Boost Your SAT Score with Local Ivy Leaguer

Zack Tabor is back in Havre de Grace this summer, and he's looking to capitalize on his Ivy League education.

's 2010 co-valedictorian is helping aspiring college students to achieve more on their SAT exam through a tutoring program called Ivy Insiders.

"Ivy Insiders takes kids form Ivy League schools—and they've branched out to other good schools, like Stanford and Johns Hopkins—and they send them back to their hometown, and they give you the opportunity to set up a test market," Tabor said.

The Ivy Leaguers tutor small groups of interested students with the goal of raising their SAT scores.

Tabor, 18, graduated from Havre de Grace with a 4.31 GPA and a 2050 SAT score—which placed him in the 95th percentile. He said he could have benefited greatly from a program like Ivy Insiders.

"On average, it increases [SAT] scores 250 points. If I had another 250 points, I would have had a 2300 and I wouldn't be paying for school," he said.

The programs begin with a practice SAT test, followed by three weeks of Tuesday and Thursday lectures for three hours each.

The program costs $600, but scholarships are available.

Tabor said, "Nobody will pay the $600 with all the potential discounts."

Even at $600, Tabor said the program is affordable in comparison to what some of his former high school classmates have done to boost their SAT scores.

A few of his friends "spent $1,000 and got, like, 30 points."

The program is essentially a summer job for Tabor, who also plays football at Penn, and returns to school in August for football camp. He walked on as a freshman last year.

The program is based upon five factors for Tabor: the number of students, revenue, profit, average score increase and instructor rating. There is a base compensation for Tabor, but those five factors will determine how successful the program can be.

Tabor said he benefits in having a cost-free venue—, where his father, Ron, serves as the pastor.

"That's a huge portion of your cost," he said.

He held a free event last week, where 14 students signed up and took a free SAT test, which Tabor graded. He sent the scores to the participants via e-mail this week.

He's running another event at 10 a.m. Saturday at First Christian Church.

The full program is offered in two sessions—the first exam is July 2 with classes beginning July 5, and the second exam is July 16 with classes starting July 19. The program is open to students of all ages.

"If someone who just graduated is looking to go to college, or even someone who is in their 30s who wants to go back to school," Tabor said, "there is no age limit at all."

For more information about Ivy Insiders, visit its website and enter the zip code "21078" for Havre de Grace to see registration information for Tabor's groups.

The following is from Tabor's profile on the site:

"Zack is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is double majoring in religious studies and near Eastern languages and civilizations, and is also a member of the varsity football team. Zack graduated first in his class from Havre de Grace High School in 2010, and was also team captain of the football, wrestling and baseball teams. Zack earned perfect 5s on three AP tests, and over 700 on the Math Level 2 and English Literature SAT II tests. Before joining Ivy Insiders, Zack tutored fellow students for the National Honors Society, as well as on his own time, independently. Zack enjoys working out and attending Warriors sporting events in his spare time."

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Editor's Note: This story's author was Zack Tabor's baseball coach for two years at Havre de Grace High School.