College Admissions Advising

Every child is unique

Every child is unique and is capable of building a successful career regardless of academic scores and personal challenges !

YOUR CHILD’S EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN HIGH SCHOOL ARE CAREFULLY EVALUATED BY COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEES WHEN MAKING ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

The college admissions process can be incredibly stressful. Getting into great schools seems so subjective beyond achieving good grades and a high ACT or SAT score.

What extracurricular activities should your child engage in to truly shine? How can they craft college essays that leave a lasting impression without falling into clichés?

College admissions criteria have evolved significantly since your time. Navigating this process can be even more daunting if you come from a different country. With so much misinformation circulating, it's challenging to discern fact from fiction. How do you make informed decisions amidst this uncertainty?

Moreover, you might be concerned that your child is making a critical mistake that could jeopardize the chances of admission to dream schools, or discovering crucial information too late. Our consultancy ensures that your child crafts a distinctive profile over their high school journey, showcasing their standout attributes across all college application materials. This approach captures admissions committees’ attention, thereby optimizing your child’s prospects of securing spots in top-tier colleges.

The Evolving Landscape
of Elite College Admissions

Securing admission to top-tier colleges has become increasingly challenging in recent years.

Renowned institutions witness a surge in applications annually from exceptionally accomplished students, yet the available slots remain relatively constant.

Take, for instance, Stanford and Harvard, where acceptance rates have dwindled to approximately 5 percent overall. The competition is even fiercer for regular decision applicants compared to early action or early decision applicants.

This trend extends beyond Ivy League and private institutions, affecting elite public universities like UCLA, University of Michigan, and University of Virginia. UCLA's acceptance rate, for instance, has plummeted to below 10%.

Oxybridge - Oxbridge universities are among the most competitive institutions in the UK. The application process for Oxford and Cambridge is particularly rigorous, involving additional assessments and testing requirements.

Many people don't realize that you can apply to both Oxford and Cambridge, so choose wisely. At both universities, some colleges are oversubscribed, while others are less so. Applying to a college with fewer applications might improve your chances of securing a place. Due to the competitive nature of their courses and the longer application process, the deadline for Oxbridge applications is significantly earlier than for most other universities (mid-October compared to mid-January). For 2024 entry, for example, your application must be submitted by October 16, 2023.

Beyond qualifications, test scores, essays, and recommendation letters, several other achievements and qualities can enhance your chances of acceptance. These include a genuine interest in your subject, evidence of critical thinking, and strong communication skills. Oxford and Cambridge particularly value students who have conducted and published academic research or have job shadowing experience.

Regardless of degree level, applicants must succeed in the interview in order to receive an offer. Oxbridge interviews are quite difficult! In contrast to American interviews, these focus more on the academic field rather than the particular candidate’s background or personality.

There’s a prevailing belief among parents and students that excelling in rigorous courses, achieving impeccable grades, acing standardized tests, and participating in numerous extracurricular activities will make them stand out as “well-rounded” candidates.

This notion is often reinforced by teachers and guidance counselors who warn that elite colleges may reject applicants with anything less than stellar academic records or limited extracurricular involvement.

Admittedly, a student’s grades and standardized test scores (their “stats”) carry significant weight in college admissions. However, today’s applicants are not just academically accomplished; they are also highly engaged in extracurricular pursuits. Many applicants boast diverse extracurricular involvement, assuming leadership roles, volunteering with impactful organizations, pursuing university courses during summers, engaging in mission trips abroad, and participating in arts, athletics, and other activities.

With numerous exceptional candidates presenting similar applications, differentiating among them becomes a daunting task for admissions committees. Consequently, many qualified applicants face rejection each year, highlighting the need for a nuanced approach to college admissions.

The traditional approach of engaging in numerous extracurricular activities to appear well-rounded no longer guarantees success in college admissions. The landscape has shifted significantly since you or your child’s counselor applied to universities, and sticking to outdated methods can turn admissions into a gamble.

When admissions officers encounter a student with a standard list of “well-rounded” extracurricular activities, it’s challenging to discern what sets them apart from their peers. For instance, if asked what makes Danisha—a student who excelled academically, participated in multiple clubs, and played trombone in the school band—memorable, it’s difficult to provide a compelling answer.

In contrast, consider Rashmika, who not only played trombone but also raised funds to purchase band equipment for underprivileged elementary schools and organized a charity band competition covered by various media outlets. Rashmika stands out and can easily be remembered as “the charitable musician,” possessing an undeniable “it factor” that enhances her chances of admission.

Selective colleges seek to admit highly accomplished specialists in various fields. While diversity in personal backgrounds remains crucial, colleges also prioritize diversity in students’ abilities, interests, and achievements. Simply put, they prefer admitting students who excel in specific areas rather than those who perform adequately across multiple domains.

Being a specialist, both literally and figuratively, yields dividends. Consider the earning potential disparity between specialists (e.g., orthopedic surgeons) and generalists (e.g., family medicine physicians) in the medical field.

In addition to specialization, applicants should pursue activities that make them genuinely interesting individuals. Admissions officers readily discern how a student like Danisha became involved in standard extracurriculars, assuming she followed a well-trodden path.

On the other hand, specialist Rashmika’s accomplishments are more intriguing and difficult to explain. How did she raise substantial funds? How did she organize a significant event and attract media attention? Given these considerations, Rashmika emerges as the more captivating and proactive student, showcasing greater initiative, impact, and leadership. To truly stand out, your child’s extracurricular achievements should evoke curiosity and prompt others to wonder, “How on Earth did a high school student accomplish that?”

Other Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

While this guide primarily addresses college admissions, we strongly advocate for your child’s pursuit of extracurricular activities driven by personal interest. Apart from enhancing their college application, engaging in such activities offers numerous other benefits, including: acquiring in-depth knowledge in academic subjects, refining non-academic skills, satisfying curiosity, exploring potential career paths, fostering teamwork, developing leadership and initiative, attaining personal fulfillment, and simply enjoying themselves.

We do not intend to communicate that your child must attend a well-known university, or that failure to do so will lead to fewer life opportunities. Instead, we are offering insights—to interested families—on getting into prestigious schools,

Here’s the most interesting part. Students who pursue a focused extracurricular path instead of joining every activity and mimicking what their peers are doing end up:

Spending less time overall on extracurriculars
Experiencing less stress by not trying to “keep up”
Standing out on college applications

The straightforward answer is no, but let’s understand with an analogy for further clarification.

Imagine you have four hours to hike to the mountain’s summit and return. This task is feasible if you’re reasonably fit. However, if you only have one hour for the journey, you’ll cover only a portion before time expires. Nonetheless, you’ll still benefit from some exercise during the shorter time frame.

Similarly, your child is likely to achieve greater success in their extracurricular pursuits by starting their focused journey sooner rather than later. However, even if they commence midway through junior year, significant progress can still be made. With creativity and determination, they may even expedite the process.

The key point is that child should embark on developing a focused, standout extracurricular profile as soon as they become aware of this approach. Begin as early as Grade 8.

Admissions committees are impressed by achievements that are tough to map out or initially understand because they signal that the student has not followed a conventional path.

What is your Action Plan?

Preparation for top college begins long before senior year!
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