tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16579934.post1910513596783871500..comments2024-03-18T21:16:20.987+08:00Comments on Think Positive: Singapore students pay for help to apply to top universitiesGuanyuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622336318754833240noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16579934.post-12574968968476330392014-11-07T14:02:51.641+08:002014-11-07T14:02:51.641+08:00Singapore students pay for help to apply to top un...Singapore students pay for help to apply to top universities<br /><br />Consultants prepare them to gain an edge in tough admissions process<br /> <br />Amelia Teng<br />07 November 2014<br /><br />As competition for places in top universities such as Harvard and Oxford gets more intense, hopeful applicants are turning to consulting firms to gain an edge.<br /><br />Six such companies here told The Straits Times that demand has been rising as much as three times in recent years.<br /><br />Most students pay $3,500 to $5,000 for their services, which include consultations with counsellors on which school to select, how to craft essays and brush up on interview skills.<br /><br />In the last admissions cycle, Stanford University received over 42,000 applications but had space for just 1,700. Its admission rate was just under 5 per cent.<br /><br />Harvard and Yale took in about 6 per cent of applicants, Princeton about 7 per cent and Massachusetts Institute of Technology about 8 per cent.<br /><br />IvyPrep co-founder Alvin Foo has seen a steady increase in demand for his firm’s services in the last two years.<br /><br />The cost of its packages range from $1,250 for those trying for British universities to $6,250 for those applying to the top five American universities.<br /><br />He said students from top junior colleges here seek help as their schools may not be able to give as much personal attention when it comes to applying for university.<br /><br />Mr Jason Lum, president of US-based ScholarEdge College Consulting, said Singaporeans and Chinese nationals make up most of his international clients.<br /><br />In the last five years, he has seen a three-fold rise in Singaporean clients, many of whom are seeking a place in Ivy League institutions or other reputable ones like University of California, Berkeley, and Duke University.<br /><br />He is now working with more than 25 Singaporean students, many of whom come from the Raffles schools.<br /><br />Ms Natsuko Tohyama, a senior consultant at Aureus Consulting, said there has been 20 per cent more Singaporeans signing up with the company.<br /><br />They are advised to apply to “a mix of dream, possible and safety schools so they get placed in at least a couple of schools they’d be happy at”, she said.<br /><br />Mr Stanley Chia, co-founder of home-grown educational consultancy Cialfo, said there has been a 60 to 80 per cent increase in demand over the last two years.<br /><br />Mr Seah Ying Cong, 21, a first-year computer science and statistics student at Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, paid for three months of consultation in 2012.<br /><br />“The mentors played an instrumental role in shaping my application,” said the former Hwa Chong Institution student. “For instance, my first and last drafts of my essays were starkly different.”<br /><br />Another client, 21-year-old Patrick Yeo who is now a first-year law student at Oxford, paid about $1,000 for Cialfo’s services.<br /><br />“I needed some help in the interview process,” said the former Anglo Chinese School (Independent) student. “Being in National Service for two years, I felt I wasn’t as sharp when discussing academic topics as I once was.”<br /><br />Cialfo’s Mr Chia said applying to overseas institutions can get “complicated” because of different deadlines and requirements.<br /><br />The essay is “very important” for US colleges, as they want to gauge personal attributes.<br /><br />“For Britain, it’s more about your subject or career interests and achievements, and the interviews are key in the process,” he added.<br /><br />Cialfo’s other co-founder, Mr Rohan Pasari, said some parents have asked if their consultants could help write their children’s essays or embellish their achievements.<br /><br />“We tell them that’s not the way to go and we are not encouraging any fake profiling.”<br /><br />Cialfo is starting an online platform with a minimal fee to help students manage their applications. “We want to also help students who can’t afford the consulting services,” Mr Pasari added.<br />Guanyuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622336318754833240noreply@blogger.com