China – The Short List

Summer

China

Multiple Applications

Princeton

Client: Summer

The Short List started working with Summer after she had been denied by most of the schools to which she had applied. We had worked with several of Summer’s classmates who recommended she speak to us before deciding between acceptance to a U.S. school that did not excite her, school in the U.K., or a gap year before applying again.

Summer was a top student who should have had more choices. It soon became clear that her application materials were a key part of the problem: There was no theme to them. Her essays were not very well thought out and she did not highlight the things that we felt would have made her stand out.

We helped Summer plan a gap year to deal with her loss and find a new purpose. Summer had gone through a very difficult year. In addition to applying to college, she was completing the final year of her IB diploma program. While challenging, this workload should have been manageable for someone with Summer’s academic record. We pressed for more information and finally learned that her father had passed away during the previous year. We asked if she really felt ready for college. It was as though a watershed had opened; someone had finally given Summer permission to deal with her loss.

We helped Summer plan a gap year to deal with her loss and find a new purpose.

She spent the first months after graduation at home with her mother as both adjusted to life without her father. While home, she learned that she had scored a perfect 45 on her IB final exams, something that only 1% of students worldwide achieve. She then signed up for an art history course in Italy and was awarded a two-month marine conservation internship in Madagascar for December and January. From February on, she stayed in Beijing with extended family and took an intensive language course.

Summer had started running as a coping mechanism and, as she built her endurance, decided to run the New York City marathon, registering with the American Stroke Association to honor her father. She spent several weeks prior to the race in the U.S., and we encouraged her to use the time to visit schools. She wrote essays that revealed her strengths in meaningful ways and sent her early application to Princeton only once she was fully satisfied with it. Days later she found herself at the start line of the marathon. Summer shared that she met other families who had lost loved ones and thought about her father throughout the race: “This year is bittersweet; wonderful developments are happening in my life but I can’t share them with my dad. I know that wherever my dad is now, he is looking down on me with pride.” Six weeks later, Summer learned that she had been accepted to Princeton.

Anthony

China

The Environmentalist

Pitzer

Client: Anthony

Anthony attends an international school in Shanghai, China. Although he is Chinese-American, he has spent his entire life in Asia. He was determined to follow his older sister and study in the United States. She attends school outside Philadelphia, so at first Anthony considered East Coast schools, but he also wanted to visit schools in California.

Anthony is a bright student who is very involved in service and environmental activities. He was an officer in his school’s Roots and Shoots Club, participated on Habitat for Humanity trips to Mongolia and Malaysia, assisted the Jacaranda Foundation by teaching AIDS orphans, and returned to Mongolia to plant trees. At school, he worked with club members, students, and faculty to draft the school’s new eco policy and helped write a proposal for energy-efficient lighting, water- saving faucets, proper compost disposal, better use of natural lighting, and improved insulation.

The Short List recommended several California schools that have some of the United States’ strongest environmental science programs. Anthony’s parents could not be absent from work long enough to travel with him. However, two of Anthony’s closest friends were living in Hong Kong and also working with The Short List. To the great relief of Anthony’s parents, their families agreed to take Anthony with them on a West Coast college tour we helped organize.

The Short List recommended several California schools that have some of the United States’ strongest environmental science programs.

For Anthony, Pitzer College really stood out. Pitzer is part of the Claremont Colleges that also includes Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps. Students can take classes at all five colleges, giving students a university feel. Pitzer emphasizes activism, building community service and advocacy into every program.

Before visiting Pitzer, Anthony signed up for an interview. During his visit, he saw that he would both learn in the classroom and be able to continue his work in the community. Anthony communicated with the school throughout the fall, and his Early Decision application outlined why the school’s environmental science program was right for him and how his interest and desires would be right for Pitzer.

There was no doubt Pitzer knew of Anthony even before he applied and clearly understood his reasons for applying. Anthony received his acceptance eight weeks later. Fittingly, Anthony’s mother had to convey the good news to him because Anthony was out of town helping others.