A high school counselor is supposed to give advice to help students with both academic and personal development; however, given there is only a handful of counselors in each school, their available time and resources for the students are also very limited. For instance, according to the United States Department of Education, the national maximum recommended student-counselor ratio should be 250 to 1, however the truth is that as at year 2013 it was 470 to 1, worse yet, it’s still on the rise. On the other hand, a private educational consultant must stay competitive in both the value of their advice and in delivering good result; therefore, not only do these consultants hone their skills greatly, but they also make themselves more helpful and available to both the students and their parents alike.    

We believe that experience is critical in becoming a top-notch educational consultant. Our consultants have a clear understanding of the trends and preference of the top-tier colleges. Moreover, the chances are that they have helped many students like you to get into their dream schools. They will first match your overall profile with the college’s standard and culture, then give you valuable guidance based on their knowledge and experience to increase your odd of admission in a hand-in-hand manner.   

Students usually come to Homework Helper for the following reasons. First, their teachers don’t have extra time to cover what they don’t understand. Secondly, students need more attention in a smaller student-teacher ratio setting in order to tackle their homework problems. Lastly, they prefer to work with their peers in a study environment rather than working at home. 

Our teachers are actively engaging students in their studies. If students don’t show progress in their work or remain quiet throughout the session, our teachers are trained to give them a hand or simply a little “push” on the work. Besides, it has been proven times and again that doing homework with peers under the supervision of a teacher is much more productive than working alone in the comfort of their homes.

Most top-tier colleges are competitive in picking their applicants. Having a good GPA and test score only qualifies the applicant for eligibility, but it does not make the applicant stand out. Internship is one of the best extracurricular activities that a student can do to prove his or her passion and commitment to the chosen field. E.g. instead of telling the college that you want to be a doctor, it’s better to show it through hands-on experience by working in a hospital. 

While we encourage students to explore their academic interests early as the earlier they do so the better. Nevertheless, practically speaking students won’t have a clear direction until their high school years. In order to go get into a competitive school, you must build a good resume consistent with your direction and academic interest; finding your passion is your first step. Thus, we recommend students to engage in different activities that involve community and social events starting from middle school years. As students have more real life experience, they will find out more about their likes and dislikes, as well as their inspiration. 

We pride ourselves in motivating children both academically and personally. While we believe education is important, it’s definitely not everything. Children must first grow in a healthy state, both physically and mentally, before we can expose them to learning and inspirations. Many of them are willing to work with a professional other than their parents who may not understand their minds. We understand the importance of positive reinforcement and we will use it copiously to help your child rediscover his or her interests. 

To save costs, many college prep companies organize group consultations and have an assembly-line-style consulting where students meet with different consultants on different stages of the consulting process. Others charge a high price for one-on-one consultations. Our consultants customize their plans with each of their students, and they are committed to staying with the student on every step of the way, especially at a reasonable and affordable price.  

We choose our educators based on the balance between degree and experience, with more emphasis on the latter. We believe in “doing” rather than “talking,” results rather than image or popularity. E.g. if a teacher who graduated from UC Berkeley has no experience in teaching and she can’t help students to improve their studies, then we’d rather have a teacher who graduated from UC Riverside and has extensive experience in teaching, motivating students, and, most importantly, delivering good results. Our educators are simply down-to-earth. 

We are committed to serving our neighborhood, so we price our programs competitively. Given that each program is priced differently due to its nature and different options, we ask you to call or come in for your inquiry. For instance, our Homework Helper Program has options of attending once a week to four times a week, and discounts given for signing up for a semester instead of on a monthly basis. YES! Most of our programs can be paid for in monthly installments.