“Should I apply for COSMOS this summer? What about SIP?” my student asked recently, referring to highly competitive, “gold standard”, scientific research programs for high schoolers.

“No,” I replied. “I want you to put together a capstone project where you come up with your own research question and determine your own methodology.”

“Are you sure? I’m afraid I’m missing out,” my student said. “Everyone at my school is doing it.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you to waste your time and $10k on it,” I replied. 

Before I went to Stanford, I worked at a cafe mopping floors and cleaning toilets. 

But when I got to college, I met other freshmen who had spent their summers working at Microsoft and eating lunch with Bill Gates. 

As a child of immigrants, I didn't know opportunities like those even existed. 

That gap—between what’s possible and what you know is possible—changes everything.

That's a huge reason why I coach teens today: to share wisdom, access, and valuable shortcuts I wish I had as a high schooler.

2/9/26

92% of my qualified students have gotten into an Ivy-level school or UC Berkeley / UCLA over the past 12 years.

This is incredible when you consider that admission rates at top schools have plummeted post-Covid, to just 3.6% at places like Stanford.

Zach Yadegari is an 18-year old who founded a startup that generates $30 million ARR. He says he had a 4.0 GPA, a 34 out of 36 on the ACT… and he got rejected by 15 of the 18 colleges he applied to, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale and WashU.

Zach recently shared his application essay on X and it’s generated almost 40 million views, so I want to weigh in.

I run a boutique college admissions consulting practice and this year I worked with 4 seniors who were qualified for Ivies. By qualified, I mean straight As, 1550+ on the SAT, and extracurriculars at the state/ national/ international levels.

Three of my students got in early to Stanford, Harvard or MIT. The fourth got into Stanford and another Ivy League school last week.

Since the admit rate at these schools is 4% or less, these type of results Just. Don’t. Happen.

I keep reflecting on what I did this year as a coach, and I want to share some insights I learned through the process:

“Can I keep playing basketball / tennis / soccer in high school? I like it but it takes a lot of time and I won’t be getting recruited for college.”

“Is it better to start a nonprofit or do a competitive summer program to get into the Ivy League?”

“I lie awake at night worrying about whether I’m doing enough to get into college.”

These are just some of the questions – and concerns – students and families have shared with me over the years.

First, I want to clear up a misconception.

A friend recently shared an ABC news story about Stanley Zhong, a student at Palo Alto’s Gunn High School who had a 3.97 unweighted GPA, a 1590 on his SATs and founded a company, RabbitSign.

Zhong applied to 18 colleges and was rejected by 16 of them, including the usual suspects: Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell University, and Caltech.

But surprisingly, he also got denied from UCSD, UCSB, UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin.

I was wrapping up a consultation with a family from China recently when the father asked this fascinating question: “What blind spots do Asians have about the American college admissions process?”

It was such an insightful question I knew I wanted to share my answer here:

MIT recently brought back the SAT and ACT.

They say it actually helps them diversify their student body more than when admissions was test optional, because scores show whether students can actually do the work.

Families are asking me how they should approach standardized testing now, and I say,

The pandemic has caused many universities to make standardized tests optional for admission.

And as of January 2021, the College Board eliminated SAT 2s and the SAT essay.

As a result, more students are taking their chances and applying to top schools.

Are you struggling with getting started on your college admission essays?

Here are some tips I’ve discovered for revving up my creativity as a writer:

How do you find a mentor? How do you network? How do you “sell” yourself without being slimy?

These are just a few of the questions I tackle with top-rated career coach and serial entrepreneur Joyce Guan West.

Has perfectionism been holding you back from pursuing your dreams?

If so, I have three words of advice: Just. Do. It.

It's that time of year again - college application madness! Listen to my podcast as I share insights from my years of experience as a college admissions consultant.

During this unprecedented of sheltering-in-place time due to coronavirus, students are asking, “What should I be doing?”

Here are my recommendations: