I am regularly contacted by high school students and their parents seeking advice on early planning for college admissions. Because advanced planning is imperative to becoming a competitive applicant, I want to share a recent (abridged) email exchange I had with the parent of an international student: Parent - My son was an honor student in middle school. I am seeking assistance on the activities I should place him in as he goes through high school. My goal is to help him prepare for a top school in the United States. I want to support his interests while encouraging activities that will enhance his chances of admission and career opportunities. Kimberly - First, thank you for reaching out. You are smart to be forward-thinking on behalf of your son and his future applications. He will most certainly benefit from early planning - not only will his high school years go by quickly, but his course load, GPA, and extracurricular involvement will be critical to his success as an applicant. To begin, I suggest that you and your son discuss his interests and current career aspirations. Encourage him to look into the clubs, activities, and projects he has access to not only in his school but in your community as well. Once you both have an idea of the extracurriculars he can join, you can work out (or work with me) to put together a strategic participation plan. As I mentioned, universities are looking for what I call “T-Shaped” applicants, so you want a plan that highlights the quality of his involvement--demonstrating depth--over the quantity of activities he decides to engage in. It is also very beneficial to find activities that align with his career aspirations, particularly as he moves closer to high school graduation, as well as leadership opportunities. After finding school and/or community clubs and organizations, your son should consider extending his interests to a larger platform. Many applicants have interests in, for example, the environment, social causes, travel, etc, but they only pursue them within their schools or local clubs. I have found, however, that those clients who proactively address their interests beyond already-established channels are viewed very favorably by universities. You son has a few options to extend his interests: 1. Found a new school club. Your son will need to work with the proper school faculty to get his idea going, recruit members, and do quite a bit of planning (meetings, activities, fundraising, outreach, etc.) which demonstrates considerable ambition, maturity, and leadership. 2. Volunteer and/or connect his school club with a community service organization. This is a way to develop leadership in a visible platform, and universities love to see an applicant with dedication to community service. 3. Advance an interest through social media. Building a community of similarly-minded individuals from around the country or around the world, publishing educational articles or blogs, and inspiring people to action shows leadership, commitment, and integrity. In all honesty, there are many avenues your son can pursue as he moves through his high school years. The important thing is to find something he is genuinely interested in and curious about -- no matter what he ends up doing exactly, these qualities will shine through and make him a desirable university applicant.

Happy transfer season! To support my followers, I’m releasing articles on how to get admitted into some of the most popular schools. I’m specifically covering their unique cultures and what you can do to stand out against your competition. Use this information to help you curate the perfect, school-specific application. Today’s school: UC Berkeley Unfortunately, the application deadline has passed for the University of California for fall 2020, but spring 20221 is still open. It closes on May 31, 2020. As part of the University of California system, which is required by the state of California to accept one-third of their incoming classes as transfers, UC Berkeley has a strong reputation for admitting transfer students. 2 out of 3 transfer students are admitted to UC, and in 2019, 22% of applicants were admitted to UC Berkeley. Though this is the lowest of the UC schools, it is still very high for a top institution. UC has put together a comprehensive guide for transfer students, detailing requirements and highlighting different school and college resources. You can access the transfer guide here. https://admissions.berkeley.edu/transfer-advising-resources Additionally, admissions statistics can provide you with important information to guide your applications. By law, all universities must make this information publicly available; however, sorting through it all can be difficult. To help, I’ve identified the important information from the Common Data Set for UC Berkeley 2018-2019. Quick Facts •Public vs. Private: Public •Geographic Region: Far West •State: California •Student to Faculty Ratio: N/A •Full Time Undergraduates: 30,845 •Transfer students: 4,495 Important Factors Considered For Admissions Academic •Rigor of secondary school record •Academic GPA •Standardized test scores •Application essay Non-academic •N/A Student Diversity •Percentage of nonresident aliens: 12.97% •Percentage of Hispanic/Latino: 15.24% •Percentage of Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 1.84% •Percentage of White, non-Hispanic: 24.87% •Percentage of American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0.09% •Percentage of Asian, non-Hispanic: 35.10% •Percentage of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0.12% •Percentage of two or more races, non-Hispanic: 5.76% •Percentage of unknown race and/or ethnicity: 4.00% How do you apply to UC Berkeley, and how do you maximize your chances of admission? If you are determined to attend Berkeley but were not initially accepted, your best chances of transfer admission come from attending a California Community College (CCC). As I said above, one-third of every UC admit must be a transfer student. And a whopping 92% of those transfers come from CCC. Attending a select community college will greatly improve your chances of admission into UC Berkeley. First, you must show that you meet the minimum requirements. Namely, you cannot apply without a minimum of 60 UC-transferable credits, which means you cannot apply before you reach Junior standing. From there, you must align your application and application materials with Berkeley’s expectations: You need to highlight elements of your background that Berkeley wants in an applicant. Admissions counselors spend a lot of time looking for “fit” between applicants and the institution, so it must be clear that you and Berkeley are a perfect match. The easiest way to do this is through your application essays, so let’s look at each one separately. Required Transfer Applicant Question Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university. To properly address this prompt, you should begin by explaining what first attracted you to your major. In other words, how did your interest in your major evolve? Then include specific details exemplifying the development of your interest, including how the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired will help you be successful in your major. TIP: Rather than listing each of your unique skills and qualities will aid you in your major, use short anecdotes (specific moments) to demonstrate them instead. By showing rather than telling, you: 1) Engage the reader, and 2) Add focus to your writing. Additional Questions - The Personal Insight Questions You must complete three of the following eight prompts: 1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? 6. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? 7. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? What the admissions committees DON’T want to read are formal, school-like essays. These prompts were not created to assess your academic writing but to get to know you - the applicant. (After all, they are called “Personal Insight Questions” for a reason.) So think carefully about what you need to show (see below) and what you can write about in an engaging way. The University of California publishes 6 personal factors they use when evaluating an application, which should be taken into account as you consider the three questions you want to respond to: 1. Employment while attending school2. Family responsibilities3. A return to school where early grades are not indicative of strong academic performance4. Involvement in campus organizations and community service5. Military service6. Other opportunities or challenges that may have shaped your educational experiences. UC applications are reviewed holistically, so no single factor determines whether or not you are admitted. However, each of the eight personal insight questions is directly connected to one or more of these factors, which means your responses should connect to them as well. To begin, take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Title one side “Personal Factors” and the other side “8 Personal Insight Questions”. Start by thinking of anecdotes (short stories from your life) that demonstrate the aforementioned factors. For example, to address factors 3 and/or 6, you might consider challenges you’ve faced and overcome, such as how your grades have improved because you’ve matured as a student or you excelled in school despite an illness in the family. When you are done brainstorming the personal factors, do the same for the eight personal insight questions. Then, make connections between the two halves of your paper. Where do your stories overlap? Which of your stories are the strongest, most interesting, or address the most points? This will help you identify the three best stories and prompts to use in your UC transfer application. ❤❤❤ Here are some overarching tips to help you with your transfer application as a whole: TIP ONE to answering each of the transfer application questions - make sure they work as a collective whole to tell a single story. In other words, you want each of your application materials to tell a little bit more of the story of you. Your responses should not repeat but compliment each other. TIP TWO is to add school fit into your responses. UC Berkeley wants to admit students who compliment their campus culture, so the more you can show that you are the “type of student” who attends Berkeley the better. Think about the things you have accomplished or experienced that align with the school’s stated mission, and infuse those experiences or personal characteristics into your essays. Berkeley’s mission statement is: Consistent with our founding as California’s land grant university and with the state and federal support that has contributed to our success, a commitment to egalitarian and democratic values; to research and scholarly work that serves our community, our state, our nation, and the world; to providing access for students from all backgrounds and communities; and to fostering in our students, faculty, and staff a strong ethic of public service and social justice. As such, three important things to demonstrate in your application are: • A passion for learning - You will want to show that you have a passion for learning and have challenged yourself intellectually, whether that be through the classes you have chosen to take, the research you have done (either under a mentor or independently) or learning you have pursued in non-traditional ways. • An interest in applying your learning - Demonstrate that, for you, learning goes beyond satisfying your intellectual curiosity to include making an impact in some positive way. This could be through research, community outreach, or through your prospective career path. In other words, show how you plan to apply your education in the real world. • Community service - Show that you are interested in the world around you by discussing how you’ve engaged with your community through activities like volunteer work, conservation efforts, or civic participation. A record of community service will go a long way with Berkeley. Do you need help putting together your Berkeley transfer application? Contact me for information on my transfer application packages. I have the perfect plan for you - whether you plan to apply to one school, multiple schools, or only require help with the written application materials. Best of luck, transfer applicants!! ➽➽➽ If you want to know more about studying in the United States and Canada, you can: •Pay attention to me and my column: 北美留学申请专家 •Find me on WeChat under username kvanderweert •Email me at kvanderweert@worldawaits.net •If my answer is helpful to you, please like and share the content

There are different ways to tackle the transfer application essay, but I happen to have a favorite method. In fact, it’s the one I walk all of my transfer clients through. Why do I love it? Because it shows that you are not only a capable student, but you are committed to your education and have a plan for your future. Showing this in your essay is imperative because admissions committees are often concerned that transfer applicants are “wishy-washy”, meaning they lack determination. The very act of transferring shows a level of uncertainty, so you must use your essay as an opportunity to display maturity and assurance. Here is the outline I use: Paragraph 1 - Intro that tells a story and lets the reader get a glimpse into YOU (who you are and what makes you "tick"). Paragraph 2 - Explain why you are at your current school / why you chose your major. Paragraph 3 - Explain why you want to leave your current school. How is your current school failing to meet your educational needs or goals? Paragraph 4 - Show how you made the best of your time at your current school. What classes / experiences have you pursued that have prepared you for your next step academically. Paragraph 5 - Why University X Paragraph 6 - Close off and, if possible, link back to your intro. If you want assistance with your transfer application essay, or transferring in general, please reach out. I help many students successfully transfer into their dream schools every year, and I can do the same for you!

Happy transfer season! To support my followers, I’m releasing articles on how to get admitted into some of the most popular schools. I’m specifically covering their unique cultures and what you can do to stand out against your competition. Use this information to help you curate the perfect, school-specific application. Today’s school: UCLA Unfortunately, the application deadline has passed for the University of California for fall 2020, but spring 2021 is still open. It closes May 31, 2020. As part of the University of California system, which is required by the state of California to accept one-third of their incoming classes as transfers, UCLA has a strong reputation for admitting transfer students. In fact, 2 out of 3 transfer students are admitted to UC, and in 2019, 24% of applicants were admitted to UCLA - one of the highest transfer rates among the T-20. UC has put together a comprehensive guide for transfer students, detailing requirements and highlighting different school and college resources. You can access the transfer guide here. Additionally, admissions statistics can provide you with important information to guide your applications. By law, all universities must make this information publicly available; however, sorting through it all can be difficult. To help, I’ve identified the important information from the Common Data Set for UCLA 2018-2019. Quick Facts Public vs. Private: Public Geographic Region: Far West State: California Student to Faculty Ratio: 18 to 1 Full Time Undergraduate students: 31,535 Transfer students: 5,770 Important Factors Considered for Admission Academic Rigor of secondary school record Academic GPA Standardized test scores Application essay Non-academic N/A Student Diversity Percentage of nonresident aliens: 11.29% Percentage of Hispanic/Latino: 22.38% Percentage of Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 3.35% Percentage of White, non-Hispanic: 26.35% Percentage of American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0.22% Percentage of Asian, non-Hispanic: 27.69% Percentage of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0.23% Percentage of two or more races, non-Hispanic: 5.98% Percentage of unknown race and/or ethnicity: 2.52% How do you apply to UCLA, and how do you maximize your chances of admission? If you are determined to attend UCLA but were not accepted as a freshman applicant, your best chances of transfer admission come from attending a California Community College (CCC). As I said above, one-third of every UC admit must be a transfer student. And a whopping 92% of those transfers come from CCC. Attending a select community college will greatly improve your chances of admission into UCLA. First, you must show that you meet the minimum requirements. Namely, you cannot apply without a minimum of 60 UC-transferable credits, which means you cannot apply before you reach Junior standing. From there, you must align your application and application materials with UCLA’s expectations: You need to highlight elements of your background that UCLA wants in an applicant. Admissions counselors spend a lot of time looking for “fit” between applicants and the institution, so it must be clear that you and UCLA are a perfect match. The easiest way to do this is through your application essays, so let’s look at each one separately. Required Transfer Applicant Question Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university. To properly address this prompt, you should begin by explaining what first attracted you to your major. In other words, how did your interest in your major evolve? Then include specific details exemplifying the development of your interest, including how the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired will help you be successful in your major. TIP: Rather than listing each of your unique skills and qualities will aid you in your major, use short anecdotes (specific moments) to demonstrate them instead. By showing rather than telling, you: 1) Engage the reader, and 2) Add focus to your writing. Additional Questions - The Personal Insight Questions You must complete three of the following eight prompts: 1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? 6. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? 7. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? What the admissions committees DON’T want to read are formal, school-like essays. These prompts were not created to assess your academic writing but to get to know you - the applicant. (After all, they are called “Personal Insight Questions” for a reason.) So think carefully about what you need to show (see below) and what you can write about in an engaging way. The University of California publishes 6 personal factors they use when evaluating an application, which should be taken into account as you consider the three questions you want to respond to: Employment while attending school Family responsibilities A return to school where early grades are not indicative of strong academic performance Involvement in campus organizations and community service Military service Other opportunities or challenges that may have shaped your educational experiences. UC applications are reviewed holistically, so no single factor determines whether or not you are admitted. However, each of the eight personal insight questions is directly connected to one or more of these factors, which means your responses should connect to them as well. To begin, take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Title one side “Personal Factors” and the other side “8 Personal Insight Questions”. Start by thinking of anecdotes (short stories from your life) that demonstrate the aforementioned factors. For example, to address factors 3 and/or 6, you might consider challenges you’ve faced and overcome, such as how your grades have improved because you’ve matured as a student or you excelled in school despite an illness in the family. When you are done brainstorming the personal factors, do the same for the eight personal insight questions. Then, make connections between the two halves of your paper. Where do your stories overlap? Which of your stories are the strongest, most interesting, or address the most points? This will help you identify the three best stories and prompts to use in your UC transfer application. ❤❤❤ Here are some overarching tips to help you with your transfer application as a whole: TIP ONE to answering each of the transfer application questions - make sure they work as a collective whole to tell a single story. In other words, you want each of your application materials to tell a little bit more of the story of you. Your responses should not repeat but compliment each other. TIP TWO is to add school fit into your responses. UCLA wants to admit students who compliment their campus culture, so the more you can show that you are the “type of student” who attends UCLA the better. UCLA’s core mission can be summed up in three words: Education, Research, Service. Think about the things you have accomplished or experienced that align with the school’s stated mission, and infuse those experiences or personal characteristics into your essays. As UCLA clearly states, three important things to demonstrate in your application are: A passion for learning - You will want to show that you have a passion for learning and have challenged yourself intellectually, whether that be through the classes you have chosen to take, the research you have done (either under a mentor or independently) or learning you have pursued in non-traditional ways. An interest in applying your learning - Demonstrate that, for you, learning goes beyond satisfying your intellectual curiosity to include making an impact in some positive way. This could be through research, community outreach, or through your prospective career path. In other words, show how you plan to apply your education in the real world. Community service - Show that you are interested in the world around you by discussing how you’ve engaged with your community through activities like volunteer work, conservation efforts, or civic participation. A record of community service will go a long way with UCLA. Do you need help putting together your UCLA transfer application? Contact me for information on my transfer application packages. I have the perfect plan for you - whether you plan to apply to one school, multiple schools, or only require help with the written application materials. Best of luck, transfer applicants!!

Demonstrated interest. If you have been researching college admissions, chances are you’ve come across this term. Most schools add at least some weight to this application element. But what is it? Colleges and universities are run like businesses: they must admit a certain number of students and take in a certain amount of tuition in order to run successfully. They don’t like to admit it, but institutions are first and foremost tuition driven. In an effort to increase their odds of making annual tuition goals, admissions officers look for students with demonstrated interest. Quite simply, these students are more likely to attend if offered a spot on campus. This is more true than ever in today’s society, where schools are increasingly pushed to have strong rankings. And one important element in the ranking system is yield - or the number of students who decide to attend an institution once they have been offered admission. This number shows desirability to future applicants. So, when you look at it from a business perspective, it makes sense that schools are more likely to admit students who have demonstrated interest over those who have not. According to the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 20% of schools consider demonstrated interest to be “very important” - the highest ranking in the survey. And 54% strongly value demonstrated interest, which is higher than letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and class rank. Unfortunately for you, international applicant, U.S. students have an advantagein this area: proximity. Why? Because two common forms of demonstrated interest are the campus tour and the admissions interview. For obvious reasons, many international students are unable to engage in these activities. But here are some things you CAN do… 1. Email your admissions officer. With very little sleuth-work, you should be able to find the admissions representative that covers your region. Email that person. Introduce yourself, explain your interest in the school, and ask some questions about academic programs or admissions processes. Do your research first so that you can show off what you already know about the institution. Also, keep it brief. Admissions officers don’t have time to read a novel. Once you get a response, follow up immediately with a thank you letter. 2. Sign up for school information. All university websites have a quick subscription page where you exchange your name and email for general school information. Do this. You will probably inundated with correspondence from the school, but make sure you open every one of their emails. Universities have ways of tracking whether their emails have been opened or not, and your “demonstrated interest” loses sincerity if you don’t bother to read them. To avoid being overwhelmed with university junk mail, consider opening an email account specifically for this process. 3. Follow universities on social media. Most schools have Facebook pages, twitter accounts, Reddit subreddits, etc. in order to engage with prospective students. Use this opportunity to learn more about a school and/or ask questions. It should go without saying, but be professional. Don’t be like this year’s Harvard admits who were caught posting inappropriate material and had their admissions rescinded. On that note, clean up your own social media accounts or open a new ones specifically for professional purposes. 4. Use your application essay(s) to your advantage. Your essay(s) and/or personal statements are ideal places to demonstrate interest. When admissions officers are reading your applications, you have their undivided attention. Work it. 5. Try to get an interview with a school representative. Although it (most likely) won’t be in person, some schools offer online interviews. Even if this isn’t a possibility, requesting one demonstrates interest. So there you have it. Demonstrated interest is important. Luckily, displaying it as an international student isn’t too time consuming, and you’ll probably learn a lot about your schools along the way.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding university and college classes for the Class of 2024 - Will classes be held online or in person? Will campus or dorms be open? Will students be deprived of the education they are paying for? - many incoming Freshmen are deferring admission to matriculate Fall 2021. Will this be a problem for the Class of 2025? Like most things regarding education in the time of Covid-19, it’s too early to say for certain; however, there are signs on the horizon. Most colleges and universities - elite schools in particular - are offering students the option to defer. In a spring survey, 25% of incoming Freshmen said they planned to request a gap year, but so far the actual numbers are significantly lower. Though deferral rates are likely to increase as schools update their numbers, the most recently released data indicates only about 2% of students nation-wide are following through with such plans. Certainly, this will have an impact on 2020-2021 admissions, making acceptances less certain, however the impact does not seem to be as extreme as predicted in the spring. Colleges and universities are also anticipating fewer applications this fall, as students and families expect steeper competition, may prefer educational institutions that are closer to home, and might not be enticed to apply through online tours alone. As Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid of Dartmouth College Lee Coffin said in a recent interview: ...many high school juniors are nervous that should many members of the Class of 2024 take gap years, the acceptance rate for the Class of 2025 will be lower. He said that while this is a possibility, it is also possible that fewer students will apply amid remote recruitment. So, while admissions may be more challenging for the Class of 2025, there is a glimmer of hope that things will not be as difficult as people currently fear. If you want help optimizing your applications, please reach out. We have more than a decade helping students and families attend the universities of their dreams, and we will do the same for you.

Undoubtedly, Covid-19 has had an impact on students and families around the world - both in positive and negative ways. I have been receiving questions for the last couple months about whether or not students should address their pandemic-related experiences in their college application essays, and I have strong reservations about using precious application space on a topic everyone-and-their-brother will be writing about. Thankfully, the Common App has created a solution. On May 12, Common App announced that they will be including an optional 250-word essay addressing students’ experiences with Covid-19. This is the prompt applicants will receive: Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.•Do you wish to share anything on this topic? Y/N•Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you. You can read more about the prompt on the Common App website: Covid-19 Question on 2020-2021 Common App. I appreciate that Common App has created space for students to express themselves and relay any hardships they have encountered (and how they have handled them) without making it their main essay. But I think the big question now is - should you answer the prompt if it’s optional? Only respond to this prompt if you’ve experienced one of two things: 1) a significant disruption to your life as a result of Covid-19, or 2) have gone above -and-beyond to give back to your community or improve yourself. I have joined umpteen admissions meetings over the last few weeks; admissions officers are all stating they only want to read Covid-19 essays if they are different. For example, if you had to teach younger siblings, watched your parent(s) work through a difficult change in employment, had a family member get seriously ill, sewed 4,000 masks for hospital workers, or took 25 MOOC courses to develop skills in one of your passion areas, you might have a compelling essay. Do not use this space to complain about having to do schoolwork over the internet or missing out on time with your friends. If you are wondering whether your Covid-19 experience is/was unique or important enough to include in your Common App, reach out to me on WeChat at kvanderweert or via email at kvanderweert@gmail.com. Of course, my team and I can help you with any-and-all of your application requirements as well. I offer a number of different packages to fit applicants’ varying needs, so let me know if I can help. Good luck, applicants!

Prospective college graduates are facing uncertain times as they search for employment in the time of Covid-19. If you are one of these students, you may want to consider graduate school. It could be a great opportunity for you to increase your career-related skills and earning opportunities while waiting out a struggling job market. Increase Competitiveness - Many professions prefer applicants with graduate degrees, which means adding this credential to your profile could move your resume to the top of the pile. Demonstrate Persistence - Show potential employers that you are serious about your career development by using your time wisely during the economic downturn. Although experience is normally considered more desirable by employers, everyone is facing a decline in experiential opportunities - research positions are being canceled and internships are disappearing due to unemployment. This is a great time to add an asset to your profile that others may not consider or pursue, making you more competitive when you’re ready to enter the job market. Pursue Your Passions - Employers love applicants who are passionate about their work. Graduate school is a great way to go deep in a field that you love. Students who are interested in graduate school should start reviewing their options right now. For students interested in starting school Fall 2020, medical and dental graduate school applications will be opening up by the end of the month. And although most other programs have closed their application windows, there are still some schools accepting applications for Fall. If you are interested in starting Fall 2021, you have lots of time to research options, take standardized tests, and prepare compelling applications. If you’re not sure where to start or how to make yourself competitive for graduate school, contact me at World Awaits Academic Consulting. Me and my team are always happy to answer questions, and we will serve as an advocate and partner during these unprecedented times to help you reach your fullest potential

Congratulations to the applicants of 2020! As we close off on another successful application season, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate all of my 2020 applicants! I am so proud of you all and wish you the very best! All students put a lot of hard work into their applications. Through multiple essay revisions, application proofreads, and admissions interviews, they focused on what counts in this process: demonstrating their fit for college. Their hard work definitely paid off! Admitted to Over 40 Colleges and Universities! This year, my students were admitted to a diverse group of 40 colleges and universities, including U.S. Ivy League, private, and public institutions, test-optional colleges, and universities in Canada and the U.K. Below is the full list. Boston College Brandeis University California Institute of the Arts Carnegie Mellon University Columbia University Emory University Florida State University Georgetown University Harvard University Imperial College London (UK) Johns Hopkins University Kansas State University Michigan State University New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Parsons School of Design Penn State University Purdue University Rhode Island School of Design Stanford University Tufts University University of British Columbia (Canada) University of California, Berkeley University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Maryland, College Park University of Michigan University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Rhode Island University of Rochester University of Southern California University of Toronto (Canada) University of Virginia University of Wisconsin, Madison University of Washington Washington University in St. Louis

Students who apply to the Ivy League and top-tier institutions are the best of the best. While the initial grade cut-off is low, most students are in the very top of their high schools and have perfect or nearly-perfect grades and standardized test scores. For example, to get into Harvard, you need AT LEAST a 3.8 GPA, a 33 ACT score, and/or a 1500 SAT score. However, many thousands of top-tier applicants, year-after-year, have perfect grades, making extracurricular involvement, personal statements / application essays, and letters of recommendation, and the interview incredibly important. To learn more, read how applications are reviewed by the top-tier. How Applications are Reviewed Grades and SAT/ACT scores are used as the first cutoff. They are a quick way for admissions counselors to ascertain whether a student has the academic background to support them in a rigorous college or university. If a student is not in the top half of their class and does not have at least 24 ACT or 1160 SAT (new), they will be cut. This may seem low, but admissions counselors try to be fair and consider a person’s financial and educational opportunities. Students who come from poor areas, for example, are afforded more leniency. This cutoff removes roughly 5% of the applicant pool. Applications are then read in full by a series of individuals. The first person to read an application is a regional counselor. They are tasked with being intimately familiar with the educational systems and schools (including grading practices, course offerings, and course rigor) of a particular region. They will read each application that comes in from their region and assign independent scores for a variety of markers. Those markers include academic standing (GPA, test scores, high school ranking), academic potential (letters of recommendation, displayed academic interests/curiosity), talents and abilities, extracurricular involvement, and writing ability. At this point, about 30% of the applications will be immediately moved to committee review, and the remainder will be read by a second counselor who will either reject the application or move it to committee review. These counselors will summarize and highlight important features to be discussed in the committees. In a committee review, counselors review each applicant and discuss whether or not to admit them. They talk about every minute detail, such as a poor grade or poor sentence in a personal statement. These discussions are highly critical. At the end, all committee members vote to reject, admit, or waitlist a student. Majority rules, and a tie vote results in being waitlisted. I have posted a short video clip of this process on my Weibo account. It’s really interesting, so please view it if you have the time. At the end, there are more students admitted than there are positions in the school, so the admit pool needs to be trimmed. Those who do not make the cut are added to the waitlist and are tagged as having been previously admitted. These are the applicants that will be removed from the waitlist first. Some important points: Although the initial cutoff points are low, the majority of applicants are in the top 10% of their schools, and top tier institutions prefer to admit those in the top 5%. The majority of applicants also have perfect or near perfect test scores. Because of this, having perfect grades/scores is not enough for admission. Letters of recommendation, extracurricular involvement, and application essays/personal statements have a huge impact on whether a student is admitted, rejected, or waitlisted. They are discussed heavily during committee review. Committees like to see academic curiosity, compassion, creativity, and initiative. If student A has higher scores than student B, and student B displays more desirable characteristics than student A, student B will be admitted before student A. Some applicants have what’s called a hook. A hook can be legacy (having family who have attended the institution), being an “influential” person (for example, a celebrity or the child of a politician), or donors. These applications are often reviewed by higher-ups in the institution, such as a dean, and have a higher chance of admission. Admissions boards must submit a diverse student body. Diversity can help you or hurt you, depending on your background and the applicants you’re up against. Because there are a lot of Chinese applicants, admission is typically more competitive than for, say, students from the Philippines. Different schools have different priorities. Some may want students who display certain characteristics, while others desire different characteristics. It depends on what these institutions want their campus to be like and the types of students already there. This is often why extremely qualified applicants are rejected from one top-tier school but not another. Interviews are important. Interviews from faculty and current students hold more weight than alumni interviews because campuses change over time. If an interviewer does not feel you are a good fit for the school, your chances of admission decrease substantially. So, as you can see, the admissions process is exhaustive. Great grades and test scores are only part of the equation. If this stresses you out, you’re not alone. The college admissions process is daunting and confusing. Having a team on your side will not only help you submit standout applications but skip the application anxiety. Reach out and say “hi”! 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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) MBA programs are increasing in popularity - and with good reason. International students are able to take advantage of extended visa opportunities and remain in the United States for a total of 36 months rather than the standard 12. And, by combining tech and business skills, STEM MBA programs also meet the changing needs of organizations, thereby increasing employability for graduates of these programs. Here is a complete list of STEM-designated MBA programs at the top 20 business schools (as of November 2020) along with their median / average acceptance statistics. Harvard https://www.hbs.edu/mba/academic-experience/joint-degree-programs/school-of-engineering-and-applied-sciences/Pages/default.aspx GPA: 3.7 GMAT: 730 Work experience: 4.4 years Stanford https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba GPA: 3.8 GMAT: 733 Work experience: 4.7 years University of Chicago https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/full-time GPA: 3.6 GMAT: 730 Work experience: 5 years University of Pennsylvania https://mba-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/majors/ GPA: 3.6 GMAT: 730 Work experience: 5 years MIT https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/mit-sloan-mba-early-admission GPA: 3.5 GMAT: 720 Work experience: 5 years Northwestern https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-time-mba.aspx https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-time-mba/mmm-program.aspx GPA: 3.6 GMAT 730 Work experience: 5 years Columbia https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/programs/mba/admissions/options-deadlines https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/programs/mba/admissions/options-deadlines/deferred-enrollment GPA: 3.6 GMAT: 726 Work experience: 5 years UC Berkeley https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/ GPA: 3.6 GMAT: 727 Work experience: 5.3 years Dartmouth https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/mba/academic-experience/management-science-and-quantitative-analysis GPA: 3.48 GMAT: 720 Work experience: 5.25 years Yale https://som.yale.edu/programs/mba GPA: 3.6 GMAT: 720 Work experience: 5 years NYU https://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/academic-affairs-advising/mba-programs/full-time-mba https://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/academic-affairs-advising/mba-programs/tech-mba GPA: 3.61 GMAT: 720 Work experience: 5.2 years Cornell https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/two-year-mba/ https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/one-year-mba/ https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/cornell-tech-mba/ GPA: 3.34 GMAT: 700 Work experience: 5 years Duke https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/mms-foundations-business/mstem-track GPA: 3.5 GMAT: 702 Work experience: 5.6 years University of Michigan https://michiganross.umich.edu/graduate/full-time-mba/curriculum/specializations/STEM-Designated-Specialization-in-Management-Science GPA: 3.5 GMAT: 710 Work experience: 5.3 years UC Los Angeles https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/full-time-mba https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/fully-employed-mba GPA: 3.5 GMAT: 706 Work experience: 4.5 University of Virginia https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/academics/concentrations GPA: 3.5 GMAT: 713 Work experience: 4 years Carnegie Mellon https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/programs/mba/index.html GPA: 3.35 GMAT: 680 Work experience: 5.51 University of Southern California https://www.marshall.usc.edu/programs/mba-programs/full-time-mba/academics/stem-mba GPA: 3.55 GMAT: 707 Work experience: 5 years University of North Carolina https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba/full-time-mba/academics/concentrations-electives/business-analytics-and-management-science/ GPA: 3.4 GMAT: 694 Work experience: 4.5 years University of Washington https://foster.uw.edu/academics/degree-programs/technology-management-mba/ GPA: 3.37 GMAT: 692 Work experience: 6 years

It's always best to start your personal statement with an attention-grabbing intro. There are a lot of ways to do this - and I encourage you to explore other short stories or novels to see how the author has started them - but today I will share with you my top 8 hook-the-reader techniques. 1) Describe an image in a particular moment without giving too much away; use the senses to make the reader feel like they're there: Instinctively, I hold my breath. The pungent fragrance of roasted coffee beans and the shrill sound of steam whistles from the espresso machines force my senses into overload. Before me are mounds of freshly-baked goodies and colossal stacks of books piled on bookshelves as high as the ceiling. Then add a sentence that explains what is happening: Pressing my nose against the glass cover, I don’t budge until the ginormous chocolate-chip cookie is within my possession. 2) Drop the reader into a scene: I could tell from my mom's tight, white grip it was bad news. She'd just picked up her phone to check a text, and as she read it, her body tensed. "Your dad won't be coming." 3) Surprise the reader by stating something they totally don't expect: In the United States, legal adulthood comes at 18, but it is my understanding that adulthood comes through responsibility, tears, laughter, and most of all: parenthood. It is effortless to watch other people’s children grow and flourish, but having my own was a terrifying new world for which I was ill-prepared. I was not ready for my first, Stanley, but now I cannot envision a world without him. Today, I am the proud parent of not one, but seven beautiful, boisterous, carnivorous plants. 4) Make a surprising confession - something you might be judged for: I’ve recently come to the realization that community service just isn’t for me. Now before you start making assumptions, keep reading. 5) State a random personal fact: I was born with an extra hand - kind of. 6) State a fact that might be unknown to the reader: Tens of thousands of rubber ducks were lost at sea in 1992 and are still being discovered today. 7) Use a simile or metaphor - make a comparison to help explain a complicated topic: When it comes to scary teeth, piranhas’ bite is among the most fearsome. Their razor-sharp teeth strip prey’s flesh with the ease of a butcher’s knife. 8) Start with a question that connects to a personal story: Can a fish be depressed? This question has been floating around my head ever since I spent a night in a hotel across from an excruciatingly sad-looking Siamese fighting fish. Whether you’ve already started your personal statement or not, these techniques will surely add pizzazz to your introduction. I suggest you play around with each of them until you find one that works for you and your story. And if you’ve already started drafting, read through what you’ve already written because you just might find your opening lines in the middle of your essay. 💗💗💗 If you want assistance with your personal statement, or applying in general, please reach out. We help students successfully attend their dream schools year-after-year and can do the same for you. Reach out today to set up a free consultation.