How To Crush

Your US College
Application
by building the perfect
personal profile

A CRIMSON EDUCATION PUBLICATION

Your application
has been accepted.
Imagine this. You’re opening a letter from your dream
college. Think of the anticipation, the anxiety, the
excitement. Now imagine it says, “Congratulations. You’re in.”

This isn’t an unrealistic goal for you. Yes, getting accepted

into top US universities is becoming more competitive
and more difficult every year. But, there is a surefire
way of getting the attention of admissions officers.

And guess what? It isn’t your grades alone. You could get
a perfect SAT score and excellent grades and it won’t be a
guarantee that you will be accepted to a top university.

Grades are important, but unless you win a Millennium

Prize for mathematics - they’re only a benchmark. They
aren’t your golden ticket.

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?
One of the ways to get accepted is to demonstrate your
ability to impact others outside of the classroom.

By the end of this eBook, you’re going to be equipped

with the tools to build and exemplify your excellent
extracurricular and leadership skills, make your
application stand out, and make your extracurricular
profile pop!
Getting in is
getting more difficult
Now more than ever, more students are applying to the
world’s best universities.

In recent years, many students with perfect 1600 SAT

scores have actually been rejected by Stanford —
evidence that good scores alone are not enough to gain
you admission.

Further, the number of applications to the eight Ivy

League universities almost doubled in the past decade.
In fact, in 1999–2000, Ivy League schools received 121,948
applications – and they rejected 80% of them. More
recently, the Ivy League class of 2023 had 311,948
applicants, and just 21,168 were accepted. That’s an
acceptance rate of a only 6.72%.
 H
AR
VA
RD

43,330
applicants,
with...

1950
students
accepted =

Harvard
Admissions 4.5%
admission
Statistics - rate
Class of 2023
The nation’s best schools have the luxury of hand selecting the
world’s best 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 even the most talented of students are failing to make
the cut.

In fact, these schools’ selection lists are so long, they rarely have
under-qualified applications. It is typical for every applicant to be a
strong student. Everyone who applies has strong academics.

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 New York City or
being a part of a sports team in sunny California, your dreams are
achievable. Make your application stand out to admissions officers
by improving both your academics and extracurriculars under the
guidance of a personalized Crimson team!

The stuff you really need to know

• A perfect SAT score doesn’t mean you’ll get into your dream
school.

• A growing number of applicants and a stagnant number of seats

available at top universities means the competition for admissions
is getting tougher.

• Achieving your dreams is not only your priority, but ours as well.
We will teach you what you need to know in order to make your
application stand out from the other thousands submitted.
How this
eBook was
built
Drawing knowledge from our experienced team here at
Crimson (from former admissions officers to this cycle’s most
successful applicants), we’ve built this guide to share our
insights to help you create a competitive application to your
dream school!

The Crimson team has helped students to broaden their

horizons and open their minds to schools they never thought
were possible - all because they were given the tools and
expert advice key to building the perfect application for you.

Throughout 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 benchmarks – they have the highest number of
applications and traditionally low acceptance rates.
What the
What the top
top
universities are
universities are
looking for
looking for

Step 1
Context and Theory
Well-lopsided vs. well-rounded candidate: which do
universities prefer?

How do admissions officers seperate great students from

those who actually get in?

What does well-lopsided mean?

T
Think of a well-lopsided
student as one who focuses
on the two strokes in the
letter ‘T’. Horizontally they
collaborate across disciplines
and express empathy too
those around them. While
vertically they have depth
in one particular area which
aligns with their key personal
passions.
In short a well-lopsided student is one 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 recognized level.

Tanya is well-lopsided.
Well-lopsided students differ from those who are considered
“well-rounded”. It’s a very important distinction. Everyone can
present themselves as well-rounded in an application – balanced
extracurricular activities, good grades, and some leadership activity.

But while well-roundedness is appreciated, it doesn’t showcase a

student’s ability to pursue, in depth, interests and passions that are
particularly important to them.

For example, meet Charlie.

Charlie is very involved in the school’s

athletics team; he has good grades
and has joined a few extracurricular
activities in his final year of study, such
as Model United Nations. Charlie will
probably be elected president of the
student body council.

He’s put together an application essay

that reads well and everyone who meets
him says he’s fun, friendly, and vibrant.
Charlie’s classmates think he is a shoo-in
for his preferred colleges. But
unfortunately they may be wrong.

To an admissions officer Charlie may be

a strong maybe - but not a shoo-in by
any means. He is well-rounded, but his
profile doesn’t show depth in any one
particular area.
 Some top universities show preference to
particular types of students. For example,
Stanford University is known for its
preference for students who are passionate
about technology and entrepreneurship.

To the untrained eye, Charlie looks like a glowing

candidate on paper, but when you dig into his
application he’s not much different to any other
prospective student. This makes his application
that much easier to move to the rejection or waitlist pile
as he joins a multitude of applicants just like him.

While Charlie is a great student, we don’t know what makes him

special, which also means we don’t know exactly what he will
bring to campus that is unique and different to everyone else.

As for his Model UN experience; how was it important to him,

what did he take away from it, how did he expand on what was
learned from it and make a difference beyond?

If none of these things are clear, unfortunately for Charlie, this

means he will not be accepted to the universities that might
seem at first glance ‘sure things’.
Now, meet Sachin.

Sachin isn’t on the athletics team, in fact, he is not great 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 didn’t
have a team and he thought it needed one!

And book club? Sachin founded a book club. He’s the president.
He organised a book drive in the local community to improve the
school’s library catalogue. He and his fellow book club
enthusiasts go to the local shelter to read to disadvantaged
community members once every month. Sachin loves book
club. It’s his baby.

Sachin is A-grade acceptance letter material. But why is Sachin

better than Charlie?
Mainly because, outside of
academics, Sachin shows
passion through his book club, he
shows initiative with starting the
debate team and he’s ethically and
socially aware, convincing his peers
to show empathy and help the
disadvantaged.

If an admissions officer
picks up both Sachin and
Charlie’s application,
nine times out of ten they
pick Sachin.
Whether it’s 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.

The major change in college applications

Recently the Making Caring Common Project from the Harvard
Graduate School of Education published a report called: “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

subjective; meaningful and ethical contributions to
the community and towards the good of others is
what matters.
Step Two
How to show you’re 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! They’re done!

But unfortunately the university admissions process does not work

that way. In fact, admissions officers can tell when students are
stockpiling their applications with extracurriculars simply so that
can ‘get in’.

Admissions officers want a sense of your own special

personal narrative. They don’t want you to brag but
demonstrate why your passions are important to you,
and how you use them to make a difference.

+ 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
community’s problems.

+ They want to see someone who contributes to their

own family.
The most important thing to remember is that there is no
magic formula. Your story is unique and you need to tell
it. At Crimson it is our job to help you do that in the most
effective way. We can provide you with the framework of what
admissions officers are looking for, but it is your talents and
efforts that will make them sit up and take notice.

With that in mind, here are our recommendations:

You should aim for 2–3 main activities.

These activities should all have a cohesive theme – an underlying

commonality that exemplifies you. For example:

You want bullying You want a liberal You organize

to end in school. arts education forums at school
So, all your to learn more and participate
extracurriculars about other in community
demonstrate that. cultures. service to help the
disadvantaged.
Through activities like these, you will be able to demonstrate
your passions.

Admissions officers want to see that you are in touch with

your community and are aiming to ethically improve the
community in an inclusive way.

For example, you could start with an anti-bullying campaign

at school, raising awareness and bringing in people from
different backgrounds and cultures to voice their issues.

Another idea, if you spend a lot of time with your family, or

have a part time job, is to find a way to innovate within
those activities. Find a way to organize your family’s
schedule better, or develop a new process to speed up
efficiency at work.

These innovations demonstrate your ability to make positive

change within an existing organization or community -
otherwise known as intrapreneurship!
 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.

Key Takeaways

• Target two or three main activities

• Have a cohesive theme throughtout your extracurriculars.

• Don’t overdo extracurriculars. Think quality over quantity.

Step Three
Choosing The Right
Extracurriculars

Picking a winner - or three

So how does a student begin? Start a club? Run a campaign?

Organize a competition?

As we’ve said before, the key is authenticity – activities based

around genuine interests and passions will be most effective.

Think about what really excites you and build this passion into
something truly substantial that makes a difference in the
wider 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

noticed?

Then you need to get the right blend. This isn’t 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 Activities Community activities Personal Activities

First, the career activity
This extracurricular is related to what you hope to study in
college and shows the admissions teams that you are extremely
excited about studying the major you have in your sights.

Schools want to admit students who are hard-working and

passionate about their field. You need to show that your field isn’t
just for the money or prestige; you’re pursuing it because
without that degree, you couldn’t be you. Examples:

Journalism: Applied
Work for or Mathematics:
start the Become a
school
Mathlete
newspaper

Computer Medicine:
Science: Volunteer at
Build an app 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 you’re 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 you’ve 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. Examples:

Animal Shelters – Schools – Hospitals –

Love animals Working with children To study medicine,
and considering and teenagers, and enjoy fast paced
a career in animal enjoying creativity and work
care teaching
Finally, the personal 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
you’ll 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 your community activity).

The personal activity has an element of surprise, because it

doesn’t necessarily align with your other pursuits; rather, it
reflects your excitement for life – it should show that you live
your life ethically and compassionately. It will show that there’s
more to you than just study and you’re motivated by more than
just your future career or field.

The activity cannot be something self-involved, like having

100,000 followers on Instagram.
This extracurricular should either:

1. Continue your personal narrative of ethical community activity,

and showcase how your pursuit of your career choice has
turned your curiosity into action.

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.

Examples:

You’re a maths whiz, but you also dance competi-

tively in a different cultural scenario to your own.

You’re passionate about economics, but you also

teach poor kids to free dive.

You plan to become a lawyer – but you have also

built your own video game.

You’re passionate about the English language, and

you’ve started to teach people English as a second
language for free.
Let’s consider Student A

Here is an example of one student’s extracurricular activities that

they put on an application.

Community Activity – I speak English as

a second language and tutor others in
English to improve their confidence and their
ability to find opportunities in the English
speaking world.

Career / Personal 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 community’s mental
health, which affects my close personal friends).

This candidate has shown:

• Passion for using their talent to improve their
community’s mental health
• Initiative in tutoring others in English
• Empathy for those who suffer from mental illness

They are proactively improving their community through

their passions, contributions and empathy. Notice the clear,
consistent, personal narrative and how the extracurriculars all
work together. Also, notice the ‘less-is-more’ approach with
extracurriculars.

This candidate is likely to be considered by many top colleges.

What makes your extracurriculars special?

Are you worried about your extracurriculars and whether they’re

telling your personal story?

Here are the key qualities that make extracurriculars effective.

They can be any hobby or activity as long as they show these
qualities.

Quality Shows

Practicing a hobby or activity for Commitment, passion

several years

Taking the initiative, getting Leadership, gets results

things done

Increasing your responsibility, Work ethic, passion, initiative

expanding your role

Mentoring other people Positivity, you have peer respect,

you can foster relationships

Making something from scratch Entrepreneurial spirit, self-starter,

leadership

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 you’re 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 above.
Step Four
Leadership: Institutionalised vs
Innovative
Now, let’s 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 within an established

structure. Most leadership positions available to students are in
a school or club. Some examples include class captain or
committee leader, athletic team 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 these leadership positions often rely on
votes to be elected.

But some students won’t succeed at being the captain of an

athletic team, a class president, 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

organization, 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 hasn’t 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.

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 a impact on
your community and how your work is
crossing the boundaries of race, class,
and culture – you bring people together.
How to
How to communicate
communicate
your extracurriculars
your extracurriculars
on your
on your application
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 you’re stuck in a text box – a text
box titled ‘About Me’? Giving a 30-second about
ourselves can be extremely difficult, because we worry about
appearing arrogant, boring, or mediocre.

But that’s exactly why it’s so important. It’s the first impression,
the first taste of who you are and why people should care.
So, what is a personal brand? It’s who you are in a nutshell. It
succinctly encapsulates your passions and desires, dreams,
and goals all in one go. To an admissions officer, it’s 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
What actually gets you off the couch? Are
you an aspiring actor? Then get out there
and star in a play. Can’t 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. Your application
will look much stronger if it’s supported by your personality.

2. Focus
Quantity does not equal quality. For example,
Tesla has made itself into one of the world’s
most prestigious brands, not because it has
brought thousands of products to market
but because it offered something original. The company
brought one product to market and perfected it with an
unrivalled passion for technology. You need to be your own
Elon Musk. Throw yourself into one or two passions and don’t
spread yourself thin.

3. Admit you’re not a superhero

You can’t be all things to all people. You
can’t be the captain of the team, the editor
of the paper, the first-chair saxophonist, the
champion debater, the world-class baker, the
five-star athlete.
You’re not a fictional character. You are you. Talk to your close
friends about who you are, find out more about yourself and
then try to maximize those attributes and make a
meaningful contribution to the world.
 4. Build your networking skills
The best way for you to practice
communicating your personal brand is by
being you.

Start with people you already know and chat to them about
wanting to push your personal brand more. Then try striking
up conversations with people at school or work whom you
don’t normally talk to, and nurture those fledgling contacts. It is
important to extend this to your teachers and your school principal.
They can provide valuable recommendations.

As a natural networker, you’re more likely to impress the people who

matter, like alumni and admissions officers on the interview day.

WARNING
When talking about yourself, try to blend the selling of your
attributes with being a natural human being. Over-selling
yourself will only detract from your application or interview.
Wait for the opportunity to sell yourself, be confident but humble.
To build a personal brand, you need to:

• Exploit your interests

• Focus your activities

• Admit you’re not a superhero

• Network with your peers, teachers, and other influential people

The Stuff You Really Need To Know

You need to sell yourself and you do this by building
a personal brand: Something that, on paper,
represents who you are succinctly.
Step Two
Effectively Expressing Your Success
Now you have a series of authentic extracurriculars that you’re
dedicating the appropriate amount of time toward you need to
show the admissions officers that you get results.

It’s fine to be the most passionate person in the world, but can
you deliver results? Once you’ve demonstrated that you have
passion and that you’ve turned that passion into extracurricular
activities, admissions officers want to know if you were
successful.

For example, it’s all well and good to lead, but did your
leadership cause the activity to stagnate or progress?

So you really enjoy writing for the school

newspaper, and you write two stories a week.
But did those articles make a difference? Did
they help a fellow student, change a school
policy or celebrate a teacher who went on
to win a best teacher award thanks to your
highlight?
The key is writing it right

Remember to sell yourself in the activities section of the

common app, which goes back to the previous
section. Why do you stand out from the crowd? 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

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, organized weekly meetings and
hosted tutorial sessions. Organized 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 represent them in your common application.

To get an idea about what it takes to succeed and be offered a

spot at one of the colleges, below are a few case studies from
some our 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.
Case Studies
Case Studies
Check out our recent examples of our students and their
journey to top universities, using their passions to make
an impact and gain entry into the the world’s top universities!

Read Case studies

Summary
Summary
Even after all this, don’t 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 straight A’s.

Universities around the world are seeking motivated, passionate

students just like you.

You don’t need spectacular grades 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.

While stellar grades always help, colleges also heavily weigh your
extracurriculars and how you present yourself beyond the
numbers. What are you passionate about? How do you give
back to your community? These are the types of questions
admissions officers are considering.

If you’re unsure of which schools might be a great fit for you or

how to make your extracurriculars work for you, contact us for a
free consultation.

Talk to us
The impact
The impact of
of COVID-19
COVID-19
on education
on education
This year, the world has been affected by the COVID-19
pandemic, with several countries promoting control and
prevention initiatives such as isolation and social distancing,
especially the United States. As the virus continues to spread
around the world, there is a lot of uncertainty around how it will
impact students’ academic performance, ability to participate
in extracurricular activities, and eventually their college
applications.

To stay updated on how COVID-19 is affecting college

applications, here are a few resources that will be useful.
Crimson’s COVID-19 Support Page
In response to the ongoing crisis, we have compiled a toolbox
of resources and information to help keep our community well-
informed. The following page includes:

• Relevant and up-to-date news on how COVID-19 is affecting the

academic sphere

• Blogs curated by our team to provide tips and tricks as to how

to cope with these changes and up your game, despite current
challenges

• Links to our webinars which provide further information and

advice as to what you can do to make the most of academic and
extracurricular opportunities during COVID-19

Go to page

Guide on online extracurricular

activities for High School students
This guide will help you
keep your extracurricular
engagement strong by helping
you brainstorm several activities
and initiatives you can do online
(or how to move them online).
This way, you can still show
universities that you are a well-
lopsided student, even in such a
hard time.

Get guide
What is Crimson?
Crimson Education was founded to supercharge students’ ability to get
accepted into the world’s most competitive universities. We now operate
in 20 countries and embody the ethical and social responsibility of the
International and National Associations of College Admissions Counseling
(IACAC & NACAC).

Since 2013, Crimson students around the world have gained admittance
to some of the world’s leading institutions, but more importantly, to their
best-fit universities.

We pride ourselves on the quality and discipline of our advisors and tutors.
They are handpicked for their excellent academic achievements and
commitment to student success. The Crimson network is expansive with
more than 2,400 global tutors and mentors with proven results.
Our
Results

99%
of Crimson students
accepted into at least 1 of
their top 8 universities.

1400+
offers to the top10
US colleges.

268
Ivy League Offers.

99
Acceptances to Oxford &
Cambridge

3-5 x
more likely to get into your
dream university.
 Acceptance Rates
Acceptance Rates
At Crimson, we measure they need in life and don’t just
our success by that of our measure by admissions. Students
hardworking students and their who joined Crimson for at least
acceptances into not only the 2 years prior to the university
world’s best universities, but the application deadline, were almost
school of their dreams. We seek to 4x as likely to gain admission into
teach Crimson students the skills the Ivy League than a general

General Population Crimson Student

University
Admission Rate Admission Rate

Harvard 4.5% 12.0%

Stanford 4.3% 17.7%

MIT 6.6% 12.0%

Yale 5.9% 13.9%

Columbia 5.1% 14.0%

The University of Pennsylvania 7.4% 23.0%

Brown 6.6% 31.7%

The University of Chicago 5.9% 25.7%

UC Berkeley 15.0% 28.4%

UCLA 14.1% 29.1%

Duke 8.7% 36.4%

Northwestern 8.9% 25.6%

Oxford 18.9% 35.0%

 student. Our results also include some of the more competitive
students being admitted into universities our students have
specialty programs such as BS/MD, gained acceptance to. We work
engineering and business schools, with students on applying to
merit scholarships, and more. any schools that fits their goals
These are just a small sample of and have seen the same success
across the board.

General Population Crimson Student

University
Admission Rate Admission Rate

Cambridge 24.8% 64.7%

George Washington University 50.3% 72.3%

Tulane University 17% 73%

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 23% 56.3%

Boston University 22% 67.3%

University of Wisconsin - Madison 52% 81.6%

Syracuse University 50% 100%

University of Texas - Austin 39% 50.6%

Tufts University 15% 46.6%

Boston College 28% 72.3%

University of Southern California 13% 32%

University of Notre Dame 18% 36%

University of North Carolina 22% 88.7%

* This is inclusive of non-California residents, percentages for residents are typically higher.
Why
Crimson?
When working with Crimson, Our personalized
our approach is simple. We
help students gain admission support
to the best universities around We understand each student
the world by building is unique. Our methodology is
personalized and strategic focused on analyzing students’
roadmaps based on
goals, strengths and weaknesses
each student’s academic
to create a program that will
ambitions. We do so through
help them to achieve results to
hands-on mentoring and
one-on-one support every their best-fit universities.
step of the way.

Our 1:1 support is based on

three main points:

01
Discover your
educational goals

The most important thing to

PERSONALIZED remember is that the initial
SUPPORT conversation is a two way street!
While your academic advisor
is there to understand your
academic goals and aspirations,
you can ask as many questions
as you like in return!

Once the advisor has a

TOP SCHOOL good idea of details such as
MENTORS your age, current academic
situation and extracurricular
passions, they can then make
recommendations as to the
next steps in your Crimson
journey.

CUTTING-EDGE
RESOURCES
 When you’re happy with
your program decision,
You your journey to get
alone accepted at top schools
begins!

You with 03
Generate your unique

Crimson
game plan
At Crimson we do not
believe in the adage that
‘one size fits all’! In fact,
a personalized program
tailored to individual
strengths and weaknesses
is built for every single
Crimson student.

Once your advisor gains

understanding of your

02 academic and
extracurricular background,
they will make
Identify your strengths and weaknesses
recommendations on the
Now that we’ve discussed your goals and next steps in your Crimson
aspirations, it’s time to evaluate your odds journey and create a
of admission to your university choices. custom-built program that
fits your needs and
Based on your profile, your academic aspirations. Each Crimson
advisor will put together a personalized student’s journey looks
program tailored to your individual vastly different.
strengths and weaknesses.
Our Services

Admissions Standardized
Strategy Test Tutoring
Create a plan and strategy for Prepare for tests like the SAT,
admissions success with a ACT, SAT IIs, and other curriculum
polished, compelling like AP/IB with a tutoring plan
application showcasing the personalized to you and the tests
best version of yourself. you are taking.

Essay Extracurricular
Support Mentoring
Write essays that stand out to Receive guidance on which
admissions officers. We support extracurricular activities &
and challenge students as they competitions to join and how
structure, develop and write highly- to stand out.
engaging essays in their own voice
with a focused narrative.
 Leadership Athletic Scholarship
Mentoring Support
Develop and scale your own Connect with head coaches,
passion project to help you create highlight videos, and
showcase leadership skills. receive advice from former
Examples have included mobile student-athletes.
apps, nonprofits, and more.

University Internships
Selection & Research
Strategically decide your Work with expert career
reach, match and safety advisors on internship
colleges to fit your interests placement and study with
and academic ability. researchers at top universities
with the Crimson Research
Institute.
Top school mentors
We pride ourselves on the
quality and discipline of
our advisors and tutors.
They are handpicked for
their excellent academic
achievements and
commitment to student
success. The Crimson
network is expansive with
more than 2,400 global
tutors and mentors with
proven results.
Examples of Crimson’s mentors:

MEGAN S.
Megan is one of Crimson’s most respected
strategists, providing guidance to US-bound
applicants based around the globe. She has a
BA in History and African American Studies from
Princeton University and a Masters in Education
from Columbia.

GEORGE B.
George received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard
and has helped dozens of Crimson students gain
admission into many top US and UK universities,
including Oxford and Cambridge.

BOB F.
Bob earned a Bachelor of Science, Cellular
and Molecular Biology from Michigan. He’s
responsible for leading the strategy team and
has delivered results to more than 200+
students working with Crimson.

CAROLINA L.
Carolina graduated from Duke University with
a double major in Psychology and French and
a Minor in Education. She has worked with
over 300 students individually and has led
workshops to another 400. Her students have
been accepted to Ivy League schools, Stanford
and her alma mater, Duke.
Cutting-edge
resources
Crimson offers high-technology resources to help our
students to get to their next level.

Crimson App Crimson Calculators

Crimson App is an online The Crimson Calculators
learning management platform, provides you with access
connecting you directly with your to find the US or UK
tutors, mentors and strategists. university that best suits
Students book sessions, organize you. Enter your SAT score
application sections, and can and other details into these
view a customized roadmap of calculators to generate a list
upcoming tasks. of recommended universities
that are the best fit for you.
Crimson ECL Personality Test
Search through thousands We utilize psychometrics to
of extracurricular pair each student with a team
opportunities from top that is optimized to their
companies around the interests and learning style!
world, and students looking Our test was developed from
for participants in one of the most well-known
leadership initiatives, all data scientists in the world,
curated by our experts. Galen Buckwalter.
CRIMSONEDUCATION.ORG