I had almost all of my tutoring sessions at Peninsula Academy. After moving from Shanghai to Palos…read moreVerdes about 5 years ago, I was greatly struggling with English. Then I came to Pen Academy to seek for an English tutor. JJ was the one who helped me the most with my speaking, writing, and reading skills, and he helped me to get a decent score on SAT (1500). Other tutors I have had include TJ, Joseph, and Jason who helped me with math, biology, and physics, and I had great experiences with all of them. When it comes to the time of college application, my college counselor Ji spent a lot of time with me brainstorming about the college essays. She encouraged me to be the person I want to be and express myself in my essays. Finally, all of these got me into my dream college. Learning at Peninsula Academy was a very enjoyable experience as the tutors do not only help you to achieve academic success but also care about your personal well beings.

We moved from Beijing to LA in 2017, around April 2017 my wife and I did a house hunting at PV and…read moreTorrance. After looking at several houses for sales, I asked my realtor to drop me off at the ice rink which is my daughter's most favorite activity. We passed by the Peninsula Academy. I told my wife this is a great place for our daughter to enrich her English. Kay Lee, the deputy director of the academy was there, she was extremely helpful and listened to me on our needs. She recommended Kathy Kerstein as my daughter's English teacher. We moved our family on July 28, 2017. It's a Friday. My daughter Yiyi started Kathy's one to one class for the whole summer and once-twice a week during the school year. Apparently, she did extremely good at her ENGLISH LEARNER'S class. She moved on with Kathy's help, she got into Stanford's summer school, UCSB Research Mentoring Program. From a Chinese speaking little girl, hardly can speak a full paragraph to a young adult commanding her English In three and half years. My daughter, applied for colleges this year, she got admitted for UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UCSD. For private institutions, she got Harvey Mudd (finalist for President's Scholarship, she declined), Columbia University and Caltech. She accepted the offer from Caltech and will be the 2025 class of Caltech. Kathy Kerstein is a great teacher, she is always available and ready to help, I would like to thank the Academy for all the supports. Chung

My 1st grader has been attending the tutoring center for a few months now and the level he is…read morestudying here is surprising. I reviewed the materials he is solving, and it's definitely ahead of what I thought he was capable of. He was writing letters in mirrors images pretty recently, but the stuff in the workbook here that he was reading and writing reminded me of PSAT (for those old enough to remember those) . Of course, to do these, he needs attention and guidance from a teacher at a much lower ratio than what we can get from school, and here, it's kept at about 2 students per teacher. Being a fidgety flighty 6 yr old boy (hopefully normal?) I don't know how much he learns in his school class of 26 kids and I don't have the skills to teach him myself so I started sending him here for professional help twice a week to make sure he doesn't fall behind. Looks like mission is being accomplished so far! And most importantly, he enjoys learning here, which made it part of our weekly routine now. They offer a free assessment, where the student takes a test and they come back with analysis on the student's level and recommendations. It's a nice computer printout that Mr. Chow goes over with you. And then you can decide to enroll or not, and how often to attend and what times you'd like. It was a nice way to get started, as well as probably the first time I got my child assessed on anything. Thankfully he tested slightly above his grade level, but upon examining the questions, I did notice it would've resulted differently had we not done a few reading sessions on our own just the week prior to the assessment, as the vocab tests were specific. So it's not perfect, but still a really useful experience for the child and the parent!

Both of our daughters have gained so much confidence since attending this tutoring center, and…read morewe've also seen clear academic improvement. The tutors are patient, supportive, and really take the time to help each student understand the material. Our kids feel encouraged and capable, which has made a big difference. We're very happy with our experience and would definitely recommend this center.

Hello, my son took the 8-week in-person SAT prep course in 2024 summer and wanted to share his…read morehonest critique: Much Better, Cheaper Alternatives: Free or low-cost platforms like Khan Academy, UWorld, and Acely offer better, more personalized SAT prep. A $15 prep book or private tutoring (only when needed) can be more effective and far less expensive. Poor Course Structure: The weekly cycle goes: Day 1: Full-length SAT practice test (which can be done at home using Bluebook or PDFs from College Board). Day 2: Review the test (easily done with free online explanations or tutor support). Days 3 & 4: Light instruction followed by workbook problems--often with minimal teaching and sometimes incorrect answer keys. This kind of practice can be done at home more efficiently with a good prep book or YouTube resources. Wasted Time: Frequent breaks and off-topic discussions waste about half the time per day. Excessively long work periods lead to idleness (many students on phones after finishing early). Repetitive explanations for already-understood material that other students needtake up more time. Overall, around half the class time felt unproductive. Mediocre Materials & Teaching: Many practice problems were too easy compared to actual SAT questions. Teaching often consisted of summarizing what's already in a prep book. Vocabulary memorization (25 words/day) was inefficient--most of the memorized words don't appear on the test, and it's hard to retain them. A more effective method is learning prefixes and suffixes to decode unfamiliar words on test day. Social Pressure: Students may feel uncomfortable asking questions in front of peers. A tutor, AI tools, or YouTube can offer judgment-free help more comfortably. Summary: Unless you absolutely lack time management or self-discipline, this course is not worth the cost. There are far more affordable, flexible, and effective ways to prepare for the SAT. Thanks for reading.

Mr. Chu and his staff are great people, there to help those who are interested in academic success…read more I've attended here in the past when I was in middle school and in high school. English was not my first language and the classes that I took helped improve my English and my SAT scores. The teachers were teachers from the surrounding school districts. The teachers were also very good at what they do best, teaching. Mr. Chu took an active interest in my academics. He knew what my strengths and weaknesses were and advised on ways to advance my education by growing the strengths and diminishing the weaknesses. If you have the desire to learn and to improve your scores, this is definitely the place for you!

Luca, Verdi and Brandon are excellent. They make a great team and my daughter has been really…read moremotivated by their tutoring and encouragement. So very thankful for the experience here. I have seen a great improvement in my daughter's math skills and confidence.

We started Mathnasium at this location almost a year ago. My child has gained confidence in math…read morefrom coming once a week. Luca, Verdi and all the staff are so friendly, positive and responsive! I appreciate the frequent updates on what my child has learned. When I reach out about problem areas they address the issue right away. I am impressed with the personalized learning plans that my child gets.

Cheap & crowded! It used to be decent but now it's way too crowded, not enough popular machinesread more

Our son attends Ivy Smart's after-school program, and we truly appreciate their support…read more At first, he was not interested in participating in school math events, but with the teachers' encouragement and guidance, he became motivated to try. He now takes more initiative and understands the importance of effort. Although English was not his strongest subject before, we have seen steady improvement and no longer receive concerns from his school. We are grateful for the teachers' dedication and support.

Both the classes and the internship program have been outstanding. The instructors create a…read morewelcoming, supportive environment that makes learning exciting while also challenging students to grow. My kids have gained valuable hands-on skills, real-world experience, and confidence that goes beyond the classroom. I'm impressed with how thoughtfully the program balances strong academics with practical opportunities--it truly sets students up for future success.

I recommend PVNet for very motivated students who are curious in nature and interested in…read moretechnology, engineering and science and are there to learn. Students get exposure to hands on, project based learning with industry grade equipment and knowledgeable mentors. Ted, the owner, is genuinely interested in helping kids learn about cutting-edge science. He might seem direct but he has their best interest in mind. Our kid enjoyed spending time at PV net and learning all things tech. They run classes for engineering subjects like computer science, game design etc. All in all, it's a great community resource for our next gen innovators who have a knack for learning beyond what's generally taught for their age group.

I can't recommend Chenchu highly enough. She has an incredible ability to break down difficult…read moreconcepts into simple, understandable steps. Her patience, encouragement, and clear teaching style helped build my daughter's understanding and confidence. She took the time to identify weak areas, explain mistakes without judgment, and provide strategies that actually make sense. Thanks to her guidance, my daughter's grades improved significantly. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, reliable, and supportive pre-calculus tutor, I would absolutely recommend her.

My son needed help with Calc 3. The whole process of being in touch with Joe at Marshall Tutors, to…read morebeing offered a tutor was smooth and quick! My son met with Tutor Dada and after their first meeting he said "He's cool I'd be down to meet up again." That in itself is high praise from my son. He will definitely be seeing him again! Rates are reasonable too! Maxine N

I love SNAP Education. Words cannot describe how wonderful this place is. It is to the point I…read morewould work here along with the wonderful manager/ director​/ teacher/ genius​/ brother-like person, Steven Kim. The first hour I stepped​ into this place, which was the conference, he opened my eyes to see the bigger picture of my future. I changed my direction completely since then. To be honest, I was a pretty lazy student. I was one of those students who would do their homework during school, the day that it is due. Currently, I have improved on procrastination ​and learned to do my task responsibly. There is​ a lot to learn from this place. I am taking the SAT fall course, which is a twelve-week​ program that consists of English course and Math course specifically for SAT. However, they are not so restricted to​ class time or subject, but rather they try to help as much as possible. The director, Steven Kim, who would be reading this soon or later, told me that I can email him anytime for ANY questions. So I did. You know, "Bank For Your Buck" right? I personally do my homework pretty late, so often times I emailed him at like one in the morning. I don't know how but he did respond couple minutes later. Honestly, there are no other tutors that would do this. Not naming any place but the tutor I used to go to would cut off the class time right as it ends. And because there were like almost 10 students in each class, the teacher did not have close attention to the student's performance level. Which is why I quit, but this place is better. Way better. I recommend it to every student​ out there, I mean, I even recommended to some of my friends in my school, which is something I don't really do. To go into​ more detail about the program I take, it consists of three times a week classes along with "Practice SAT simulations" every Saturday​. This was pretty cool. He tells you to "come by 7:40 and 7:45 by the latest" and the eat the same thing as you would on a real SAT and dress the same way (which he recommends sweatpants and zip-up jacket classic), and even sleep at the same time as you would on a real SAT. Like what kind of teacher would care so much that he would care about the food we eat? Other than the Saturday tests, there are the classes during the weekdays​, which are pretty fun, ​to be honest. I took the class along with Ruth and Brent, who probably would be posting a review soon (don't ask me why I know this), and as we get the job done, he passes the here and there. Other than the fact that he didn't know what "HOCO (short for homecoming)" was it was all good. The original schedule was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but after seeing that we needed help also on writing, he voluntarily added another session on Thursday (every other week), with no additional charge. Also, ​he let us come in for extra help on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also at​ no additional charge. Ya know, "Bank For Your Buck." You could probably tell by now that it is a quote from Steven. He has many other infamous quotes that would probably stick with you by the end of the session. "If all else fails, plug it in" is another. I love this place so much that I am coming back for another session. Not for SAT again, because he probably won't​ accept me ^^, but for chemistry. The Course subject can be customized​​ by your likings.You can ask for Biology, Chemistry, Math, English, Writing... All you have to do is just ask. Also, ​there is this one student that he keeps on talking about. I wish I could meet this infamous "SangJun," but as of right now, I didn't. I can't forget about the pretty English teacher, Yoomi. She is so good at English, I respect her so much. I learned so much from her in terms of writing. My initial score was pretty low, but I saw instant improvement as I took her class. One of the most close-to-perfect teachers​ I've seen in my entire life. To talk about Steven, man, this will never end. He is funny, and "nice" well, that's​ how he describes himself. I think differently, but... I mean... He is SO nice. I was totally just kidding. ^^. He may bash on you couple times, but its all for your improvement. I think.​.. But he uses his own personal money to buy you food. When I improved 100 points on my practice SAT's he got me a Starbucks gift card​. I should've asked for a pencil. He got us chipotle, and kinda threatened us...​ I mean encouraged us to memorize the vocab. As an​ experienced student, I really recommend memorizing your vocab. You'll thank me later :). but all jokes aside, he is really a great teacher. He will teach you from the basic if you don't know, as long as you try as well. So Please this place out. You probably won't​ regret. Oh and don't forget to say "CHAEYOON RECOMMENDED SO I CAME." :) If You read all the way till here, you could probably tell that I love this place. ok steven gimme my pencil now. JKJK All of the above were written and approved by chaeyoon syin. :))

Personally, I have been to many tutors but SNAP comes out on top. As a student who recently…read morefinished the summer SAT program, I learned a lot from the teachers at SNAP. Despite the summer program being eight weeks long, Steven as well as Yoomi teacher were more than willing to put in extra time to make sure we would be able to score well on the SAT. Steven helped each and everyone of the students to get on top of their game. Other tutors may sugar coat their advice, which in turn wouldn't motivate you into actually working, but Steven was different. He put in a lot of effort to understand how all the students were like and would call us in with our parents on certain days critiquing us on what we needed to do not only for the SAT but also for our lives. I may not have been in such a good mood when he was telling me that I needed to focus more and have some ambition, but I knew Steven was telling me this to help me and it did. Steven told me this on a Monday, so I had a couple more days till Thursday when we took our next practice SAT. With Steven's advice and my added effort my score jumped by 110 points.