Testimonials
I welcome additional comments from current or past students or their parents.
Sara Su's class is more focused on my specific strengths and weaknesses than in school, mainly because it is smaller, but also because it is easier to articulate specific problems that I am having to my peers and Sara Su because, frankly, in my school, the atmosphere is very competitive and judgmental. Here I am comfortable and can speak my mind without fear of judgment.
I have learned a great deal from Sara Su. Squares and percentages have helped me a great deal in the mathematics department, and my writing style has become more eloquent and dignified. The list of vocabulary words I have learned here must be a mile long by now, and my appreciation of written works has magnified tenfold.
This class has changed my entire life, socially, academically, and emotionally. I hope to benefit from the teachings here for the rest of my life, and I'm sure that I will.
-- An 8th grader who started taking my classes while she was in 6th grade
I just want to say thank you so much for helping my older daughter think through everything with regard to testing. You have been wonderful with her and it is very much appreciated. As she says, no one knows her better than you as far as testing, so she puts so much trust in that and you really help her confidence. I am sure you hear it all the time, but you are amazing and both of the girls really love working with you.
-- P.B., parent of a junior and a freshman who have been taking my SAT/ACT prep classes
I just wanted to let you know what an enormous difference you have made in my son's life. I know he has been a real challenge, but you have had a profound impact on his ability to focus on difficult intellectual tasks and work through them. I think this has been evident in his improved standardized test scores. And he genuinely looks forward to your class.
-- E.K., parent of a freshman who has been taking my classes since 7th grade
"Thank you for doing such a tremendous job helping the boys improve their test scores. They both scored extremely well, much higher than on their earlier tests, due in large part to your knowledge, your teaching style, and your teaching methods.
"More importantly, I thank you for helping them gain enough self-confidence to go into the tests with the belief that they would succeed and to leave the tests feeling that they had succeeded. For me, that was the most important thing you could have done for them, regardless of the results. Their sense of comfort and their belief in themselves will serve them well the rest of their lives, long after the memory of their test scores has faded.
"You create an atmosphere, in and out of class, that is both demanding and supportive; you recognize and encourage good work, while understanding the human propensity to err.
"When we signed up for your class, we weren't at all sure what would come of it. It turned out, we never had to cajole the boys into going to class and they were always in great moods when they came out of class. For this too, we are delighted, and most grateful."
-- C.B., parent of two students who took my SAT/ACT prep courses
"We sought out tutoring when our daughter's sophomore PSAT score landed in her in the 50th percentile. After tutoring with Sara Su, one year later, her score was in the 92nd percentile. On other tests, she has placed in the 98th percentile.
"Test scores are important, but the bigger benefit was that Sara Su taught her how to think critically and solve problems. The tutoring sessons are focused and challenging. Doing well in this environment gave our daughter confidence, and she also learned to concentrate and prioritize. My sense is that Sara Su's seriousness of purpose and diligence in preparing for each class are understood and appreciated by the students--I didn't hear any whining when I picked our daughter up. Sara Su prepares well for each class, and this is apparent, even to 16-year-old students. She earns respect from her students by her own example of preparation and dedication to the matters at hand.
"Sara Su's classes helped our daughter in her everyday studies and preparations for class--how to size up the issues, focus, and execute under time pressures. The tutoring sessions gave our daughter confidence in approaching everyday school examinations."
-- P.D., parent of a student who took my PSAT/SAT/ACT prep courses & Expository Writing Workshop
"In Sara Su's classes, I learned fail-safe concepts and methods that gave me answers, not how to guess real well and hope I get the question right."
-- D.J., a junior who had taken test-prep classes elsewhere before coming to me
"You have helped me learn so much about the ACT, SAT, and important life skills in general. You helped me dig deeper in my essays and find the potential in my writing skills and my test-taking abilities. With your help, I found the motivation to push myself to study harder and to do better on standardized tests and in school."
-- S.S., who took test-prep and writing classes with me as a freshman and sophomore and scored just under 2300 on the SAT as a sophomore
"It's not just my work that helped me improve, but also your help and encouragement. Without you, I don't think I could have done what I have done in the past three years. And it's not just SAT and ACT lessons that I gained from your classes. I will always remember your lessons about time management and study habits, and about just life in general -- those lessons were just as valuable."
-- M.L., who took my prep courses, starting the summer after 8th grade; she also remarked that the writing, grammar, vocabulary, and critical reading skills she learned here have helped her excel in her AP English class (as a junior)
"I learned more from your classes than anywhere else -- not only about reading, math, and writing, but about life in general. I miss your class, despite the hour-long drive there."
-- T.S., who took my SAT/ACT prep courses as a junior
"I learn more in 10 minutes here than I do in an hour at school."
-- A.Y., a 7th-grader at his second Core Skills class