Happy Clients

For individual ACT/SAT tutoring, my first recommendation is always Drew Valins and Satellite Prep  

— Ashley Jackson, college counselor

I have worked with Drew for over ten years. He is a consummate professional. As a tutor myself I have rarely seen someone be able to get the nuances of a student's strengths and weaknesses as quickly as Drew.  My students love working with Drew and look forward to their classes with him. They were actually upset when the class ended. When I have tutoring needs, I call Drew. He is responsive, professional and talented. If my own kids needed tutoring, I would call Drew. 

- Andrew Barber, Director of Placement, The TEAK Fellowship, NYC

Satellite Prep is the best! For the past 6 years I have invited Satellite Prep into our school to prepare our 8th graders for the SSAT. What makes Satellite Prep great is their ability to connect with our students using both fun and engaging strategies. Students all learn how to discipline themselves to dive appropriately into the testing process, while getting them up to speed on mastering test taking skills. I can honestly say that these instructors are total experts and know how to get results. We have gratitude for all of their successes with our students.

- Dr. Joyce Burick Swarzman, President, Corbett Preparatory School of IDS

Sophia will begin her Senior year at Colgate. She has done very well. Sophia is an English Major with an art Minor. She studied abroad in the fall of her Junior year for 4 months. Sophia went to Spain and Italy as well. In addition to this, Colgate has been very generous and has paid for $190,000.00 dollars of her education. We are very grateful. I believe it started with the tutoring from you. Thanks you

— Annie Gonzales, Parent

Drew made me feel comfortable, while still exuding a knowledge of the test and an assuredness that I would improve and do well.

— James Elish, Williams College

Thanks in large part to tutoring with Satellite, I got a full merit schoIarship at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

— Vera Pera, UNC Chapel hill

The numbers speak for themselves: Drew helped me raise my scores to ridiculous heights!   

— Ryan Allison, Georgetown

Drew was immediately able to understand where I was making my mistakes.   

— Vicki Kassapidis, Barnard

Thanks to tutoring with Drew, I was offered the Stamps Foundation Scholarship at Mercer which is pretty amazing (so thanks for all your help!)  

-Eliza Guta, Mercer

Our daughter loved the technology and one-on-one Skype sessions were super convenient- plus Drew made them fun.  

Stacy Kratz, Parent

We hired Drew and our son started to improve almost immediately - Drew is great at what he does, recommended 100%   

- Mauricio Montenegro, Parent

Drew was extremely engaging and was able to make my learning experience as fun as a standardized test could possibly be!

 Whitney B., Barnard

I look forward to the college app process now because I know that my son will be taken seriously by any school to which he applies. Drew has opened doors for him.

Liz M, Parent

Drew encouraged, motivated, and reviewed the test prep material in such a manner, that my son soon realized he possessed the skills, knowledge and confidence to do well on the exam.   

Joan Gorayeb, Parent

Drew is highly professional, intelligent, and witty. I most appreciated his insightful appreciation of my son's needs, and his willingness to tailor his lessons to those needs  

Michael H, Brooklyn Parent

Drew is hip yet serious about academics. I’m I’m lucky to have found him.  

 Gelareh Asayesh, Parent

Satellite provides concierge-level service, produces results, and manages expectations, which reduces stress and apprehension. I highly recommend them without any reservations whatsoever

Bruce Scherer, Parent

Ben is a trusted teacher and mentor to me. I have worked closely with him for three years now and each time we meet I am reminded what an excellent teacher he is. I finish all my sessions with Ben feeling confident and excited about the material we have reviewed. He is organized, thoughtful, and encouraging and I recommend him highly.

— daria r, Parent

Thank you so much for your help preparing for the ACT, I got my scores back and I received a 34—I’m beyond happy! I’ll probably start applying to colleges soon so it’s a huge relief to have such a solid score. Again, thank you so much for your guidance!

-Carlotta Faustino, Student

Drew played a critical role in preparing my daughter for sitting the ACT. Her ultimate success in the test (and getting accepted into her university of choice) was in a large part due to his approach to coaching. From the first meeting, he established a strong rapport with her, understood how to motivate and engage her and provided encouragement and support throughout the process. 

-Susan henshall, parent

We were thrilled with the SSAT results Naomi was able to attain in such a short amount of time with Drew. We would definitely utilize the service again when needed.

-Martha Fleming, parent

We won’t know how she did for a few weeks, but went in with a smile and she came out of the ACT so elated yesterday thanks to you! You not only helped her learn some of the facts she was missing, but you gave her strategies to avoid cratering when confronted by what she didn’t know.    For the first time in her life, she approached it as a game to show what she can do, instead of anxiety producing evidence she’s an idiot.  This is a new approach and skill set she can bring into the rest of her life as a student, and whenever filling in bubbles is called for.

-liSA W. parent

He was so great at putting Emma at ease. She enjoyed working with Drew, and her confidence grew.   

Dylan & Becky Baker, Parents

Ava is my third daughter.  As such, I have had many past experiences with tutoring companies.  I found Drew to be extremely knowledgable AND intuitive in evaluating Ava’s learning style and adapting his lesson plans accordingly.  I rarely recommend these types of services, but after such a positive experience,  I felt that a testimonial for Drew was definitely worth sharing with you.

- Meg Wittmer, Parent

Drew Valins is the best SAT tutor I could have had! His understanding and catered techniques make studying for a daunting, incredibly stressful test much more manageable. His services truly work! After just a few months of working with Drew my test results improved by 310 points, making me a more competitive applicant to the colleges I applied to. I highly recommend Drew. If you don't think you're a good test-taker, Drew will show you that you actually are. 

-Sasha ongley, Student

Drew is an excellent tutor with a tremendous amount of patienceand ability. His students have highly improved test scores.

-wyndy wilder sloan, parent + deputy director at the teak fellowship, Nyc

We are so pleased with our daughters test prep led by Drew Valins of Satellite Test Prep.  Her SAT scores increased 150 points and ACT composite up 4 points.  For a child who felt she was not a good test taker, she accomplished her goals and gained confidence and success!          

— Mindy Taylor, Parent

The transition to middle school proved to be more challenging than expected for my son. Math became progressively harder to master as the concepts became more abstract and less rote. He became increasingly frustrated and unmotivated, slipping further and further behind. Barbara was able to use her incredible talents to unlock his hidden potential and provide clarity and relatable meaning in the subject matter. She has fully restored his confidence in problem solving and his love of learning. Thank you, Barbara, for being such a wonderful Math tutor. My only regret is that we did not find you sooner! 

Marjorie, Parent, top NyC prep school

As a college professor myself, I know it was truly because of the superior tutoring Drew provided, combined with the work our daughter put into preparing for sessions, that she received four offers for full scholarships

Stacy Kratz, Parent

Drew is highly professional, intelligent, and witty. I most appreciated his insightful appreciation of my son's needs, and his willingness to tailor his lessons to those needs  

Michael H, Brooklyn Parent

After hiring 2 tutors that failed to adequately prepare my daughter for the lower level ISEE, Mitch and Drew at Satellite Prep successfully picked up the ball and got her there. She will be attending her first choice school this fall!

-deborah meer, parent

Victoria has been recruited and committed to play volleyball in Rochester NY! Having her SAT score so high really helped because it allowed the coach to give her a large portion of her scholarship via academic in addition to her athletic scholarship. Just thought you would like to know about how the work you did with Victoria impacted her future!

-Tricia Rudolph, Parent and Co-Owner of Brandon Academy

Without Ben’s assistance, driving my daughter’s ACT math score upward to a 34, I have no doubt that she would not have been considered for acceptance and scholarship for some of the programs where she applied.

Margaret M, Parent

Most NYC high school students have very busy lives and I really appreciated Drew's flexibility and understanding.  

Marci Wolff, Parent with two busy sons

Drew is not a Ford but a Porche, and worth the ride!

Joanne Guta, Parent

I highly recommend Drew for SAT and ACT test preparation. My son was strong in the reading/writing components of these exams, but weak in the quantitative portions. Drew did an excellent job of diagnosing the issue and developing a strategy that greatly improved my son's scores on the quantitative portions, as well as improvement in the reading/writing components. Drew cares greatly about the success of his students and works hard to help them understand how to be successful on these exams. I highly recommend his services.

-Christopher muir, parent

Drew is one of the smartest people I know. He helped me prepare for a test I have to pass to become licensed as a psychologist. Even without knowing the content of the exam, using his knowledge of test taking strategy, he was able to guide me to the correct answers. Not only does Drew know what he is doing, but his compassionate approach helps alleviate the anxiety associated with standardized tests. I did not feel shame or embarrassment when I answered incorrectly, but felt Drew's passion for helping. I left our session feeling more prepared and less overwhelmed by my upcoming exam.

-Brooke rappaport, grad student

Satellite Prep has an individualized approach that catered to my kid’s needs and schedule. This past fall, my daughter was juggling exam prep, a demanding course work and swim schedule, as well as high school applications. A former swimmer himself, Drew connected with my daughter right away. He was also very understanding when we had to move sessions around to accommodate swim meets. Drew is knowledgeable, understanding, and caring…and he helped my daughter get the results she wanted. She’s off to a great high school next year. Thank you Drew!

— maria S, Parent trinity School NYC