“My daughter took a practice SAT two Saturdays ago,” Talia’s mom, Amy, writes, “and her total score has gone up several hundred points since the first practice SAT she took a year ago. We must give MUCH credit to all her sessions with Honora. Thank you, thank you!” Honora also worked with Talia in AP European History — they focused on concise yet comprehensive note-taking (an essential academic skill in any class) and effective preparations for classroom tests. Talia ended up with excellent results: an A- in the class, and a 5 (!) on the AP exam.

We make sure the test-taking strategies we teach are relevant not only to the HSPT and ISEE, but also to the other standardized, high-stakes tests students take as part of the high school and college application process. So we were especially happy to receive this note from Makena just one month after we started working together: “Today I had an extremely hard math test to determine who in my class gets a scholarship for high school. I didn’t understand many of the questions, but I was able to use the techniques you taught me and I figured out some of the answers. Thank you so much! Everything you taught me has really paid off!” Makena’s mom, Meghan writes: “We were thrilled with the tutoring at Archimedes! Not only did our daughter adore her tutor, but she increased her ISEE scores over 18% overall!! We will definitely use Archimedes again!” Makena was admitted to Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Flintridge Preparatory School, and the Polytechnic School.

Archimedes loves getting emails like this one: “Julia received her acceptance letter from LaSalle. She is so happy and relieved that it’s behind her. She was quite pleased with her test scores, particularly in math.” (As well she should be: Julia scored in the 98th percentile, nationally!) Jose, Julia’s dad, goes on: “I want to thank you again for working with her and being such a positive person with her. You really helped strengthen her confidence going in to her exam. She really enjoyed working with you.” And I (Devin) really enjoyed working with Julia! Her gains were substantial and consistent in every single section of the HSPT. We also prepared for her school interview together, rehearsing thoughtful, authentic responses to several different questions that are frequently asked in the application process. Julia will matriculate at La Salle High School in the fall of 2013.

Henry was sharp and inquisitive and completely delightful to work with. Zora, Henry’s mom, writes: “Henry got into Loyola and is over the moon excited. We had dinner last night with some Loyola friends who wrote recommendations etc., and he glowed among his Cubs! We are so very grateful for your tutelage.  You encouraged Henry and made him feel good about himself as he worked through his text anxiety. You have my highest recommendation for those who follow.”

Bella scored 20 percentage points higher on her final ISEE than on her initial practice test! (Note: All this progress happened in only three months of weekly sessions.) Alicia, Bella’s mom, writes: “Archimedes tutors clearly stand out from the competition because they really know their material.  They are thorough and experienced in the test-taking techniques, and know what it takes to improve on the score.” Bella matriculated to Mayfield Senior School in the fall of 2013.

Maddie’s Honors Chemistry grade is two whole letters higher since she began working with Nancy! Go, Maddie, go. From Lisa, Maddie’s mom, a few weeks in: “I think tutoring is really making a big difference for Maddie.  The last test she studied with Nancy she received a 96%. Thanks so much for your help.  It’s giving Maddie the confidence she needs!” Then, later Lisa also wrote us with this piece of good news: “She just got 95% on a pop quiz that her teacher threw at them on Friday.  Because she had seen Nancy on Thursday, she was prepared and did well.  Thank goodness!” And excerpted from yet another happy email Lisa wrote us: “Maddie just called me and she found out she got 98% on her chem test!  She only missed 1/2 point.  She said that the class was split between the girls who did well and the girls who did really poorly.  So glad Maddie is in the first group! Thank you Nancy for your infinite patience and helping Maddie to figure out chemistry at last!”

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say is Archimedes’ rigorous and highly rewarding workshop in writing the college admissions essay. It’s also my favorite class to teach! More about the workshop from Lucas: “I thought that class was going to be just like a teacher conference where you give us a structure you want and it was going to written in a particular format, but this was not the case at all. I loved how you gave us so many choices on what format to pick and how to mold that formula into the essay we wanted to get out of it. In all honesty, this essay is the best I have ever written (with quite a bit of help from you) and I am confident that it will provide an incredible help toward getting into the colleges I am looking at.” Terri, Graeme’s mom, writes: “Devin was a life saver; she helped two of my sons complete their personal essays in a timely manner. She followed up with them and I did not have to nag them. They both were accepted at top colleges.”  And from Audrey, Daniel’s mom: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say is a well organized and helpful opportunity for high school seniors to create an impressive and thoughtful essay that directly follows the common application of the colleges they are applying to. My son was accepted into the schools he applied to and we have Devin’s expert guidance to thank for it!”

One of the best things in the world is an email with the subject line, “Congratulations and Welcome,” which is exactly the email that Hannah forwarded to me (Hesley) from her first choice school, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy! Hannah says, “Working with Hesley was a great experience. Hesley made it easy to learn and was very cooperative with session times and locations. I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor and a better source of help. In the end I was accepted into the school of my choice and I will continue to work with Hesley to prepare for high school and college.” In addition to HSPT prep, Hesley worked with Hannah on her high school applications, application essays, and interviews, helping Hannah to highlight her personality and unique experiences. Hannah was a delight to work with and increased her score by over 30 percentage points. In the end, she was accepted to both Mayfield and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. Congrats, Hannah, your hard work paid off!

AJ’s mom, Kimberly, says, “AJ routinely scored low in all standardized tests and suffered from a great deal of anxiety and low self esteem. We worked with Hesley for over a year – and AJ is a different student now. Not only did he get into both St Francis and Loyola, but the techniques he learned from Hesley have carried over into how he performs in class.  Hesley is upbeat and relatable, but sets standards and expects her students to meet them. I could not recommend Hesley more. We are looking forward to working with her in the future when it’s time for our daughter to prepare for the ISEE and HSPT.” AJ will matriculate to Loyola in the fall of 2017.

Jennifer, Jack’s mom, writes, “I wanted to be sure to thank Neal for the exceptional assistance he gave Jack this past year in studying AP European history and in preparing him for the national exam in May. He earned consistently solid grades in the class all year, achieved a passing score on the national exam, was then admitted into AP US History for this year, and did it all with confidence and style. 🙂 I couldn’t be happier! The AP Euro class was Jack’s first AP class ever. Although I knew he could handle the class, I really wanted him to love it. Neal helped him do exactly that. Neal brought the material alive for him by having such dynamic conversations and by engaging him not just as a student but as a thinker. He learned the material, but also learned to dig under the surface, which then deepened his understanding. He really clicked with Neal. He expressed to me many times how “cool” Neal is. I think he felt that if you can be cool and also know European history, then learning European history must be “cool.” For a teenager, I can’t think of a more ringing endorsement of Neal, and as a mother, I can’t think of a more pleasurable experience for me. I’m so happy that Neal will  work with Jack again this year as he takes on the AP US History exam.”

From Sophia E., Eli’s mom, “Neal was very energetic and the right fit for our son. Neal mapped out an aggressive schedule and covered the material with ease and with each week our son’s confidence level grew. After each session, our son was always in great spirits and equipped with strategies. Eli scored a 95% in the math section and was accepted into honors geometry.” Eli matriculated to Loyola in the fall of 2016.

Our daughter worked hard and she diligently followed her tutor’s (Richelle Meiss) guidance, but without her tutor’s insights about the test and process she would not have been prepared. Math is not our daughter’s strongest subject, but her tutor reassured her she could do it, celebrated her efforts, and showed her strategies that elevated her performance in school work. She not only brought her math scores up from 3s on her practice test to a 7 and 8 on the actual test, but she has learned life-long strategies for learning and testing. We highly recommend Archimedes not just for improving test scores, but for building confidence, mastery, and a calm approach to test taking.

Sascha R., Mother (Chandler School)

My son Garrett was tutored by Edward after our first test results from the practice HSPT were less than perfect. Each session with Edward, Garrett was engaged and excited about learning how best to utilize his testing time for improving his scores. Edward challenged Garrett and taught him excellent time management. Garrett ended up scoring above 97% and got accepted into his number one choice of private high schools. 

Lori B., Mom

I’ve been meaning to reach out to you regarding Marshall’s HSPT scores for Loyola and St. Francis. He was accepted to both schools and ultimately chose Loyola where he is having a great time. He scored in the 98% overall both times he took the test. We will be back for SAT’s/ACT’s. Hopefully, Edward will still be available! Marshall still calls him a “legend”. 

“Dear Hesley, I am sending you this to thank you for the easy and successful transition from you to Dayna Bowers. Dayna has provide excellent help with Haley for this challenging senior year. Thank you for all of your years of a hard work with Haley and continued effort through Dayna. The diligence both of you have contributed have been instrumental to her success in finishing her final year at Mayfield”

Dana H., Mother (Mayfield Senior School)

David Needell was one of the best tutors we ever had. Aside from being incredibly knowledgeable and professional, he was easy to work with and excellent at explaining Calculus material. Always cheerful, patient, punctual and passionate about tutoring.  We would have no hesitation recommending him and Archimedes to other families.

Florinda B., Mother

I highly recommend Dayna Bowers from Archimedes Academics for the best parent and student support out there! My daughter has struggled with math since 3^rd grade. After spending time, quite a bit of money and a lot of frustration on other tutors that were unsuccessful in really helping her to understand what she was missing, we were referred to Archimedes Academics when my daughter was in 6^th grade. Once my daughter started working with them, I started to see a change in my her attitude toward math and, subsequently, her grade. The support and positive reinforcement that the student receives makes all the difference in the world and, once they feel that their struggles are being heard and understood, it really changes everything. This past year, my daughter’s freshman year in high school, our regular tutor moved away so Dayna Bowers became her tutor. As expected, Dayna was so supportive and really helped my daughter work through formulas that she was struggling to understand. My daughter is in the performing arts, so her schedule can be quite challenging with theater and dance rehearsals, but Dayna worked with us on scheduling, being incredibly flexible, and always had a great attitude! I am so grateful to have been referred to this wonderful company and highly recommend them, and Dayna, for all of your tutoring needs!!

Gina M., Mother

We love that Dayna incorporates Chris’ extracurricular activities and interests in enhancing his verbal-related skills for the ISEE, like helping him fine-tune his informative speech for his speech/debate tournament and discussing U.S. Presidents, which is Chris’ hobby. We think that the most important thing about education is to foster the love of learning and that is best accomplished with a smart, caring and maybe most importantly fun teacher. And Dayna fit that bill perfectly.

We really appreciate Dayna’s insightful weekly email reports about Chris’ tendencies and progress because they help us to focus on areas where Chris can improve. We are already seeing great results. Last week, Chris won 2 medals from a math competition held for 3 elementary schools. He must’ve read the questions carefully, like Dayna taught him to do! We always look forward to having Dayna come over to our house because that’s quality learning time for Chris. 

Ron and Julie B., Parents

I wanted to thank you SO much for sending Rachel our way this summer. She was an incredible help to our daughter! Always super prepared, Rachel spent timing prior to each session working through the lengthy summer math pages and even prepared supplemental materials for practice and support. I think our daughter’s sessions with Rachel will have a huge impact on not only her fluency but her confidence with math as well.

Kitty M., Mother