Drum Roll Please… The PrepMe Precocious Program
I am proud to announce that we have officially launched our new Precocious Program. For the first time ever, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be able to prepare for the SAT with a program designed just for them. The college admissions process is more competitive than it has ever been and it is going to get more competitive each year. The Precocious Program presents a vehicle for students to start their preparation early and reduce their stress.
We have received some great coverage on the launch of the program. The Financial Times featured our program yesterday with a feature story (pg. 9 in print).
I want to thank all of the parents and students, tutors, and the rest of the PrepMe team who helped us develop this program. We will continue to listen to our students and their parents as this program evolves. We are here to help you rock the SAT!
Best,
Karan
PrepMe CEO
October 30th, 2006 - 02:31
Very cool product enhancement. I wish this was around when I was in middle school…I would have liked to go to a class but being 13 years old in a classroom of 17 year olds is intimidating.
Oh well, PrepMe helped me plenty and I started in high school!
October 31st, 2006 - 19:46
For years (all the way through medical school and residency) I’ve wished there were something out there like PrepMe. It seems obvious that the best approach to teaching is first to assess the needs of the learner and then to provide instruction targeting the learner’s areas of weakness. That is what you are doing, and I hope the idea catches on, because it needs to be more broadly applied.
As long as the approach of the program is fun and educational, I see no reason not to invite young, motivated students to start preparing early. Better that than to cram at the last minute…we all know that cramming does not foster long-term retention as effectively as does a measured, consistent approach. It would be interesting to conduct long-term, prospective, controlled outcomes studies to determine whether PrepMe clients who start early and use the program over several years demonstrate better long-term retention than clients who start later and use the program over a shorter period of time. If so, you’d have really powerful evidence that starting early is a key to success.
November 1st, 2006 - 08:21
Mark – thank you for your thoughtful comment. I think you are spot on that the key for any effective teaching program is to customize itself to each student.
We will be conducting studies to determine the impact. That being said, the precise results will not be known for a couple of years as it takes a 7th grader four years to complete our program. The reasoning behind the Precocious Program is that we can help students spread out their learning thereby reducing their stress. Today’s students are extremely busy and have less free time than ever before. They juggle copious amounts of homework and extracurricular activities while finding the time to give back to their communities.
It is important to balance all of these demands and make sure students keep everything in perspective. We have a lot of respect for today’s parents as they have to simultaneously push their children to succeed while also preventing overload. I hope that with our Precocious Program, we can aid in managing this process while helping students get great results.
November 7th, 2006 - 07:39
OK, so this is all great, but are you thinking of expanding? I am going to be taking the GMAT next year (Dec 2007) and I would love a site like this to help me pass that the first time and not cause a delay in my education. Any thoughts on expanding? Thanks, this is an awesome idea and I am saving the site as my youngest graduates in May and has not taken the SAT yet. Bindy
November 8th, 2006 - 22:36
Bindy – thank you for your post. We are considering expanding, but for right now, our focus is the college admissions market. We are going to be launching our ACT course in a couple of months (we’ll give further details on our blog soon) and are going to expand the reach of our current programs.
Good luck with your GMAT – you can email me directly and I will give you tips based on my experience. We would also love to play a valuable role in the academic and professional success of your youngest child.