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January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Nicholas

Thailand

The Global Nomad

University of Virginia

Client: Nicholas

Nicholas has lived in Jamaica, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, and Thailand. Never a local and never a citizen, Nicholas became a “third culture” kid—a global nomad who combines elements of several different cultures to create his own unique identity.

His diverse upbringing gave Nicholas interests in history, political science, and international relations. He knew he wanted to attend school in the U.S. but didn’t know whether a small liberal arts college or a large university would be best. Believing a college tour could help him decide, The Short List helped Nicholas research schools and plan a trip; he asked us to focus on schools in or near Washington, D.C. The trip helped Nicholas see advantages in both small and large schools, and he decided to apply to both.

Streamlining Nicholas’s upbringing, experiences, and academic interests into a singular story was challenging. He designed an activity sheet with subcategories that told parts of his story in fascinating ways. He wrote an activity essay highlighting his Model United Nations leadership and experiences traveling in Asia. His personal statement brought it all together as he shared what it meant to be a global nomad.

Nicholas set his sites on an elite small liberal arts college and an acclaimed public university. To have a chance at both, he took the risk of not applying Early Decision. Nicholas was accepted to both his top-choice schools and made the decision to go big. He is now part of the proud tradition of the University of Virginia, experiencing what all UVA students call “first year,” learning about secret societies, and living in an international dorm on one of the most beautiful grounds in America.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Ned

California

The Consultant

Harvard Business School

Client: Ned

Ned began applying to MBA programs in the fall of 2009. He spent much of that fall working on his applications, visiting schools, interviewing, and, sadly, receiving denials or wait list notifications. Ned contacted The Short List in summer 2010 when he felt that the acceptances he had received were not the right fit for him. After reading Ned’s applications and hearing about his admissions interviews, we realized he had missed opportunities to communicate his entire story and many of his strengths.

The Short List emphasized to Ned the risks of turning down the schools that had accepted him. But, in every exercise where we had Ned prioritize his options, “applying again” came out on top. Ned decided the only choice that would make him truly happy was to “go for it,” whatever the outcome, so we advised him on how he could best improve his chances. We asked Ned to contact his schools to see what would have made him a stronger candidate. We also encouraged Ned to focus on fewer schools so he could put together quality applications and build up demonstrated interest. He decided there were just four schools that had programs strong enough to merit interrupting his career.

Although the young entrepreneurial company Ned worked for was receiving great press, they were also going through repeated layoffs. Ned was constantly adjusting to different management styles. We urged him to take on more responsibility at work in areas that would make him a stronger participant in the MBA classroom. We also helped him explore opportunities outside of work where he could leverage his experience to help others. Finally, we worked with Ned on how to better share his story in his applications. Ned returned to each campus to learn more about their programs and cultivate relationships. When invited to interview, Ned used our advice and walked into each interview with greater confidence.

He even completed one interview through Skype due to conflicts with his work schedule that prevented his traveling back to the school. In the end, Ned’s renewed effort made the difference when he was accepted to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Ned submitted his deposit, was busy wrapping up things at work, and had plans for a relaxing summer when his last acceptance came through. Ned made a significant change of direction and instead enrolled at Harvard Business School.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Natt

Thailand

The Environmentalist

Dartmouth College

Natt spent much of his life commuting between Bangkok and Hong Kong, two cities populated by skyscrapers and dense traffic. One of Natt’s favorite pastimes was taking walks with his father and their dog. It was on the trail behind his home that Natt felt most at peace.

Natt was amazed at the abundance of opportunities to explore nature when he arrived at his US boarding school freshman year. At the end of his sophomore year, he jumped at the opportunity to spend his entire junior year in the school’s environmental program. He lived on a separate campus and took interdisciplinary courses that covered all aspects of environmental science. His program explored the political, social, and ethical considerations of environmental policy. The deeper he delved, the more connections he made across all the disciplines. He wrote an extensive research paper on the environmental economics of the fishing industry. He ended the year determined to explore colleges with strong environmental programs.

The Short List helped Natt discover a number of rural East Coast schools that would allow him to pursue his environmental passion and give him access to the great outdoors.

The Short List helped Natt discover a number of rural East Coast schools that would allow him to pursue his environmental passion and give him access to the great outdoors. He toured campuses and narrowed the list down to a select few, with Dartmouth standing out. Dartmouth “Green” goes beyond the school’s moniker and colors. At Dartmouth, Natt discovered a campus deeply committed to the environment. Most students begin their Dartmouth experience on a freshman orientation outdoor trip. All students use the College’s unique quarter D-Plan to explore their interests both in and outside the classroom. Natt began to see himself as a member of this close-knit community, so he decided to apply through their binding Early Decision program.

Natt wanted to write a unique essay for his applications, and he initially worried more about creativity then content, missing the opportunity to tell his environmental story. The Short List encouraged him to focus more on communicating his message, detailing his unique junior year, and connecting the dots for the admissions committee. We prepped him to do the same with his activity list and his interviews. Natt also asked his teachers and counselor to communicate the same message in their reference letters. Dartmouth got Natt’s message loud and clear and offered him a spot in the class of 2020. Natt has already started stocking up on his “green” Dartmouth merchandise.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Nancy and Tim

Turkey

Multiple Classmates

Tufts, NYU

Clients: Nancy and Tim

Nancy’s family works for the State Department and has hosted several international community presentations for The Short List. We met Tim at the presentation they organized for us in Istanbul, Turkey. It was clear from our first meeting that Nancy and Tim were good friends. They had just returned from a school trip to Nepal and were eager to share their experiences with us. They also shared their stories.

Nancy’s family moved from Bangkok, Thailand, to Istanbul at the start of her junior year. She found that the quickest way to make friends after each move was to become involved and that was how she discovered theatre. Arriving in Turkey was no different, and she found herself quickly cast in a school production. She also began to take up guitar and singing, and soon began considering a life in the performing arts. She began looking for schools with strong acting programs.

Nancy and her mother traveled back to the United States in the spring of her senior year for several interviews and auditions. She rehearsed her songs and monologues while we helped her prepare her resumé and prep for her interviews. She returned a week later and waited for the results.

When Tim came to The Short List he was very clear on a few things: he wanted to have an urban college experience at a school with a strong international student population. Having lived in Paris, Madrid, and Istanbul, Tim was accustomed to a diverse and cosmopolitan community. He had always enjoyed math and science in school and had a real passion for technology. So as he started thinking about a college major, he realized it had to be something that would incorporate math, science, and technology, and focused on schools with computer engineering.

Tim was also able to make a trip to the US, so we worked with him to maximize his campus visits and prepare him for his interviews at a number of schools that met his criteria. Later, as Tim worked through his college essays, we pushed him to reveal the interests and passions he had as a student and individual. He was able to express himself in beautiful essays that were infused with his wry humor. The only question that remained was whether his colleges would recognize his unique qualities.

When April finally arrived, both Nancy and Tim received news that they had been accepted to top universities. Nancy is now a freshman in NYU Tisch School’s nationally ranked acting program, and Tim is just hours away in Boston at Tufts University where he is enrolled in their highly acclaimed engineering program.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Michael

New York

The Younger Brother

Tufts University

Client: Michael

The Short List has worked with many siblings, including many sets of twins and younger siblings who have watched an older sibling go through the process. Even among siblings, every student is different.

We worked with Michael’s older brother three years ago and met Michael, then a high school freshman, at Zach’s graduation dinner. Michael asked if he might be able to work with The Short List, too.

We started working with Michael in his sophomore year, which gave him plenty of time to plan out the process. He was studying Latin at the time. After traveling to Nicaragua for a sophomore community service spring break, during which he was frustrated by not being able to communicate with the people he was trying to help, Michael decided to switch to Spanish so he could return to Nicaragua the following spring and converse with the villagers.

He arrived back in Nicaragua a year later and many of the villagers greeted him by name. They shared stories about their lives, families, and aspirations, and Michael began to understand the true benefit of language. Michael enrolled in a Spanish course that summer to accelerate his learning and allow him to enter Spanish III as a senior. The Nicaragua trips and summer program had changed his thinking about what he wanted to study, so he took his time exploring colleges and applying.

Michael’s relaxed strategy paid off; he was accepted to almost every school to which he applied.

Michael began to look for strong language and economics programs that would allow him to continue studying Spanish and economics in the third world, especially Central America. Michael’s relaxed strategy paid off; he was accepted to almost every school to which he applied and elected to attend Cornell University. He wrote, “I intend to continue learning Spanish and study abroad in one of Cornell’s many Spanish-speaking programs. Cornell requires all study abroad classes to be taught in the language of that country, which will unquestionably aid in my ability to speak Spanish fluently one day.”

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Meg

Ohio

Social Enterprising MBA

Columbia University

Client: Meg When Meg was a college senior in suburban Ohio, she submitted an application to join a tutoring program in Boston. At the time two things motivated her: she wanted to be a teacher, and she wanted to live in a big city. She traveled to Boston for the final round of interviews and spent a day student teaching. The day was challenging. She found herself losing patience with the students when they did not understand the concepts she was trying to explain. She began to question whether teaching was the right fit for her, and the interviewers agreed. She did not move forward with the program.

Trying to figure out where to turn next, Meg thought back to her summer internship at a progressive private school doing data analysis to help teachers better understand standardized test scores. She transformed a stack of papers containing five years’ worth of data into an interactive dashboard visualizing student progress year over year. She had used her analytical skills to benefit the students’ education—a cause about which she cared deeply. She decided to look for opportunities that would help further her analytical skills and applied to one of the country’s top consulting firms in New York City.

Over the next three years, she performed analyses that helped solve complex problems for corporations. She enjoyed her experiences working for the consulting firm but couldn’t stop thinking about her dream to work in education. She contacted The Short List to share her hope of finding an MBA program that would continue to expand her analytical skills but also allow her to focus on social enterprise and education.

The Short List helped Meg research top MBA programs that had strong missions in social enterprise and education.

The Short List helped Meg research top MBA programs that had strong missions in both areas. We encouraged her to visit each school, as we worked with her to refine her story in both her essays and interviews. Columbia University in New York City emerged as the clear leader. She wanted access to the organizations that interested her the most, and being a subway ride away would make that possible. She decided to apply to Columbia Early Decision.
Just before Thanksgiving, Meg wrote to us with great news: “I got accepted into Columbia! They actually asked me to do the January start date and complete the 16-month program; same program, different timeline.” Meg gave her notice at work and six weeks later passed through Columbia’s gates determined to graduate from her MBA program with real-world experience under her belt that would help her make an even bigger difference in the field of education.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Mary Anne

Ohio

The Tennis Player

Bucknell

Mary Anne (Mac) came to The Short List her sophomore year as an accomplished tennis player. She had been playing since the age of four and knew that tennis would be a part of her future. A bright and accomplished student, Mac knew a strong academic environment was her primary consideration in choosing a college, but she was uncertain whether she should also pursue playing tennis at the competitive level. Additionally, Mac was involved in a number of high school clubs and organizations and had just been selected for an elite choral group; she was looking for a college campus where she could continue to explore all her passions.

The Short List put together a list of potential schools and walked her through an in-depth evaluation and research process for the schools she was considering. We knew it would be important for Mac to visit campuses to find the school that would provide the best fit academically, athletically, and personally, and we helped her plan a few different campus visits.

The Short List understands the challenges athletics places on a student’s schedule and the importance of time management. During fall of Mac’s junior year, we discussed with her and her parents a plan for her standardized tests, as well as campus visits that would work with both her tennis and demanding junior year schedule.

The Short List understands the challenges athletics places on a student’s schedule and the importance of time management.

By the end of her junior year, having researched and visited several schools, Mac decided tennis would not be a factor in forming her college list; instead, she would focus on schools that had the most to offer in her areas of academic interest. With this clarity, we helped Mac refocus her list of schools and prepped her for her final campus visits, as well as on-campus interviews over the summer. By the time fall semester arrived and her senior tennis season was underway, Mac had finalized her college list and had a good jump on her applications. Because she had taken the time to visit schools, clarify her goals, and define her criteria, she was able to identify a succinct list of schools that met her criteria and incorporated a range of reach, target, and probable schools.

Mac was offered early admission and scholarships to her top two choices and will be enrolling at Bucknell this fall. Following her acceptance, we encouraged Mac to contact the tennis coach, and she plans to try out as a walk-on in the spring.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Marie-Sophie

France

Multiple Programs

Columbia Univ. & Sciences Po

Client: Marie-Sophie
Marie-Sophie is French and was attending a bilingual school in New York City when we first met her. She was looking at US colleges but was still intrigued by studying in France. She turned to The Short List to help her navigate the American college admissions process.

Despite a natural shyness, Marie-Sophie was a well-rounded student: a top academic performer and avid runner who loved the performing arts and community service. She loved most subjects, was fluent in three languages, and had strong interests in economics and politics. We believed her challenge would not be in communicating what she had to offer but rather in defining what she wanted to pursue.

We explored schools that would nurture Marie-Sophie’s multi-cultural heritage and multi-faceted personality, and we encouraged her to express herself even further. She was thrilled and terrified when she was cast in a solo role in the high school musical. As she explained, performing “gave me the passion and the courage to pursue singing, and play a role in front of an audience. Whenever the whole cast is on stage, I can feel a current of energy that makes me want to stay on stage forever.”

Marie-Sophie’s parents took her on visits to her top-choice US colleges. Her confidence grew and her future goals began to take shape, but she couldn’t quite let go of her desire to study in France. She was thrilled to discover the dual BA program between Columbia University and Sciences Po in Paris, an opportunity to receive degrees from two world-renowned universities. She would have to apply and be accepted separately to both schools, which would have been daunting enough to scare off most applicants. But Marie-Sophie pursued admission with gusto.

Her efforts paid off when she was offered a spot in the dual program. She wrote, “The dual BA will be a perfect continuation of what I have enjoyed since I was in first grade, which is being in an environment that is fully bicultural and which constantly reminds me that there is always more than one way to look at something. It will also allow me to study further and more thoroughly what I find the most interesting: trying to understand the world in which I live.”

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Maddie

New York

The Planner

Harvard

Client: Maddie

The day we met Maddie, we knew she was someone special, driven to do her best in everything. She was the top student in her class, taking additional high school classes at a local university. She also served as president of her class and a leader in many other activities.

At the time, Maddie was a sophomore in high school, and we quickly saw what drove her success: She took the time to plan. She wanted to visit quite a number of schools, so we mapped out a two-year college visit strategy that took advantage of her school breaks and summer vacation. We spaced her visits so they would be manageable for both her and her family, and did the same with her SAT and ACT testing strategy, helping her attend college fairs and complete any homework we assigned her between calls. Maddie was always ahead of the game and, as a result, exhibited very little stress.

Maddie had prepared academically to apply to the best schools in the country, but she also wanted the schools on her final list to be those where she could imagine spending four years. As she began to visit schools, she looked for ways to connect.

There was nothing The Short List suggested that Maddie wouldn’t try. We explained the importance of demonstrated interest, so she took notes and photos, and collected contact information. She established relationships, and the schools learned about her well before she applied.

In the end, Maddie did not want to apply to any school with a binding decision. She wanted to give herself the option to choose rather than getting caught up in the frenetic “Early Decision” game that she saw so many of her classmates and friends pursuing. in the end, she was accepted to nine of the schools to which she applied, including four ivy League schools. She ranked three schools, all excellent options, as her top choices, and asked her family to allow her to visit each of the three one more time. Ultimately Maddie, now a freshman, chose to enroll at Harvard College.

January 28, 2018June 12, 2018

Lynette

Hong Kong

The Architect

Wellesley/MIT

Client: Lynnette
Although her family lives in Hong Kong, Lynnette attends an all-girls boarding school in Connecticut, which has given her a strong sense of empowerment. She is a hard-working student involved in several activities, and she had some clear ideas on the right colleges and universities for her—all 43 of them! To help narrow her list, we worked on tapping into Lynnette’s passions.

Lynnette is an excellent science and math student, exceptionally talented writer, and winner of several art awards. Her many passions and talents made narrowing her choices challenging. Her initial list included some of the highest- ranked schools in the country. We suspected that once Lynnette saw some of the schools on her list, she would be better able to focus on those that could truly satisfy her interests.

The Short List met with Lynnette and her family when we were in Hong Kong in March 2010 giving a community college admissions presentation. We discussed schools the family had visited during a college tour The Short List helped coordinate, and we brainstormed summer activities. Lynnette was interested in an “art” summer and applied to Rhode Island School ofDesign’s prestigious architectural program. The experience brought together her interests in art, math, and science; Lynnette declared her desire to pursue architecture in college and was able to narrow her college list to 12 schools.

The Short List helped to coordinate the family’s college tour.

Two in particular stood out: Wellesley, the top all-women’s college just outside Boston, attracted Lynnette because they provide a liberal arts education in an environment familiar to her. On the other hand, MIT, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has an amazing architecture program and sits just across the river from Boston.
Wellesley has a binding Early Decision program, while MIT allows students to apply through their non-binding Early Action program. The Short List knew Lynnette faced a tough decision, so we had her direct her energy toward crafting strong applications for both schools. We believed her distinctive writing style—introspective, humorous, and revealing—would allow her to stand out.

The opportunity to apply early to both schools worked in Lynnette’s favor. To her delight, she now has the choice of spending her four years at Wellesley, or entering the five-year joint degree in architecture program with MIT to receive an undergraduate degree from both schools! Lynnette’s ambitious approach reminded The Short List of the importance of our clients’ taking ownership of their process and having the courage to go for everything.