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A Life Better Than I Deserve
Oct. 1, 2009
Review: College Prep Genius
Recently I received the College Prep Genius DVD course designed by Texan Jean Burk. Now, what is this program and how did it come to be?
When Mrs. Burk was facing the prospect of being unable to afford to send her own daughter and son to college on their homeschooling family's single income, she decided there simply must be a way. It was then that she and her children began to study the SAT and PSAT tests and learn the tips, tricks, and pitfalls of these tests. Actually, her family learned the strategies so well and she prepared her children so well that her son had seven trash bags full of scholarship letters they simply threw away, unable to use them all! From her family's success she developed and began teaching her College Prep Genius courses across the state of Texas as well as in other states and has now developed her DVD/book series for those who are unable to locate a local class.
In my initial overview of College Prep Genius I mentioned that the program was initially overwhelming. I stand by that assessment. Yet just because something is challenging or time-consuming is not a good enough excuse to back down from the challenge. If I believed that it were, then my husband and I would not discuss with our son when he makes Eagle scout, then he can do ____. We would say, "Oh, my! Becoming an Eagle scout is very difficult. Only 4% of boys who begin scouting as Tiger cubs eventually make Eagle. Maybe you should quit after you earn First Class Scout Rank instead." No, we believe in our children and want them to accomplish all that God has for them. Finding that balance between pushing them too hard and encouraging them to do their best at all times (and then celebrating those achievements!) is something we strive to reach.
So, my thirteen year old eighth grader has taken the challenge and has been using this program for over a month now. We watched the program overview (first DVD) together and read most of the accompanying textbook and workbook together as well. I was initially surprised that the DVDs consist mostly of lists from the textbook or practice questions from the workbook with a voice-over from the author-speaker. The speaker does has a lovely speaking voice and this format does seem to help the student focus.
My daughter has now also viewed most of the second and third DVDs as well. I have asked her to set aside the third DVD this year until she has learned more algebra and geometry. It was overwhelming to her, as she is now finishing up pre-algebra. We also have not viewed the fourth DVD on the essay section, as I would prefer to use other resources to work on essay writing this year and wait to use this preparation when she is older instead.
This rigorous SAT/PSAT preparatory program will have to be evaluated individually by every family. Although I believe it could prove highly helpful to the majority of homeschooling families and their children, I would neither encourage a mother to order this set a month prior to the scheduled test nor would I suggest simply handing it off to even a high school aged child and telling him or her to "learn this" without some guidance. As the old African proverb states, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. Similarly, this program should be tackled in bite-sized chunks, with a little guidance from a parent. Also, although I am sure they are helpful, I would consider learning all the acronyms included within this course to be optional as they could prove overwhelming to some students. The process of working through the logic of the actual test questions and the suggestion of repeatedly practicing for the test are some of the most helpful ideas included within this course.
The complete College Prep Genius course is currently available at 30% off, or for $79.00. Although to actually complete this course you would need to purchase some additional SAT practice test books, this does seem to be a worthwhile investment for most students and most homeschooling families. Unless you know that your child will not attend college after high school or is in some way unlikely to perform well on a standardized test, this program is certainly worth consideration. Recommended as a late eighth or a ninth grade purchase, followed by taking practice runs taking the PSAT in the ninth or the tenth grade (depending on the child and your situation), this resource should prove helpful to most homeschooling families.
For another opinion of this product, go here to see what the rest of the Homeschool Crew has to say.
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Comments
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Oct. 1, 2009 - Great review!