Brooklyn Technical High School (Class of 2015)
School of Visual Arts (Class of 2019)
It’s rather difficult to start this without sounding like an infomercial, but I am being entirely honest when I say that Accelerate was and is an amazing experience. I would refrain from calling it a prep school because it has never felt like that to me. That term—“prep school”—brings to my mind the cold and the clinical, which is such a stark difference from the warm and supportive environment that Accelerate offers.
It’s almost cliché to say that Accelerate is like family, but I will because it’s the truth. I cannot think of anyone else who can play the role of teacher, guidance counselor, and friend at the same time. Nina, Andrew, and all the teachers at Accelerate give as much as they possibly can, and as a student you can only feel encouraged to learn in such an environment.
But even if you were to push all of their compassion and hard work aside, Accelerate is still an amazing place to learn. In the end, it all comes down to the method. People commonly use rote memorization to learn, but this is an oxymoron. Indeed, constant repetition may help you memorize your multiplication tables, but that’s not learning, and Accelerate knows this. The teachers don’t plan on helping you memorize answers; they plan on teaching you how to fully comprehend the material and how to outsmart your academic obstacles. They make it their mission to teach you in such a way that you carry your knowledge with you throughout the rest of your life.
And my words are only further supported by my actions. Ever since my first year at Accelerate, I have continued to come back, whether it be as a student or as a volunteer. People develop an attachment to this place for a reason. If results are of utmost priority to you, then Accelerate can give you that. But you would be a fool to not make use of everything else they have to offer.