University of Pennsylvania

Paula

Spain

The Wall Streeter

University of Pennsylvania

Client: Paula

When The Short List met Paula, she was at the top of her game academically. She had consistently earned high marks in every high school subject and on all of her standardized tests. Having lived in New York, New Mexico, Germany, and Spain, Paula has a world-wise perspective and speaks four languages fluently.

We had already worked with Paula’s older sister, but we quickly figured out there was nothing “cookie cutter” about Paula. She was on her own path, and her dream was clear and specific: She wanted to turn her love of math into a career on Wall Street.

Paula came to The Short List having identified 25 potential colleges but no top choice. The Short List worked with Paula to narrow down her list through research, college tours, and information sessions. She discovered the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business at the University of Pennsylvania, an interdisciplinary course of study in business education, language training, and liberal arts. Paula’s enthusiasm for the program made it clear she had discovered both the perfect program for her and a clearer sense of direction.

The Short List worked with Paula to narrow down her list through research, college tours, and information sessions.

For her Personal Statement, Paula wanted to write about her love for the board game Monopoly. The first draft explained how Paula’s various strategies for playing the game had allowed her to remain the undefeated champion for years in her family, but the essay lacked a real sense of what Paula could offer to the Huntsman Program.
The Short List worked with Paula to use Monopoly as an extended metaphor for her life, comprising the many places she had lived, her fluency with languages, and her dreams of turning calculated risks into big Wall Street profits. Paula’s risky choice of an essay topic paid off. She will join the class of 2015 in the Huntsman Program.

Sara and Grace

New Jersey

The Thoughtful Twins

Cornell, Univ of Pennsylvania

We were introduced to Sara and Grace by our summer planning consultant, Jill Tipograph. Jill had worked with the twins in organizing amazing summers and activities that extended beyond the summer.
We sat down with Jill, the twins, and their parents. The twins shared a passion for science and a desire to pursue careers in medicine. At first, the two seemed so similar that it was a challenge differentiating them. Luckily, the family engaged our services early enough that we had time to help each define her own path.

We agreed that we would work with them separately and asked them not to discuss our efforts between them. We then delved deeper into their backgrounds, and began to get a better sense of each sister’s personality. Sara loved music and community service. She played violin in her school’s orchestra and became the senior leader of the Fundraising Council and Debate Club. She also spent summers researching at Brown and Columbia Universities, and volunteering with the community blood bank. With Jill’s help, Sara had organized a violin program for a community center in the Bronx. She collected used instruments and spent months teaching the children how to play. She even directed a show they put on for their parents. Sara’s efforts were always directed at helping others.

The Short List helped each of the sisters compile a list of colleges that addressed their individual interests.

Grace loved science but felt conflicted because she also loved literature, writing, and the classics. In school she joined the Writer’s Workshop Club and became the editor for her school’s literary magazine and newspaper. Outside of school, she attended summer science research programs at Penn and Columbia, and writing workshops at Johns Hopkins. Grace pursued both science and writing with equal vigor.

The Short List helped each of the sisters compile a list of colleges that addressed their individual interests. Grace wanted to find a school that would combine her love for science and writing, while Sara wanted a school that would allow her to pursue science and human ecology. Each had a clear favorite: for Grace, the University of Pennsylvania and for Sara, Cornell. Through multiple meetings with admissions personnel and faculty, each girl found an advocate at her school who agreed to write on her behalf.

Both schools announced their early decisions on the same day. Grace opened her decision first and the family recorded her jumping up and down at news of her acceptance to Penn. The camera kept rolling as Sara received her acceptance to Cornell. When they called The Short List with the news, both girls were over the moon as they shared their news—separately.