Sarcasm Isn’t Wasted on Humans

Try saying, “Oh, yeah, solving this math problem is exactly how I want to spend my Friday night,” to an AI tutor, and it’ll probably hit you with, “Persistence is key to success!” Thanks, robot. Human tutors, though? They’ll smirk and say, “Right? Because who wouldn’t want to spend their weekend deep in algebra?” Humans get your sarcasm—AI’s still buffering.

The most critical thing to consider when looking at colleges is the match between college and student.

Finding a college that offers a major you want is great, but chances are your interests and major could change before you graduate- what is the most popular major at UCLA? “Undeclared!” Of course, we “market” clients based on current interested fields of study, but you you should ensure the school is a good fit and feel for your needs, not just academics.

Part of my work involves tutoring admissions tests. Most students aim for that top-scoring echelon, usually in the 97th percentile or above. As we chip away at strategies, question types, and tailoring plans of attack, I continually emphasize that the frosting on any preparation cake is simply this: reading independently. This is a discussion that occurs with every student, not just SAT and ACT prep clients and takers of secondary school admissions tests.

It is unquestionably the summer of our discontent as we are submerged in a deep-fried Upside Down. The reference to the creepy alternate universe in “Stranger Things” is not only apropos to today’s mutated reality (things are stranger, to say the least) but also harkens to a recent era without ubiquitous internet, cell phones, endless streaming TV content, etc. I often wonder what we would have done back then with three months of closed schools.

Summer is upon us, and we are meeting the needs of students seeking to counteract learning gaps and situate themselves for next year’s challenges. We don’t advocate for extending the school year, but keeping the learning engine Engaged is essential, especially for summer learning in 2020.