10 Mistakes International Applicants Frequently Make When Applying to U.S. Schools

David Mainiero's college admissions blog post for AdmitSee walks students through ten very common mistakes made by international applicants who are applying to U.S. colleges and graduate schools. 

Many of these mistakes can be chalked up to stark differences in educational culture. In East Asia, these differences are particularly pronounced. The emphasis on standardized testing and rote memorization there, as well as a results-oriented view of education, makes for a steeper learning curve for families seeking to send their children abroad. 

Below is a deeper look into the first cautionary tip from David's post: 

To many people, the idea of holistic admissions evaluations run counter to everything they previously thought they understood about meritocracy. “Shouldn’t I get in if I have 30 points higher on my SAT than my classmate?” they ask. Partially as a result of the pervasiveness of the test preparation industry, students all over the world are conditioned to focus zealously for their standardized tests. This is the right impulse, but our former admissions officers see it taken too far in almost 75% of international cases.

International students need to at least as much, if not more, time to developing application materials than they do to test preparation over the course of their candidacy. This doesn’t mean that international should spend three years writing their essays. However, it means that they need to be actively cultivating relationships with potential recommenders, strategically deepening their involvement in activities about which they are truly passionate, and working through a whole host of other application issues that are frequently overlooked by students all over the world.

International students who are required to take English literacy tests like the TOEFL or IELTS need to understand what those tests are used for, and how they are evaluated in conjunction with other data points (SAT Writing, Critical Reading, grades in English courses, writing quality of application) to make judgments about a student’s ability to succeed in an all-English learning environment. At a certain very clear point, usually slightly above a school’s TOEFL/IELTS minimum, there are hugely diminishing returns to trying to improve that score.

Remember, Harvard rejects plenty of applicants with perfect scores every year. Standardized test scores are just going to get your foot in the door, but they aren’t going to be what closes it behind you.

InGenius Prep Anchors in New Haven

Check out this great article about the founding of InGenius Prep and its relationship with the local community in New Haven from the folks over at the New Haven Independent.

InGenius Prep is eager to make connections with local high schools and colleges to help them develop their advising curricula for students on a non-profit basis.

What to Know About The Coalition Application for College

Joel Butterly, CEO of InGenius Prep, recently gave a presentation in Nanjing clearing up confusion about the Coalition App and comparing it to the Common Application, with which more applicants are obviously more familiar.

The Coalition App has caused quite a stir with parents and students clamoring to know what it's all about and figure out if they are missing anything. To make a long story short, the answer is: no, you aren't missing anything if you don't know anything about the Coalition App.

To read more about my thoughts on the Coalition's entry into the fray of college application alternatives, check out my quotes in the Harvard Crimson's recent article about it.

Finishing Your Supplemental College Essays Before the Deadline

For those of you who are worrying about how you are possibly going to finish all of those supplemental essays for college applications due in the next couple of weeks, read about InGenius Prep's approach to researching and adapting your experiences and interests to those of the schools you are applying to. Part of this reflective process might even make you question why you are applying to a particular school, or better yet, help you find schools that you wouldn't have otherwise have known might be a good fit for you.

At InGenius Prep, a team of dozens of former admissions officers from all of the most selective schools in the country have collaborated on strategies to succeed in your college applications. You can work with them one-on-one or with the third helping hand of InGenius's Graduate Coaches.

Learn more about the InGenius approach through David Mainiero's advice on supplemental essays posted by our friends at AdmitSee.

What to Do After a Bad LSAT Score

Bouncing back from bad news about your LSAT score can be psychologically difficult. However, the first and foremost thing to do is to put the past behind you and start to focus on what you can control and what you can change in the future. In many cases, that does not mean starting to study for the LSAT again to retake it. And, even if it does, you need to make absolutely sure that you aren't repeating the same mistakes in your approach to test preparation.

Hear David go through a mock interview with Yosepha, who is posing as an aspiring law student who just received word that she scored lower on the LSAT than she had anticipated:



Make sure that you have thought carefully and strategically about the application process, and are making the right decision with respect to your test preparation and test-taking strategy.

Check out one of InGenius Prep's complimentary law school webinars for more in-depth strategy information or check out its YouTube videos of law school admissions tips.

For a list of median score information for ten of the top law schools.

Choosing the Top LLM Programs

Given that there is no authoritative list of top LLM programs, students are often lost when they are at the stage of determining what the best law schools to suit their career goals are. Granted, the US News & World Report rankings for any type of school are deeply flawed. But, they at least provide students with a place to begin their research and guide their understanding of schools and programs with which they otherwise might not have been familiar.

Students needs to avoid thinking about the most prestigious or elite schools, and think about what schools will best help propel them in their careers as internationally educated lawyers. Careful research and planning are crucial, and talking to current JD and LLM students or recent graduates can be immensely helpful in that process.



Check out the InGenius Prep blog for more tips on LLM admissions or the InGenius Prep YouTube page.

Attacking the GMAT

Make a plan and stick to that plan. You need to plan properly in order to succeed on this test, especially given the likelihood that you will be working full time in the period in which you are studying. You don't need to have spectacular math skills or a particularly high IQ to master this test. It's about preparation and dedication. Make sure to make the GMAT a priority, and you will be pleased with the results.

Remember, the test is learnable. You're not brushing up on your general math skills; you're learning how to answer GMAT-specific questions. These are learnable question-types for which you can triage your approach to mastering algebra and geometry.

Punching Above Your School's Weight Class

One of the most common questions that law school candidates ask me is some variation of:

"How are schools going to evaluate my candidacy vis-a-vis students who come from more prestigious undergraduate institutions?"

Our advice is to not understand your situation as a limiting one. There are limitations, but they can be transcended with some effort. Essentially, you will need to find creative ways to validate your strong academic performance at your undergraduate institution. Read more about getting to a top law school from the law school admissions team at InGenius Prep.

From Staring to Starting

Check out my most recent post on the personal statement writing process on the InGenius Prep Brain Blog. This blog is geared toward those who are struggling to figure out a topic and a theme for their personal statement or supplementary essays. Getting started with that first draft is always one of the hardest obstacles to overcome in any type of writing, but it can be especially difficult when you are writing about yourself. Don't let expedience come at the expense of profundity. The admissions experts at InGenius Prep can help you to coherently and cogently articulate your experiences, interests, and passions in your application to convince the admissions committee that you are a compelling candidate deserving of a spot in their incoming class.

Check out InGenius Prep's New Vimeo Profile!

InGenius Prep launched a new Vimeo page today to host some of its video blogs and other high-quality video content for those interested in admissions. Hear what the cast of admissions experts.

Check out what our impressive roster of former admissions officers has to share about getting into the top colleges, law schools, medical schools, and business schools.

"Business" School - What Kind is Right for You?

Don’t Treat Business as a Monolithic Category

Co-authored by Janet, a former Assistant Dean of Admissions at Haas

One of the most important considerations for your B-school choice is your more specific interests in business, your specialization, or your concentration. For some reason, people seem to pay attention only to the “ranking” of a school; while there is some basis for doing so, it should never be the end of your inquiry into a particular school and how it might suit your interests and aspirations.

Just as certain colleges are much stronger and/or weaker in certain departments, so too are business schools stronger and/or weaker within particular focus areas. To add depth to your B-school selection process, it is important to consider the schools that are well known for their specialties. The following is a partial list created by U.S. News and World Report Rankings for the schools in 2013. (Note: these are not ranked in any particular order; they are merely categorized.)

Accounting

University of Texas-Austin

University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

Brigham Young University-Provo

Entrepreneurship

Babson College

University of Southern California

M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Finance

University of Pennsylvania

New York University

M.I.T.

International Business

University of South Carolina

New York University

University of Pennsylvania

University of Southern California

Supply Chain Management/Logistics

Michigan State University

M.I.T.

Arizona State University

Marketing

University of Pennsylvania

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

University of Texas-Austin

This is just a small sampling of schools, but it does give you some starting points as you begin the research process. When you graduate and take a position in the business world, you will be taking a position in--or in some case, studying for an advanced degree in-some specific type of business. Unless you’re involved in a very small business in which you are tasked with several areas of responsibilities, or unless you are an entrepreneur, you will likely specialize in something. In any case, it will be important to get a taste of each of these areas, and good business programs will certainly do that for you. However, if you know that you are dead set on entrepreneurship, or are particularly fascinated by complicated financing vehicles and products, you will want to make sure you are at a school that allows you to explore that to the fullest. This is important not only for your education while in school, but it is also incredibly important because of the alumni base of likeminded individuals who have walked this path before you and will be ready and willing to support you at the beginning of your career.

InGenius Prep Law School Admissions Counseling - the Smart Way to Get In!

The Law School Admissions process is incredibly rigorous. Not only do you need to have standout LSAT scores and a great GPA from a good school, but you also need to make sure your application accurately and optimally reflects your life experiences up through this point in order to convince the admissions readers that you are the right candidate for their incoming 1L class. Our team of former Deans, Directors, and Assistant Directors of Admission at all the top law schools, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Columbia, are standing by ready to help you achieve your dreams, no matter what school you are shooting for. We have the most talented and qualified counselors in the world, and can't wait to help you.

Getting into a great law school is more important than ever with a dwindling job market, but we're here to help!

A Response to Racial Claims About Admissions

This article was originally posted on the InGenius Prep Brain Blog in response to Professor Tim Groseclose's claims about California public universities knowingly violating state laws prohibiting affirmative action:

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While Professor Tim Groseclose is probably onto something by stating that public universities in California and elsewhere are violating a state law that prohibits affirmative action on the basis of racial difference, what he is articulating is more obvious and much less invidious than his data and inside experience reveals. The basic idea behind the most recent and most prominent constitutional challenges to affirmative action policies (challenges to schools like the University of Michigan and University of Michigan Law School’s holistic and “plus factor” admissions processes) is that race can be considered as part of a holistic review of a potential candidate because it serves a compelling governmental interest. While the Supreme Courts’ advocates of affirmative action policies are split on what exactly that compelling interest is (diversity? cross-racial understanding? access to paths of leadership?), it’s pretty clear that holistic review that includes race is at least constitutionally acceptable.

The state law in question here, like the Michigan amendment that was recently challenged, is the opposite situation. In these cases, the Supreme Court has held that it is constitutional for a state to express the policy prerogative that affirmative action should be prohibited in its public universities. I’m not familiar with Groseclose’s political preference on affirmative action and I’m not taking a stance on the issue myself in this article, but the data that Groseclose posts on his website and that is available elsewhere is pretty compelling that there is an empirically proven trend in these “holistic reviews” that tend to discriminate against or in favor of particular groups. For instance, Asian-Americans seem to be capped at a certain level at many schools at a certain “quota.” And, as Groseclose claims, black students are “illegally” (to use his words) given a boost in the admissions process. Several of former admissions officers at InGenius Prep have denied that this sort of “lying” (as Groseclose calls it) goes on, but acknowledge that the data reveals a discernible, yet not so surprising trend. Moreover, although I don’t have personal experience in an admissions office, in any kind of holistic review I’ve ever engaged in, there have been certain factors that I have privileged to the prejudice of others, so this isn’t necessarily “lying” in my mind.

Of course, this type of quota has been ruled unconstitutional since the Supreme Court’s decision in Bakke, but it seems to still happen in practice. This is the kind of tongue-in-cheek “not affirmative action,” but really affirmative action that Groseclose is trying to reveal. For most people familiar with the law on this issue, the fact that holistic review can often skew heavily in the direction of certain factors like race is a foregone conclusion; it’s like saying politics is heavily influenced by campaign funds and political contributions. Then again, some of the world’s most prominent scholars–such as Harvard Law School’s Larry Lessig–tackle this seemingly obvious subject, so maybe it’s not quite as obvious as I’m assuming.

The moral of the story for applicants here is to understand that holistic review is generally the norm, at least on a de facto basis, regardless of what state you are in or what state the school you are applying to is in. The admissions experts at InGenius Prep know how to make you stand out in such a holistic review, no matter your creed, color, interests, preferences, or background.

New Video from InGenius Prep

Check out our new animated video explaining the InGenius edge in less than two minutes:



Visit InGenius Prep.com to find out about all of the InGenius Deans that can help you achieve your dreams.

Law School Interview Preparation with InGenius Prep

When you sign up for the InGenius Prep Platinum interview package, here is what will happen:

Within about 24 hours - usually much quicker than that - you will be contacted by your Graduate Coach - a current student or recent graduate of a top law school and, usually, if you indicated it to us, your preferred law school or the law school whose interview you are preparing for. Right off the bat, you will schedule times for your 3 mock interviews: 2 with your Graduate Coach and 1 total dress rehearsal one with a seasoned former admissions officer with extensive interview experience - again, usually from the school whose interview you are preparing for.

If you haven’t already sent us whatever application materials you have, your personal counseling team will gather it from you now so they can prepare to ask you specific questions based on your application. Of course, throughout your package, you’ll have full e-mail support from your counseling team.

Your mock interviews will run as follows: You will meet by video chat - or phone, if that is preferred - and the Graduate Coach will give you an opportunity to ask any initial questions before the interview begins. The mock interview will last 15 minutes - the approximate length of actual law school interviews - in which the Graduate Coach will ask you the sorts of questions you will likely get on your actual interview. The entire interview will be recorded for your reference. After the interview, the Graduate Coach will give you detailed and constructive feedback - on everything from the content of your answers to your tone, style, and body language.  A second interview - conducted after some time for reflection or immediately  - will help you improve upon your initial interview ...practice makes perfect. It, too, will be followed by a second round of constructive feedback

After your two mock interviews and feedback discussions with your Graduate Coach, you are ready for the big leagues... to meet with the former admissions officer who him or herself conducted the admissions interviews just a couple years ago. The interview will be followed by constructive feedback from the admissions officer, who will also give you a crucial insider perspective on exactly what the admissions interviewers look for and how exactly you can deliver just that in your interview.

After your interviews, you will feel a heightened sense of confidence and preparedness. You will have a better sense of what the law school interviewer is looking to hear and a better sense of how to present yourself. You’ll be ready to ace your interview!

Kwasi Enin - Into All Ivy League Colleges

The story of Kwasi Enin clearly demonstrates that a compelling story combined with great grades, test scores, and experiences can catapult an applicant to the next level in admissions. While his story has attracted significant national attention, many people can't seem to get over the fact that people with better scores and grades didn't get into the schools Kwasi was able to get into. Some people have injected race into the equation, but the reality is probably that Kwasi painstakingly developed a compelling application persona and executed it to perfection. This is exactly the type of edge that careful application planning can offer students, and the type of edge that InGenius Prep routinely offers its students. 

You can read more about Kwasi and his eight Ivy League acceptances in a recent USA Today article. Congratulations, Kwasi, and best of luck at Yale.

Applying Emotions to Applications | The Harvard Crimson Admissions Blog

Applying Emotions to Applications | The Harvard Crimson Admissions Blog

Check out our most recent post on the Harvard Crimson Admissions Blog chronicling the emotional reactions of various InGenius Prep former admissions officers like Jean Webb!

Below, you'll find some commentary from Noah Greenfield, the co-founder of InGenius Prep about the sentiments shared by our former admissions officers in the Crimson article and how this was part of the impetus for him founding the company:

I was involved in making decisions for summer programs at Columbia and Yale. What was surprising to me was just how easy the decision making process was. The good applications were just so good - everyone who got into these competitive programs (from about 250 applications for 20 spots each) stood out far above most of their peers. It was only when some students contacted me after they were not accepted and asked me to help them understand what they might improve that I realized that a good number of those rejected students had the exact same numbers, extra-curriculars and experiences, etc., that the WOW students had. But, the difference to me was that they couldn't figure out how to communicate it to us in a WOW fashion. We might have taken a closer look if they had, but why would we bother when a) we were busy with other aspects of the program b) the great students were so compelling they were no-brainers?

The idea of the people behind these applications being probably equally qualified, but having less polished application materials made me uncomfortable for a long time. It would really keep me up at night that I seemed to be making such snap judgments based on such a small sample size of information. What I take solace in, though, is that a lot of that polish reflects the “extra mile” that students can go to in order to make sure their application truly stands out as a WOW application instead of one that just has like many others status upon review. I also realized pretty quickly that this phenomenon isn’t unique to the admissions process. It’s prevalent in job applications, almost any competitive or selective process in the world, and almost any important decisions that a businessperson or professional makes. Decisions are always made on sub-optimal information and often with limited resources and time, so preparation, persistence, and presentation are just as important as performance.

Great Article about InGenius Prep in the Yale Daily News

Check out this great article about the founding of InGenius Prep by Rachel Siegel in the Yale Daily News.

Rachel discusses InGenius's partnerships with Teach for America and other non-profit organizations as well as its core business model.

The InGenius mission of increasing access to higher education by placing affordable admissions consulting on the same plane as test prep (and thus, the same prevalence) is well articulated in this article.

Hear E.K. Tell You About InGenius Prep's Essay Editing Services

E.K. got into his top choice (and only choice) program - a selective school within his college that was available to the most qualified members of the junior class. He signed up for the Gold Essay Editing Package after hearing of InGenius Prep on the web when he decided he could use some help to polish his essays before submitting. Hear directly from him about the process of working with InGenius and his counselor who attends Harvard Law School:

That's the InGenius advantage summarized perfectly by one of our clients. Keep in mind, this is InGenius Prep's most affordable, and most limited services, and it still both drastically outdoes and underprices any competitive service.

Within 18 hours, E.K. got back his essay with almost a hundred redline edits and 20 or so general comments as well as an instruction template for how to move his essay to the next level. You can see what a sample essay would look like after an InGenius counselor brings his or her expertise to bear on it working closely with the student here.

Another sample essay after it got the InGenius Gold Essay Editing treatment can be seen in completely redacted form below:

Redacted Sample Essay - Gold Essay Editing Package Sample from David Mainiero on Vimeo.

Handling Disciplinary Addendums in Law School (and Other) Applications

If you're applying to college, law school, medical school, business school, or really any school/job and have to write an explanatory addendum about a disciplinary sanction against you, this article and video editing example might be helpful.

In the video, I will take you through a successful top law school applicant's near-final draft of her disciplinary addendum about an alcohol-related violation. You can find other similar advice on my other admissions tips site and the InGenius Brain Blog.