Testimonials


It is difficult to sum up my feelings towards Mrs. Petrone in a brief paragraph and actually do her and her work justice. I am currently finishing up my senior year at Bucknell University with a double major in History and Political Science and looking back I can confidently say that Mrs. Petrone was a decisive and instrumental figure in my college application process. In our weekly tutoring sessions, Mrs. Petrone didn't drown me in crazy tactics, but rather provided simple, effective and applicable techniques that really stuck (5 years later and I still remember B211F). Her techniques didn't just help me to do better on the SATs, they helped me become a better test-taker in general. She becomes so invested in her students’ success and she works thoroughly, diligently and consistently to see that they reach the highest level they can personally achieve. She encouraged me to constantly improve my practice scores, and worked alongside me, problem by problem, sentence completion by sentence completion until I got there. It wasn't only her professionalism as a tutor that helped me excel, but it was also her guidance, optimism and encouragement as a mentor that instilled confidence in me that proved vital to my success. Coupled with the beginnings of a search for the right college, SAT season is an incredibly stressful, frustrating and demanding period in a student's life, but Mrs. Petrone is like a mental support system; she keeps the energy level up and your spirits high. She turns your mistakes into learning opportunities. For me, she turned a really difficult process into a manageable one, helped me exceed my own expectations, and for that, I am deeply grateful for the lasting impact she has had on my academic experience.


Kathryn McCarthy, Bucknell University, Class of 2010


There are some people in life who bring out the best in everyone. They continuously encourage, correctly advise and empathize with others. Alyssa Petrone is one of these people. I started going to Alyssa for SAT tutoring during my Junior year of  high school, which then turned into ACT tutoring, which then turned into college advising sessions. Yes, Alyssa was the reason my SAT and ACT scores were so high, but my main benefit from having her as my, now, “life advisor” was the strong relationship we built. I’m not exaggerating when I say I went to Alyssa for everything related to college. My parents have always been supportive, but Alyssa was a neutral party who listened to my ideas and gave me honest advice. She revised my common application essay and every single supplement, and I had well over thirty. Alyssa was the first person I called when I had an anxiety attack over applying early decision to a college. I talked on the phone with her for thirty minutes, which was short time to be able to convince me of my full potential. Yes, I had the grades, but Alyssa boosted my confidence. In that thirty minutes Alyssa helped me realize that a 7% acceptance rate is not something to be scared of, but something to embrace. It only took her thirty minutes to make me realize that I wanted to go to Columbia University. She helped me forget my now seemingly irrational fear of failing and instead recognize the possibility of my succeeding when most others would not even try. So when I checked my phone on December 11th at 5:00 p.m., and read the word “Congratulations”, my first call was to my dad but my second call was to Alyssa Petrone. I knew that without Alyssa not only would I not have been accepted, but I also would not have even applied. She is one of the most positive influences I’ve ever had in my life and I am truly grateful to have Alyssa as my life advisor and friend.

 

Lindsay Testa, Columbia University School of Engineering, class of 2019


Mrs Petrone was the single most helpful person in preparing to apply for college. Her deep understanding of the SAT translated clearly into strong tutoring services that made an intimidating test become approachable. By exam day, I felt fully prepared and in control, and I believe the confidence I gained regarding the SAT was the best output of our sessions. Once the testing was completed, Mrs. Petrone became even more helpful, as she offered valuable assistance in editing my college essays. She helped me turn decent first drafts into solid pieces that I was proud to submit. It doesn’t seem like one can convey much in 500 words, but I feel that with Mrs. Petrone’s guidance I was able to put my passions and personality to paper for admissions officers to read. Besides her consistent academic assistance, Mrs. Petrone was also a friendly and kind-hearted person who calmly led me through the stressful college process. When it was finally time to receive my college acceptances, I couldn’t wait to share the good news with her. I am so thankful for Mrs. Petrone’s endless support. .

 

Brendan Saunders, Georgetown University  class of 2018


Alyssa is a teacher who understands the SAT process in every way possible. Beyond teaching me basic techniques to manage my time and work through problems, she taught me to understand the test itself in a way that reading a review book never could. This understanding allowed me to-- believe it or not-- enjoy the verbal section of the SAT and increase my reading score by 100 points. But perhaps above all else she understands how stressful the whole SAT experience can be and manages to instruct without overwhelming her students. Alyssa's total awareness of the SAT process was invaluable and I cannot recommend her more strongly.

 

Emily Betson,  Georgetown University School of Foreign Service  class of 2007


Alyssa tutored our son David for both the SAT and the ACT and also helped him with his college essays. She did a fantastic job with him on the tutoring, and he was extremely thrilled with his scores on both tests. At the outset she gave him a few simple strategies that helped to improve his scores right away. And then over the course of the tutoring we saw his scores continue to improve. But Alyssa was more than just a tutor, she was his cheerleader and motivator. Preparing for the SAT and ACT can be tough and stressful on a high school kid. But David always looked forward to his sessions with Alyssa and left each session with increased confidence. Alyssa’s work with David on his college essays was also great. Picking topics to write about is not easy, and Alyssa helped David brainstorm. Even though David is a very good writer, Alyssa was able to help him significantly improve the final product. We were extremely happy with Alyssa on both the tutoring and college essay assistance and highly recommend her.

 

Dan Merkle, Father of David Merkle, New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts, class of 2019


Alyssa prepared both my sons for the SAT. She demystified the test for them, taught them key strategies to use, and, most of all, encouraged them to think they could do well, which they did. She developed a relationship with them that made them trust her and trust the process. They liked her and felt like she was on their side, which increased their confidence and made it far easier for  them to do the work. Alyssa gave them the tools and did it in a way  that they actually used them. We couldn't have been happier with the process or the result.


David Engel, father of:

Matt, Ridgewood HS, Class of 2004, Connecticut College, Class of 2008

Dan, Ridgewwod HS, Class of 2007, Boston University, Class of 2011


Private tutoring sessions with Mrs. Petrone helped me out tremendously for the SAT. Her teaching skills and problem solving techniques blew me away. I went to Mrs. Petrone for SAT lessons and my reading and writing score

(combined) went up 260 points from my PSAT. She is easy to work with and we got along very well. I highly recommend taking private tutoring lessons for the SAT from Mrs. Petrone.


Manee Kassaii,Ramapo High School, Class of 2010, University of Colorado, Class of 2014


After going to SAT tutoring with Mrs. Petrone my scores went up a few hundred points. The techniques she taught helped me stay focused and calm as I took the SAT's and ACT's. In addition to SAT tutoring, Mrs. Petrone helped me write college essays. She helped with the structure of the essay, ideas, and grammar. I would say the essays I wrote with Mrs. Petrone were some of the best I've written. I was even complimented on my essay from someone in a college admissions office. Besides the fact that Mrs. Petrone is a great and knowledgeable tutor she is extremely personable. She talked to me and calmed me down when I was worried about college applications. She helped me with college questions outside of SAT's and ACT's. She is so kind and has helped ease the college process greatly.

 

Cassie Posess, Immaculate Heart Academy (2010)


Alyssa's thoughtful and systematic approach to test preparation was perfect for all three of my children.  They each responded positively to her patience and encouragement. By achieving scores that accurately reflected their potential, each cTestimonials 2onfidently applied and was accepted to their first choice school. I also feel that they acquired knowledge and skills not only applicable to standardized tests, but to other academic endeavors as well.

Anne Hansen, Glen Rock, mother of:


Marina Hansen- Connecticut College '09

Warren Hansen- University of Maryland '11

Nils Hansen- Franklin & Marshall '14


Thank you for your work with me last year. With your help I raised my Reading and Writing score by a combined 210 points…I was accepted to Duke, Dartmouth, Washington U and Boston College and I chose to go to Williams College in Massachusetts. I do not think I would have been accepted to these institutions without your help.


Jimmy Kinney, Glen Rock High School, Class of 2010, Williams College, Class of 2014


I could see my scores in the reading and writing sections of the SAT I improve after only a few sessions of tutoring with Mrs. Petrone.  She offered me many helpful tips and techniques that showed me how to approach the various types of multiple-choice questions in each section.  Right away, I was amazed at how much easier it was for me to determine the correct answer.  Mrs. Petrone taught me how to use the time allotted for each section most effectively.  She prepared me for the test by administering timed sections of multiple-choice questions very frequently.  With all of this practice, I felt confident sitting for both my SAT I and SAT II tests.  I have also found that I am able to apply the skills that Mrs. Petrone taught me to multiple-choice tests that I take in classes at school.  Through my tutoring sessions with Mrs. Petrone, I saw my approach to the test, my confidence and my scores improve significantly.


Catherine Campbell, Ridgewood High School 2010, Georgetown University 2014


Alyssa was a superb SAT tutor for all three of my children.  She quickly and accurately "tuned in" to each of my children's learning styles and successfully built their self-confidence as they worked toward test day.  All three children found Alyssa to be patient and supportive as she expertly guided them through the strategies of the SAT course work.  She is extremely reliable and maintained her schedule, which was very much appreciated by this busy family.  Alyssa related well to the children and she provided them with great positive motivation... and all their scores improved after working with her.  Alyssa, thank you for your support over the last five years!

 

Nancy Toner, mother of:

Clark, Lafayette College, class of 2010

Catherine, Colgate University, class of 2011

Andrew, Ridgewood HS, class of 2011


FOR INFORMATION ABOUT POLICIES, SCHEDULING AND RATES CALL 201-447-6819  or  EMAIL  AlyssaPetrone@gmail.com