College admissions

College admissions
questions answered
questions answered by
by

Former Ivy League

and Oxford
Admissions Officers

Former Oxford Former Dartmouth

Admissions Officer Admissions Officer

A CRIMSON EDUCATION PUBLICATION

One of the key distinguishing factors that
sets Crimson apart in the world of top
university admissions is our vast network of
admissions experts. Beyond the
experienced mentors, tutors and strategists
who help our students gain admission to
the very schools they attended themselves,
our global team also includes Former
Admissions Officers from world-leading
universities who know exactly what it takes
for an applicant to stand out.
Universities in the Ivy League and Oxbridge
are notoriously selective and there are
many important things to consider when
preparing your applications. Between
school grades, standardised test scores,
personal statements and essays,
extracurriculars and interviews, a lot goes
into the journey from discovering your
dream school to receiving that coveted
letter of acceptance.
Here to answer all your questions about
gaining admission to the best universities
in the US and UK are Ben Schwartz —
Former Admissions Officer at Dartmouth
College, and Hannah Rowberry — Former
Admissions Officer at Oxford University.
About Ben Schwartz
Ben studied Government and Education
Policy at the Ivy League’s Dartmouth
College. After completing a post-
graduate fellowship in West Africa, he
returned to Dartmouth to serve as the
Assistant Director of Admissions. Ben
has also served on the Dartmouth
Alumni Council and chaired the
Admissions and Enrollment Committee.
Ben is also an alumni of Harvard’s John
F. Kennedy School of Government,
where he completed his Masters in
Public Administration (MPA) and MIT,
where obtained his MBA. Today, Ben
runs youth leadership development
through a non-profit, Sage Experience.
About Hannah Rowberry
After graduating from Cambridge with a
degree in Natural Sciences, Hannah
worked as a scientist, science teacher
and College Outreach Officer for the
University of Oxford. She also obtained
her Postgraduate Certificate in
Education (PGCE) from Cambridge
University. She has also been an
Academic Registrar and an Admissions
Officer there, experiences she now draws
upon in supporting Crimson students in
preparing for university life.
With experience on the admissions
committees at some of the most
competitive schools in the world, Ben
and Hannah possess unique insight into
what makes a successful application and
how universities make difficult
admissions decisions.
US FAQ Answers
from Ben

1. What exactly was your job as

an Admissions Officer? What
qualifications did you need?
Like many Admissions Officers, I wore
multiple hats, often depending on the
season. In the summer I focused on our on-
campus visitor programs; come fall, I would
travel across the US to visit and learn about
high schools and recruit students; by
November I would begin reading early
applications. After the new year, the whole
office would be fully immersed in “reading
season,” each of us reviewing over one
hundred applications per week. April was
always my favorite month, as we got to
meet many of the students we admitted
during our accepted student programs;
then May would bring the start of summer
and the cycle continued.

The public often thinks about our role as

reading applications and making decisions,
but the job requires a range of skills, from
public speaking to organizing programs,
empathizing with applicants to educating
the public. Reading an application requires
understanding the context, from details
about the applicant’s school and its
curriculum and clubs, to the broader
community and the opportunities and
challenges its students face. Every year we
must calibrate our evaluations of each file
based on the entire pool of applicants,
recognizing trends in academics,
extracurricular activities, and beyond.
2. Is it true that standardised
test scores (SAT/ACT) act as
an early ‘cutting factor’ in
the application process?
Some schools, like large public
universities, may lean on standardized
testing to do initial screenings — but at
Dartmouth, like many other selective
colleges, we have been committed to the
holistic review of every applicant’s
candidacy. This means even students with
less than stellar scores still had someone
review their applications. We recognize
that students may demonstrate their
talents in any of many dimensions, and
standardized testing does not reveal the
full story. We want to give every applicant
a fair chance, even if they may struggle
with testing or have limited opportunities
to prepare, whether due to limited
internet access, financial constraints, or
other circumstances. There is strong
evidence that high school grades are a
better predictor of college performance,
so if we had used a cut-off SAT score,
some of my favorite admitted students
would have been missed. And in the
COVID era of test-optional admissions
policies, holistic admissions is more
important than ever.
3. How do you evaluate
a candidate beyond the
test scores?
The first thing I would look at in a
student’s application is the family
demographic information, allowing
me to understand the student’s
context. Where do they live? Who do
they live with? What work do their
parents or guardians do? A student
attending a public school in rural
Indiana and living with a single parent
who is a doctor will require distinct
consideration from a scholarship
student at a private school in
Philadelphia, whose parents never
attended college. Everything else in
the application is considered in the
context of this background.
Next, I would look at a student’s academic
performance, taking time to carefully
understand the story the transcript tells.
How academically strong is the student
within the school? How has the student
grown academically over the four years in
high school? Has the student taken
advantage of the most rigorous courses?
What are the student’s academic
strengths and weaknesses? Then I look at
standardized test scores hoping to
confirm the transcript’s story. If I am
concerned about something I see in the
academic record, I will look to see if there
are explanations in essays or
recommendations.
My favorite part of the application is a
student’s extracurricular activities. By
showing me how they spend their time
outside of class, candidates reveal their
values and potential for impact through
the activities list. Next I typically read the
personal essay, which helps me hear the
applicant’s own voice to benefit from
more nuance and texture to the
applicant’s whole story. Rarely does a
personal essay change the trajectory of an
application, but it helps fill in our
understanding of the real person behind
the black and white forms.
Lastly, I would turn to the
recommendations, which I find are a
critical part of the full application as they
help translate academic performance into
a sense of genuine intellectual curiosity. I
want to see that students not only
challenge themselves by taking the most
rigorous courses available, but also aim to
go above and beyond the basic
assignments to really dive into the quest
for knowledge.

4. What are some common
mistakes you’ve seen from
otherwise qualified applicants?
I think the biggest mistake I see from
students is not taking the time to capture
their contributions and impact in the
community on their activities lists. For
example, if a student spends five hours
per week on student government, I don’t
want to read something obvious like “I
was elected president my senior year of
the Student Government Association and
served in sophomore and junior year as
vice president.” Instead I want to hear
how that student “Fundraised $3k for
Leukemia research; Pioneered ‘virtual
prom’ with over 500 attendees;
Advocated for extra mental health
counselor during COVID.” Now I see the
student’s skills and impact and those
details will help them stand out from the
other 25,000 student leaders
5. What are the advantages
of applying in the early round?
Do schools give preference
to early applicants?
The early application process intentionally
offers students who have done their
research and know they want to apply to a
particular college the chance to show their
interest and get a decision several months
before Regular Decision candidates. From
the admissions officer perspective, I see
early candidates as committed to our
school. Early Decision is binding, so I know
that if we admit you, we will expect to see
you in our incoming class. This helps us
build a strong backbone of enthusiastic
students. Early application pools also tend
to be substantially smaller, so from a
mathematics and psychological vantage
point, it is easier to stand out among fewer
other candidates. If you’re certain a
particular school is your top choice, you
should apply early (and if you’re 100%
certain you would attend if admitted, then
early decision is right for you).

One other common issue is that the “well

rounded” candidates fall flat because they
lack something special that stands out.
When a student leans into one or two
unique experiences and interests, I can
easily grasp what they care about and
how they have achieved at a high level.
But when a student talks about 10 totally
disparate experiences, each one feels
small and not particularly significant.
Show us your enthusiasm for something
special about you, whether it’s potato
farming and environmentalism or 10th
century Arabic poetry.
6. When choosing where to
apply, should I cast my net as
wide as I can or zero in on a
select few?
Build a balanced college list. This means
you apply to schools across a continuum of
selectivity. Some counselors advise
applying to schools that fit into baskets of
“reach, realistic, and safety.” I try to think of
it this way: what’s the most selective admit
rate you have a chance at, and at what
selectivity are you effectively guaranteed to
gain admission?

A rule of thumb to evaluate your chances is

to consider how you stack up in your
school. If you’re in the top 5% of your class,
you probably stand a chance at a highly
selective college admitting around 5%. This
means a school admitting around 5% is a
fair high-reach. A school admitting 10% is a
fair reasonable-reach, while a school
admitting 15% if a good target, and 20% is
likely safe. Be careful to apply to a balance
of schools from realistic to hard-reach.
Avoid applying to 10 schools that admit less
than 10% and then one that admits 20% as
you’re likely to miss out on great schools for
you that admit 11-19%.

7. What’s the most important

part of my application in the
eyes of admissions officers?
Colleges and universities are first and
foremost institutions of higher education,
so this means your academic track record is
critical. Students who do not seem ready
for the most rigorous university based on
their transcript have little chance of
admission. Remember though, your
transcript is not your GPA — an average of
four years — rather, your transcript is a four-
year story, so an upward trajectory to all A’s
in junior or senior year remains promising.
Testing is typically just used to confirm our
sense of your academic readiness, so you
should invest your time over the long-term
in your courses and extracurriculars to
demonstrate your intellectual curiosity (to
show us in admissions you are about more
than grades and scores).
8. How do you think the elimination of SAT
Subject Tests and the SAT Essay will affect
the way admissions committees assess
applications moving forward?
In my time at Dartmouth we never looked at the SAT Essay
— so its elimination changes nothing. This is true for many
other schools that said they did not consider the essay
section. We did require Subject Tests, but often they were
just one more opportunity for students to confirm their
academic readiness. Without subject tests (or when
applying SAT optional), I would lean more heavily on the
transcript and teacher recommendations to feel confident
that a student is ready for the rigors of our academic
program. Because selective colleges have used holistic
admissions for about a century now, recent changes to
testing do not alter the overall decision-making process.
9. Are there any essay
topics that are overdone
or that you would caution
students against?
How you write your personal essay
matters more than what topic you
write about. I want to learn about how
you think, what you value, how you act,
react, and interact, as well as how you
reflect and grow. When reading the
personal essay, I am looking for self-
aware and socially-aware students who
will bring intangible qualities that
enrich our community, whether
creativity and a sense of humor or
perseverance and concern for others.
While there are no specific topics I
caution against, there are four types of
approaches I suggest students avoid
because they rarely offer valuable
perspective.
The “Grandmother essay”
When a student pays homage to an
amazing individual (let’s say your
grandmother) and tells me so many
amazing things about that individual
that make me say, “If only your
grandmother was applying!” Make sure
your personal essay reflects you from
start to finish so I’ll learn new
information about what you specifically
will bring to our community.
The “Broken bone essay”
When a student recalls a difficult event
like breaking a leg that prevented
participation in a major event, like a
soccer tournament. I’ve never read a
“broken bone” essay that left me thinking,
this student is exceptional, no matter how
much they persevered. Remember, we
read applications from refugees, orphans,
cancer survivors, and students facing
every type of hardship. If you want to
write about a challenge you faced, choose
something that’s unique to your
circumstances that doesn’t suggest pity.
Rather, tell a story of your values and
impact — not a story that could have
happened to many other students.
The “Travel essay”
When a student expresses a love for travel
either by detailing a family vacation in
Greece to learn about the Parthenon, or a
review of all the postcards collected from
the 20 countries visited. Some students get
to travel a lot and travel can be
transformative; however, your personal
essay is not the time to show off your love
of travel. If you took a particular journey,
whether a trip around the world or a road
trip with your sibling, that truly
transformed your life, focus on the
transformation — not the travel.
The “Volunteer essay”
When a student recalls an experience to
serve a less privileged community, likely
spending more money than it would have
cost to pay someone from the community
to do the work you did. Now is not the time
to gush about your $5,000 2-week
volunteer trip to rural South Africa where
you realized that there are children who
are poor but happy. It’s great you learned
this, but I need to learn about you! I’d be
interested in your reflections on what this
experience says about your wealth and
your happiness.
The “Metaphor essay”
When a student shares a deep personal
experience through a metaphor, expecting
me to take the time to unpack the story in
the 60 seconds I have to read your one-
page essay. You might be a phenomenal
writer, but I want a concrete story that
shows who you are and what you could
add to our community. Metaphors about
your metamorphosis like a caterpillar or
your uniqueness like a snowflake miss the
opportunity to provide tangible details that
will allow me to envision you in our
classrooms, clubs, dining halls and dorms.
Help me understand who you are today
as a consequence of your grandmother,
your broken bone, your travels, your
volunteering, or your grand metaphor.
Be direct so every sentence helps me
learn something special about you, and
even when I read quickly, every word I
land on makes me want to get to know
you better.
10. When should I get started
on my college applications?
No matter your age, you should work to
become the best version of yourself.
Develop strong learning habits; find ways
to grow your intellectual curiosity;
enhance your leadership skills so you can
make a difference in your community.
Practice listening, patience, and self-
reflection. No matter your grade or age,
you can continue to improve yourself, but
make sure you’re doing things you enjoy.
Do not fill your schedule to look good —
fill your life with things that you value.
When it comes time to apply, your
application will easily showcase a
passionate individual ready to make the
most of our college.
UK FAQ
Answers from Hannah

1. What exactly was your job as

an Admissions Officer? What
qualifications did you need?
The role of an Admissions Officer in an
Oxford college is to oversee the whole
undergraduate admissions process —
from advising prospective students
when they’re considering applying, all
the way through to the day they arrive
as students at the college.

Oxford AOs run admissions operations

and support students as they go
through it, serving as an applicant’s
main point of contact and fighting in
their corner to ensure their application
is assessed fairly, based on an in-depth
understanding of the context of the
application. They will liaise with the
Tutor for Admissions (a senior academic
in the college, with ultimate
responsibility for admissions decisions)
and interviewers (academics who make
decisions on offers for your subject), to
advise them on admissions decisions
and ensure the process runs smoothly.
2. Is it true that academic
performance and admissions
test scores act as an early
‘cutting factor’ in the
application process?
When applications are assessed, they are
viewed as a whole, and in context. Prior
and predicted academic performance
form part of this assessment, as do any
admissions tests; alongside all the other
information in your application (personal
statement, reference, contextual
information, any submitted written
work, and interviews). There is an initial
check of viability in the process, where
any students not having achieved, or not
being predicted, the minimum entry
requirements of their chosen course are
unlikely to be taken forward. However,
this will be thoroughly checked
alongside contextual information before
any decision is made.
Applications are also often ranked on
their admissions test performance,
sometimes in combination with their
academic performance. Again this
process isn’t quite as brutal as it sounds -
there isn’t a direct cut-off point, but
rather students above a certain ranking
are likely to proceed to interview,
students below a certain ranking are less
so, and those in the middle will have
further scrutiny — and again, the whole
application and context will be checked
before any decisions are made.
3. Beyond academic
performance and
admissions tests, what
else are Admissions
Officers looking for?
In addition to your academic ability,
the key selection criteria are: your
interest in and commitment to your
subject, your ability to think
independently, and your academic
potential. These can be demonstrated
through your personal statement,
your reference, your interview, and
potentially in admissions tests too.
For example, you could use
supercurriculars (course-relevant
extracurriculars, such as reading) in
your personal statement to
demonstrate that you have developed
your interests in your chosen course,
and reflect upon your learning from
these. Your performance during the
interview could also demonstrate your
thinking skills and potential, as you
will be showing how you respond to
an unfamiliar problem, using your
existing knowledge and skills, and
demonstrating your potential to
flourish in an Oxbridge teaching
environment (interviews are
effectively a mock tutorial).
There also may be course-specific
selection criteria, which you will
likewise need to demonstrate in your
application. These may be fairly
simple, but can be quite extensive,
particularly for highly competitive
subjects like medicine, where you will
need to show strengths in a wide
range of relevant skills and qualities.
4. What are some common
mistakes you’ve seen from
otherwise qualified applicants?
The most common mistakes are often
strategic. Applicants may have chosen to
apply to courses where they would not be
a viable or competitive applicant, or may
have been overly ambitious in their choices
overall and not chosen a good spread of
reach, target, and safety schools across
their 5 UCAS choices. Applicants also may
make errors in their course choice, often
not thoroughly exploring all the available
options (potentially hundreds of courses at
each university, and tens of thousands
across the UK), and picking very
oversubscribed options with lower chances
of success. That’s not to say a student
shouldn’t apply to a popular course if, after
researching all options, that’s their best fit;
but a great first step in thinking about
university is broadening your academic
horizons — the subject you’d love to do
may be something you haven’t even heard
of yet!

Other errors may arise in the personal

statement. For example, not
understanding what the course you’re
applying for is really about: I’ve seen
otherwise strong applications where the
personal statement indicates a student has
misunderstood what they will be studying.

Students may list impressive-sounding

supercurriculars and achievements in their
personal statement, but fail to add depth
to these, such as explaining what they’ve
learnt from an experience or providing
their own reflections and insights.

In the interview, a common error is the

failure to demonstrate intellectual curiosity
and flexibility — students may wrongly
assume that it will be impressive to argue
their opinions and stick to them at all costs,
whereas interviewers may actually want to
see that they can take onboard new
information and come to a reasoned
conclusion having done so.
5. Which UK application deadline
should I aim for, and does this
affect my chances of success?
Oxford and Cambridge, alongside
Medicine, Veterinary and Dentistry courses,
have an early UCAS application deadline of
15th October each year. The deadline for
other UK universities and courses is 15th
January. These deadlines are called ‘equal
consideration’ deadlines — i.e. all
applications received by the relevant
deadline will be considered. However, the
early deadline can be advantageous, even
for universities and courses that don’t
require it. Universities cannot see your
other school choices on your UCAS
application, but an early application will
indicate you are likely to be an Oxbridge
applicant, and thus potentially of a high
academic calibre. Therefore if universities
are impressed by your application, there is
a possibility that they will make you an
offer before the January deadline for other
applications.
Applying earlier also means there are
fewer applications already submitted at
that point, so the admissions officers may
have longer to consider your application,
which may be to your advantage. Applying
early in the UK is not binding in the way it
is in the US; you can wait for decisions from
all 5 choices before choosing a firm and
insurance choice to accept — your
favourite, usually with the highest
academic requirements, and then a
back-up, in case things don’t go according
to plan with meeting the grades for your
firm choice.
6. When choosing where to
apply, how many universities
should I choose, and how
should I choose them?
You can choose 5 universities to apply to
through UCAS in the UK. As UCAS
streamlines the process into one
application form, it’s easy to apply to 5
universities at once. If applying to Oxbridge,
you have to choose between Oxford and
Cambridge — you can’t apply to both! If
applying for Medicine, you can only apply to
4 medical schools, but you still have the
option to choose a different course for your
5th choice. Other than this, it is usually
advisable for students to apply for the same
or very similar courses for all 5 options.
When it comes to choosing universities, it’s
best to pick a range of academic
requirements and competition rates to
optimise your chances of success. A typical
range could be two “reach” options (those
with ambitious but achievable academic
requirements and high competition rates),
two “target” options (those with
comfortably achievable academic
requirements and slightly lower
competition rates), and one “safety” option
(very comfortable academic requirements,
and higher offer rates).
Other things to consider are factors that
will determine your best fit for the
university — the courses on offer, the
content and structure of the course, the
location and type of university, the styles of
teaching and assessment, and any
particular facilities, activities, or
opportunities you might be looking for. UK
universities can be broadly split into
collegiate, city and campus universities,
and their locations range from huge cities
like London, to historic university towns,
and idyllic countryside settings. There’s
something for everyone!
7. What’s the most important
part of my application in the
eyes of admissions officers?
This is a question I get asked a lot, and
the answer is pretty simple: everything
is important! Applications are viewed as
a whole, and in context. Grades are the
initial “viability check” of your
application, and these alongside test
performance may determine
progression to interview, but all aspects
are taken into consideration in making
these decisions. Interview performance
is a test of “teachability” so again may
determine the outcome of your
application, but is still viewed alongside
everything else.
One aspect won’t necessarily make or
break an application, but it’s best if
they’re all strong of course! I’ve seen
students applying with extremely
strong academics and supercurriculars,
where the interview is practically a
formality. I’ve also seen students with
less impressive academic records, but
for whom the context of their
application has been taken into
account, and they have been able to
demonstrate their academic potential
through their personal statement, tests
and interview performance.
8. How do you think the
elimination of SAT Subject
Tests and the SAT Essay, and
other educational disruptions,
will impact UK admissions?
For students applying to the UK with US
qualifications, this represents a big
change, but one that is hopefully the
universities’ problem to solve rather than
a source of stress for applicants. For
students who have already taken some of
these exams or are due to take them
before they are discontinued, universities
will of course honour existing offers, and
potentially also allow them to be used to
meet offers in future years. For students
who were planning on taking these
exams but will now be unable to, the
current advice from universities is that the
student gets in touch with them to
discuss their options.
Entry requirements for US qualifications
vary considerably between UK
universities, and currently they will all be
in the process of reviewing what their
standard offers will be going forward. I
would imagine there will be a move
towards more universities asking for APs
in the future, particularly if they have
specific subject requirements, but they
will also need to consider alternatives for
students without the opportunity to take
APs. UK universities also accept a wide
range of other international
qualifications, and of course the typical
UK qualifications (A-Levels and the IB). As
for the impact of other disruptions due to
COVID, such as missing school or
cancelled exams, these will all be taken
into account by universities when
assessing applications. It will be
particularly useful for schools to provide
details of any disruptions, and the impact
on a student’s performance and
opportunities, within the UCAS reference.
9. How do you make a UCAS
personal statement impressive?
The UCAS personal statement is a short
essay about what you want to study, why
you want to study it, things you’ve done
that demonstrate that interest, and other
experiences that demonstrate skills and
qualities that will make you a great
student. It’s important to research the
course selection criteria and demonstrate
how you meet them. Some universities
(although not Oxbridge) will literally be
ticking criteria off a list when they read
your personal statement.
Writing a personal statement that
indicates you don’t really know what the
course is about is a common deal-breaking
mistake — so make sure you research the
course content and show your awareness
of this. Give evidence of your interest, skills,
and qualities, rather than simply listing
them, and discuss your learning and
insights from each experience; it is
important to add depth and show your
ability to think independently.
Don’t forget that for Oxbridge, your
personal statement is also a great
opportunity to “speak” to your
interviewers! They’ll read this just before
your interview, so it’s a great chance to
flag topics and experiences you might like
to discuss. Ultimately, this is your personal
statement — use your own words, talk
about genuine experiences, and let your
enthusiasm shine through!

10. Are extracurricular activities

important for UK applications?
UK selection criteria tend to be
predominantly academic, with much less
emphasis on extracurricular activities than
the US. General extracurricular activities
tend to be discussed briefly in the
personal statement, to demonstrate skills
and qualities such as leadership or
teamwork. However, ‘supercurricular’
activities — things you do to explore
subjects and develop your academic skills
beyond your school studies — are very
beneficial to UK applications. These
include things like reading, podcasts,
online courses, research, relevant work
experience or volunteering, competitions,
writing, projects, debating, and even just
enjoying talking about your academic
interests with friends and family.

Hopefully, these are things you are

naturally doing in pursuit of your interests,
and feel excited and motivated by. They
can be very helpful in exploring and
broadening your academic horizons, and
as you explore in more depth, narrowing
down your course choices. They enable
you to develop academic skills that will
help bridge the gap between high school
and university, and demonstrate the
interests, skills, and qualities universities
are looking for. You shouldn’t do them just
for the sake of your personal statement,
but they will certainly come in handy
when you’re writing it!
11. What are Oxbridge
interviews really like?
Oxbridge interviews assess your academic
potential and “teachability” — they aren’t
meant to be some scary test with lots of
difficult and bizarre questions, but rather
a mock tutorial, seeing if you’re suited to
the kind of teaching that takes place in
the university. They’ll be looking to see
how you approach a problem you’ve not
come across before, and whether you can
apply existing skills and knowledge to a
new scenario. They’ll see how you take
onboard new information, prompts, and
questions to work towards an answer.
Oxbridge interviews assess your academic
potential and “teachability” — they aren’t
meant to be some scary test with lots of
difficult and bizarre questions, but rather
a mock tutorial, seeing if you’re suited to
the kind of teaching that takes place in
the university. They’ll be looking to see
how you approach a problem you’ve not
come across before, and whether you can
apply existing skills and knowledge to a
new scenario. They’ll see how you take
onboard new information, prompts, and
questions to work towards an answer.
Ultimately they’re trying to find out
whether you will flourish in the academic
environment at Oxbridge. The
interviewers are nice people who will be
trying to put you at ease, and will be
pleased to meet someone who also loves
their subject! It’s a wonderful opportunity
for you to meet the absolute experts in
your field, and talk to them about
interesting topics and challenging
ideas — this will probably be the most
exciting interview you’ll ever have!
12. When should I get started on
my UK university application?
It’s never too early to start preparing your
application. There are strategic decisions
that are important several years in advance,
such as choosing your high school
qualifications and subjects, to ensure you’re
able to meet the university and course
entry requirements and can build an
impressive academic profile. It’s also great
to have time to explore your academic
interests and broaden your horizons!
Supercurriculars take time to develop too,
and for the most competitive courses such
as medicine, universities would like to see a
long term commitment to exploring
relevant experiences. It is also
advantageous to familiarise yourself with
the admissions process early on, so that you
feel comfortable and confident with it when
the time comes. I was seven years old when
I first visited the Cambridge college I would
eventually apply to — you don’t have to
start quite so young of course, but early
inspiration and aspiration is key!
Make your dream
possible with

Crimson
Education
Who We Are
Crimson Education is an education
consulting company that helps students
around the world get into their best-fit
universities by creating personalized
teams comprised of the top tutors,
mentors, and admissions experts.

Our one-on-one sessions ensure that

Crimson students get the support they
need to stand out in today’s highly
competitive college admissions race.

Our Services

Crimson’s bespoke services help you to achieve your educational aims.

Admissions Career and Standardized

Consulting Mentoring Test Tutoring

Extracurricular Merit & Need Sports

and Leadership Based Scholarships Recruitment

Our Results

514+ 176+ 3000+ 1500+

Offers to Offers to Oxford Offers to US Offers to the UK
the Ivy league and Cambridge Top 50 universities Top 10 universities

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Why Crimson?
Our Network
2400+
expert tutors,
mentors, and strategists
located around the world
Our Methodology
One-On-One Mentoring
We provide our students with
personalized one-on-one
programs, with the best tutors
and mentors from around the
world. Our advice is tailored for
each individual student!
Our Technology
Crimson App
Each Crimson student is
onboarded to our mobile &
web app, where students
can book sessions and view
their tailored timetable of
customized tasks.
crimsoneducation.org
The Crimson Team includes alumni
from top 25 US & UK universities in
over 20 offices around the world
Roadmaps
Each student will receive a
fully-personalized program
with a roadmap that outlines
every detail of the college
admission process.
Video Based
Crimson students are able
to connect anywhere in
the world with their team
through our video-based
mentoring.
info@crimsoneducation.org
Our elite board of advisors and
sponsors include prestigious influencers
at the top of their chosen industry
Resources
We believe in giving students and
parents around the world access
to vital information. We have the
largest YouTube channel of any
educational company that depicts
college life and answers all of your
big questions!
Personality Test
We utilize psychometrics to pair
each student with a team that is
optimized to his/her interests and
learning style! Our test was
developed from one of the most
well-known data scientists in the
world, Galen Buckwalter.
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