Poliak was key in helping me secure 4/5 MBA program interviews for Fall 2020. I got into both USC and UCLA, which were my top choices. Lisa's creativity and attention to detail helped me deliver high-quality essays in just a few weeks. I thought my rough draft for my first essay was good, but after Lisa polished it up and gave me insightful tips, I learned what a "good" essay really is. The best part is how Lisa teaches you how to write so you can utilize it as a tool going forward. read more

Do not use IGP for SAT test preparations. It's nothing more than glorified tutoring (at $140/hr.), using outdated study materials or things you could easily get yourself online and with a sloppy front office. Only after repeated complaints did we receive the basic baseline test analysis and study planning we were promised at the beginning. Far from "less stress" during the test-prep process, they greatly added to it. You are better off spending 30% more for a truly professional outfit like Compass or hiring a tutor on your own off Craigslist/your local neighborhood network and using the materials that are freely (or cheaply) available out there. read more

Inner Genius Prep is great. The whole team is a pleasure to work with and has your child's best interest at heart. My son had a great experience working with Peter -- an amazingly smart and encouraging tutor. Not only did his scores go up, but his confidence level, too. I will definitely be calling on Inner Genius next year for my daughter. read more

I have smart son who lacks focus and motivation. He also has a subpar GPA. I knew he would need to work one on one for SAT prep. Lisa (owner and critical reading, writing) and Peter (math) worked over the summer with my son increasing his SAT score almost 300 points to 1880. My son's math was the biggest challenge. I did not expect any increase and I told Peter that, however, my son increased his math 100 points. Inner genius prep runs a great program including proctored practice tests. This program is a lot of work, but if your child puts the work in, he or she will most likely see results. If my kid can increase, so can yours! I highly recommend Lisa and Peter. My son has been admitted to 7 universities, 1 waitlist, and 1 deferred admission. read more

Champagne is still flowing (metaphorically, as it''s early afternoon. And she's 17) around here after seeing our daughter's SAT scores! 800 in math, 770 each in writing and reading! This is an increase of 220 points overall and a jump in math from 89th percentile to 99th! Needless to say, we're very happy with the money and time we invested in Inner Genius tutoring! Her tutor was Peter, and Lisa (the owner) gave us some good advice on her college application process as well. THANK YOU! read more

Lisa is a great tutor-- she is compassionate, understanding and she doesn't give up on you. I know she works very hard to find tutors who are great at what they do and have great attitudes on the same token. My sat score started at 1780, and after working with inner genius prep, my final SAT score was 2160. For those of you not interested in doing the math, she helped me bring up my score by 380 points. She also helped boost my 25 minute essay section score from a 4 to a 10. I always felt supported by her and Peter (the wonderful math tutor), and I never had to worry that a question of mine wouldn't be adequately answered. I learned effective techniques to improve my score as well as the right attitude to have going into a test. I was grateful to gain these priceless skills without having to deal with the high stress atmospheres present in other sat prep programs in which my friends were enrolled. I am sure that the peers of mine who went to inner genius prep had similarly great experiences. One-on-one student tutor time was extremely beneficial and effective-- tutors really came to understand my needs and sessions were structured accordingly. It was also really nice for tutors to know me on a more personal level-- feeling at ease, I had more expendable energy at my disposal to spend on learning and strengthening new skills. In addition to tutoring for the SAT, inner genius prep offered expertise in studying for the SAT subject tests-- Math 11 (690) and Literature (650)-- and Lisa offered general writing expertise. She helped me edit writing assignments and develop stronger writing skills, and was there for me every step of the way when it came to writing supplemental college essays and dealing with the stress associated with applying to colleges. Peter also offered tutoring for math classes, and although I never took advantage of that resource, he was an avid tutor on whom I knew I could rely if I needed help. Whenever I felt overwhelmed with studying and/or high school, I knew I had a strong support system over at inner genius prep to help me come through the storm with calm and vitality. The display of Lisa's and Peter's great abilities were evident in the boost of my SAT scores, the high SAT 11 scores, the many A+ class papers, and my early decision acceptance to Oberlin College (conservatory of arts and sciences). I feel much stronger and confident in my writing and test-taking abilities. As long as standardized test-taking is prevalent in education, it's very helpful to have strong test-taking abilities and a mindset that is ready to tackle a challenge. Even if you know the content of a test, if you become very overwhelmed emotionally and haven't developed strategies to navigate the obstacles present on a timed test, your comprehension is for naught. I absolutely recommend Inner Genius Prep to anyone preparing for the sat or in need of a writing and college essays tutor, or a math tutor. I am confident that you will have a great experience. For your viewing pleasure, and to convince you even further of the wonderful abilities at inner genius prep, I am including a list of my SAT score improvement and SAT II scores: SAT (first time)- 1780 Critical Reading: 560 Math: 610 Writing: 610 SAT (final time)- 2160 Critical Reading: 670 Math: 740 Writing: 750 SAT II (only time): Literature: 650 Math II: 690 read more

A counselor at my daughter's school recommended Inner Genius Prep for some last-minute studying for the ACT. My daughter worked with Dani for 5 weeks (less than the recommended schedule) and she got her score up 5 points. The content review was very focused and Dani helped to put my daughter at ease before the test. I highly recommend. read more

I went into the college process completely confused. Inner Genius Prep helped me along the whole journey, from ACT prep to writing college essays. I had tried other test prep services in the LA area, but no one rivaled the effective and engaging help that Lisa and her team offered. IGP helped me get a 33 on the ACT within months. The test prep was engaging and the tutors were relatable. Lisa provided great guidance and helped me articulate my stories to form great essays that helped make my college application much stronger. I am forever thankful for the help that I received, and I would encourage anyone looking for the best test prep and essay guidance to strongly consider IGP. read more

I worked with Inner Genius Prep for my college applications. I loved working with Maya Steinborn on my essays. She was extremely helpful. I felt confident she could see who I was and what I wanted to communicate to my colleges. She gave me the confidence and the tools I needed. Also, I worked with Tamara Schiff for college counseling. Her guidance was most valuable. Tamara is very knowledgable about the college process and she makes it fun. Maya and Tamara really wanted to see me succeed. Thank you Inner Genius Prep! P.S. I got into my dream schools. read more

I've worked with Inner Genius Prep since I was in 8th grade, and am now a senior in high school. I was admitted to Bard College early action this fall and have continued to work with IGP on my other college applications. I was also tutored by IGP for the ACT, on which my score rose six points. My tutors have always been incredibly caring and motivational and have helped me succeed academically despite my learning disabilities, including ADHD. Lisa, the owner of the company, has helped me work through my test anxiety and has always been a supportive influence who has been there for both my older and sister and me far beyond any other tutor I've ever worked with (and I've worked with a lot of tutors)! I'm very grateful for all the help IGP has has given me and highly recommend them to anyone needing test prep, college essay support, writing coaching or help with test anxiety. I've referred a ton of my friends to them and everyone is very happy with their services, including my best friend who was just admitted to Northwestern early decision. read more

I worked with Maya for my college essays and with helping me apply to my dream colleges and how to go about the process and how to choose which colleges were right for me. I was guided through the whole process and would have been lost without the help of Maya. I loved how helpful, encouraging and thoughtful she was when it came down to what I wanted to write about and where I was coming from. She knew how to produce my own thoughts into words, and her exercises really helped me understand what I really wanted to write about. Needless to say, with her help, I got into UC Berkeley and could not be more thankful for her expertise and guidance! read more

I highly recommend inner genius prep! Lisa and everyone are so kind and the most helpful people your going to find for your college applications/essays. I truly don't know what I would have done without Lisa's help on my college essays!! read more

Lisa, owner of Inner Genius Prep, is simply fantastic! We utilized her for our 2 college bound children for SAT and Subject Matter SAT prep. She has a vast knowledge of the tests and the nuances which help to increase scores and provide the confidence which enhances the experience. Our children looked forward to working with Lisa and embraced the entire experience. Lisa is enthusiastic, reliable, extremely knowledgeable and without any reservation, we would recommend her and her company for any type of SAT/ACT prep work. We love working with Lisa and if we had a third child, Lisa would be tutoring that child also. You cannot go wrong with Lisa and her crew. Do yourself a favor and give her a call; you won't regret it. She is the BEST! Finally, she is witty, funny and knows great secret restaurants. She relates to children well! read more

Lisa and her team helped me through the application process for graduate school. My experience vastly exceeded my expecations--- Inner Genius was instrumental in putting my best forward in the application process. Lisa was great throughout the entire process: brainstorming, writing drafts, and editing. All in all, a great experience. read more

Inner Genius Prep is the most incredible tutoring company that also helps significantly with college essay writing. All of the tutors are wonderful, considerably helping my SAT and SAT subject test scores. read more

Lisa is an amazing tutor! I was very weak in reading and writing but after working with Lisa my scores for the SAT dramatically increased. I also never thought about doing the ACT until she guided me in that direction and I'm very grateful that she did because I enjoyed the test more than the SAT and I did even better than the SAT. She also helped me with my college essays. She mad the college application process so much easier and she pushed me start earlier which I'm so grateful for now that I am almost done with all of my applications and most of my friends have hardly started. She is fun and energetic and made tutoring sessions enjoyable and productive. I recommend her to anyone looking for a tutor and I definitely recommend using her over any other test prep course because it is a much more enjoyable and beneficial experience. read more

After a not-so-great tutoring experience, we were referred to Lisa. Lucky us!! Lisa helped our daughter make a significant improvement on her ACT score, and she also helped with college essay writing, leading to acceptances at many of the top universities in the country. Lisa is extremely knowledgeable in both subject matter and strategies for students to excel on the myriad required exams. Most importantly, she connected instantly with our daughter and became a part of our extended family. With a second child quickly approaching college age, we'll welcome Lisa into our lives again this coming year! We recommend Lisa without reservation!!! read more

We were referred to Lisa through a friend that said both her kids had a great experience with Lisa. Lisa exceeded all our expectations! She tutored my daughter for SAT, ACT and Subject Tests with excellent results. She also guided her through the application process and essay review. The thing that really put Lisa in a category of her own was her coaching on ways to reduce stress - from what to eat the morning of the test to relaxation techniques. Lisa really bonded with my daughter and I can truthfully say that she really looked forward to her tutoring sessions with her. read more

I've worked with Lisa for years--first with English tutoring and then ACT and subject test tutoring, and my ACT score rose from a 27 to a 35! Lisa is not only a great tutor but also such a funny person--she knows how to keep students engaged in the lesson so that we're not bored to death simply doing practice test after practice test (a high risk when studying for any sort of standardized test). I have also worked with Maya for years on my English essays. She is one of the most organized people I have ever met. She comes to each lesson with a notepad and every color pen and highlighter in hand, taking notes on everything I say so that by the end of the session I have a clear map of what to write on my essays. She knows the right questions to ask to prompt me to have deeper insights on whatever novel I'm reading at the time--regardless of if she herself has read the book or not. My brother worked with Inner Genius Prep as well for the SAT and got the same great results as I did. I still use Maya and remain close with Lisa to this day. I completely recommend this company! read more

Inner Genius Prep was an incredibly helpful tool with my tutoring for the ACT! Lisa, the owner, was also amazing by introducing new techniques and practices that allowed me cope with my testing anxiety and enhance my focus. She definitely is the reason that I jumped from my 26 diagnostic to a 33! Lisa is overall such a wonderful, wonderful person who although brutally honest and straightforward, is also kind and compassionate and genuinely wants to help you. But that's what you pay her for right? The truth! Well, her truth to be more exact. Personally, that's what I think was so effective in her program because she could pin-point exactly what you struggled with and address you in a manner that would both motivate and support your progress. I also briefly utilized IGP for some of my college applications and it really was great having a fresh and new perspective that I could trust! I would definitely recommend this test prep if you are really serious about boosting your score! read more