College Prep Genius Part Two

TOS Crew Review

Product: College Prep Genius Master the SAT class

Publisher: Maven of Memory Publishing

Price: $79.00 (limited time –special offer)

This product includes:

1. Master the SAT class DVD (4 disk set)
2. College Prep Genius Textbook
3. Class Workbook



I am going to describe two ways of using this product. The first is for those who either don’t want to go to college or are unsure. The second way is for those who are serious about college and want a full scholarship.

FIRST:

Take some time to read the textbook. I brought this along with me on car trips. While waiting for children to get out of a college class or dance class, I would study and take notes. I brought a pen with me and marked up the book, highlighting passages and writing in the margin. I have every intention of keeping this book, so I had no problem writing all over it. It is a valuable resource.

Watch the DVDs. The narrator has a cheerful, encouraging voice. She guides you through each lesson. You will see problems on the screen. She helps you through each process. I found her tricks and tips to be enlightening. Some examples of what you will learn:

a. In the Math DVD, when you see a division problem, she shows you, using logic, how to come up with the answer without actually doing the problem. Once you have located the most likely answer, she then has you do the math. It is a brilliant trick!

b. In the Writing DVD, she outlines some key tips on writing essays. I love her suggestions. I plan to use this guide to teach my children. I have to say that in High School, I had several good English teachers. My favorite made us write an essay every single week. Because of this, I can write a detailed essay, on any topic, in just a few minutes. This is a valuable skill no matter what you plan to do in the future.

c. In the Critical reading DVD, she has some enlightening tricks for “passage based reading.” I was so amazed by this, I couldn’t wait to tell my son Matthew (16) who struggles with taking tests. The problem is that he gets so bored and doesn’t care about the passage, so he guesses the answers. With the techniques taught in this course, Matthew will learn the quick and easy way to resolve this problem! When I mentioned this to him, his eyes widened and he got excited!

The Textbook, workbook and DVDs are very long and detailed. I would just have the student go over a small section at a time to prevent boredom and overwork. They need to glean small amounts of this at a time for the most benefit. This is not a quick program. Plan to spend months on this with lots of time for practice.
The combination of the DVDs and workbooks make learning and studying very easy. I was impressed by the entire program. My children will greatly benefit from this.

SECOND

For those who want to go to college, this program is just want you need. You will want to follow her program exactly. She mentions this course to be like earning $500 an hour for college. This means that she expects you to learn acronyms, take practice tests, take actual tests over the course of a few years, do the writing and math lessons and study, study, study. The amount of time she suggests you spend on this is approximately 150 hours. This is spread out over a long period of time. She explains everything for you in detail. All you have to do is follow her directions.


OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE SAT

My two oldest children, Rachel (21) and Nicole (20) both took the SAT test. I believe they were 15 at the time. I bought them books from College Board for them to study. They worked hard and long on this. At the time, I didn’t expect either one of them to attend college. We basically did the test for fun and for the experience. The girls love school and looked forward to the challenge and adventure. Later, Nicole took the test for a second time and then went on to college. She is halfway to earning her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. As for Rachel, she ended up going to a technical college. The SAT was not required. She went through a one year program and then graduated. Both girls did well.

However, we really didn’t know very much about the SAT. I believe this course would have been valuable to us. I do still have three more children who will take the test, so we will enjoy this resource and use it to our advantage.

Overall, I believe it is an excellent program.


*Free Shipping and Handling Code: HSBlog09
(Expires November 15, 09)




To find out more about my reviews, please visit "Introduction to our Homeschool Parlor"