Blog

At Forum, we are of course spellbound by the unfolding accusations regarding rampant cheating and fraud in college admissions. At the same time, we appreciate the scandalous backdrop as an opportunity to remind ourselves of what we do, how we do it, and why.

Needless to say, all of us strive to provide the best possible support for all of our students. So: what does it mean to be a great tutor? What is great tutoring?

Great tutoring means work--generally more work for the student than working without a tutor. Great tutoring means motivation to tackle obstacles with a sense of process and purpose. Great tutoring doesn’t force students to be someone they’re not but shows them who they could be. And it doesn’t offer short cuts, nor one-time results without effort; it offers a path and process of effort for students to continue getting results throughout their lives.

It’s true that tutoring gives students benefits. But these are benefits every student should have: in particular, benefits of self-understanding, self-discipline, and self-actualization.

As ever, we’d like to remind our clients to be careful about whom you work with. As you know, we’re always happy to refer you to reputable tutors, coaches, and college consultants within and beyond the Forum network. We hold ourselves to high standards in personalized academic support, and while it’s nice not to worry about FBI raids, there’s another benefit too. When we do our job well, our students master processes that won’t just be helpful for them for college, but for life.

Speaking of self-initiative, we’re very glad to announce that you can book a Self-Administered Mock Test on our site. No matter where you are in the world over break, you can take a full mock test and receive a full diagnostic (we ask that you return your answers within the week). By signing up, you’ll receive a real-time audio proctoring file to play during the test, along with our bubble sheet that you can send in for a full diagnostic. And while we legally cannot supply tests, we can recommend official tests than you can find legally available for free online. We offer for the ISEE, SSAT, ACT, SAT, and nearly every single SAT subject test.