legit?

[prettyslick]

How do you know something like this is legit?

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/lss/605175258.html

Not that I'm looking for MCAT tutoring, I just ran into it and was wondering how do people know if the guy really scored a 43 S??

Vihsadas, you should be on craigslist offering your services for $$$$ rather than on SDN (for free ) just kidding....lol

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[bodonid]

If you really want this person's services, you can request a score report. It is very easy.

https://services.aamc.org/mcatthx/
And it comes with a verification code to make sure it isn't a fake.

If you don't and are just saying that you can't ever tell, I agree. It would be to one's advantage to 'inflate' their own scores. 43 is much less common than 41 or 42, and I have never heard of a 43, to be honest.
Caveat emptor!

 

[prettyslick]

If you really want this person's services, you can request a score report. It is very easy.

https://services.aamc.org/mcatthx/
And it comes with a verification code to make sure it isn't a fake.

If you don't and are just saying that you can't ever tell, I agree. It would be to one's advantage to 'inflate' their own scores. 43 is much less common than 41 or 42, and I have never heard of a 43, to be honest.
Caveat emptor!

QofQuimica (mod here) got a 43 (I believe?)

 

[Vihsadas]

43s have happened. Only a handful every year though. But to be honest, this guy is off his rocker charging $90 an hour. The fact of the matter is that the MCAT is based largely on the individual. No teacher for $90/hr is going to be that much better than most other teachers who are competent. The reason, again, is that the MCAT is a personal quest. The student has to be willing to put in as many hours as possible and to really be stalwart in their resolve to succeed. No teacher can force that upon you, that comes from you, and you alone!

(PS I do tutor the MCAT but I charge $15!) haha.

 

[smeagol]

$90 an hour!?

That's a lot of money.

 

[QofQuimica]

How do you know something like this is legit?

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/lss/605175258.html

Not that I'm looking for MCAT tutoring, I just ran into it and was wondering how do people know if the guy really scored a 43 S??

Vihsadas, you should be on craigslist offering your services for $$$$ rather than on SDN (for free ) just kidding....lol

Even if he did, that's a total rip-off. I have been charging people $30 per hour, which I think is fair considering that I have a PhD and several years of chemistry and MCAT teaching/tutoring experience.

QofQuimica (mod here) got a 43 (I believe?)

A 43S even, although I promise, that isn't my ad.

43s have happened. Only a handful every year though. But to be honest, this guy is off his rocker charging $90 an hour. The fact of the matter is that the MCAT is based largely on the individual. No teacher for $90/hr is going to be that much better than most other teachers who are competent. The reason, again, is that the MCAT is a personal quest. The student has to be willing to put in as many hours as possible and to really be stalwart in their resolve to succeed. No teacher can force that upon you, that comes from you, and you alone!

Agree.

OP, if hiring V isn't an option (and his price is more than fair), you should really do your homework before hiring a tutor. Talk to upperclassmen at your school about tutors they've used and liked, call the grad school dept. of whatever subject(s) you're having trouble with (my chem dept. kept a list of grad students willing to tutor UGs). If you're hell-bent on spending $90 per hour, then go through Kaplan or TPR so that you at least know that your tutor has gotten some kind of training on how to tutor others. to you.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

OP, if hiring V isn't an option (and his price is more than fair), you should really do your homework before hiring a tutor. Talk to upperclassmen at your school about tutors they've used and liked, call the grad school dept. of whatever subject(s) you're having trouble with (my chem dept. kept a list of grad students willing to tutor UGs). If you're hell-bent on spending $90 per hour, then go through Kaplan or TPR so that you at least know that your tutor has gotten some kind of training on how to tutor others. to you.

Don't Kaplan and TPR charge something like $125 or so an hour? I don't exactly, but it seemed like both of them charge over $100/hour. It all seems pretty overpriced, especially some of the private writing consultants who offer help with personal statements ($150/hour).

I agree with your suggestion to hunt down a graduate student (or medical student) and see what they'll charge. I know some of the teachers at BR will do private tutoring on the side, usually for about what we make an hour with BR ($25 to $45). I no longer do private tutoring, because I feel weird taking money for it. It's easier to hold office hours.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

I agree. The tutoring prices at kaplan and princeton review are total rip-offs! I took one, because I was a special case for $30 and I never felt so robbed in my life. I wasted A LOT, i mean A LOT of money for this MCAT and I have only realized now that I would have gotten the same education if I were studying on my own. I can only see ppl learning the raw basics from these classes, but really understanding the material and/or style of questions require hours of studying in solitude. Don't get me wrong, the materials these companies give are priceless, but the classes, at least for Kaplan, were a total waste of time.

Now, given that I had amazing teachers.... it was most probably not their fault. I lost a lot of money, but really that is not what I am most sad about. I am mostly grieving to the fact that I've wasted a lot of my time. Time best spent studying in the library. What can someone teach you in tutoring hours? Go over problems that have explanations already? Or maybe repeat strategies that everyone has been saying in SDN and in classes everywhere. Also, Kaplan and most companies have office hours as does BR. Its pretty much the same exact thing as tutoring without wasting 100 bucks.

Side note-When I went to the classes, I always felt guilty that I wasted 3 hours in a room listening to someone speak when I could have stayed home reviewing material. And every time I contemplated ditching class, I felt guilty that my parents spent money for me to take the classes. I feel so bad for my parents, who will pretty much do anything for my education and spent a lot of money to try and make me succeed.... sorry for tangent but this is also cheaper than any therapy session.

 

[QofQuimica]

Don't Kaplan and TPR charge something like $125 or so an hour? I don't exactly, but it seemed like both of them charge over $100/hour. It all seems pretty overpriced, especially some of the private writing consultants who offer help with personal statements ($150/hour).

Last I checked, it was around $100 per hour--not sure what it's running now. It's tough to calculate the cost per hour b/c now people who pay for tutoring can also sit in on all of the live classes. So do you just use the extra cost over the course price to calculate the tutoring cost? That doesn't seem right, since people get a discount for purchasing both. Regardless, I agree the tutoring is grotesquely overpriced. But if someone were willing/intending to spend that much money for tutoring no matter what, I'd rather see them go through one of the test prep companies versus hiring some guy off Craig's list.

I agree with your suggestion to hunt down a graduate student (or medical student) and see what they'll charge. I know some of the teachers at BR will do private tutoring on the side, usually for about what we make an hour with BR ($25 to $45). I no longer do private tutoring, because I feel weird taking money for it. It's easier to hold office hours.

This is the best option IMO as well. It gets sticky for test prep company employees to tutor on the side, b/c we can't use the test prep materials for students who are not Kaplan students.

Unfortunately, you aren't nationwide yet. When are you going to come to FL???