Dr Paul Lowe Visits Greenwich Country Day School

October 17, 2018October 17, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

On October 5th, Dr. Lowe was invited to a Greenwich Country Day School presentation. The School, located in Greenwich, CT (in lower Fairfield County, 35 miles north of Manhattan) is entering a new chapter in its 92-year history – the opening of a new innovative high school in September 2019. Located two miles from the existing campus on Old Church Road, its new Stanwich Road high school campus will house grades nine through twelve on 33-acres.

According to Adam Rhodie, Headmaster, the school will emphasize the “four Cs”: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. According to Cheryl Plummer, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, “Greenwich Country Day School fosters personal growth, authentic engagement and deep connections to learning.”

Greenwich_Country_Day_School_Cheryl_Plummer_Dr_Lowe — Cheryl Plummer, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Greenwich Country Day with Dr. Lowe

The following is a list of some of the colleges and universities attended by graduates of GCDS (nursery through ninth grade program) for the past five years: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. The GCDS alumni clearly received a great head start in their academic endeavors as they went on to their respective secondary schools.

During the presentation the Head of Upper School, Dr. Chris Winters, a seasoned and successful secondary school administrator and educator, plans to continue the GCDS tradition of progressive learning as they construct their curriculum and academics in and for a joyful learning environment. With the recent appointment of Andy Ramirez as the School’s Director of College Counseling (he was the former Director of College Counseling at The Dalton School, former Associate Director of College Counseling at Princeton Day School, former Assistant Dean of Admissions at Princeton University and Associate Dean of Admissions at Bowdoin College), it is expected that this Ivy League and top-tier college matriculation trend will continue after the new GCDS high school opens.

Other independent educational consultants may depend on telephonic interviews, group speed meetings in central locations, or simply read literature and review websites and repeat it to families. I physically visit schools and actively interact with school admissions personnel, senior administrators and students. My clients are, therefore, placed in the most appropriate school for their (and their parents’) happiness. My approach ensures that your child will be placed in the best and most appropriate top-choice school. By understanding, analyzing and researching a specific school’s atmosphere, vibe, rhythm, tone, color, experience, culture diversity and mission, my team and I can clearly articulate what differentiates one school from another to consumers/families.

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group’s Boarding School Admissions Consultants. and affiliate of Private School Admissions Advisors. Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international students who are interested in applying to top U.S. boarding and private schools. Dr. Lowe helps U.S. and international students gain admissions into top U.S. boarding schools even after they have been wait-listed and rejected. Dr. Lowe and his team of admissions advisors also visit prestigious and elite private schools, where they have the unique opportunity of interacting one-on-one with heads of schools, directors of admissions and senior admissions personnel.

Dr Lowe Visits Canterbury School

October 9, 2018October 9, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Tucked away on the hilltop of New Milford Connecticut you will find a treasure that some have already discovered. It is what I call one of hidden gems of boarding schools – Canterbury School. I recently visited Canterbury, my second time, this year. Canterbury is located in the northeastern portion of Connecticut – Litchfield County 150 miles from Boston, 85 miles from New York City, 45 miles from Hartford, and 35 miles from New Haven. Offering admissions for grades 9-12 and a post-grad program, the average class size is 12.

Each administrator in the Admissions Office was extremely welcoming and friendly. The office was abuzz with activity. Students stopping by would have a warm Hi! As we passed students on the tour, they were equally happy and cordial. We visited its new Robotics Lab; its Robotics Team has placed in competitions. We visited several classes, including a class taught by Kim Tester, Fine Arts Chair and observed her class as students creatively and enthusiastically engaged in their art works.

Canterbury definitely has a positive and welcoming vibe. It has a cooperative and collaborative learning atmosphere. From the tour and observation of classrooms and its student center there is conspicuous ethnic diversity and a true sense of community among students.

I had a chance to talk with Matt Mulhern (Class of 1995), Canterbury’s Director of Admissions. His enthusiasm about Canterbury was evident. He stated that students at Canterbury are encouraged – and have the support – to do it all – academically and extracurricularly (athletics, arts etc.) and that it offers students the opportunity to become their best and most dynamic selves. Under the direction of Sarah Ferland, Director of College Counseling, Canterbury has placed graduates at top colleges and universities including but not limited to: Amherst College, Boston College, Bowdoin College, Bucknell University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard College, Princeton University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, Wesleyan University and Yale University.

Canterbury’s future plans: Building a new 20,000 square foot Student Commons building, creating a Campus Square and Streetscape and renovating the Hume Hall the central academic building at the heart of the campus. This treasure keeps getting better and better!

Other independent educational consultants may depend on telephonic interviews, group speed meetings in central locations, or simply read literature and review websites and repeat it to families. I physically visit schools and actively interact with school admissions personnel, senior administrators and students. My clients are, therefore, placed in the most appropriate school for their (and their parents’) happiness. My approach ensures that your child will be placed in the best and most appropriate top-choice school. By understanding and analyzing a specific school’s atmosphere, vibe, rhythm, tone, color, experience, culture and mission, I can clearly articulate what differentiates one school from another to consumers/families.

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe.

From China to the Ivy Leagues

September 11, 2018September 15, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Over the last 2 years, I have had a 55% increase in Chinese clients who have hired our services specifically for Ivy League admissions. Each year, we place on average 20 Chinese clients in Ivy League and highly selective U.S. colleges and universities. Last year, we placed 45 Chinese students into Ivy League and highly selective U.S. colleges and universities.

Chinese students are attending U.S. colleges and universities in record numbers. Demand for Ivy League and highly selective universities such as Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Northwestern, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), University of Chicago, Duke, University of Michigan, Tufts, Swarthmore, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, Georgetown, Barnard, Villanova, etc., is increasing exponentially.

By Chinese, I mean students from mainland China who attend high schools in China, private boarding and day schools in the U.S., Canada, UK, Italy, Singapore, Australia, all parts of the world and those who attend public schools in the U.S. Even when attending elite U.S. boarding schools where they have college counselors, the parents (or students) call us to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the college admission process to achieve the dream of an Ivy League education.

Parents all over China have the same dream. They want their children to have the best education for a better future. For Chinese parents, the benefits and the biggest advantages of an Ivy League education are undoubted and obvious – better employment opportunities, easier access to high-profile jobs, networking benefits and connections needed to start a global business. Most importantly, an Ivy League education adds transferable financial value to be utilized over their children’s lifetime on a global scale.

For Chinese parents, the choice of an Ivy League education for their child (almost always their only child) is considered a worthy financial investment, a shrewd political maneuver, and a satisfying personal sacrifice. They are appreciative of the chance for a greater opportunity for their children to study abroad in the U.S. Four years of an elite U.S. private college/university education can cost around $250,000, a considerable sum for American families, and even more so for a family from China, where average wealth is about one fifth that in the U.S. It is interesting and understandable that they are willing to make sacrifices for this pedigree degree that opens doors!

We work with many wealthy Chinese families who feel that sending a child to an elite Western university is a way of signaling status and prestige – yet “another luxury brand purchase”. For wealthy families seeking a safe haven for their assets – by one estimate more than $1 trillion in capital left China in 2015 – a U.S. college education for a child can serve as a first step towards addressing capital flight, foreign investment and even eventual emigration.

A HSBC (Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation) survey indicated that 80% of affluent families in China plan to send their children to study overseas. From 2009 to 2011, the number of Asian students studying in the US has increased by 40%. President Trump and former President Obama may have different political and economic views but they both agree that the U.S. has the best universities in the world! The U.S. is now the primary destination for Asian students. China is the number one source of international students. Many of the children of the Chinese economic and political elite desire Ivy League degrees. President Xi Jinping’s daughter is a Harvard grad.

Since 1999, China was the second leading place of origin for international students at Harvard, trailing only Canada. Its student numbers steadily increased to lead Harvard’s international enrollment since the last academic year, with 686 students currently enrolled (nearly 16% of the international student body). China similarly dominates international enrollment at other Ivy League schools, including Yale and Princeton. According to the Hurun Report (a research, media and investments business best known for its “Hurun China Rich List” a ranking of the wealthiest individuals in China), Harvard, Yale and Princeton are the biggest attractions for Chinese millionaires.

In March 2018, research from Hurun found China minted 206 billionaires in the last year, taking the country’s total to 819 billionaires, 40% more billionaires than in the US. Chinese billionaires are pulling away from the US for the third year running on the “Hurun Global Rich List 2018”. There are 819 Chinese billionaires in 2018 compared with 571 in the US. Just two years ago, they were neck and neck at 534 and 535. A recent Hurun annual survey of China’s elite has confirmed that 80% of the country’s wealthy families plan to send their children abroad for education.

It would seem that as long as Ivy League colleges and universities exist, wealthy and middle-class Chinese families will want their children to obtain the rare luxury brand of the unique experience of a valuable education. My team and I are here to help!

Dr_Lowe_Yueng_Family — The Yueng family with Dr. Paul Lowe Pinnacle Educational Center/Admissions Advisors Group headquarters.

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Blog: College Admissions is a Competitive Sport – How to Win Your Personal Admissions Game!

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs. The admissions affiliate: Ivy League Admissions Advisors specializes in admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges, Dr. Lowe also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors. Summer Camps: BS/MD Application Boot Camp and Ivy League Application Boot Camp.

Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings 2019

September 6, 2018September 17, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education Ranking 2019 was just released. Harvard is number one again. Of the top ten schools, six are Ivy League universities. The only ones missing in the top ten are Dartmouth College and Cornell University. Brown University is the only newcomer to the list. With their rarefied, global social alumni networks, door-opening reputations, and superior academics, it isn’t surprising that the schools mentioned are all brand-name institutions.

The rankings emphasize how well a college will prepare students for life after graduation. The overall ranking is based on 15 factors across four areas: Outcomes, Resources, Engagement and Environment. Each school’s overall score is determined by student outcomes (including a measure of graduate salaries), the school’s academic resources, how well it engages students and from the diversity of the students and staff. The U.S. College ranking is also partly based on the results of the Times Higher Education US Student Survey, which gathered the views of about 200,000 current university students in 2017 and 2018 to find out about their engagement with their studies, their interaction with their teachers and their satisfaction with their experience.

My team and I personally visit top colleges three times annually to understand each of their ever changing and unique admissions policies as well as the campus environment. As a result, we garner insider-knowledge to help our clients achieve admissions success. (Why Dr. Paul Lowe Visits College Campuses). This ranking is very accurate!

THE TOP TEN: Schools that achieved the highest overall scores in the ranking:

1. Harvard

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3. Yale University

4. Columbia University

5. California Institute of Technology

6. Stanford University

7. Brown University

8. Duke University

9. Princeton University

10 University of Pennsylvania

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Blog: College Admissions is a Competitive Sport – How to Win Your Personal Admissions Game!

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe

Dr. Lowe Visits The Avenues: The World School

August 27, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

I recently visited The Avenues: The World School and it is truly a world-class school!

The_Avenues_visit_Dr_ Paul_Lowe — The Avenues – 259 Tenth Avenue, Manhattan, NY

When I visited the Avenues (its global headquarters in Manhattan), I had an opportunity to have separate private tours with Melissa Hong, Director of Admissions for the Early Learning Center (N–K) and Grades 1–4, and then Keven Lee, Associate Director of Admissions, Grades 5–12. They were welcoming, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaged administrators.

The_Avenues_Dr_Lowe_Keven_Lee — Keven Lee, Associate Director of Admissions, The Avenues and Dr. Paul Lowe

We toured the entire campus. I observed polite and very happy children. All the teachers we met were happy, enthusiastic and engaged. I heard students speaking Mandarin and Spanish (we are talking primary grades-The Avenues curriculum includes multilingual immersion educational program in Mandarin and Spanish). The cafeteria and maintenance personnel were also happy and welcoming. The school just bustles with multiculturalism and energy!

The Avenues has its own 20,000-square-foot full-size gymnasium, locker rooms, fitness and weight rooms. In addition to its in-house facilities, Avenues students also have access to much more, including the facilities of Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex. These facilities accommodate the multitude of sports teams offered by The Avenues, which include baseball, basketball, crew, cross-country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, squash, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as recreational activities such as badminton, floor hockey, hand ball, gymnastics, rock-climbing, soccer and much more.

In August, The Avenues opened its campus: “Avenues São Paulo”, a 40,000-square-meter, state-of-the-art educational facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Over the next decade, Avenues plans to build campuses in more of the world’s leading cities and regions, including but not limited to the following: Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Miami, San Francisco, Shenzhen, Silicon Valley and Singapore.

In addition to physical campuses, The Avenues recently launched its third campus, Avenues Online (AON) a proprietary learning program of The Avenues offering an online curriculum that allows students in grades 6-12 to learn anywhere, anytime.

The Avenue states: “The uniquely global scope of Avenues’ curriculum provides students with the educational and extracurricular opportunities that make for competitive and compelling college applications.” The Avenues first high school graduating class was in 2016. From 2016-2018 its graduates have moved on to such Ivy League and highly competitive schools as: Barnard College, Bucknell University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, Tufts University, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University and Yale University.

Other consultants may depend on telephonic interviews, group speed meetings in central locations, or simply read literature and review websites and repeat it to families. I physically visit schools and actively interact with school admissions personnel, senior administrators and students. My clients are, therefore, placed in the most appropriate school for their (and their parents’) happiness. My approach ensures that your child will be placed in the best and most appropriate top-choice school.

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe.

Dr Lowe Visits Phillips Exeter Academy

August 25, 2018August 26, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

In April, I had the great opportunity to visit Phillips Exeter Academy, one of the top U.S. boarding schools. I also had the opportunity to visit it again during the summer to observe its summer camp. When I visit schools, I make the time to see admissions officers, enrollment managers and heads of schools to keep abreast of their admissions policies, school changes and trends. In this way, we obtain knowledge to help our clients.

Dr_Lowe_Eleanor_Downs_Phillips_Exeter_May_2018 — Eleanor Jean Down, Assistant Director of Admissions with Dr. Lowe at Phillips Exeter

Exeter_Admissions_Nahin_Jorgge_Dr_Paul_Lowe — Nahin Ignacio Jorgge, Assoc Dir/Coord of Multicultural and Diversity Recruitment Exeter with Dr. Lowe

Exeter is just a fabulous school! The class sizes are small. I visited several classes and the average class size was 10 students. The students were intellectually engaged and motivated. There was much collaborative and cooperative learning in each of the classrooms I visited. As I toured the campus and visited classrooms, I also saw diversity in culture and race. I had several discussions with international students and they all had such praises about the Exeter experience and its exciting community.

Each year, we place several U.S. and international clients at Exeter and they all talk about the Extraordinary Exeter Experience! Many of our clients from China have attended Exeter and have moved on to the Ivies. One Chinese client who graduated now attends Harvard. Another attends Yale and another attends Brown. All stated and agreed that the Exeter experience prepared them well for their perspective universities.

What makes Exeter great:

Harkness method: – Developed by Exeter
Abundance of student clubs and organizations: Over 150 ranging from Academy Belly Dancing Society to Zumba Club. Exeter also encourages students to start their own club.
College counseling and placement: Year after year students are accepted into the Ivy League and high selective colleges
The Extraordinary Exeter Experience: Life-changing experience in the Exeter community and interaction with of students from 44 states, the District of Columbia and 30 foreign countries.
Happy students: The students were approachable, helpful and happy.

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group’s Boarding School Admissions Consultants , an affiliate of Private School Admissions Advisors. Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international students who are interested in applying to top U.S. boarding and private schools. Dr. Lowe helps U.S. and international students gain admissions into top U.S. boarding schools even after they have been wait-listed and rejected. Dr. Lowe and his team of admissions advisors also visit prestigious and elite private schools, where they have the unique opportunity of interacting one-on-one with heads of schools, directors of admissions and senior admissions personnel.

Why Dr Paul Lowe Visits College Campuses

August 20, 2018August 28, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Year after year, my team and I spend at least 25 percent of our time visiting 100 or more colleges and universities throughout the US. As a result, we get to meet admissions personnel, administrators, faculty, college athletic coaches and directors, students and get to know what’s happening on campuses — real time.

During our visits, we also get a chance to talk with admissions officers and directors to see what’s really happening on campuses as it relates to admissions, enrollment, locally, internationally and geopolitically.

Dr_lowe_Van_Wickle_Gates_Brown_U — Dr. Lowe at Brown University

We see and experience the actual rather than the theoretical. Our knowledge of schools is not based on virtual tours, books, videos, general information found on the internet or secondary sources, but on these continual visits and knowledge-networks, professional relationships and connections that we have developed through our visits.

By visiting colleges, we understand their individual missions, philosophies, admissions policies and essentially what they are seeking in applicants for admissions. These visits provide me with knowledge beyond the scope of what parents are attempting to understand in the “admissions game”, and data that overwhelmed public school guidance counselors and even elite private school college counselors give to their students.

A campus visit allows me to personally experience the trip involved to get to the school, the people who are there, and the actual learning environment on campus. Seeing the dorms and dorm rooms, tasting the food, walking the campus—all these elements are critical to understanding if a client will actually be happy once he/she is a student there.

Our college visits keep us abreast of the constant changes in each college and provides us with insider-knowledge and understanding to develop individualized admissions strategies for clients.

Blog: College Admissions is a Competitive Sport – How to Win Your Personal Admissions Game!

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe

Top BS/MD Programs for International Students

August 16, 2018August 25, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

We have been receiving increased number of phone calls and emails from international anxious students and their parents regarding the combined BS/MD programs that will consider them.

For international students it allows matriculation in both an undergraduate and graduate school and increases the opportunity for medical residency in the U.S. which is in and of it self extremely competitive. International as well as US. applicants to these programs prefer high-paying specialties: cardiology, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery cardio-thoracic surgery, urology, plastic surgery and otolaryngology.

“International student view BS/MD programs as a way not only to achieve their career goals, but also to become U.S. doctors and practice medicine the U.S. It’s a career, financial and citizenship triple-play and we help them achieve all three simultaneously.” – Dr. Paul Lowe CEO/founder of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group and managing director of BS/MD Admissions Advisors.

“As a result of our success with international students, we are seeing even more interest in our BS/MD services by U.S. high school students and their parents”, said Dr. Nadine Cartwright-Lowe, co-managing director, BS/MD Admissions Advisors and a 1985 graduate of Brown PLME. “We place more students in Brown’s PLME program because it’s the only BS/MD that is an Ivy League and favorably considers international students.

What are the top and therefore most competitive BS/MD Programs for international students:

Brown University Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)
Northwestern University Honor Program In Medical Education (HPME)
Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars Program (MSP)
Washington University in St. Louis University Scholars Program in Medicine.

When it comes to BS/MD programs, having a high GPA, a top SAT score, science research, shadowing doctors or volunteering to help the disadvantaged isn’t enough. You need a college -BS/MD application with a “WOW FACTOR” if you want to stand out.

College and BS/MD admissions officers read thousands of applications for eight to ten hours a day. After a while, many applications start to look alike. You have to come alive in the application if you want to be noticed. This means telling a riveting and cohesive story that shows you’re a real person, rather than a few sheets of paper that make you sound just like every other high achieving student with top grades, test scores; performs research, shadows doctors and helps the disadvantaged.

BS/MD Admissions Advisors offers access to a unique methodology for creating standout applications for international students applying to BS/MD programs.

Blog: College Admissions is a Competitive Sport – How to Win Your Personal Admissions Game!

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network. He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, BS/MD Admissions Advisors, help high school students get accepted to BS/MD programs. Many of Dr. Lowe’s BS/MD Admissions client are international students who want to attend medical school- from-high school and then enter U.S. medical residency sub-specialties. Application help only: BS/MD Application Tune-Up.

What Admissions Officers Look for On Private School Applications

August 13, 2018August 26, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

A typical private day or boarding school application consists of:

Student statement
Student questionnaire
Parent questionnaire
Student interview
Parent interview
Standardized test scores
Teacher recommendations (English and Math)
Two-years of school transcripts
Family information sheet
Portfolio of extracurricular activities.

Do they really read and review everything? Yes, they do! Admissions officers are well practiced at reviewing details in applications as well as observing non-verbal cues that communicate a student and family’s character. Especially, the very selective private schools where the acceptance rates can be as low as 13%.

The private school admission process is not formulaic. Many parents make the mistake of assuming that admissions is based on formula. By continually visiting private schools, we have observed that each admissions officer has their own way of evaluating applications and understand the unique individual admissions policies and nuances of each school.

In addition to the above criteria, especially at the top private schools, admissions committees also consider a student’s character, family dynamics and how all the above components are interrelated to display a comprehensive view a student’s entire admissions profile. They are also looking for students who are going to be positive, active and engaged members of their unique community. They want to accept students who will do well and thrive in their school community and culture.

We are admissions advisors who visit colleges and therefore who know what admissions officers and committees at different schools expect and don’t want to see in your applications and essays! Our insider-knowledge gives you and edge and helps you avoid mistakes on your application and essays BEFORE you press submit.

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group’s Boarding School Admissions Consultants , an affiliate of Private School Admissions Advisors. Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international students who are interested in applying to top U.S. boarding and private schools. Dr. Lowe helps U.S. and international students gain admissions into top U.S. boarding schools even after they have been wait-listed and rejected. Dr. Lowe and his team of admissions advisors also visit prestigious and elite private schools, where they have the unique opportunity of interacting one-on-one with heads of schools, directors of admissions and senior admissions personnel.

Common Application 2018-2019 Launched

August 11, 2018August 21, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

The Common Application 2018-2019 was launched 10 days ago and we are now receiving calls from very anxious and stressed parents because their children (rising seniors) just started the preliminary portions of the Common Application.

The Common App is more than just the main essay! Every section is devised so that the admissions officers get to know (or find ways to reject) a student. Statistically, it takes top colleges approximately 8 minutes to review an entire application!

We spend countless hours reviewing our clients’ entire Common Application to help them successfully navigate and avoid the unnecessary and devastating landmines that cause rejections!

Biographical Section (Profile, Family, Educational & Testing): The admissions committees or your regional admissions officers assess who you are. It’s important to answer the questions honestly and with precision!

Personal Statement: We ensure that our clients’ Common App 650-word main essay accurately reflects the information that they want to convey to the majority of colleges to which they are applying. See Our blog: College Application Essay Prompts 2018-2019

College-Specific Questions: Academic interest, program(s) applying to. Some colleges may also ask additional questions about your family, state of residence, activities, and general interests. Admissions officers/committees use this as a way further understand a student’s past and their academic goals and objectives and how they are all interrelated and interconnected.

Short Answers: Then there are the school-specific (short answer essays)! Although short, these little essays (50-250 words) can play a meaningful role in your application. They provides a small window into your passions and personality, and because of this, they are important “decision-breakers”, especially with selective colleges that use the holistic admissions approach. We spend just as much time brainstorming and helping our clients to revise these, seemingly simple essays, as we do with their personal statements because we know how admissions committees use them to determine acceptance or rejections. Types of supplemental short essays include but are not limited to:

The ‘why us’ essay
Tell us more about an extracurricular
Design a class/a major
Tell us about your major
Diversity-in-community essay
Specialty small essays (list, words or one sentence or a phrase)

Activities Section: Whereas the personal statement will show college admissions committees who your child is, the Common Application Activities section will allow colleges to understand what your child has done and is doing outside of the classroom, offering one of the best opportunities to stand out among other applicants. The activities section has a limit of ten extracurricular activities. The restrictions mean you will need to be selective in reporting your activities, limiting you to the most important ones or those that are most meaningful to you. In our experience, students can make costly mistakes in this section!

Without college essays and extracurricular activities lists, colleges would be limited to grades, class rank, and ACT and SAT scores to make their admissions decisions. Given that so many students with strong numbers apply to college each year, it’s important for your child to use the Activities section to develop an application theme, that is, their “WOW FACTOR” and specialties. We leave no stone unturned in this section!

Courses & Grades (Self-Reporting Transcripts). In this section, you have an opportunity to self-report your grades. In reviewing our clients’ answers, we find errors. It’s important to review this section. A discrepancy with what you report and your transcript raises a red flag! These flags translate into a rejection letter.

The Common Application is not just an application. It’s a puzzle filled with landmines that if not reviewed, interpreted and completed correctly will result in students being rejected from schools. When assisting our clients with the completion of their Common applications, we take into consideration their student admissions profile and character as well as the specific admissions policies and missions of their target schools that we gather from our research by visiting schools and professional relationships. Our wealth of insider-knowledge helps our clients to WIN (not lose) in the college competitive admissions game!

Blog: College Admissions is a Competitive Sport – How to Win Your Personal Admissions Game!

“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe