Aiming as high as possible, and winning

Getting into the best possible schools, from the most competitive demographics.

The Challenge

Paul is one of those clients you dream about — great test scores and an incredible variety of academic and athletic extracurriculars, in addition to being a humble, all-around great guy. There was no doubt that Paul was going to get into a very good school, but we were aiming higher than “very good.” The challenge was getting Paul to see the forest through the trees, i.e., to get him to see his experiences as part of a larger narrative. Without pushing him to do so, we risked a situation in which college admissions committees might view him asa highly accomplished, but generic applicant. He had done everything right, but there isn’t space for even a majority of people with Paul’s impressive profile to gain admission to the very top schools.

Possible Approaches

When you’ve got a student with a résumé that’s as impressive as Paul’s, you’ve got choices when it comes to presenting that student to a college. Do you “geek out” and focus hardcore on their academic achievements, turning each essay into the recap of a bioengineering research project? After all, Paul had won multiple awards for engineering innovation and was performing world-class research as a summer intern at MIT. Alternatively, do you “bro out” a bit and focus on athletic successes, turning each essay into a cleverly worded “humblebrag” of recent leadership accomplishments on the soccer field? After all, Paul had received the highest award the state gives in that sport.

The Admissionado Approach

Working with Paul, we made sure that every piece of writing on every single application resisted falling into the,“and then I did this” trap. Early drafts were informative, but lacked what actually made Paul special. In pushing him to understand what truly motivated him to take on each of his activities, we ensured that admissions committee members saw Paul’s personality, passion and drive in every sentence. This isn’t some automaton with a laundry list of extracurriculars; this is an intellectually curious, highly motivated student who is ready to take on the world.

The Result

Paul nailed it. He didn’t get rejected from a single school. Looks like he’ll be attending Caltech in the fall.

Personal Shoutout

“I appreciate all the help from Seth and the Admissionado team to keep my son on track with his application deadlines. I know it was challenging at times. I have to say the overall quality of the essay tips and edits was excellent – just the right mix of advice/suggestions to try to get the most out of the applicant without doing it for them.”