Kaplan LivePrep (Toronto) vs. Kaplan Retreat

[Ludacris]

I was just wondering what the differences were in these 2 programs and which one makes the most sense.

If I were to do the LivePrep, I would have to commute to the Toronto Kaplan Center, which will be at least 1 hour each way (maybe more since it will be winter).

Are the teachers at the LivePrep as good as the ones at the retreat?

Are the facilities the same - e.g. mock tests, faculty availability, tutoring?

Which one would you do?

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There is a LivePrep offered in Toronto, January 10 - February 27, 2011.

The Retreat is in Atlanta, January 5th – February 15, 2011.

These are the prices:
Retreat (Single) Retail:$7599
Retreat (Double) Retail:$5599
Retreat (no hotel) Retail:$4299
LivePrep (7 wks) Retail:$3399

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Thanks for any guidance!

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[Ludacris]

Anyone?

 

[DRTigerlilly]

Can't speak to the specifics of the program in Toronto, but I did the retreat in Delaware earlier this year and had a friend who did the Live Lectures in Texas.

The content re the lectures is identical, with the variation being who the lectures for each component end up being. The lecturers you get are going to be arbitrary & based on individual availability, all you can do is try to call each location and see if they know who they're getting. It can change as it comes closer to the date, if unforseen events come up...have had that happen to a few friends...but they're generally not going to be able to tell you who's going to be at either lecture, until a couple of weeks out.

If you go with the retreat you will not have to worry about transportation/commuting & food, renting somewhere near to the center etc, though you will need to plan for dinner, snacking etc. But I thought the retreat was a great environment to be in, for you to be away from all the distractions and be focused with your studies.

Unless you pay for center access in either the retreat or the live lectures, you're not really supposed to use them.

We didn't have any tutors @ our retreat, and there were no tutors @ the center in Miami where i did centerprep, we had a medical advisor who came in a few months in, to help out with areas we were having problems with, plan study schedules etc.

Mock tests are going to depend again on the program you purchase, there are actually quite a few more options than you've outlined here, and honestly your best bet would be to call a Kaplan office and speak with the medical officer/liason, and they can tell you all that's included. I had a deluxe package which included Centerprep & the retreat, qbank, physio qbank, 2 mock exams.

I think availability/access to the faculty is going to be equal regardless of whether you do live or retreat. Each lecturer is there for about 5 days, they'll try to be available to you during breaks for questions and as long as you don't wait until the last day of lecture you can probably talk to them after lectures, but do remember that they'll have been lecturing, likely on their feet for 8 hrs, so it's understandable if they are less available after lectures are over each day.

 

[Nellyakgo]

Actually the schedule including who the lecturers are set quite a while before the start of the courses so it's not true that they are available only a few days before the start of the course. I found that folks at the actual centers (in my case, 2 different centers) did not have the schedule at the time point I was asking it, while someone at the central number (their main number) did. I learnt that the schedule is set early because I had some problems and inquired (hard) into having some changes.

The content is theoretically the same but the way it gets covered changes WILDLY depending on who is lecturing. Who YOU will like and benefit more from will depend on your style.

If you get a hold of the actual shedule and want to ask further detailed questions you can PM me.