Decision Time for Seniors & Action Time for Underclassmen
April 1, 2019
Dear Friends,
With final college admissions decisions just announced I write with great enthusiasm for ALL of our students. We’re thrilled for families to finally learn where a student will be shaping his or her future. This year, our students have been accepted at such special places as Yale Law, Stanford Law, Stanford and Yale undergrad, Georgetown, Cornell, RISD, Parsons, UCLA, USC, GW—on a Presidential Scholarship of $25,000 per year!—Chapman, University of Chicago, Vassar, Northeastern, Emory and more incredible places (apologies for those I left out!). The true celebration though is not about getting into the most selective college—it’s about getting into the place where you will be happiest. As such, my advice for seniors below focuses on two important topics: revisits and how to handle deferrals and waitlists.
In the midst of senior decisions, juniors are well on their way to putting together stellar applications just seven months from now. Among a number of responsibilities juniors are completing: SAT/ACT, focusing on Subject Tests and APs, cultivating next level character pursuits for summer, and planning for focused college essay drafts before senior year begins. For students interested in the most selective colleges, perhaps most pressing right now is dedicated coaching for Subject Tests on May 4 and June 1, ideal times for these one-hour tests, which resemble final exams.
Meanwhile our sophomores are gearing up wisely, booking summer intensives for SAT/ACT work—focused time over summer a pillar to our coaching SAT increases as large as 600 points, for instance—as well as planting intriguing seeds for character pursuits.
Graduate school candidates are already hard at work on GMAT, LSAT, GRE and MCAT, as early round applications open as early as late May for medical school and August for law and business school. If you will be applying to change schools in the fall, summer is hands down the ideal time to invest in SSAT and ISEE growth, before prep for interviews and personal statements in the fall.
A number of counselors, principals and headmasters have requested that we extend our deadline for Lakhani Scholars, our two-year $10,000 scholarship of services for high achieving low-income sophomores. We are pleased to grant this request and will accept applications through May 1st, 2019. Know a talented sophomore who would benefit? Sit them down and help them apply!
Finally, as one externality to the admissions cheating scandal, which was abhorrent, I noticed an unfair backlash against students who are fortunate enough to receive expert coaching, including from firms like ours. The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed I wrote in response.
More specific guidance is laid out below, but feel free to contact us if you have unique questions you’d like to discuss.
Hafeez Lakhani
Seniors: Making a Responsible Decision
Revisits: Our clients know the adage: All you need is one. Because certainly, most of us will only attend one college, and that experience will shape us for decades to come. So if you are so fortunate to have several acceptances, get ready for some very fun “test drives”. I always say: 90% of my education at Yale came from my peers. As such, I encourage all students who are still deciding where they’ll attend to head off for revisits this month. Where possible, I encourage overnight dorm stays—what better way to meet peers of your class, and of the larger university, to eat meals in dining halls, to check out undergraduate organizations and make dozens of friends. Play the acoustic guitar? I’m sure your overnight host could introduce you to someone else who jams. Want to study forensic science? Chances are your host has a hallmate who can bring you along to an intriguing class. Specifically, I recommend every admitted senior narrow his or her list to a top two or three, and from there, schedule revisits in order to learn firsthand where you’ll most find your tribe. If you’d like to discuss any tough decisions you’re making, feel free to contact us.
Waitlists: Among many students’ tough decisions is whether to remain on a waitlist. And if so, what to do next. We encourage the following waitlist process:
Only stay on a waitlist if you truly would accept the offer over your current options. Go into it knowing that the odds are extremely slim, but not zero. I’ve seen students accepted off waitlists as late as July, but I recommend that anyone staying on a waitlist put in a letter (below) and then begin to celebrate the options that are firm in hand.
Craft a letter of continued interest. Colleges receive a number of these letters so I strongly advise not simply including fluff. Rather, ask yourself what you can share that goes beyond the box you checked to stay on the waitlist.
Declaration of interest: To the extent you and your family feel comfortable, declare whether you would absolutely accept the offer were it extended to you. Know that you cannot truthfully say this to more than one school.
Potential offer of deferral: If you would be willing to take a year off and matriculate to the university one year from now, this may be a bargaining chip in your favor. Express this willingness in your letter, as well as a paragraph describing what you might get up to.
Share specific new accomplishments. The school already has your application and a mid-year update from your counselor. So what’s new? Have you learned that you’ll receive a year-end award? Mention it. Have you earned a recognition on some ongoing research or art? Do share. Did you code an app last year and that app is now available to download? Send them a link. The more specific the better.
Unsure how exactly to craft your letter? Contact us to discuss it further.
Deferrals and conditional acceptances: Increasingly we are seeing three conditional acceptances being offered by colleges, all of which hold unique promise:
Acceptance deferred by one year (the school requesting a year off of you rather than you offering it)
Automatic sophomore transfer contingent upon excellent grades
Acceptance with required first semester abroad
Each of these possibilities comes with a unique circumstance that the student needs to weigh out, but generally I see them as opportunities. Acceptance rates are at record lows. If this is a path to admission at your dream school, I encourage considering it carefully. A year off is especially an interesting opportunity, so long as you are prepared to create some structure and craft an intriguing experience. Contact us to discuss any of these options further.
Juniors: T-minus Seven Months
An important question every family with a junior needs to ask right now is, are we on track to apply Early? I generally encourage it—for stronger admissions yields—but only if the student’s application is ready. With seven months until November 1 deadlines, juniors need to be razor-focused on completing college responsibilities at the highest level, alongside continuing to cultivate a fulfilling high school career. Responsibilities include: multiple sittings of the SAT/ACT, potential Subject Tests, crafting a well-tailored college list and visiting colleges, cultivating a sincere character story, and setting aside time over summer to “free-write” material for college essays. Most of our juniors have been hard at work for months and are progressing through their customized timelines just fine. But if you are behind, now is the time to light the fire to catch up.
Specifically for students interested in the most selective colleges—where Subject Tests are largely “recommended but not required”—we strongly advise leveraging Subject Tests to show your academic muscle. With selectivity at record levels, we want to take every opportunity to shine. Subject Tests will be offered May 4 and June 1, both dates that I recommend, even if you have to put SAT/ACT on pause. Subject Tests very much resemble final exams, so wise to let this studying coincide with school courses culminating.
Resources:
New York Times: How to Write a Good College Application Essay
Underclassmen
I love to ask sophomores this time of year: How does it feel to be at the halfway point of high school? Because indeed, now is the perfect time for freshman and sophomores to chart a careful path the rest of the way—one where responsibilities are nicely separated so as not to jumble up and cause stress. For sophomores, applications are a year and a half from now, enough time to get lots of great work done. Two responsibilities to note for this summer:
Summer Intensive SAT/ACT: I’m well known for the analogy that SAT and ACT skills growth is much like improvement in a sport. If I’m interested in becoming a great basketball player, can I study all night tonight and have a great jumpshot tomorrow? No. This approach—knowing that growth in problem solving ability is much like improvement in any other skill—is how we’ve coached SAT increases as large as 600 points, and ACT increases as large as 12 points. The key is commitment from the student, ideally when school is not competing for his/her attention. In our experience, students who see the greatest gains are ones who are able to devote 50 to 100 hours to this work over summer.
As every year, our most senior instructors, including myself, get fully booked in July and August— contact us to reserve your coach if you haven’t already.
Developing one’s character story: The summer before junior year, I love to see a student begin to expand the depth (rather than breadth) of her character story. As such, we are encouraging all of our sophomores—soon to be juniors—to cultivate character pursuits for summer that allow for new levels of investment in areas of sincere interest. Contact us if you’d like to hear examples of how we’ve helped other students craft exciting new layers to their characters stories.
Resources:
Redbook: Here's How to Help Your Kid Rock the SAT and ACT
NYT: Considering College? Maybe You Should Invest in a Coach
Graduate School Candidates: T-minus 5 Months
Law School: rolling applications open as early as August. If you are thinking about applying this fall, you should already be working hard on LSAT or GRE, to leave 1-2 months for work on your personal statements. Contact us for guidance on deciding between LSAT and GRE, and to book one of our expert coaches to help you reach your desired scores.
Business school: first round deadlines are in early September, so a plan of action needs to be in place from now to reach GMAT or GRE goals through focused coaching, and to then formulate an appropriate school list and excavate intriguing personal statements for applications. Contact us for more information.
Medical school: AMCAS applications for following year admissions open in early May. If your MCAT journey is still in progress, feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help you reach your goal scores.
Other graduate study: as with any admissions goal, it’s wise to get testing out of the way before finalizing a program list, making note of deadlines, and working on personal statements and other components such as recommendation requests. In many cases candidates will also dedicate time to elevating a writing sample or portfolio. Contact us to create a customized plan to reach your desired program.
Boarding School and Independent School
A number of families who will apply to change schools in the fall have already booked summer SSAT or ISEE coaching. Independent and boarding school applications can be due anywhere from November 1 to February 15. As with any process, we recommend separating responsibilities—taking care of testing first, followed by coaching for personal statements, applications, and interviews in the fall. Contact us to discuss test preparation, a school list, and a plan of action.
Resources:
New York Times: Considering College? Maybe You Should Invest in a Coach
Lakhani Scholars: Spread the Word!
Due to requests from a number of counselors and educators, we’ve decided to extend the deadline for applications to Lakhani Scholars to May 1st.
Lakhani Scholars is a selective scholarship awarding $10,000 of our services to high-achieving, low income sophomores. Students selected for Lakhani Scholars will receive 35 hours of coaching during their sophomore, junior, and senior years including High School Career Coaching, College Admissions Coaching, and elite SAT/ACT Coaching, completely free of charge. Our first winner, Lisa David, is well on her way towards crafting a competitive college application.
Help us spread the word! We are seeking the most talented students who demonstrate financial need. If you know of any individuals or networks who may benefit from Lakhani Scholars, feel free to share with them the links below. We welcome applications from students residing anywhere in the USA, including from DACA or undocumented students.
The deadline for applications to Lakhani Scholars is May 1st, 2019.
Resources:
Admissions Cheating Scandal
Hafeez was pleased to publish an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "College Coaching Doesn’t Hurt the Poor." He was also profiled in a number of other publications speaking up about how our clients are far from those involved in the cheating scandal: together with students and parents, we instill values not of gaming the system, but those of hard work and perseverance.
Resources:
Wall Street Journal: College Coaching Doesn't Hurt the Poor
Wall Street Journal: The Legitimate World Of High-End College Admissions
Crain's New York: If You're Looking For A Cheat, I'm Not Your Guy
Market Watch: Most Families Don't Pay Bribes