Vanteus Academy

This is for the Vanteus Academy that was on Irving St. in San Francisco, for Summer 2005.
I heard of this place from my mom, who read it in a Chinese newspaper. She gave me a choice between this and Elite Educational Institute (
). I chose Vanteus ONLY because it was convenient to get to in under 20 minutes. When I first came here, I saw an old middle school friend; he suggested me to NOT take classes here, that I would be wasting my money. I gave it a shot, and within a few weeks, I agreed with him and left this place for good. So, I’m reviewing Vanteus based on less than a month of learning (during summer 2005) and on the math class only.
First flaw: On my first day, I was given one 10-​minute practice test with a few questions from each of the three sections. According to the results, I struggled with the math section. BUT according to the results of full-​length practice exams taken elsewhere (Elite Prep, Princeton Review) and three official SAT exams, math was my strongest and critical reading was my weakest. I believe one way in prepping for the SATs is to take full-​length practice tests over and over again, NOT to take only one 10-​minute practice test that covers very little in each section. More practice of the real thing, more preparation for the real thing. Vanteus lacked this helpful option.
Second flaw: My math instructor and I talked about future courses at Vanteus, specifically in the following fall. I played tennis on a team, during the first few months of school. When I told him I couldn’t attend certain class dates because of tennis, he said that SATs were more important than tennis in one’s junior year of high school and that I should not play that year. RIDICULOUS! SATs are not everything on one’s application. Extracurriculars are important as well. I believe another plus in a SAT prep center is for the staff to encourage students to be well-​rounded with academics and extracurriculars, NOT to suggest them to quit their favorite after-​school activities for SATs only.
Third flaw: No real organization in the class. I (vaguely) remember going to class, being handed a stapled packet of random math problems, and having to answer them and explain my process. Now, how on earth can I do that if the instructor doesn’t first teach me how to do these problems?! And where do these problems come from? A Princeton Review SAT prep book? A Barron’s SAT prep book? There’s no source, and I highly doubt the problems were made up by the Vanteus staff.
Fourth flaw: Well, not really a «flaw» but a comment about the fees. When I went here, I paid roughly $ 800 for prep in math ONLY. Pricey isn’t it? At Elite, I paid about $ 1000 for all three subjects taught within 8 weeks. Vanteus is a rip off. But I have to admit, they give their students options by allowing them to take classes in a specific area in which they struggle rather than all three.
I give them one star because they gave me a full refund, and because Unilocal doesn’t allow zero stars. Other than that, I would NOT recommend this place. Prep on your own, or spend your SAT prep money elsewhere.