The 2020 U.S. New World Report Best College Ranking is out! I often hear many of my fellow independent educational consultants, guidance counselors, parents and students state that it doesn’t matter where a student attends college as long as it’s a “good fit”. Really!!! Why are rankings used? Why are they so important? Because we are a consumer-based society where a college’s reputation, prestige and brand does matter!
Here is the list of the top 20 college/universities:
3. Columbia University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Yale University
6. Stanford University | University of Chicago | University of Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University
10. Duke University | Johns Hopkins University
12. California Institute of Technology | Dartmouth College
14. Brown University
15. University of Notre Dame | Vanderbilt University
17. Cornell University | Rice University
19. Washington University in St. Louis
20. University of California – Los Angeles
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!” – 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.
Dr. Paul Lowe discussed on News 12 Connecticut “Our Lives”: The Three Major Changes in College Admissions: 2019-2020. These include: (1) The effects of the admissions scandal, Varsity Blues, on college admissions, (2) Landscape metric on college admissions, (3) The effect of technology on college applications and decisions.
According to Dr. Lowe, this means that college decisions is not based on a simple formula of grades and standardized test scores and a great essay. Instead, Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities consider a variety of factors: the student’s academic record, extracurricular interests, intellectual achievements, personal background, intangible characteristics and ethnicity to decide who will be rejected or accepted. Dr. Lowe also discussed his “WOW Factor Concept” and why it works in influencing positive college admissions decisions.
“Our Lives”, a national award-winning talk show, is hosted by Gwen Edwards, a senior producer at News 12 Connecticut.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!” – 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.
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking 2020 was just released. Harvard is number one again (Harvard Produces Wealthy Alumni)! Of the top ten schools, six are Ivy League universities. Dartmouth College (12) and Cornell University (11) are not in the top 10, but are in the top 20. 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 TWENTY: Schools that achieved the highest overall scores in the ranking:
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!” – 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.
Parents always ask me: What are the most important factors in college admissions? What do admissions officers look for?
To answer these questions, I will first start with what the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) in a survey to admissions officers trend survey:
I. NACAC factors:
Grades in All Courses
Grades in College Prep Courses
Admissions Test Scores (SAT, ACT)
Strength of Cirriculum
Essay or Writing Sample
Counselor Letters of Recommendations
Students Demonstrated Interest
Teacher Letters of Recommendations
Class Rank
Extracirricular Activities
Subject Test Scores (AP, IB)
Portfolio
Interview
Work Experience
SAT II Scores
State Gradation Exam Scores
II. Intangibles
Based on my professional experience and continually visiting colleges, and discussions with directors of admissions, there are other factors which we know are just as important and/or more important than the NACAC Admissions Survey Factors.
College application
Personal Statement
Supplemental essays
Collective interrelationship of all essays
WOW Factor
Attitude
Likability
Etiquette
Character
Grit/Challenge
Confidence
Charisma
Sense of self
Sense of others
Engagement
Unsaid
Conversational Intelligence
Cadence
Transparency
Civic Engagement
Cultural Intelligence
Cultural Agility
Emotional Intelligence
Originality
Uniqueness
Diversity/Inclusion
Family background
Comparative Student Profile Analysis
So you think that getting into your top-choice college is about having a high GPA, top SAT scores, high grades and a manufactured application and personal statement….THINK AGAIN! If you think that’s all you need, then we are certain that your child will be among the students who will be REJECTED!
Year after year, I hear the horror stories from parents whose kids got in nowhere because they thought the college admissions race was just about grades, SAT scores, their perceived ‘unique’ applications, generic essays and perfect connections.”
Ivy League and highly selective colleges use a holistic approach and review process and a committee review approach process when evaluating applicants for admission. That means admission to these colleges is not based on a simple formula of grades and test scores and what may parents may believe. Instead, admissions officers/committees consider a variety of factors: the student’s academic record, extracurricular interests, intellectual achievements and personal background and what I call “PERSONAL VIBE” to decide who will be rejected or accepted.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!”– 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.
It’s summer, and parents are calling us about BS/MD admissions for their children. But the children are rising seniors!
Many parents wait until the rising senior year, or senior year to inquire about BS/MD programs and application help. Some have already hired independent educational consultants who are generalist and have discovered that they now need to hire a BS/MD Admissions specialist. Some have attempted the process without guidance.
In our initial discussion, these parents reveal that their child usually has a 4.5/4.0 weighted GPA (indicating that they aced several AP classes), shadowed multiple doctors, are involved in research, volunteered to help the poor, plays violin or piano, dance, achieved high SAT or ACT scores and have a 2-3 page resume.
On paper, the child sounds astonishing and amazing, and they are….on paper! But in reality, the applicant sounds just like the 97% of students who have a high probability of being rejected! Yes! It’s that competitive. In our experience (we have been BS/MD Admissions experts for 21 years), many of the parents inquiring are from similar cultural and ethnic backgrounds. At this point, since BS/MD programs are seeking socio-economical and ethnic diversity – this further adds to the hyper-competition.
“Waiting until the senior year for help is counterproductive and increases the probability of rejection in BS/MD Admissions.” Dr. Paul Lowe
In our experience, the fact that these parents have intentionally procrastinated to seek an expert increases the probability of rejection or in other words increase their chances of NOT standing out.
As a physician-scientist who understands and has studied statistics and probability, I wonder why these highly-educated parents who are scientists, doctors, engineers, bankers, entrepreneurs, accountants, financial advisors, technologist (after their hard work and their child’s sacrifice) would wait until the last minute to hire an admissions specialist, thereby increasing the risk of rejection. Scientifically and “parentally” it’s illogical.
Here are my 5 assumptions as to why these highly educated parents make the mistake of waiting until the senior year to hire a BS/MD admissions expert/specialist:
Parents assume that they understand the BS/MD admissions process.
Parents who call us, at that time, believe that that have the same collective expertise as a team of full-time BS MD advisors with 21 years of experience.
Parents believe that their professional skill sets make them experts. After all, anyone can be a BS/MD admissions advisor!
Parents honestly believe that their children standout (with the above-mentioned criteria) after they review the same information as everyone else.
Parents honestly believe that by waiting until the senior year, a BS/MD advisor will charge less. There is a cost to unravel mistakes and to help a student who sounds just like everyone else to stand out – in 2-4 months!
We hear about the disasters from many of these parents in the Spring: BS/MD applicants who were rejected from BS/MD programs, Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities and yes, their perceived “safety schools”. A common statement that we hear: “Our daughter (or son) is a gifted and talented student. We can’t understand why they were rejected from most of their top-choice colleges and all BS/MD programs”
If you are considering hiring a team of BS/MD Admissions Advisors for your child, don’t wait until the last minute. Your timely decision statistically and mathematically INCREASES the probability of acceptance by having time to avoid costly mistakes that will result in rejections.
Of course, there are many roads to obtaining an MD. But with a BS/MD application, you have just one chance to achieve this goal. It seems logical and prudent to receive the best guidance to achieve that goal.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!”– Dr. Paul Lowe
It’s college admissions time for rising seniors and I am now hearing from parents, high school guidance counselors and independent educational counselors state that it doesn’t matter where you attend college, as long as where you attend is a “good fit”.
According to The University Ultra High Net Worth Alumni Rankings 2019, a recent study by Wealth-X, a leading global wealth information, research-intelligence and insight firm that tracks global wealth, there is a direct relationship between where you attended college and wealth. The study is based on research on wealth estimated wealth of (Ultra-High-Net-Worth (UHNW) alumni by alma mater.
Six out of eight Ivy League universities were featured in the top 20 list of U.S. universities for UHNW alumni. Each of the top 20 global universities on the ranking had at least 2,000 UHNW alumni, and the top five had more than 3,000. Ultra-high-net-worth is defined by Wealth-X as those with a net worth of greater than $30 million.
According to the most recent rankings, Harvard has more than 13,650 estimated UHNW alumni worth $4.769 trillion.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!”– 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.
The College Board, the New York based nonprofit that oversees the SAT, plans to assign an adversity score to every student who takes the SAT to try to capture their social and economic backgrounds. This fall, 100 colleges and universities will join the 50 colleges (which include Harvard, Yale, Cornell and University of Michigan) already utilizing this new metric designed to place students’ SAT scores in the context of their socioeconomic advantages or disadvantages.
This adversity score is calculated using 15 environmental factors that influence a student’s home and school life – including the neighborhood’s crime rate and poverty levels, the community’s average educational attainment, housing values, and vacancies. While students won’t see, know or be told their scores, colleges will see the numbers when reviewing their applications.
What does this mean for rising seniors? The college admissions landscape has changed again. Colleges will have an objective tool that will not just consider a student’s race, but their socio-economic class in making admissions decisions. To be clear, colleges and universities have considered socioeconomic factors previously; but the pilot study of this method using the adversity score has accelerated the inclusion of lower income and minority students. Admissions will be even more competitive!
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!” – 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.
Dr. Paul Lowe - Admissions Expert 