Student R Gets Accepted to MIT and Johns Hopkins!

Candidacy Building: 

• Major Exploration: When he started working with us, Student R’s interests in Engineering, CS, and STEM were too general. In addition, these are some of the most competitive fields in college admissions at top universities. Through a series of readings and activities, we helped Student R narrow down his interests and find a more specific and unique focus within STEM: Materials Science.
• Academic Mentorship:
  • Pairing: Once it was clear Student R was interested in Material Science, we started
    brainstorming projects. Knowing Student R wanted to work on a Materials Science project with a mentor, we reached out to our vast networks of Academic Mentors. We were able to match Student R with his top choice, a senior engineer at Tesla.
  • Outcome: Student R and his Academic Mentor worked on Materials Science together and expanded Student R’s understanding of the field. Student R kept a “Mouse Engineer Notebook” as part of the project, which ended up being 28 pages. Student R also created a working prototype of a lightweight gaming mouse.
• Extracurricular Enhancement: Student R needed to focus his extracurricular activities for maximum impact, so we helped him create a plan. In this plan, we set both short-term and long-term goals. This included items like taking coding lessons, joining online communities, entering competitions, creating an app, and even getting a patent. One of Student R’s signature projects was:
  • Fencing App: We helped Student R combine his skills in CS with his fencing passion by developing an app that tracks fencing match results.

Application Counseling:

• Application Persona: After working with Student R for two years, it was time to present his accomplishments in his college application. We decided on an Application Persona for Student R that would highlight his accomplishments and help him stand out. Student R’s Application Persona was the “Analytically-Minded Student-Athlete and Aspiring Engineer.”
• Activities & Honors Lists: We created a spreadsheet that described in detail all of Student R’s extracurriculars, summer programs, honors, etc. We then evaluated the list to determine which items were the most impactful and which ones would make it to the Common App. Student R’s Final Activities List strategically showcased his projects to highlight his leadership and accomplishments.
• Personal Statement: We used our proprietary curriculum to evaluate possible Personal Statement topics, making sure that the topic we recommended would be memorable and highlight Student R’s Application Persona. Student R’s final Personal Statement showcased his experiences and portrayed him as a curious self-starter with a deep passion for creating and understanding how things are made.
• Supplemental Essays: Student R had several supplemental essays to write for his applications. We created a supplemental essay master document that tracked tasks, suggestions, edits, and more. We helped Student R strategize topics that showcased what he learned through his experiences and discussed how he would continue to pursue his interests in college. 
• Final Review: After several rounds of feedback and edits, Student R’s application was ready for its final review. Student R’s Former Admissions Officer reviewed his application as if they were reading an application in the admissions office. After the FAO’s final feedback and edits were applied, Student R was given the go-ahead to submit!