based on 5 reviews
Neighbors say
- Is in the Palo Alto, Menlo Park area
Ivy West
Bay Area, CA
(800) 489-9378
info@ivywest.com
http://www.ivywest.com
By: Your Neighbor
Date: October, 2008
A few years ago, when I used them for my first child, Ivy West was very effective and cost-efficient, as the other reviewer mentions. However, now under new management, I would NEVER recommend Ivy West for your child's test preparation. For the extremely high price (some programs cost as much as $135/hour), Ivy West doesn't provide nearly the level of customer service and attention that I was looking for. Often, I would call the Ivy West office and never hear back from my contact there. When I did hear back, my contact seemed poorly trained, frazzled, and unsure of how to help me. My daughter's tutor tried to get our issues resolved as well, but she also seemed to have a difficult time getting a response. That is absolutely NOT the kind of service I paid several thousands of dollars for. I was told by a neighbor that Ivy West recently fired its entire Northern California office staff -- that has undoubtedly caused the terrible level of service, and also makes me question the ethics of the company. I would not entrust my child's future with this company ever again, nor would I recommend that anyone else do so. Your money is better spent elsewhere.
By: Your Neighbor
Date: October, 2008
This test prep company has gone completely downhill. Ivy West used to be reputable and high-quality, apparently, but I've heard so many complaints over the past months from other parents. I had a terrible experience using their services for my son's SAT prep this fall. This was his one chance to bring up his scores, and our tutors were nice, but clearly not invested in their work. One tutor told me that the company was going through a lot of "organizational" changes. I had 3 separate occasions where I tried to contact Ivy West to get an issue resolved and NO ONE EVER CALLED ME BACK. Outrageously bad service for the price we paid. DO NOT USE!
By: Your Neighbor
Date: November, 2008
Interesting for me to read these reviews as I worked as a tutor with Ivy West until recently...it is truly a shame what has happened at this company over the past year. It used to be a company of responsive, dedicated people who really knew what they were doing. Sadly, it has deteriorated to a disorganized, short-staffed company that has started relying on marketing gimmicks. I'm a parent myself and based on my experience working there, I can no longer recommend Ivy West to other parents. Bummer.
By: Your Neighbor
Date: October, 2008
I would say our experience was somewhere in the middle of these other reviews.
My child liked the three Ivy West tutors he had a lot and he is not always easy to please. The tutors were nice people who cared and knew their stuff.
Unfortunately one of the tutors quit before we finished all the tutoring. That was a big disappointment. Then on top of that the administrators were slow to get us a new tutor. We were on a tight timeline and ended up having to cram in many of the lessons at the last minute. This was stressful and not helpful, since the scores didn't show much improvement in the end. Not terrible, but can't really recommend.
This Neighbor Says
- Is in the Palo Alto, Menlo Park area
By: Your Neighbor
Date: September, 2007
My older son, who went to a public high school, used Ivy West and improved his composite score 150 points. Friends recommended them; their sons both improved test scores by 100 + points. All these students were able to make their 'reach' schools become realistic, and all got into their first choice schools that previously were 'iffy'. Ivy West focused only on the areas where the student had some difficulty, determined by pre-testing, which was very successful. They had several package options that ranged from $700 -$1500, all done by individual tutors in your home. This was several years ago, however, so prices may have changed.
