The question is, if a student needs extra help in order to gain entrance into the school and then needs extra help to survive there, does he/she really belong in one of the top ranked science/math schools in the nation? Perhaps the student is very hard working and overall quite bright but just either not passionate about math/science or just does not have an innate high ability for it.

Of course, for some, school is a piece of cake; no work but stellar grades!

As long as we're talking about teachers, a great science or math teacher vs. a poor one can make a world of difference, even for motivated and bright students at a stellar math science magnet. It did for me and my peers back in the day. Some can overcome bad teachers -- but why do we have school if not for teachers? Otherwise we'd all homeschool in clubs. This is nothing new: books and worksheets have been around for a long time, and on-line doesn't add much to that.

Anonymous wrote:What does the prep course entail? Is it like the SAT prep course? I get it if you need to see what the test looks like so you are use to the type of questions but the test is easy enough without requiring intensive preparation.

probably includes practice on how to write the essays and what to say. That seems the big factor these days. I've heard of kids with near perfect test scores who didn't get in.

What does the prep course entail? Is it like the SAT prep course? I get it if you need to see what the test looks like so you are use to the type of questions but the test is easy enough without requiring intensive preparation.