“Agnes has a legendary reputation for preparing students for boarding school. This reputation is well-deserved and I could not be happier with what she has provided my daughter in terms of tutoring, test preparation and mentoring. She came highly recommended and from day one I knew my daughter was in good hands. Agnes delivered big time: awesome SSAT test scores (96 percentile), improved grades and ultimately acceptances by top US schools (Lawrenceville, Deerfield, Cate). As pleased as I am with the results, Agnes’s methodology and process are the true benefits of working with her. My daughter’s approach to test taking and critical thinking improved. Her discipline and stamina increased and her overall study habits sharpened when I wasn’t sure they could be. Also, a mediocre math student was elevated to one who will take honors next year. Most importantly, Agnes’s own educational and professional backgrounds make her an invaluable mentor. Agnes undoubtedly expects her students to work very hard but she instills the confidence that success will come as a result. My daughter adores Agnes and my son is now working with her. I highly recommend her.”
The process of applying to US boarding schools is complicated and stressful, thankfully TOC was able to make it as smooth and effective as possible. My daughter firstly approached Agnes with an average school grade and ordinary portfolio.
TOC does not just offer standard counselling service, but they also adjust the plan to fit each and every individual’s character. They helped Kathy to identify her strength and interest in community service, encouraged her to develop them into solid and sound extracurricular activities...which made her to be the applicant that stands out. Agnes also helped her to set her SSAT target scores, taught her exam skill and techniques, and motivated her to focus on doing her best.…In the end, Kathy got accepted into her top choice which is Blair Academy. It was an excellent experience to work with you. Thank you so much!
“When our daughter began to study for the SSAT, the process of how to tackle it was a bit overwhelming for her. With multiple sections in each discipline and her preliminary scores not in the range needed for acceptance into the caliber of school she wanted to attend we decided to seek out a tutor. Our child met with Agnes after a friend of our family had recommended her to us. They had a great first meeting and we agreed to sign up for a series of private sessions. For us, the private sessions worked best because it allowed for more flexiblity in her schedule.
She is an incredibly disciplined teacher who motivates a child to push him/herself to get to the next level. She is passionate about helping her students and tailors her lesson according to their needs. She helped raise our child’s scores dramatically and gain entrance to a top level U.S. boarding school - our child’s first choice [Cate]! Agnes’s tuition, knowledge of the exam and insight into the boarding school application process helped us tremendously. If your child is willing to work, Agnes is the one who can help!”
In this tutoring industry, there are so many different teachers that excel in teaching SSAT but to find one suited for my daughter’s needs was very difficult until I found Agnes. Agnes was able to inspire my kid to find her drive in learning both for standardized tests and at school. Furthermore, this has also led to an increase in her confidence and pushed her to perform better. Through hours of tutoring, it is evident that her hard work has paid off with her huge increase in scores in all sections of the test. Agnes is a teacher who can not only teach top students, she’s able to open up students who may feel discouraged by grades and unmotivated and inspire them to strive for success. Although my daughter was admitted to her dream boarding school, she has continued with Agnes’ classes to continue improving her foundation in English and math to prepare her for high school.
“I highly recommend Agnes to be the mentor for any student considering to apply for boarding school in the US. My son, and myself, benefited greatly from her in-depth knowledge of the admission requirements of the US schools. She has a keen sense in assessing a child’s strength and weakness relative to the targeted schools, and a well thought out strategy in preparing the overall portfolio for the student. Her help in preparing my son on his interviews, essays, and SSAT test [97 percentile] are indispensable for my son to be accepted by his first choice school – Choate. Moreover, I believe that her work has helped prepare my son for the challenges he will face at the boarding school and even beyond.”
“Agnes is well-known among students considering boarding schools in the US to be the best tutor in Hong Kong. In 7th Grade when I began to consider applying to schools, friends told me that I had to work with Agnes. I told my dad about Agnes and he was already familiar with her through another parent. I am so fortunate to have been able to work with Agnes because I went from being a very average test taker to getting into my top schools: Deerfield, Cate and Lawrenceville.
Working with Agnes individually, she customized a study program based on my strengths and weaknesses. The work was not easy but Agnes kept me focused, motivated, and eager to learn. In a relatively short period of time I was showing huge improvement. Ultimately, I went from an 84th percentile result on the SSAT to a 96th percentile in just two months.
In addition to preparing me for the SSAT, Agnes is an amazing mentor. She attended a top University in the US before working in finance. Her educational background and work experience enable her to provide guidance which I very much needed. She is familiar with the various boarding schools and was able to help me find one suitable for me. She understands the application process and guided me through it.
My journey with Agnes has shaped me into a more efficient student and has helped build me a foundation for making future academic and professional decisions. From a student’s perspective, I have no doubt Agnes will help others in successfully preparing for the SSAT and getting accepted to the schools of their choice. Working with Agnes has been one of the best experiences in my life and I am so grateful for all she has done for me.
“Agnes worked with my daughter throughout the boarding school application process, from SSAT preparation and then providing guidance on the application process and essays. Agnes’ depth of experience combined with her intellect and natural gifts as a teacher are a powerful combination. She became a trusted coach, collaborator and advisor throughout the process. Tests results were great [93 percentile], essays wonderful and admission gained to my daughter’s first choice school [Taft]. Thank you, Agnes!”
“When I first started tutoring with Agnes my SSAT scores were very low. I started doing private lessons with her for two hours twice a week. She gave me a lot of homework and review for me to study. Throughout the year I saw my SSAT score rise slowly. Agnes would push me in class and teach me many different math concepts and vocab words. I would learn new strategies to help me on the SSAT. I can honestly say that I have learned more with Agnes in a couple sessions than I have in school. She is constantly giving me new words to study and new test sections to complete. Agnes believed that I could succeed in my SSAT when I didn't. She was not only a tutor but a friend. Whenever I was at her house, the time went by so fast. Agnes made learning and studying for the SSAT so enjoyable that I would look forward to seeing her and her dogs. When I finally took my SSAT in December I got a 94%. Agnes helped me surpass my goal for my SSAT.”
I was introduced to Agnes by a friend 2 years ago when we found Annika needed help with her SSAT to target some of the US top notched boarding school. At the beginning, both me and my wife don’t have high hopes but just to aim at those second tier or less competitive schools after my daughter receive 70ish percentile in her first SSAT trial exercise. She just completed grade 7 at that time. After Annika spent 2 lessons per week over a one-year period, I can see a progressive improvement on her, not only just her academics but also a complete change with her personality and mindset. I was so surprise of how Agnes can help Annika excel so well with the SSAT percentile. From 70ish, to 83, then 92. These are just result from the unofficial trials. Until the school begin to accept score, Annika managed to score a 96 percentile over at her first attempt with the SSAT exam. As Annika's parents, we were so impressed with her achievement. Thanks to Agnes. She is the turn key to Annika's success when she plays an important role as both mentor and tutor to make Annika become more capable and competitive than she thinks she is. Besides SSAT, Agnes was able to strengthen Annika's social and interview skill based on numerous role play, and rehearsals. Today Annika received the acceptance from Choate Rosemary Hall as a freshman in this coming fall 2019. I'm unable to describe in words how I fulfilled I am, but I can wholeheartedly say this experience goes beyond my expectation by far. I highly recommend Agnes without hesitation, a very devoted person especially when offering one to one session, that's the main attributes to your child's success. At last, my candid comment is never under-estimate your children only because you have yet to find the right person to cultivate their potential.
“My son studies in an international school with British school system. Although we approached Agnes in the later stage of the test cycle, she was able to help him to improve and achieve very good test results in a relatively short period of time. Agnes helped my son to get familiar with the SSAT system. She taught him the exam techniques and strategies. Most important, my son learnt the necessary skill set to apply his English knowledge on the reading section of the test. Agnes is nice and communicates well with kids. She will also be tough at time. She will clearly let her students understand that adequate preparation between lessons is a must to achieve a good outcome. Agnes is a very pleasant person to work with. I am also glad that she was flexible to find time slots to fit my son's lesson although she was already very busy at the time. The SSAT result has helped my son to receive offers from several top junior boarding schools in the US including The Fay School and Fessenden. I got similar success with my daughter’s SSAT results with Agnes later on (admitted to first choice The Faye School).”