Hong Kong – The Short List

August 26, 2022

Yul ’20

Hong Kong

The In-Person Visit

Brown

We met Yul while giving an admissions overview presentation in Hong Kong his freshman year. Starting early with The Short List helped Yul stay focused in his academics, extracurriculars, and summer programs. He joined a rock band that performed regularly at school and Hong Kong conventions. He auditioned and became one of three finalists out of 1,000 for a K-pop band. Yul also co-founded a student-led A Capella group.
We introduced Yul to New York University’s prestigious Clive Davis Institute Summer High School Program, where he explored producing music. Spending the summer in the USA gave Yul an opportunity to visit colleges.

Yul loved writing, performing, and producing, but his college visits showed him there were compelling business opportunities outside of music. We helped him reduce his college list and focus on schools that would allow him to pursue music and business. Yul’s Brown visit helped him articulate why their open curriculum and supportive community of musicians and entrepreneurs motivated him to apply.

Brown waitlisted Yul just as COVID put his school into remote learning. His counselor told him, “It is unlikely you will come off the waitlist, so we won’t be able to support you.” We told Yul’s family we believed otherwise and showed Yul how to appeal the waitlist decision. Brown eventually accepted Yul and gave him the option of starting online or postponing his entry until the following May when they hoped to resume in-person learning. Yul opted for the latter so he could continue producing his music during COVID’s most challenging year. His father wrote, “Thank you again for not giving up and encouraging Yul! That made all the difference!”

August 26, 2022

Yoong ’22

Hong Kong

The Online Audition

NYU

When we first met Yoong, he was already a member of Hong Kong’s Youth Arts Foundation and was regularly cast in their theater productions. He was the lead singer in a school Pop Rock band, actor in the annual 48-hour Film Festival, and dancer in the school’s K-pop dance group.

Yoong had previously attended Michigan’s world-renowned Interlocken Center for the Arts, where he was surprised to discover he was the only Asian student in their Summer Theater Program. Nonetheless, he joined the program with confidence, deciding to be “just like the other kids.” That earned him a small 16-second solo. We encouraged Yoong to return to Interlocken the following summer and be himself. During a dance rehearsal, he showcased his K-pop talents, and the directors cast him as one of the leads in Sweeney Todd.

Yoong was unable to return to the USA in 2021 due to COVID travel restrictions and missed the opportunity to visit colleges. We introduced him to online research tools to investigate programs that matched his interests. We coached him for his Zoom auditions, reminding him to continue being himself as he performed from his bedroom. We also encouraged Yoong to remain engaged at school and were delighted when he sent a video of a dance he choreographed for a holiday recital. We advised him to send it to the universities to which he was applying.

In the end, Yoong was accepted to NYU, USC, and UCLA, the three most prestigious theater programs in the country. He always dreamed of living in New York City, the theater capital of the world, and will be enrolling at NYU this fall.

August 26, 2022

Ailbhe ‘21

Hong Kong

The Relationship Builder

Scripps College

We started working with Ailbhe at the beginning of her junior year. Seeing how naturally shy and soft-spoken she was, The Short List encouraged her to seek out opportunities to pursue her concern for the environment while building her confidence. She took a leap of faith and volunteered to organize the interviews for a school-wide environmental sustainability project.

We felt it important that Ailbhe not lose momentum when COVID disrupted international travel during spring of her junior year. We helped her reimagine and deepen her extracurricular interests and showed her ways to continue building academic relationships remotely so her teacher recommenders would be able to write detailed and persuasive letters.

As the year progressed, we urged Ailbhe to dive deeper into colleges and programs that would best suit her academic interests. We introduced ways for her to connect meaningfully with admissions officers, professors, and current students despite her inability to visit campuses.

We helped Ailbhe craft a balanced list of schools and introduced her to the supportive dynamics of a few distinctive all-women colleges where she could continue to develop her self-confidence and powerful voice. By January 2021, she was ready to apply Early Decision II to Scripps College and was overjoyed when she received word in mid-February that she had been accepted. Ailbhe moved to Southern California last fall.

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019

Michael

Hong Kong

The Stand Out

Brown

Michael (2019) Parents typically contact us for guidance for their student. However, Mike reached out to us on his own. His parents empowered him to be the decision-maker. We provided updates, but never actually spoke to them.

Mike spent most of his early childhood in and around New York City, where he said everyone looked and acted just like him. “The key,” he said, “was not to stand out if you wanted to fit in.” Mike took challenging classes, but not too challenging. Got involved, but not too involved. Thought about college, but with little clarity. That would change the day Mike’s family moved to Hong Kong following Mike’s 9th grade year.

Mike was the only African-American student at his new international high school. His classmates worked hard to excel in their academics, got involved in activities both in and outside of school, and were already thinking about college. Mike wondered how he would survive in a place where he didn’t blend in.

Mike first joined the Entrepreneur Club because he liked business and math. His club created two small businesses and organized a case study competition for 13 international schools in Asia. He also got involved in MIT LaunchX, a club that teaches high school students how to develop and pitch new business ideas. He founded the Stock Market Initiative and organized a school-wide stock market competition.

Mike’s classmates took note of his leadership skills, electing him to student government and eventually to the executive committee, where he serves as Senator of Discipline.

Mike told us he wanted a school that encouraged independence and had a strong math program. The Short List helped organize a summer college tour that included Brown University. Brown stood out for its open curriculum and self-directed student body. Mike needed to connect his background and interests to the school, and, under our guidance, took a carefully measured approach to every step of the process, down to the last word of his essay.

Reflecting back on his three years in Hong Kong, Mike said, “It’s funny, but in trying to fit in, I somehow learned to stand out.” We believe Brown took notice: Mike was the only student from his school accepted Early Decision out of more than a dozen who applied.

May 15, 2018June 12, 2018

Jack

New York

The Gap Year

University of Chicago

Jack
Jack was born in Australia, and his parents make their home in Hong Kong. He was home-schooled for several years and often joined his parents on their global travels. In a world of adults, Jack found his personal escape in books. Those books motivated him to become a storyteller.

Jack’s family enrolled him in a boarding school in England at the age of eight, where he learned to adjust from a world of all adults to one of only kids his age. Jack still loved stories, and by the time he got to high school, he was telling them through photography. His classmates began asking him to photograph their events. They often joked that, while Jack followed their moves on the football pitch, they followed his movements up and down the sidelines capturing them in action. After the games, Jack’s room would come alive with students eager to relive the game through his photos.

We met Jack in the spring of his junior year and began helping him plan a gap year. In late summer, Jack suddenly announced he wanted to apply to university now, instead of during his gap year. Jack hadn’t visited a school, taken a standardized test, or done any preparation to apply. We knew he—and we—needed to move quickly.
We helped Jack register for the SAT and lined him up with our test prep division. We then helped him research schools. He had a growing list with no demonstrated interest, so we recommended he plan some visits and helped Jack put together a college tour for the fall of his senior year. He fell in love with the University of Chicago and wanted to apply Early, but meeting the Early Decision deadline with the quality application we knew he needed was going to be difficult. Thankfully, UChicago has an Early Decision II deadline. It would still be binding but would give Jack six more weeks to prepare.

Jack worked hard on his essays and activity resume and secured recommendations from his teachers and counselor. We held our collective breath until we saw his SAT results were within range. Jack stayed focused and submitted his application before the deadline. In mid-February, we received an email confirming that Jack had been accepted, and will join Zoe at UChicago after his gap year.

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.

January 27, 2018June 12, 2018

Gwyneth

Hong Kong

The Researcher

Johns Hopkins University

Client: Gwyneth Gwyneth was in 9th grade and living in Hong Kong when we worked with her older sister. She developed an interest in attending boarding school because she felt her local high school lacked the curriculum to support her growing scientific interests. We helped her apply to a handful of U.S. boarding schools, while also researching opportunities to explore her interests in summer programs.

Gwyneth spent the summer after 9th grade at Brown University in a course titled “Exploring Infectious Diseases: Are We Safe?” This one course would change the direction of her life. She made the transfer to an elite East Coast boarding school at the start of 10th grade so she could pursue the beginning of a career in biomedical research.

She joined Science Club for Girls and the Psychology Club. These two clubs motivated her to look for other science programs to support her growing interests. The Short List helped her find two selective summer programs. She spent part of the summer at Emory University studying “Infectious Diseases: Causes and Cures” and the other half on an eco-service trip to Fiji.

When she returned to boarding school for her junior year, Gwyneth decided to join the BioEthics Club to further explore the issues she had been researching over the summer. We spent a good part of the year exploring colleges with great science research programs. She used her breaks to visit schools, speak with faculty, and meet with staff who could tell her about their research initiatives. As a result of this discovery process, she applied to the University of California’s Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research where she took a fascinating summer course on immunology working in labs alongside grad students and professors researching infectious diseases.

Gwyneth worked hard to earn top grades and test scores that would allow her to apply to any school in the country. It was clear to Gwyneth no other school could match Johns Hopkins University for exactly what she wanted to do with her life, so she applied through their binding Early Decision program. We weren’t surprised when Gwyneth was offered a coveted spot in the Class of 2021. We have no doubt we will be reading about Gwyneth and her amazing scientific discoveries some day.

January 27, 2018June 12, 2018

Curtis

Hong Kong

The Swimmer

Claremont McKenna

Client: Curtis

When we first met Curtis, he defined himself as a swimmer. He swam for his school, swam for a club program, competed in international swim meets, and became an assistant coach to younger swimmers. He tested his skills by traveling to San Francisco to compete with the elite Terrapin Swim Team.

The competition made Curtis a stronger swimmer every day. He returned to Hong Kong with incredible confidence and a desire to swim in college. His father had attended schools in New England while his mother had familiarity with the West Coast, so Curtis pursued schools on both coasts. All seemed fine until Curtis started coming up short of breath in his practices and was eventually diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. As a result, Curtis felt that he had to make a decision to pursue a college swim program or pursue a college. The Short List saw things differently and began suggesting schools where he might be able to do both. Curtis eventually found Claremont McKenna, a Division III school where he might be able to swim if he felt the desire, but where, more importantly, he would receive a great education. He would also have access to four other nationally ranked schools in the Claremont system.

Curtis knew Claremont McKenna was among the most selective liberal arts colleges in the U.S. He traveled to the school to attend an information session and take a tour, met the admissions rep when she visited his high school, and developed an email dialogue with the admissions staff. His efforts paid off: When The Short List spoke with the Claremont McKenna representative at a national college counseling conference and mentioned an interested student from Hong Kong, the admissions rep interjected, “Oh, you mean Curtis!” Curtis had made an impression in person, but now needed to do the same in his application.

He wrote about his love for swimming, the challenges he encountered, and the many lessons he learned along the way. He discussed other activities that rounded out his life and his love for learning. The Short List could see this was no longer just about his college application, but a true celebration of the young man Curtis had become. He applied Early Decision to CMC because he felt certain it was his school.

The Short List encouraged Curtis to have other applications ready…just in case. In the end, he didn’t need them. Curtis is now happily settling in at Claremont McKenna, and may yet join their swim team someday.

January 27, 2018June 12, 2018

Cameron

Washington DC

The Music Producer

New York University

Client: Cameron

Cameron was certain about two things when he contacted The Short List in the fall of his senior year: he wanted to pursue his passion for music production and he wanted to attend an urban university. Having grown up in Hong Kong, with family in France and Spain, Cameron felt it was important to study on a multicultural campus with access to a bustling city. As an accomplished musician, Cameron also wanted a university with a vibrant music scene both on and off campus. Music technology is such a unique program that Cameron was having trouble finding schools that met all his criteria.

The Short List knew Cameron had to be strategic in his approach. He had a full schedule between his International Baccalaureate curriculum and extracurricular activities, including his DJ work and performing. Cameron was finding it difficult to devote the necessary time to preparing for the SAT or ACT, so we connected him with The Short List Test Prep Division, which introduced him to strategic tools for taking the test.

The Short List knew Cameron had to be strategic in his approach.

Cameron was unable to travel from Hong Kong to the US to visit college campuses, so he began to doubt whether he would be accepted. The Short List looked for other ways he could make connections that would demonstrate his interest. We coached Cameron on how to reach out to admissions staff and relevant academic departments. We also helped him identify admissions receptions being held locally, and prepped him to speak with each area representative. One college very quickly stood out: New York University. Cameron was certain NYU was his school. The Short List helped Cameron prepare and submit his Early Decision application and required materials to NYU while also preparing applications for other schools on his list. He was overjoyed when he received an Early Decision acceptance to NYU’s prestigious music technology program; he emailed The Short List to say, “I can’t wait to attend NYU! I just want to say thank you for the whole process and the time you spent with me. I was stressed out, and I ‘over-thought’ a lot. Thank you for calming me down every single time. I wouldn’t be accepted to NYU without you!”

January 27, 2018June 12, 2018

Ethan

Hong Kong

The Community Organizer

Cornell University

Ethan

Crossroads Group, a partner organization that provides writing assistance to students in Hong Kong, introduced us to Ethan when he was a high school freshman. He was a serious student in school and a member of the Boy Scouts outside of school. He had an opportunity to travel to Nepal with the Boy Scouts to work on a Habitat for Humanity build. The work was tough, dirty, and not at all what he expected, but he had a great trip leader who sat the scouts down when they began complaining and explained the significance of their work for the village. His leader’s words had an enormous impact on Ethan.

Ethan returned to school eager to join his school’s Habitat for Humanity Club. He expected weekly builds and trips but soon discovered the Club was mostly focused on fundraising. He advocated for trips knowing they would help build new membership. He used their Halloween Haunted House and Christmas Gingerbread House fundraisers to educate younger Club members about the real mission of Habitat for Humanity. Ethan finally convinced the Club to fund a trip to Cambodia and will lead this year’s trip to Indonesia. Ethan also chose to join his school’s annual service trips, traveling to India, Vietnam, and the Himalayas over the course of his sophomore, junior, and senior years. These trips exposed him to the realities of extreme poverty and social injustice.

Back in Hong Kong, Ethan worked toward his Eagle Scout rank. His Eagle project was to build a supply room for a local orphanage. He decided to stay with the Scouts to mentor younger members after achieving his Eagle. It seemed Ethan was committed to improving the lives of others in every way possible.

During the nearly four years we worked with Ethan, we helped him plan numerous college visits. As his passion for community service became evident, we recommended Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, whose mission is “to improve lives by exploring and shaping human connections to natural, social, and built environments.” Ethan and his father traveled to Ithaca almost as an afterthought, but Ethan’s identity is so grounded in service that we weren’t surprised he fell in love with Cornell.

Ethan worked hard on his application and The Short List made sure every word connected the dots of his story. He also wrote a supplement so clearly directed to the College of Human Ecology that we weren’t surprised when he received a Cornell Early Decision acceptance. Sometimes a school is better because of a student, and sometimes a student is better because of the school. In Ethan’s case, we believe both will be true, and the world will also be better as a result.