College Preparatory School

• University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania student review

College Preparatory School - I could not have asked for more from the academic program at College Prep (The College Preparatory School, Oakland, CA). Its rigorous classes not only demanded that I thoroughly understand the concepts being taught, but also challenged me to explore and develop entirely new ways of thinking and approaching problems. Personally, I found that the most engaging classes came from the English, Foreign Language, and Math departments. Each class I took was small and discussion-based, and the teachers came to them with thoughtfully planned-out lessons. We were encouraged to develop our ideas through conversations both with the teachers and our classmates, and even the few classes that were more lecture-oriented were interactive and engaging. The teachers were clearly invested in the success of each individual student, and made an effort to ensure that we all participated and kept pace with the class. Their support was evident in the form of level of availability--both through office hours and email--and their willingness to help a struggling student both in and out of class. There is also a Learning Center that provides faculty and student tutors to students who need extra support, and those who wanted to further their studies were also welcome to speak to their teachers outside of class, all of whom were very accommodating. My academic experience at College Prep prepared me extraordinarily well for my college classes. The student body is competitive in the sense that everyone is expected to do well, but individual grades are very much a private matter and students are always willing to help each other out. …read more »