Whether you want to attend a classic liberal arts college, a large research university, or something in-between, the best assistance for admissions process is personal. Graduate programs (MBA, PhD, MFA) are in some ways even more of a personal decision, given their comparatively smaller size and degree of specialization. I’m here to help make sure you get the best match: academically, personally, professionally.
Undergraduate Admissions
The college application process is a long and complicated one, and students that begin thinking about it actively and regularly in 10th and 11th grade have much more time to make it perfect than students who begin the summer before they start 12th grade. Because of this, I strongly recommend beginning to work on the components of an application earlier than you might expect. Each year, I have some students who begin in 10th grade, 11th grade, and those who begin in the months preceding the application deadlines (the summer before 12th grade, and early fall). The earlier you start, the more thorough our preparation will be. Included services are:
- Comprehensive college application planning: extracurriculars, volunteering, internships, student employment, summer academic experiences, TOEFL/IELTS advising, SAT/ACT/SAT II
- Admission and Financial Aid form guidance, review, and feedback
- School selection
- Writing instruction, personal essay guidance, supplement essay review and feedback
- Art and other supplement materials guidance
- Transfer applications
- Letters of Recommendation guidance
- Interview preparation, and resume/CV revision
That said, time is a major factor. If you are looking to set yourself apart from other students, it is often a summer job, internship, or independent project that will do this. These are most commonly done the summer before senior year, but require applications, a completed resume, and program selection – meaning we need several months to plan. When we begin in your 10th grade (or early in 11th grade) it gives us more opportunities to make sure everything is perfect, arrange a study schedule that will give you the best possible results, and work on the above components in an unhurried [and therefore stess-free] fashion.
Graduate Admissions
Students interested in applying to US graduate programs have their own timeline to follow and requirements to meet. Entrance requirements vary depending on the program (MBA, PhD and MFA being the most popular for Vietnamese students), and different degrees require different entrance examinations.
- Comprehensive admissions planning: résumé development, internship placement assistance, TOEFL/IELTS advising, graduate exam study planning
- Admissions form guidance, review, and feedback
- School selection
- Writing instruction, personal & research statement guidance, review and feedback
- Supplement materials guidance
- Grant funding and scholarship applications, when applicable
- Letters of Recommendation guidance
- Interview preparation, and resume/CV revision
I recommend beginning the process of applying to graduate programs 10-12 months before the first application deadline, which is usually in October. This gives us time to work on résumé-building and to create a study schedule that will give you the strongest exam score possible. Though we can get all of the requirements done in just a few months, applications done methodically are always more polished and professional.