ThinkTank Learning

Just an update to my previous review. I eventually won the case in the small claim court and got my money back. However, it took me many, many hours to prepare for the case and literally 6 hours for the court day. It is kind of stress which I don’t think you would like to experience.

Took my sister Amy here for tutoring. She likes it so far and it’s really helped her improve in school. Small place but friendly staff.

Don’t waste your money with ThinkTank. My son took the Boot Camp SAT last summer and had dismal results with it. They didn’t seem to have a system to help individual students understand their opportunities for improvement. The instructors couldn’t care less. The management seemed to be only interested in selling more classes and the college application packages. Now we are having to find another tutoring place. What a waste. Stay away from ThinkTank!

Our experience with ThinkTank Learning (TTL) Palo Alto was poor. I give it «one star» to warn other parents. We enrolled our son (9TH Grade at the time) in its all-​in-​one package in 2011 based on its promise that our son would have individualized attention of its experienced consultants to navigate through the complex college application process, could take unlimited class, and have access to experienced tutors when needed. The package came with a hefty price tag of $ 24,000. We had high hopes of my son getting all the help he needed. We started noticing problems a few months into the fall of 2011. We soon realized that TTL’s classes follow the curriculum of Gunn. Since my son goes to Paly, we asked TTL to make sure the classes accommodate Paly students. Many apologies and promises were made the next two years, but nothing was done. The managers kept urging us to use our tutoring hours to have tutors help my son. They did not seem to think that they needed to provide classes that met the students’ needs.
In addition to false promises, the office is poorly managed. There is a high turn-​over of teachers, consultants and staff members. For example, many consultants are assigned with 50 – 60 (maybe more) students each. My son’s first consultant was too busy to provide proper support for my son. The situation seems to get worse and worse each year. The head office manager changes yearly so that persistent issues can be brushed under the rug with the promises of improvement by new managers. The head office manager’s job is to sell programs and packages, not making sure good services are provided. The managers are not experienced or qualified to manage a learning center.
We had previously asked to cancel our contract and were told that it would not be impossible. With my son’s college application approaching and his latest academic consultant quitting, we finally had enough and requested cancellation of the contract and a refund. The office manager used excuses not to meet us and refused to give us any refund, even admitting that she was aware of our dissatisfaction of TTL’s service. We had spent over $ 20,000 and wasted 3 years at this place. We want to share our experience with other parents to warn other parents. Stay away from TTL.

Unethical behavior — a member of this company used the contact info from the Palo Alto High School directory to email parents of the junior class. The directory specifically states that the info is NOT to be used in this manner. In addition, unauthorized flyers from this company were distributed a recent event at Palo Alto High School.
I feel this is unethical behavior.

Awesome classes and college counseling program! Love it!

Great classes. :D helps a lot for school, cuz that way u start by knowing te material. Great prep classes. Nice and knowlegable teachers
Definitely would recommend these classes to others.
Jeffery Yang (chem H) and Jonathan Chi-(trig)
Two of the nicest and coolest teachers: D
Starbucks and subway, It can’t get any better
Pace of classes is perfect, no problems :)