HOW TO

EXCEL IN YOUR
APPLICATION
TO THE BEST U.S.
UNIVERSITIES
Your application has
been accepted.
Imagine this. Youre opening a letter
from your dream college. Think of
the anticipation, the anxiety, the
excitement.
Now imagine it says,
Congratulations. Youre in.
This isnt an unrealistic goal for
you. Yes, getting accepted into the
top universities is becoming more
competitive and more difficult every
year.
But, there is a sure-fire proven way of
getting the attention of admissions
officers.
And guess what?
It isnt your grades alone.
You could get a perfect SAT
score and you can bet every
last dollar that it wont make a
lick of difference to
your application.
What?! But lets look at why this e-book is
so fundamentally necessary to your
Youre crazy, I hear you say. application process...
Nope. Grades are good, but
unless you win a Millennium Prize
for mathematics - theyre only a
benchmark. They arent the clincher.
You need to be different. You need
to be passionate, interesting, and
exciting. You need to be an obvious
contributor.
And how do you do that? Through
authentic and ethical involvement in
extracurricular activities
One of the ways to get accepted is
to demonstrate your ability to impact
others outside of the classroom.
By the end of this e-book, youre
going to have the tools to build
and communicate your excellent
extracurricular portfolio, how to
make your application pop off the
page, as well as how to start and lead
your own extracurricular projects.
Contents

01 02 03 04
Introduction
Why getting in is getting harder
What top universities are
looking for
How to effectively
communicate your
extracurriculars on your
application
Case Study:
Making your application stand out
with Soumil Singh

05 06 07
Case Study:
Postgraduate applications
with Tommy Yan
Case Study:
Starting your own project with
Jennifer Wright
Summary:
Closing statements
01
Getting in is
getting harder
More people want access to the
worlds best education facilities than
ever before.
Look at this: Over a recent five-
year period from 201015, most
of Stanfords applicants (69%) with
SATs of 2400 the highest possible
score at the time were not offered
a place.
Read that again.
If you had a perfect not good, not
great, but perfect test score, more
often than not, it was not enough to
get you into Stanford.
But if youre academically the best,
surely you should be able to attend
the best academic institutions, right?
Well, no.
The number of applications to the
eight Ivy League universities almost
doubled in the past decade. In fact,
in 19992000, Ivy League schools
received 121,948 applications and
they rejected 80% of them.
More recently, the Ivy League class
of 2020 had 271,389 applicants, and
just 23,225 were accepted.
Thats an acceptance rate of a
measly 8.5%.
The best schools have the luxury
of choosing their students. They
can decide between a first-chair
cellist with a 1550 SAT, and a state
basketball player with a 1450 SAT,
both of whom were school captains.
These days, universities are likely
to send these types of applicants a
letter saying ...Thanks, but no thanks;
we found somebody better.
The colleges decide what they
want from their students. Its a
sellers market.
In fact, these schools selection lists
can run so deep, they rarely ever
have underqualified applicants.
Everyone who applies has strong
academics.
Let that sink in. Getting your job is
becoming more difficult.
But there is light at the end of the
tunnel.
You just need to know how to
shine in the cluttered application
environment and know what
admissions officers are looking for in
each application.
Whether you dream of living and
learning near the Silicon Valley, or
being a part of a sports programme
at Wake Forest, that dream is
still alive.
Make your application explode off
the page and grab the discerning
eye of admissions officers. Apply the
in-depth information provided to
you in this document for the perfect
application now, read on.
The stuff you really need to know:
A perfect SAT score doesnt
mean youll get into your
dream school.
More applicants and
the stagnant number of
admissions means its getting
harder to get into
top-ranked universities.
Achieving your ambitions is
still very possible; you just
need to learn how to position
your application based on
how they are appraised.
Methodology: How this eBook
was built
Drawing knowledge from our
experienced team at Crimson
Education (from ex-admissions
officers to successful applicants), we
built this document to pass on their
wisdom to you basically helping
you create a better application for
your dream college.
The Crimson team have helped
students to broaden their horizons
and open up opportunities to
schools they never thought were
possible, all because they have the
inside knowledge of what works to
get in.
Within this eBook, you will see a
lot of references to the Ivy League
schools; however, the information
contained in this eBook is not
specific to these schools. These
universities are used as a benchmark
they have the highest number of
applications and traditionally low
acceptance rates.
The information in this eBook is
applicable to all United States of
America (US) colleges and will
improve your chances of admission
to whichever US college you desire.
02
What the top
universities are
looking for
Step One:
Context and
Theory
Well-lopsided v well-rounded
candidate: which one does every
university want?
Firstly, what are top universities
screening for? How do they separate
the wheat from the chaff during
the early stages of the application
review?
Well, what most top US universities
are looking for are well-lopsided
students.
What does well-lopsided mean?
Product consulting firm IDEO CEO,
Tim Brown, best described it as a
T-shaped skill set. Think of the two
strokes that make up the letter T a
horizontal and a vertical:
The horizontal represents the
ability to collaborate across
disciplines and express empathy.
The vertical represents depth of
knowledge in one
particular area.
In a well-lopsided context, this is a
student who:
Can do everything expected of
them in the classroom and on
campus (horizontal)
Has an in-depth passion or skill
that goes far deeper than their
peers (vertical)
Essentially, these are students
who possess a combination
of intelligence, creativity,
empathy, and initiative,
while illustrating authentic,
passionate interest in an area
special to their personality.
Meet Tanya. She is an excellent
student; she gets good grades,
participates in two or three major
activities that exemplify her passions
and interests, and she demonstrates
empathy and compassion for her
community and family.
But her major and most exciting
feature is that she is a dancer. Tanya
has been dancing since she was
three and performs at a nationally-
recognised level.
Tanya is well-lopsided.
Well-lopsided students differ from
being well-rounded. Its a very
important distinction.
Everyone can present themselves
as well-rounded in an application
balanced extracurricular activities,
good grades, and some leadership
activity.
But admissions officers arent looking
for well-rounded. For example,
meet Charlie.
Charlie is very involved at school
on the athletics team; she is scoring
good grades and has joined a few
extracurricular activities in her final
year of study, such as Model United
Nations. Charlie will probably be
elected president of the student
body council.
Shes put together an application
essay that reads well and everyone
who meets her says shes fun,
friendly, and vibrant. Charlies
classmates think she is a shoo-in for
her preferred colleges.
Wrong.
To an admissions officer, shes a
middle-of-the-pack, maybe. Shes
well-rounded, but top-ranked
universities dont want well-rounded
they want well-lopsided.
To the untrained eye, Charlie
looks like a glowing candidate
on paper, but when you dig into
her application shes not much
different to any other prospective
student. This makes her application
forgettable as she joins a multitude
of applicants just like her.
Charlie reads like everybody else:
she hasnt shown a clear passion for
anything. We dont know what makes
her special; she does a little bit of
everything.
Shes a leader but so what?
We dont know anything about
her personal narrative. Shes well-
rounded. Not well-lopsided. And you
remember the Model United Nations
Charlie joined? She merely joined to
write it on her application. She never
went to a meeting, and she barely
participated on the day. Bad move,
Charlie.
Now, meet Sachin.
Sachin isnt on the athletics team
in fact, he is horrible at sports in
general. His grades are decent, but
he is getting tutoring to improve his
academic standing and is showing
real progress.
He is also trying one new
extracurricular activity this year
debating. It makes him dreadfully
nervous, but his school didnt have a
team and he thought it needed one!
And book club? Sachin founded a
book club.
Hes the president. He organised a
book drive in the local community
to improve the schools library
catalogue. He and his fellow book
club die-hards go to the local shelter
to read to disadvantaged people
once every month. Sachin loves book
club. He would give a kidney to book
club. Its his baby.
Sachin is A-grade acceptance
letter material.
But why is Sachin better than
Charlie? Its just book club.
If an admissions officer picks
up both Sachin and Charlies
application, nine times out of
ten they pick Sachin.
Hands down.
Mainly because, outside of
academics, Sachin shows passion
through book club, he shows
initiative with starting the debating
team and hes ethically and socially
aware, convincing his peers to
show empathy and help the
disadvantaged.
Whether its book club, music, chess,
or participating in a Model United
Nations, it does not matter.
Admissions officers are looking for
who you are and what makes you
different.
How do you show that you are
different?
By demonstrating PIE: Passion,
Initiative, and Empathy.
Admissions officers love PIE. They
dont care what your extracurriculars
are, just how you do them.
The major change in
college applications
Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern
For Others And The Common Good
Through College Admissions
This report has reshaped the
admissions process and what is
considered important in a good
application. More than 50 top-ranked
US universities participated.
It is advisable to read the report;
however, the key elements relevant
here are:
that applicants demonstrate
meaningful contributions toward
people, community service, and
engagement with the public
good
the assessment of students
ethical engagement with others,
and contributions to various
family and community groups
across race, culture, and class
the redefinition of achievement,
which reduces excessive
achievement pressure while
levelling the playing field
economically.
Basically, outstanding personal
achievement is moot; meaningful
and ethical contributions to the
community and towards the good of
others is what matters.
Three areas of achievement a
student needs to demonstrate.
The stuff you really need
to know:
Top universities and
colleges want well-lopsided
candidates; people who do
something unique while not
neglecting other areas of
their application.
Admissions officers want
to build well-rounded
classes, which are made up
of significant contributors.
The sum of their parts
equals an amazing class of
undergraduates.
Contributing to families and
communities, regardless of
race and class, is much more
valuable than being the best
at something. Be meaningful
and ethical in your approach
to your application.
Step Two: How
To Show Youre
Well-Lopsided
Quality Over Quantity
Want to know how most people
sabotage their applications?
By thinking well-lopsided
means throwing in a bunch
of extracurriculars on their
application, saying leadership a
few times and bang! Application
done, right?
Nope.
Admissions officers can smell
a phony extracurricular a mile
away and will toss yours in the
bin if it looks like youre only
doing extracurriculars for
the application.
They want to see a personal
narrative. Do things that
are meaningful to you;
dont just create a
brag sheet.
They want to see someone who
has done meaningful, sustained
community service.
They want to see that you can work
in a group and solve a
communitys problems.
They want to see someone who
contributes to their own family.
The how-to guide
Firstly, there is no formula. Your story
is unique and you need to tell it. We
can only give you the framework of
what admissions officers are looking
for.
With that in mind, here are
our recommendations:
You should aim for 23
main activities
These activities should all have a
cohesive theme an underlying
current that exemplifies you.
For example:
You want bullying to end
in school. So, all your
extracurriculars
demonstrate that.
You want a liberal art education
to learn more of other cultures.
You organise forums at school
and participate in community
service for the poor and
challenged.
These will help demonstrate
your passion.
These activities should be
community-focused, aiming to
ethically improve the community in
an inclusive way.
For example, you could start an anti-
bullying campaign at school, raising
awareness and bringing in people of
different backgrounds, cultures, and
class, to voice their issues.
The activities should demonstrate
that you contribute to your family.
For example, you take care of your
nanna, cooking for her and helping
her with her daily activities. Or you
take on a part-time job to contribute
to the familys income taking the
burden off your parents.
The activities should demonstrate
your day-to-day efforts to make the
world a better place.
For example, in any activity,
your conduct should always be
impeccable and include all kinds of
people.
You could show this by hosting a
social event for all the people in
your class or encouraging foreign
students to join a sports team or club
that you are involved in.
The point is, you are a good person
trying to improve the world, and an
education at your preferred college
will help you make an even bigger
and better impact.
All these activities show that you live
your life using the PIE principle.
The Stuff You Really Need
To Know
Target two or three
main activities
Have a cohesive theme, show
that you want to improve your
community, and make ethical
contributions to the world
around you.
Dont overdo extracurriculars;
more is not better.
Step Three:
Choosing The Right
Extra-Curriculars
Picking a Winner or Three
So how does a student begin? Start
a club? Run a campaign? Organise a
competition?
As weve said before, the key is
authenticity activities based around
genuine interests and passions will
be most effective.
So, a student should think about
what really excites them, and should
build this passion into something
truly substantial that makes a
difference in the larger community
Following these three steps
will help:
Make a list of everything you love
to do
Go through the list and identify
everything that could be used to
enhance others lives
Identify mentors and supporters
The three safest extracurriculars for
any college application
Still struggling to decide what to
choose or what will get you ahead?
Then you need to get the right
blend. This isnt a definitive list, but a
rule of thumb. You need to show you
can take initiative and improve the
community across a variety of fields.
So, your extracurriculars can include:
Career activity
Community activity
The You activity
First, the career activity
This extracurricular is related to what
you hope to study in college and
shows the admissions team that you
are extremely excited about studying
your course.
Schools want to admit students who
are hard-working and passionate
about their field. You need to show
that your field isnt just for the
money or prestige; youre going for
it because without that degree, you
couldnt be you.
Examples:
Journalism: Work for or start the
school newspaper
Applied Mathematics: Become
a Mathlete
Computer Science: Build an app
Medicine: Volunteer at a hospital
Second, the community activity
This extracurricular shows that
you give up your time to help the
community or people in need.
It shows admissions officers you
proactively care and want to make
changes in the world.
Showing that you can take
charge when something
concerns you and youre
willing to put in the time
demonstrates initiative,
dedication, and perseverance
all attractive attributes.
Ensure you choose something that
is important to you and that you
commit enough time to make an
impact at least 12 months or more.
The longer you participate, the more
you contribute and your progress
will strengthen your application.
Working in community service
reinforces what youve already
learned and develops valuable
college-level skills, such as critical
thinking and problem solving.
A simple search on Google
regarding your interests is the easiest
way to get started. A quick phone
call also produces similar results.
Examples:
Hospitals To study medicine,
enjoy fast-paced work
Schools Working with children
and teenagers, and enjoying
creativity and teaching
Animal Shelters Love animals
and considering a career in
animal care
Nursing Homes Strong
personality and likes
senior citizens
Food Banks Cooking and
gardening, wanting to help the
poor and would rather work
behind the scenes than
face-to-face
Libraries Enjoy reading,
working with kids, and have
great organisational skills
Parks Interested in the
environment or love the
outdoors
Finally, the You activity
This is the big one, the one that
screams your personality and shows
the admissions officers what makes
you tick. Often, this will be tied to
your career or community activity,
which means youll be covered. For
example, you want to study medicine
so you volunteer at a hospital and at
the research lab.
Or, it can completely divert from
the narrative in your other activities
to give a better picture of you as
a whole. For example, you create
YouTube videos in your spare time
(which you also use as a platform
to promote for your community
activity).
The You activity has an element
of surprise, because it doesnt
necessarily align with your other
pursuits; rather, it reflects your
excitement for life it should show
that you live your life in a proper and
ethical way. It will show that theres
more to you than just study and
youre motivated by more than just
your future career or field.
Lets consider Student A
The activity cannot be something
Here is an example of one students
self-involved, like being a diamond-
extracurricular activities that they put
ranked Starcraft player or building
on an application.
100,000 followers on Instagram.
This extracurricular should either:
1. Continue your personal narrative
of ethical community activity,
and pursuing your career will
make a positive difference
2. Divert to exhibit your
uniqueness, your meaningful
and sustained contributions,
your ability to work with others,
and that you work with people
from all races, culture, and class.
Examples: Analysis:
Youre a maths whiz, but you also This candidate has shown:
dance competitively in a different
Passion for using their talent to
cultural scenario to your own.
improve the communitys
Youre passionate about
mental health
economics, but you also teach
Initiative in tutoring others
poor kids to free dive.
in English
You plan to become a lawyer
Empathy for those who suffer
but you have also built your own
from mental illness.
video game.
Youre passionate about the
They are proactively improving the
English language, and youve
community and showing that their
started to teach people English
day-to-day conduct is to better the
as a second language for free.
world. Notice the clear, consistent,
You have started your own
personal narrative and how the
business, but you also volunteer
extracurriculars all work together.
at the local animal shelter.
Also, notice the less-is-more
approach with extracurriculars.
This candidate is likely to be
considered by many top colleges.
Community Activity I speak
English as a second language
and tutor others in English to
improve their confidence and
their ability to take opportunities
in the English-speaking world.
Career / You Activity Built a
prototype mobile app (because I
want to study computer science).
This app connects people to
on-call psychologists (I want to
improve the communitys mental
health, which affects my close
personal friends).

What makes your
extracurriculars special?
Are you worried about your
extracurriculars and whether theyre
telling your personal story?
Here are the key qualities to an
extracurricular that makes it effective.
They can be any hobby or activity as
long as they show these qualities.
Quality
Practicing a hobby or activity for
several years
Taking the initiative, getting
things done
Increasing your responsibility,
expanding your role
Mentoring other people
Making something from scratch
The Stuff You Really Need
To Know
Extracurriculars show your
personal narrative: what
drives you and what you
want to change in the
world. Use the personal
narrative to show youre
having an impact on the
world and that you live your
day-to-day life in an ethical
manner.
Your activities can be
anything, but they should
reflect the Key Qualities
listed in the table below.
Shows
Commitment, passion
Leadership, gets results
Work ethic, passion, initiative
Positivity, you have peer respect,
you can foster relationships
Entrepreneurial spirit,
self-starter, leadership
Step Four:
Leadership -
Institutionalised
vs Innovative
Now, lets talk a little bit
about leadership
There are two main types of
leadership that admissions officers
look for: institutional leadership and
innovative leadership.
Institutional leadership is working
in an established structure. Most
leadership positions available to
students are in a school or club.
Some examples include head boy
or head girl, prefects, captains,
and managerial roles, such as the
president of a book or chess club.
Institutional leadership is a powerful
indicator of an ability to work with
people as often as these leadership
positions rely on votes to be elected.
But some students wont succeed
at being the captain of a sporting
team, a head school prefect, or hold
any position that would qualify as
institutional leadership.
Fortunately, there is a second type of
leadership that universities
also value.
Innovative leadership is the act of
starting an organisation, club, event,
or business. This type of leadership
shows that a student has the ability
to think creatively, strategically,
entrepreneurially, and confidently
enough to bring ideas into fruition.
Think of leaders like Elon Musk, Mark
Zuckerberg, or Steve Jobs, who each
founded a revolutionary company by
thinking (and leading) outside of the
box, in innovative ways. Realistically,
this means starting something of
your own that hasnt existed before.
While this type of leadership gives
a strong boost to applications,
students must be able to show
examples of what they have
achieved, otherwise their hard work
may be disregarded.
Importantly, leadership isnt as
important on applications anymore.
Leadership is not a prerequisite.
Being a leader is a great quality,
but it needs to be aligned with your
personal narrative.To be considered
an effective leader you must show an
impact on your community and how
your work is crossing the boundaries
of race, class, and culture you bring
people together.
03
How to communicate
your extracurriculars
on your application
Step One:
Building a
Personal Brand
The lost art of selling yourself
Have you ever found yourself sitting
on a website, your cursor blinking
back at you, because youre stuck in
a text box a text box titled About
Me? Giving a 30-second elevator
pitch about ourselves can be
extremely difficult, because we can
worry about appearing obnoxious,
arrogant, boring, or mediocre.
But thats exactly why its so
important. Its the first impression,
the first taste, of who you are and
why people should care.
So, what is a personal brand?
Its who you are in a nutshell.
It succinctly encapsulates your
passions and desires, dreams, and
goals all in one go. To an admissions
officer, its a leading indicator of who
you are and whether your passions
and activities will be important
contributors to the college.
The scattergun approach is entirely
useless to your application.
A personal brand helps you
communicate your level of well-
lopsidedness efficiently, which will
be vital during your campus visits
and admissions officer or
alumni interviews.
1. Exploit your interests
Seriously. It sounds so obvious, but it
works. What actually gets you off the
couch? Are you an aspiring actor?
Then get out there and star in a play.
Cant stop playing video games?
Start a YouTube channel and use that
YouTube channel to do good in the
community. Love money? Start your
own business with a budget and a
business model with products. Your
application will look much stronger if
its supported by your personality.
2. Focus
Quantity does not equal quality. Do
you think Tesla has made itself into
one of the worlds most prestigious
brands, because it has brought
thousands of products to market?
No. The company brought one
product to market and perfected
it with an unrivalled passion for
technology. You need to be the Elon
Musk of yourself. Throw yourself
into one or two passions and dont
spread yourself thin.
3. Admit youre not a superhero As a natural networker, youre more
likely to impress the people who
You cant be all things to all people.
count, like alumni and admissions
You cant be the captain of the team,
officers on the interview day.
the editor of the paper, the first-chair
saxophonist, the champion debater,
Warning:
the world-class baker, the hi-fiving
When talking about yourself, try to
hero, and the five-star reverse
blend the selling of your attributes
parking legend.
with being a natural human being.
Over-selling yourself will only detract
Youre not a fictional character. You
from your application or interview.
are you. Talk to your close friends
Wait for the opportunity to sell
about who you are, find out more
yourself, dont crowbar it in.
about yourself and then try to
maximise those attributes and make
a meaningful contribution to
the world.
The stuff you really need
4. Build your networking skills to know:
You need to sell yourself and
People: theyre everywhere. You
you do this by building a
need to be good at impressing them.
personal brand: Something
The best way for you to practise
that, on paper, represents who
communicating your personal brand
you are succinctly.
is being you.
Start with people you already know
and chat to them about wanting to
push your personal brand more. To build a personal brand, you
Then try striking up conversations need to:
with people at school or work whom Exploit your interests
you dont normally talk to, and Focus your activities
nurture those fledgling contacts. Admit youre not a superhero
Then extend this to your teachers Network with your peers,
and your school principal, which is teachers, and other
very important. They can provide influential people
valuable recommendations.
Step Two:
Effectively
Expressing Your
Success
You Are The Muhammad Ali of
Being You: Showing Impact
And Effectiveness
Now you have a series of authentic
extracurriculars that youre
dedicating the appropriate amount
of time toward. You need to show the
admissions officers that you
get results.
Its fine to be the most passionate
person in the world, but can you
deliver results? Once youve
demonstrated that you have passion
and that youve turned that passion
into extracurricular activities,
admissions officers want to know if
you were successful.
For example, its all well and good to
lead, but did your leadership cause
the activity to stagnate or regress?
So, you really enjoy writing
and joined the school
newspaper? You wrote two
articles a week, which your
parents very much enjoyed.
Why should an admissions
officer care?
The key is writing it right
Remember to sell yourself, which
goes back to the previous section.
Why are you more important than
anyone else? Add adjectives to your
skills where possible but do not lie.
In the descriptions area, make
sure you talk about your role in the
activity and what you contributed
(not about the running history of a
club). Keep your writing short, sharp,
and punchy. Exclude as many words
as possible.
Remember:
Position description = 50
characters maximum
Activity description = 150
characters maximum
Honours title = 100 characters
maximum
For example:
Activity type: (Choose relevant
drop down)
Position/Leadership description:
Founder and president (21
characters)
Describe activity, including
accomplishments: Started club,
grew membership to 20, organised
weekly meetings and hosted tutorial
sessions. Organised trip to France to
develop students. (136 characters)
General tips
Emphasise numbers
Abbreviate, use symbols
Small phrases
Do NOT lie
Re-read, preview, continuously
edit
Link it back to your personal
narrative and brand
Use words that demonstrate your
personal brand
The stuff you really need to
know:
Numbers are everything.
Data demonstrates success.
Include positive statistics in
your application wherever
possible.
Write about your role in
every activity and include
your contribution. Do
not get lost writing about
anything else.
Keep it punchy. Revise,
revise, revise. Spend a lot of
time on this section of your
application. It is key.
Now you have a feel for what
universities are looking for and how
to write for them.
To get an idea about what it takes
to succeed and be offered a place
at one of the colleges, below are a
few case studies from some our past
successful students.
You can gain insight from their
journey and apply the pieces of their
information to your own application.
Remember, there is no formula. What
worked for them is an individual and
unique experience to them.
04
06
Case Studies
Soumil Singh
Cutting Through In The Cutthroat
College Applications Scene
Check out Soumil Singh; he was
Regardless of what academic
The type of relationship where
you can sit down with them, have
a conversation about what youve
been doing, and how its important
so these things come through in the
recommendation.
Keep it ethical. The teacher needs
to write the recommendation, but
its also really important that your
You can get good grades and prove
to be academically competent,
but as Soumil said, to solidify your
application, you need more. Think
of it as building a personal brand. A
brand should be authentic and stay
true to a set of guiding principles.
Also, having a respected influencer

dubbed New Zealands brightest
student. After working with Crimson,
Soumil was offered a place at
11 major US colleges, including
Harvard, which he accepted.
Soumil knows how to get accepted
and pulls no punches about how
cut-throat the admissions process
can be.
The way admissions officers decide
to admit is they try to build an entire
freshman class, and in that class, they
try and build an element of diversity,
which they see fits the school,
he says.
grades you might have if what you
bring to the table is generic and not
differentiated from other candidates,
you are often overlooked in these
processes.
Soumil says a real point of difference
can be teacher, principal or
counsellor recommendations. Below,
Soumil provides insight into how to
get a good one.
How did teacher recommendations
work for you?
In my case, I kept a really good
relationship with my school principal
and she was more than happy to
write a recommendation for me.
This is important, but it really does
depend on what type of school you
go to and how your teachers and
principal approach these requests.
You need to have rapport with
the influencers at your school
who you would like to write your
recommendation.
achievements (the ones you think will to back up your claims that youre an
best suit the school youre applying outstanding candidate can really set
for) really shine through. your application apart.
Having your principal or
a respected teacher write a
recommendation is extremely
powerful for your application
and something I
highly recommend.
So, create a list of extracurriculars
that exemplify your leadership,
creativity, and initiative, as well
as getting your teachers and
principal on the same page so their
recommendation supports and
enhances your application.
Note: One of the main reasons
admissions officers use
recommendations is to evaluate
your character. Make sure this shines
through. They want to see what kind
of person you are.
Thanks, Soumil!
Tommy Yan
Postgraduate success: Talking to Tommy Yan,
Lawyer, polyglot and soon to be
MBA graduate.
Tommy Chao Yan received an
invitation to learn business at one
of the worlds most exclusive MBA
programmes at Institut Europen
d'Administration des Affaires
(INSEAD). Tommy worked with
Crimson to hone his postgraduate
application. His journey will provide
insight into what makes any
application successful, not just for
postgraduate applicants.
So, Tommy, who are you and what is
your story?
My name is Tommy Chao Yan. I
come from an immigrant family, have
grown up all over the world, and I
speak five languages. I started my
career as a lawyer and I transitioned
to marketing very early on in my
career, pursuing what I believed
would be a more fulfilling career for
me. I leaped forward by questioning
the status quo and questioning
others, and that is what set me on
the path to pursue an MBA with one
of the best business schools in the
world; an unconventional move for
someone in my industry.
Q: What do you think made your
INSEAD application stand out /
successful?
I had the help of one of the most
seasoned mentors at Crimson to
help me understand what my true
strengths were. I had overlooked
or simply taken for granted my
innate creativity, courage, and
energy, as well as my international
exposure. Focusing on these things
in my applications and interviews
positioned me as a rare and unique
applicant.
Top MBA programmes look for
diversity, individuality, and people
who know what they want. My
strategy filled at least one, if not
all, of these buckets. Everyone will
have certain strengths that colour
their personal style and their every
accomplishment. Identify these and
focus on them.
Many applications fail because they
lack focus and clarity.
If an admissions officer does
not clearly understand who
you are, what youre about,
and what you will become,
then risk aversion takes over
understand how your journey has led
and youre out of consideration
irrespective of how great your
academic or professional record
may be.
The last thing is to make it all
relevant. If you write something
in an essay, or in your CV, or say
something at an interview, make sure
you communicate the answer to a
so what? question, without being
asked that question. For example,
international exposure = merging
seamlessly between cultures and
enabling transnational business
ventures to flow smoothly.
How did you structure or
communicate your skills and
experience through the application?
Take the admissions officer on
a journey. Think of it as a movie
about your life. All good movies
are edited so that the viewer lives
what the protagonist is living. The
application is no different. Through
all your essays, references, CV, and
everything else, your goal should
be to allow the admissions officer
reviewing your application to
you to decide to do an MBA.
You must also give primacy,
purpose, and precise timing to your
MBA it is the best way for you to
achieve your goals. I would even
go so far as to say that you must
communicate the necessity of the
MBA [and how it connects to your
personal goals]. However, do not
display any sentiment of giving up
if you do not get to do your MBA.
Business schools want to see that
you have an alternative means of
reaching your goals, even if it
takes longer.
How did you build your profile
through work experience?
For postgraduate study, work
experience can often matter more
than grades. But not just any
work experience. The top MBA
programmes are looking for you to
demonstrate that you have extended
yourself beyond what was required
by your job description. I looked at
all the projects I worked on outside
of my formal employment, whether
pro bono or for money, and I used
the why behind all of that additional
work to tell the story of where I have
been and how that has led me to
want to pursue an MBA.
What do you think admissions
officers are looking for at INSEAD?
INSEAD looks for international
exposure. This is a requirement for all
the top programmes, most notably
London Business School. However,
for INSEAD, this is inextricable from
their very raison detre [purpose for
existence].
The INSEAD vision forms the basis
of much of what differentiates it
from other schools. For example,
it has a three-language minimum
requirement. You need to prove
proficiency in a second language
prior to starting the program and
then in a third language in order to
graduate.
The intakes are comprised of
no more than 10% of any single
nationality, whereas other schools
typically reserve 80% of places for
locals and the rest for internationals.
Other things that INSEAD looks
for are:
Maturity the class is typically
older and it is a one-year MBA
program, which means there isnt
much time to try things out;
Social skills - INSEAD puts its
candidates into groups that
spend more time together than
you would sleeping in a day.
It is extremely intensive and
intensively collaborative;
INSEAD looks for individuals
who have accelerated their
career and are looking to pick
up even more speed in career
progression.
Jennifer Wright
UNICEF Youth For Change

Our own Business Operations

Associate, Jennifer Wright,
who was accepted to New York
University (NYU) off the back of her
innovative leadership project, has
some thoughts for you. Jennifer
Wright wanted to study Economics
and Business at NYU. She took
a year off after high school and
began volunteering with UNICEF,
and became a UNICEF Youth
Ambassador.
She then founded UNICEF Youth
For Change a national network
of youth clubs that now has over
500 members. She currently directs
this networks growth and events.
Its mission is to support young
people and to promote the rights of
children. She managed to achieve
all this by careful planning and
Step 2: Planning
diligent work. Below is her winning
approach:
How do you structure a project, Jen?
When youre starting a project,
unless you have an idea in mind,
youre probably thinking, I have no
Step 1: Idea
Spoke to UNICEF board about
how a connected network of
youth clubs will create brand
value and further promote
UNICEF mission
Spoke to other Youth
Ambassadors to get them
on board
Step 3: Roles & Delegation
Planned roles for team
members based on their
strength; should be
decided on deliverables
and timeline
Created google docs
and other internal
structure to record info
and facilitate co-working
Step 4: Branding
Step 6: Upscaling Further
Worked with UNICEF designers >500 active
to create logo and poster that members in 2016
follow UNICEF design scheme
Regularly run
Created Facebook page conferences and
Began systematically posting on events on local and
the UNICEF Youth for Change national scales
Facebook page - today it has
1700+ likes
Step 5: Scaling
Created plan for overseeing As we passed 200
progress via google docs; members and 24 clubs it
regular check-in with each was no longer feasible for
member candidate to speak directly
Worked with people to each captain
individually to set geographic Recruited 2 Regional
and school specific recruitment Directors
goals
idea where to begin. What I find is
helpful when homing in on some
fantastic project ideas is focusing on
four different categories:
First, go over your CV and find what
specific skills or experience you can
offer that would help other people.
Then you want to brainstorm those.
Second, what are you actually
interested in? Maybe you have no
experience in climate change or
refugee rights, but youre really
passionate and want to make a
positive change in that area.
Thirdly, look at globally
trending movements. Looking
at these you can pick out
causes that people are going to
jump on and youll likely get a
lot more support given
its topical.
Finally, look at anything thats
going to give you an edge. Maybe
your parents or family friends know
someone you can connect with, or
you know someone in a different
country to expand or supply from
their location. Anything you can
leverage your idea off.
After looking at these four different
categories youre going to want to
brainstorm ten different ideas, and
every idea should be feasible. Then
start your research consider whats
going to be the best one. Do a
competitive analysis, how is it going
to fit in with your schedule, and
whether it is scalable.
Cool, I have an idea, now what?
Make a program with key action
points for every week until the
project happens. Chose a date a
couple of months from the current
date and brainstorm every main
task that you can think of; things like
media promotion, team recruitment,
securing a venue. Then put these
ideas in chronological order. Break
them up into weekly and fortnightly
implements. Then you have a
structure of how youre going to
achieve your goal.
Final thoughts?
Getting media for your project
can be extremely beneficial to its
success, but it also looks great on
an application.
Here are a few things to keep
in mind:
Identify the demographic the
media reaches and target
the ones relevant to your
project. Look at specific niche
publications, not just the
mainstream media.
Connections do make it much
easier; try to get to know some
people who work for the target
media outlets.
Email the media contact a media
release which answers the who,
what, when, where and why
about your initiative and related
news. Timing is everything. Dont
pitch your news during major
events or huge news stories.
Keep it succinct and to one page
in length.
Thanks Jen!
Summary
Even After All This, Dont I Still Need To Be A
Genius? The Conclusion
No.
Some schools are always looking
for elite academics, but there are
thousands of colleges that look
for more than just book smarts.
Thousands of colleges in New York,
London, San Francisco, Boston all
these amazing international cities are
seeking cool, motivated people just
like you.
You just need to want to transform
your life! Just like Jennifer, Soumil
and Tommy did!
You dont need spectacular grades (if
you can live with not going to MIT),
but you do need to be a passionate
character, someone who cares about
their family and the community, and
someone who contributes to society,
which is extremely achievable.
You can do this!
If youre still umming and ahhing
about what you need to do, or
whether you can get into this school
or that one, contact us for a
free consultation.
It costs you nothing to see how
far we can take you, and you walk
away knowing what doors could be
opened for you.
No lock-ins, no hidden agendas. Just
a chat between two people trying to
figure out where the world can
take you.
If youre in this far, you know its in
your heart.
Contact Us
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