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Exactly what goes on inside such groups? How are the candidates trained? Do you think that some undeserving candidates get in because of the polish? Do candid

• uberman 3y ago
  Candidates are evaluated on their circumstances and goals and then we develop a plan to achieve goals that are within reach. We basically get affluent kids into reach schools. We cant get a C student into and ivy/ivy-like school but our clients have admit rates many times the 4% of the typical applicant. These selective schools market and work their selectivity knowing many applicants will apply for vanity reasons with no real hope of admission. A high selectivity also helps with rankings from places like USNews. In addition to SAT prep and tutoring, we guide applicants on how and where to volenteer, what clubs to join and avoid. We guide them on when to submit their ACT scores vs their SAT scores and when to withhold them on and institution by institution basis. We work with them to cultivate and leverage the alumni relationships they have or help them grow them. We guide them on what to highlight in their family background and what to avoid. We help them get recommendations from people the colleges trust and value. We edit thier application submissions and resumes. Once clients get an offer we help them negotiate financial aid. Overall you might think of us like an actor's agent or manager. Do less deserving candidates get in? That is a little hard to say because of the financial dynamics at play. There is no level playing field here and showing a client in the best ethical light is what we do. In that sense we make average candidates look like great candidates and they takes spots away from less polished gems. I guess in that sense yes. Most client families are looking for the relationship network that an ivy-like school affords and that is what they pay for. It would not make sense in my mind to use a service like this one to get a student into a "slightly better" degree specific program. For some, money is no object and they might pay us to get them from CMU to MIT but most are looking for relationship building opportunities that lead to partnerships. Most candidates want entrepreneurship opportunities or tracks in business, business tech or law that lead to partnerships. I'm not sure we have ever worked with someone who wanted to pursue women's studies.
  • rg111 3y ago
    Thank you so much for your detailed answer. > clubs to join and avoid What clubs would you ask them to avoid? > We help them get recommendations from people the colleges trust and value Are there any financial motivations for people writing the recommendation? > Most candidates want entrepreneurship opportunities or tracks in business, business tech or law So, about none using such services opt for Math/CS/Physics major?
    • uberman 3y ago
      We would never pay for a recommendation nor recommend that a client pay for one, but there are lots if valuable alumni networks that we help clients leverage. I'm not sure how much I can say about activities that help vs those that are now an anti signal from our perspective. I think this is fairly public knowledge now. 20 years ago playing the violin was a positive signal to elite colleges. Now, that signal is saturated. It seems like every tiger mom wants thier child to be first chair but unfortunately colleges no longer see that as a positive signal (at least from our perspective) Our clients typically want to track into business, business tech, and pre law, pre med. From my perspective their are lots of great CS programs out there and lots of demand for CS grads. We work with families who want to track more entrepreneurial or into partnerships rather than into tech leads and project managers if that makes sense.
      • rg111 3y ago
        Totally makes sense. I was totally unaware of this industry. I knew about network leveraged recommendations, internships, etc. Nobody in my circle ever used these services, despite some of them being able to afford it. Thanks for all your responses and insights.