Tag: International students

Why Dr Paul Lowe Visits Private Schools

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Not all private schools are created equally!  The choices and options can be confusing.  And, like most important decisions, the choice of a school should be the result of careful and thoughtful planning.   That’s why I make the effort in to visit private schools.  My team and I spend 25% or more of our time visiting schools.

By performing visits, I get to know schools and what will be the best fit for our client’s children as well as understanding the real-time missions and admissions policies.  I look beyond the brochures, websites. virtual tours, videos, and the fast-and-furious independent school fair meetups.  A school visit is imperative!  I talk with faculty, students, parents, and yes, even the maintenance crew.  What a school promises and what it delivers may be different.  I get to understand the nuances in each school and get a chance to talk with admissions officers, enrollment officers, headmasters, parents and board members.  We also develop established longstanding relationships with schools.  My team and I visit the top day and boarding schools 4 times annually.

In addition to experiencing the school hardscape, by visiting schools, I discover  the true vibe of the school and the presence of the “Happy Factor”: Are the students (and faculty) happy?  What is the happy vibe or rhythm on the school campus?  Student happiness matters when it comes to learning.

With regard to school facilities: How well is the school maintained?  Are the facilities outdated?  Are the facilities student-friendly?  Do the school’s facilities accommodate your child’s interests?

When I visit a school as a consultant, I ask questions as to the real year-to-date college matriculation numbers, not  just numbers over the last 5 years. After all, you are paying for your child’s high school experience, as well as adequate college preparation to meet their (and your) college admissions goals.  After all of your child’s hard work and your monetary investment, you don’t want your child to just get into safety schools!

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.  Alternatively, by my physically visiting schools and actively interacting with school admissions personnel, senior administrators and students, my clients are placed in the most appropriate school for their (and their parents’ happiness.  Our approach will ensure your child’s best possible start for a successful future by placing them in their top-choice schools.

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.

2018 Top All-Girls Boarding High Schools

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

All-girls private high schools have a deep understanding of how girls learn and succeed.  They also provide the resources for girls to reach their full potential.  These schools provide a nurturing learning environment that encourages curiosity and independence and motivates girls to thrive and succeed.

Many international families call my firm to inquire, specifically, about independent, college-preparatory boarding schools for girls. They are seeking advice on which schools will provide an excellent U.S. education as well as placement in elite and prestigious U.S. colleges and universities.

Here is a list for parents seeking to send their daughter to a top U.S. boarding school for girls pursuing academic achievement and success.

  • The Hockaday School – Dallas, TX
  • Miss Porter’s School – Farmington, CT
  • Westover School – Middlebury, CT
  • Dana Hall School – Wellesley, MA
  • Miss Hall’s School – Pittsfield, MA
  • Emma Willard School – Troy, NY
  • The Madiera School – McLean, VA
  • Garrison Forest School – Owings Mills, MD
  • The Ethel Walker School – Simsbury, CT
  • Foxcroft School – Middleburgh, VA
  • Chatham Hall – Chatham, VA

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.

Why Your Child Should Apply to an Ivy League College or University?

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

I often hear from some parents in my college admissions seminars or who call my firm inquiring about our service: “It doesn’t really matter if you attend an Ivy League school” or “it doesn’t  make a difference if you attend an Ivy League school” and finally, “its all about the fit; it doesn’t matter where you go to college”.  I even hear from many of my peer independent educational consultants, public high school guidance counselors and private school college counselors (who are not Ivy League undergraduate alumni) that it really doesn’t matter if that a student should applies to the Ivies or attends the Ivies.  I even hear from parents whose children have applied to the Ivies (after they have taken 9 AP courses, received tutoring in order to achieve near-perfect SAT scores and written that perceived awesome essay) that it does really matter.  Really?

As an Ivy-trained physician-scientist, prior to entering the admissions advisory field 22 years ago, I like to corroborate and validate my professional recommendations and advice with meaningful studies and reports, and real data that have linear correlations.

Year after year, thousands of students apply for coveted spots and are rejected (see my blog on rejection rates).  There must be a reason or reasons why each year one reads the following statistic 30,000 students applying for 2,000 spots, or why there is an uptick in the number of international applicants to Ivy Leagues schools.

So let’s review the reasons why your child should apply to the Ivies:

  1. A study in the journal, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, confirms parental suspicions that the best route to a top job is to attend an Ivy League school.  According to Dr. Lauren Rivera, the author of the study, “Elite professional service employers rely more on academic pedigree more than any other factor.  Where you went to school rather than what you did there makes the difference”.
  2. PayScale Inc., an online provider of global compensation data, in a survey demonstrated that an Ivy League diploma is still worth its price of admission and tuition.   An Ivy League education makes a job candidate stand out, even before a recruiter talks to them!   The median starting salary for Ivy Leaguers is 32% higher than that of liberal-arts college graduates and at 10 or more years into graduates’ working lives, the spread is 34%.
  3. “Because of the bitter competition for premium salaries, elite educational credentials are often a precondition for even landing a job interview. With so many applicants for every vacancy, many consulting firms and investment banks, for example, now consider only candidates from a short list of top-ranked schools. Degrees from elite schools clearly open doors. For example, more than 40 percent of the 2007 graduating class at Princeton landed one of the most highly sought prizes: a position in the lucrative financial services industry.”  Dr. Robert H. Frank
  4. According to a U.S. Department of Education report, the median annual earnings for an Ivy League graduate 10 years after starting amount to well over $70,000 a year. For graduates of all other schools, the median is around $34,000. But things get really interesting at the top end of the income spectrum. The top 10 percent of Ivy League grads are earning $200,000 or more ten years after starting school. The top earners of other schools, on the other hand, earn $70,000.
  5. Top 20 universities producing billionaires is dominated by blue-chip, elite U.S. institutions.  Billionaires are likely to have attended some of the traditionally most prestigious universities.  Top universities have become the place where “global players gather”.  (Educational insights from an annual profile of the uber-rich – Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census.)
  6. Business Insider’s “The 48 best colleges in the Northeast” – 2015:  Of the top 10 colleges, the 8 Ivy League colleges/universities were on the list.
  7. Wall Street Journal article: “In Producing Presidents, Ivies Still Have It”. Ivy League colleges are the top U.S. President-producing schools.
  8. Globally, extreme wealth is closely connected to elite education. “The economic sectors where the very wealthy are most closely connected to elite education are hedge funds, venture capital, the internet, law and finance. Those fields may require greater smarts, better training and stronger elite social connections.”  – Wealth X Study
  9. “Elite firms hire from elite universities” from “Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs” by Lauren A. Rivera.
  10. The Economist has established that there is a direct correlation between education, the inheritance of privilege and class. According to an extensive report in The Economist: “For those at the top of the pile, moving straight from the best universities into the best jobs, the potential rewards are greater.”

The next time you are out and about and you see decals that have an Ivy League university, or a parent with sweatshirt that states: ” Ivy League school Mom” ask yourself does it really matter?

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.

Top Colleges Speed Read College Applications

Top College Speed Read Applications Dr Paul Lowe
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

How long do you think it takes a top college to review your application?   24 hours, five hours or one hour?  Try less than 8 minutes!!!

Due to the ease of applying to multiple schools, the number of domestic and international students applying to elite schools, the number of applications to these schools continues to grow.  Additionally, top colleges have also increased recruitment from rural areas in  the U.S.  Last year, the number of applicants using the Common Application was 902,000 and as of Jan 15, 2018, 898,000 used the Common Application.  Expect that number to increase after transfer admissions totals are determined!

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, admissions officers at top colleges do not have the time to read an applicant’s entire file.    As a result, many top colleges are using a team/committee-based approach to review applications .

In this new model, rather than work alone as an individual admissions officer assigned to a recruitment territory, admissions officers are now reading applications in pairs.  One reader is tasked with assessing and presenting the applicant’s academic credentials, reviewing transcripts, test scores, recommendations and course load and the other reader focuses on the “student’s voice”: essays, interviews and talents. The two-member team discusses and rates each applicant according to specific criteria based on the mission of the college and recommends a decision (reject or accept), typing notes into a system as they simultaneously discuss the applicant and concurrently reviewing each application on separate screens.

This new evaluation approach, initially developed by University of Pennsylvania, allows the admissions officer pairs to have an in-depth conversation about the applicant and render efficient decisions. It also allows them to read applications faster.  During team meetings there is a discussion on whether a candidate qualifies or not.

What does this mean for applicants who are applying to top colleges?

  • It’s getting even harder to be admitted to top colleges!
  • Every portion of a student’s application must now be able to highlight the student as well as somehow interconnected and interrelated with all other parts of the application.
  • Applying to top colleges is no longer just simply about top grades, AP courses, SAT scores and “jack-of-trades” and/or “drive by” extracirricular activities, and Expensive Summer Experiences (ESE) helping the poor in foreign countries and Expensive Summer Camps (ESC) – Summer camps/programs at elite colleges.
  • Students must assume and understand admissions etiquette and cultural as well as emotional intelligence, as you never know who will be reading your application.
  • Retain the services of an admissions advisor who visits colleges at least one or even twice annually.
  • Retain the services of an admissions advisor who understands the codes, language, complex metrics, unforeseen challenges and uncertainty in admissions.
  • Retain the services of an admissions advisor who understands and has the experience in preparing students whose applications are evaluated by the team/committee approach.

After four challenging years of college admissions preparation, your college decisions will be determined in 8 minutes or less!  Like competitive sports, getting into top schools is about have a competitive edge!

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.

2018 Hardest Colleges To Get Into In America

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

College admissions decisions will be released in late March through early April.  Many top high schools seniors will be disappointed when they check their emails to discover that they will be rejected from the Ivies and highly-selective colleges.  Even with having a high GPA, top SAT scores, high grades and a “manufactured” application and personal statement will be rejected from these schools.  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.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on educational institutions released its latest list of the hardest colleges to get into in America.  The hardest colleges ranking is based on acceptance (rejection) rates and SAT/ACT test scores using data from the U.S. Department of Education.  The rejection rates of these colleges range from 85% to 95%.

Here is a list of the top 25:

  1. Harvard University:  95%
  2. Stanford University:  95%
  3. Yale University:  94%
  4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology:  92%
  5. California Institute of Technology:  92%
  6. Princeton University:  93%
  7. University of Chicago:  92%
  8. Columbia University:  93%
  9. Vanderbilt University:  89%
  10. Brown University:  91%
  11. University of Pennsylvania:  91%
  12. Duke University:  88%
  13. Dartmouth College:  88%
  14. Harvey Mudd College:  87%
  15. Pomona College:  91%
  16. Northwestern University:  88%
  17. Rice University:  89%
  18. Johns Hopkins University:  87%
  19. Swarthmore College:  87%
  20. Claremont McKenna College
  21. Washington University in St. Louis:  83%
  22. Cornell University:  87%
  23. Amherst College:  86%
  24. Bowdoin College:  85%
  25. Tufts University:  86%

Ivy League and highly selective colleges use holistic, committee-based and team-based approaches and review processes when evaluating applicants for admission.  That means admission to these colleges is not based on a simple formula of grades and test scores.  Instead, these colleges consider a variety of factors including but not limited to:  the student’s academic record, extracurricular interests, intellectual achievements, character, emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence and personal background to decide who will be rejected or accepted.

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.  He 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.

Do Admissions Officers Consider Diversity In College Admissions?

Diversity in college admissions
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Diversity in college admissions:  Colleges are looking for cultural, intellectual and meta-cognitive diversity in their classes as well as students who can relate to diverse populations.  Colleges accept classes not just great students.  They are seeking students who understand and appreciate other races cultures and ethnicities.  With regard to diversity, admissions committees ask the following questions: Can the applicant co-exist in our diverse community of different students who are global thinkers?  Does the applicant profile demonstrate a lack of a diversity experience?  Has the applicant meaningfully interacted with people outside of their socio-economic, cultural and ethnic norms?  It has been my observation that college admissions officers and deans of admissions behave like forensic investigators; they analyze and assess how, why and when dots are connected.

Colleges want talented, intellectually engaged students who will be meaningful contributing members of a diverse incoming class and future alumni who will be their global ambassadors.  They do not seek students who are “unique just like everyone else” in their respective communities.  In my experience, applicants who are accepted are those who can standout and lucidly articulate their achievements, goals and personalities and project themselves in a positive light to a committee of six to ten diverse people!

In my firm, which consists of a culturally, ethnically and racially diverse team, we truly appreciate and understand this emphasis, and we innately embrace the meaning and value of standing out and apply it to the competitive admissions process.  Our “Diversity Competitive Advantage” translates to successful admissions results for our clients!

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.  He also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected.

2018 Top 5 U.S. Junior Boarding Schools

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

In my previous blog: “Why Parents Choose Junior Boarding Schools”, I described the features, advantages and benefits of junior boarding school.

Here is a list of the top five U.S. junior boarding schools where the primary focus is boarding:

  1. Rumsey Hall School: Coed – Washington, CT
  2. Eaglebrook School: All-boys – Deerfield, MA
  3. The Fessenden School:  All-boys – West Newton, MA
  4. Hillside School: All-boys – Marlborough, MA
  5. Bement School:  Coed – Deerfield, MA

Pictured: Ben Tuff, Director of Admissions and Matt Hoeniger, Headmaster, Rumsey Hall School, with Dr. Paul Lowe at Rumsey Hall.

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.

College Admissions Tips for Art Students

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

High school students who are interested in arts programs or majoring in art in college must prepare for the college admissions process in the same manner as other college-bound students.  However, in addition to grades, GPA, extracirricular activities and college applications, they must develop a professional art portfolio.  The art portfolio requirements vary at each college so it is essential to contact each college Art department for these specifications.

Here are several useful tips for college-bound art students:

  1. Have your artwork photographed, videotaped, scanned or graphically converted to display in a professional manner.
  2. Show a range of techniques and mastery in the works you choose.
  3. Choose works that show creative thinking and a unique perspective.
  4. Begin developing your portfolio during your junior year so that you may evaluate what works you already have and plan to create works in areas that you are lacking.
  5. Take your works to a professional for critiquing!  An art teacher, local artist, art professor or a current art student may be good sources to give your portfolio a trial run.
  6. Since your art portfolio is a part of your college admissions process, you should consider retaining the services of an admissions advisor who has experience in working with art students and understands the philosophy and academic mission of each of your target colleges.

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, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to Ivy League and high selective colleges and universities.

Top All-Boys Private High Schools

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Many parents choose to send their boys to all-boys schools.  Research supports the fact boys learn differently than girls and that the fact that these schools focus entirely on boys and are beneficial to their confidence and learning style.

Based on Niche and our research here is a list of  top U.S. all-boys private high schools:

  • Collegiate School – New York, NY
  • St. Albans School – Washington, D.C.
  • Brunswick School – Greenwich, CT
  • Roxbury Latin School – West Roxbury, MA
  • Belmont Hill School – Belmont, MA
  • Haverford School – Haverford, PA
  • Avon Old Farms School – Avon, CT
  • Delbarton School – Morristown, NJ
  • The Woodhall School – Bethlehem, CT
  • St. Marks School of Texas – Dallas, TX
  • McCallie School – Chattanooga, TN

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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 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 their top-choice private schools even after they have been waitlisted 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 their children should attend and the admissions strategies they need to be admitted into their top-choice school.

2017 Private School Admissions Trends in Review

2017 Private School Admissions Trend Dr Paul Lowe
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s days before the new year (2018) and we have observed continued trends throughout this year in private schools and admissions.

Here are some highlights of trends in 2017 that U.S. and international families may need to follow in 2018.

  • Admissions emphasis on “Character”:  Schools have begun to use Character Skills Assessment (CSA) which will offer insights into an applicant’s character attributes and add great value to the holistic evaluation of applicants to make informed admissions decisions of applicants.
  • Top private schools continue to expand:  Schools continue to build more buildings and facilities to accommodate students.  For example, such Manhattan elite schools as:  Trinity School, Collegiate School and Chapin Schools are expanding
  • STEAM Education:  Schools are increasingly incorporating STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) education as a part of their curriculum.
  • U.S. schools are opening more international branches:  Schools opening international campuses:  Dwight School in Dubai and The Avenues: The World School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
  • International students:  More international students are seeking admissions to U.S. private high schools.
  • Top 5 U.S. Boarding High Schools:  The top 5 U.S. boarding high schools – 1. Andover, 2. Exeter, 3. St. Paul’s, 4. Lawrenceville,  and 5. Choate.  Over the past 5 years, these schools have been sending 25-30 students each year to Ivy League colleges and universities.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center 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 waitlisted 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.