It’s Getting Tougher To Get Into Top Private Schools

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

This year, we have been receiving calls from devastated parents who had applied to top private schools and are now discovering that their children on the “forever” wait-list or rejected.  There have been increased calls from U.S. as well as international parents.

We have received calls from families have received “forever” wait-listed and rejection letters from top boarding schools:  Andover, Exeter, St. Paul’s, Lawrenceville, Deerfield, Choate, Loomis Chaffee, Hotchkiss, Taft, Kent to name a few.  We also heard from parents who applied to the Westchester/Fairfield County schools:  Rye County Day, Hackley, Greenwich Academy, Brunswick, Masters; the Manhattan elite schools:  Dalton, Horace Mann, Trinity, Collegiate, Chapin, Brearley, Packer, Columbia and Riverdale.

So what’s causing the increased number of families on to be “forever” wait-listed or rejected from top private schools:

When parents call our offices, the first question we ask: Did you hire an educational consultant? The answer is usually “no”.  The second question: Did you hire a consultant whose expertise and specialty is placing students into elite private schools? The answer is always “no”.  Third question:  Did you hire a consultant who visits elite private schools and understand the specific admissions policy of each school? The answer is always “no”.

I don’t have the time, the professional experience or expertise to figure out how to do my own taxes correctly, so I pay a top accounting firm for expert advice and counsel and to assist me in filling out and filing tax forms.  I prefer to engage a specialist.  I certainly don’t hire a math teacher or a plumber to do my taxes.  To me, it’s a question of your priorities.  It’s simply a choice whether to give your child a competitive advantage so that he/she will not be  “forever” wait-listed or rejected.

This year, eight of our clients each received acceptances from Andover, Exeter and Choate.  Three of our clients who applied to the ten schools were accepted to all ten.  All of our international clients were accepted to their top choice boarding schools, including, Andover, Choate and Lawrenceville.  We must be doing something right!

“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 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 day schools.  Dr. Lowe helps U.S. and international students gain admissions into top U.S. private 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 provides parents with the knowledge they need to decide where there children should attend and the admissions strategies they need to be admitted into their top-choice school.

Top U.S. Engineering Universities

Top_US_Engineering_Universities_Dr_Paul_Lowe
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Over the last 2 months, my A-Team and I visited colleges with top engineering (undergraduate) programs.  We were not disappointed!  The quality of research in these colleges are excellent.  Beyond research opportunities for students, the schools had extensive research funding and facilities and attracted professors that are at the top of their field.  They also have curricula that included co-op/internships, externships and interdisciplinary programs.

These top schools have impressive job placement statistics.  The schools reported job placement rates of students upon graduation (which means students have jobs before they graduate), within six months of graduation or within one year of graduation.  The acceptance rate of undergraduates who applied to  top Masters and PhD in engineering is significantly higher than the national average and is between 85% and 92%.

Here is a list of top U.S. Engineering Universities:

  • Brown University
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Duke University
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Harvard University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Northwestern University
  • Princeton University
  • Purdue University
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic University
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Stanford University
  • University of California Berkeley
  • University of Michigan

“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 camp:  Ivy League Application Boot Camp.

It’s Getting Tougher To Transfer To Top Colleges!

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s the aftermath of the 2018 college admission season.  We are now aware of the Ivy League and highly selective college rejection rates.  The Ivy League colleges had a record number of applications and rejection percentages.  The rejection rates ranged from Cornell’s 89.7% to Harvard’s 95.4%.

Because so many “perfect” students were rejected, this will cause a trickle-down effect to second-tier and third tier schools.  In my firm, we are discovering that many families who are devastated by their children’s rejections are calling us regarding transfer.  Here is what students and their parents NEED to know:

  1. Transferring to the Ivies and elite colleges will be more difficult this year.  We have discovered, through our current research, that many students who were accepted are already committing to attend these schools.  Parents and students are aware of the value of an Ivy League degree.
  2. There are fewer spots available for transfer students.  Therefore, it’s even more competitive to transfer!
  3. Transfer applications are not viewed in the same way as regular applications to freshman classes.
  4. You may replicate the same mistakes that were on your Common Application.
  5. Students are on their own during the transfer process:  No college counseling support will be available from their current guidance counselors or private high school college advisors and there is no transfer help from the school which they will be attending in the fall.  Why would a school that accepted a student assist the student to transfer?
  6. The college transfer admissions process starts now!

As many concerned parents call us, stunned by the rejection decisions received by their children, we strongly advise parents that they need an experienced educational advisor to review their children’s Common Application because: something wasn’t right.  Now is the time to plan summer activities and create a “revised” game plan and positive momentum for their upcoming college freshman year to transfer.  See blog: College Transfer Admissions Tips.

It’s important that parents understand that transfer (especially to the Ivies) is even more competitive and involves even more diplomacy than traditional college admissions!

This year, all of our college transfer clients were accepted to their top choice colleges including Harvard, Yale and Columbia and Cornell and UPenn.  We are very proud of our success and extremely happy for these students and their parents!

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

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 Getting Tougher To Get Into the Ivies

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

On Wednesday, March 28th, the Ivies notified high school seniors of their admissions decisions.  Thousands of students were disappointed.

Here is a list of the acceptance rates, number of students admitted, total number of applicants and rejection rates:

  • Brown: 7.2%; admitted 2,566 of 35,438  Rejection: 92.8%
  • Columbia: 5.5%; admitted 2,214 of 40,203  Rejection: 94.5% 
  • Cornell: 10.3%; admitted 5,288 out of 51,328  Rejection: 89.7%
  • Dartmouth: 8.7%; admitted 1,925 of 22,033  Rejection: 91.3%
  • Harvard: 4.6%; admitted 1,962 of 42,749  Rejection: 95.4%
  • Penn: 8.4%; admitted 3,731 of 44,491  Rejection: 91.6%
  • Princeton: 5.5%; admitted 1,941 of 35,370  Rejection: 94.5%
  • Yale: 6.3%; admitted 2,229 of 35,306  Rejection: 93.7%

Many of the applicants “looked” perfect on paper. Princeton reported that more than 14,200 of the 35,370 applicants had a 4.0 grade point average. Brown reported that 96% of its admitted students are in the top 10% of their high school classes, while at Dartmouth that rate hit 97%.

So why were so many qualified and paper perfect applicants rejected?  They sounded unique just like all the other applicants who were rejected – High SAT’s, high GPA, top class rank, outstanding volunteer, skilled musician and/or athlete, leader in extracirricular activities, “amazing” letters of recommendations, perceived “unique” application essays and the “perfect” connections.

In my firm, I emphasize your “Personal WOW-Factor“, your character and being different (based on your personal characteristics, accomplishments and achievements).  I spend countless hours with my team analyzing how to spotlight my client. This arduous process works because, this year, 98% of our clients who applied to the Ivies were accepted. My associates and I must be doing something right!

“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 camp:  Ivy League Application Boot Camp.

Disappointed That You’ve Been Rejected From Your Top Choice Colleges? Find Out What Your Next Step Should Be!

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Based on my over 20 years experience as a college admissions advisor and admissions strategist, I thought I would share some advice with students who have been receiving disappointing decision results.

Admissions committees give careful, individual attention to each applicant.  They review each applicant with a magnifying glass and compare each applicant to other qualified applicants.  They accept applicants who will inspire those around them during their college years and beyond.

My firm’s strategies involve widening the lens through which our applicant-clients are viewed, recognizing and valuing the different dimensions that shape each student.  We understand, in real-time, how an admissions committee at a particular college may view each dimension separately and collectively in comparison to other students during the selection process by visiting schools and talking with admissions officers.  As an alternative to settling for a rejection decision (which most students do) to a student’s first choice school, I posit this possible solution:

The student may consider reapplying as a transfer student.  It is not too early for a high school senior to consider this.  I call it our Admissions Second Chance Program.  I review and investigate what went wrong, because,  in all cases of rejection decisions, something wasn’t right!  Usually I find innumerable mistakes or homogeneity on the Common Application and/or school-specific supplemental essays.  Many times I have discovered that no matter how “amazing” the student sounds on paper (top grades, high GPA and SATs, volunteerism, extracurricular activities, recommendations, ESE (Expensive Summer Experiences), to me, they were unconvincing to the admissions committee at a specific school for many reasons.  In these cases, we make recommendations to improve the student’s profile and properly connect the dots within their application and beyond.  In unique cases, we have been retained by clients who were initially rejected and after our review and intervention the student’s application was reconsidered and ultimately accepted for admission.

By visiting the Ivies and highly selective schools, understanding the dynamic changes and nuances in individual colleges, and knowing what to do to make a student stand out amongst other applicants, my team and I gain an insightful perspective of each school and develop strategies to help our clients get accepted.

“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.

Wait-listed at Top Boarding Schools

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s the last week in March, and my firm is receiving continuous inquires (phone calls and emails) from stunned and stressed-out parents that their children are wait-listed!  We have been receiving many inquiries from parents whose children have been wait-listed from ALL schools to which they applied.

The top U.S. boarding schools have the most competitive admissions process because they actually are stepping stones to the Ivy League colleges and universities (See: Top Private High Schools with the Highest Percentage of Graduates Accepted to Ivy League Universities).  Therefore, their non-acceptance rates are high (even for high achieving students).

WAIT-LISTED means that “we love your child, but we don’t have spot available today, tomorrow or perhaps never”.  Two factors are important here:

  1.  SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT in your child’s application process.
  2. In many cases, wait-listed may mean “perhaps never”.

With regard to SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT:  Parents make a lot of mistakes on their child’s application. (See: Common Mistakes Parents Make When Applying to Private Schools).  With regard to WAIT-LISTED:  Top schools rarely reject students outright.  They would rather state – wait-listed rather than wait-listed perhaps never!

Many parents are mistakenly drawing from their skills as corporate executives, tiger moms, financiers, etc. to match my professional skills and years of experience in private admissions diplomacy and understanding real-time nuances and changes needed in private school admissions to top schools.  Many parents also fail to fully appreciate and understand the human element of diplomacy in the selection process and decisions in private school admissions.

When parents call our firm to inquire about our services the first thing they ask is what is your price?  Your fees?

It’s amazing that 95% of parents who are willing to spend $240,000 or more over 4 years on private high school education for their children waste time attempting to haggle fees for an exclusive advisory service that will guarantee that education!  I have discovered that parents who are shopping for services based on price, have already made the decision to not invest in expert advice that will help their children.  They ultimately end up saving $240,000 in private high school tuition or worse pay $240,000 for a third-tier school education. Our market is specifically the 5%, parents who hire us and their children get into top schools! 

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

Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group’s 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 day schools.  Dr. Lowe helps U.S. and international students gain admissions into top U.S. private 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 provides parents with the knowledge they need to decide where there children should attend and the admissions strategies they need to be admitted into their top-choice school.

Ivy League Application Boot Camp 2018

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Pinnacle Educational Center/Admissions Advisors Group (PECAAG) announces the launch of its 2018 Ivy League Application Boot Camp.  The 2-day comprehensive, intensive and informative application boot camps, held during the summer, are specifically for high school rising seniors (current juniors) who have decided to apply to Ivy League colleges and universities. (see Dr. Lowe’s blog: Why Your Child Should Apply to Ivy League College or University?)

The camp is also for current college students who are interested in transferring and current high school seniors who were rejected the first time around and interested in reapplying to the Ivies.  Camp activities include: Application (including essay) brainstorming, review, editing during the camp, followed by an application consultation prior to submission of application.  The fee is $8,500.

The rejection rate for Ivy League schools is as high as 95%.  On average 35,000 applicants apply to each school.  That means that on average 25,000 to 33,000 students are REJECTED each year from each school. “Schools like Harvard Yale and Princeton could pick everyone with 4.0s, perfect SAT scores (and top violinist and pianist) and they could fill an entire class 10 times over,” said camp coordinator, Dr. Diana Alexandrova, the camp’s coordinator and Pinnacle’s International Student Advisory’s managing director.  “Our camp is also beneficial to international students who attend U.S. boarding schools or schools in their respective countries who want a competitive edge in the Ivy League application process.”

“The numbers are staggering and speak to the value and worth of an Ivy League degree” said Dr. Paul R. Lowe, Pinnacle’s CEO and president and the camp’s director.  “It is enjoyable to help students in this way.  Our camp attendees benefit from our discovery of mistakes they could have made on their applications.”

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.

BS MD Programs That Accept International Students

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s  pretty difficult for U.S. high school students to be admitted to BS/MD programs (or medical school-from-high school programs).  It’s even more competitive and extremely difficult for international students from non-U.S.-based high schools or U.S. based-top boarding schools to be accepted to these programs.

Based on my professional experience as a BS/MD admissions advisor, visiting and touring colleges and talking with admissions officers and administrators, here is a current list of BS/MD programs that will consider reviewing applications of international students:

  • Boston University Seven-Year Liberal Arts/Medical Education Program
  • Brown University Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)
  • Case Western Reserve University Pre-Professional Scholars Program in Medicine
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology/American University of Antigua
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology/St. George’s University School of Medicine
  • Northwestern University Honor Program In Medical Education (HPME)
  • Pennsylvania State University Accelerated Premedical-Medical Program
  • Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars Program (MSP)
  • University of Connecticut Special Program in Medicine
  • University Rochester – Rochester Early Medical Scholars (REMS)
  • Washington University in St. Louis University Scholars Program in Medicine

Working with international high school students who desire to matriculate to BS/MD programs is a very involved, comprehensive and long-term process.  My team and I must clearly understand student goals, continuously help students with their applications and develop successful admissions strategies.

Of course, after this long and arduous admissions process one of the major benefits that I observe with our international BS/MD clients is that in their senior year in high school they (and their parents) are happy to know that they can be called “Dr”.  They also know that the next step in their medical career is matching to a U.S. medical residency program!

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 want to attend medical school from high school and then entire U.S. medical residency sub-specialties.

Rejected or Waitlisted from Boarding School? Something Wasn’t Right

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

March 10th, the date designated for boarding school notifications this year, has come and gone.  My firm’s regional offices in Manhattan, Greenwich, CT, Woodbridge, CT, White Plains, NY, Fort Lee, NJ, Princeton, NJ, Boston and Los Angeles are inundated with numerous phone calls from disappointed, unhappy and anxious parents (who were not our clients).  International parents, from Moscow, another from London, another from Lagos, another from Guangdong Province and another from São Paulo have already scheduled meetings to fly over and meet me in our Manhattan offices.  All understand the importance of continuing the process in pursuit of the goal:  admissions to a top private school for their children.   Their next mission in pursuit of this goal is to determine what to do next.

If your child was REJECTED (or WAIT-LISTED, which means that “we love your child, but we don’t have spot available today, tomorrow or perhaps never”), what can you do at this stage in the process?  SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT!

From my observation, there are six crucial potential missteps during the application process:   (1) Parents assume that it’s all about connections.  (2) Parents and students don’t prepare enough for the interviews.  (3) Parents start too late in the admissions planning process.  (4) Parents assume that their skill sets and/or titles give them an admissions edge.  (5) Parents and students listen to incorrect advice from chat rooms and online communities.  (6) Parents make the mistake of retaining an inexperienced educational consultant who is not versed in the admissions policies, diplomacy and politics of top boarding school admissions or does not even visit schools.

In all cases, after careful research, I endeavor to discover the details as to why and how a student was rejected (or wait-listed) and what mistakes were made.  I use the information I gather in conjunction with the current admissions policies of each school and the long-term working relationships that I have established with schools to re-energize a student’s application, make recommendations to improve the student’s profile and properly connect the dots within their application and beyond.  By careful navigation, it is possible for students to be reconsidered and admitted.

“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 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 day schools.  Dr. Lowe helps U.S. and international students gain admissions into top U.S. private 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 provides parents with the knowledge they need to decide where there children should attend and the admissions strategies they need to be admitted into their top-choice school.

Regular Decision Notification Dates: 2018

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s March 8, 2018! That means that within 20 days high school seniors will begin to discover, after all their hard work, where they will be accepted, wait-listed or rejected

Based on our research and discussions with directors of admissions, many colleges  regular admission decisions ready by March 31 or April 1.

Here are regular decision notification dates (and approximate times) for Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities:

  • Barnard College:  Late March
  • Brown University:  March 28, 2018
  • Cal Tech:  Mid March – TBA
  • Carnegie Mellon University:  Mid April
  • Columbia University:  March 28, 2018
  • Cornell University:  March 29, 2018
  • Dartmouth University:  March 28, 2018
  • Duke University:  April 1, 2018
  • Georgetown University:  April 1, 2018
  • Georgia Institute of Technology:  March 10, 2018
  • Hamilton College:  Late March
  • Harvard University:  March 28, 2018
  • Johns Hopkins University:  March 16, 2018
  • Lehigh University:  Late March
  • MIT:  March 14, 2018 (Pi Day)
  • Northwestern University: Late March
  • Purdue University: (Jan 15 – March 15, 2018
  • Princeton University: March 28, 2018
  • Stanford University:  April 1, 2018
  • Swarthmore College: April 1, 2018
  • Tufts University:  April 1, 2018
  • University of Chicago:  Late March
  • University of Michigan: Late March
  • University of Notre Dame:  Late March
  • University of Pennsylvania:  March 28, 2018
  • University of Virginia:  Late March
  • Vanderbilt University:  April 1, 2018
  • Vassar College:  Late March
  • Villanova University:  Late March
  • Wesleyan University:  Late March
  • Yale University:  March 28, 2018

“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.