The Admission Algorithm

Counseling Philosophy

“They might help your student get in. I’ll help them get through.”

Regular educational counselors will help your student put their best foot forward to increase their chances of being admitted to colleges. The focus is getting them in. But after they start, your student may find their STEM program too intense, uninteresting, or full of classmates they don’t relate to. This is why aspiring STEM majors really benefit from a counselor and mentor who knows STEM programs, schools, and students. I will help your student find their best-fit schools and programs.

Engineers know how to optimize things

Although most things in the real world can’t be modeled by the simple functions we learn in calculus class, the optimization approach engineers take is largely the same: we maximize or minimize a goal or objective function subject to the constraints of the customer or project. Therefore, the first thing I do is make sure I understand the goals and constraints of your student and family. Then I can get to work on creating each student’s customized Admission Algorithm. It all starts with getting to know your student and family.

Selecting the right major

My next task is to help your student settle on their best-fit major. I employ assessments and connect my students to real professionals in my network so they can learn first-hand what it’s like to work as a Civil Engineer, Molecular Biologist, or whatever STEM professions they’re contemplating. Making sure a student is pursuing the right major is critically important. Studies have indicated that 35% of STEM students switch majors while in college. Some degree of major changing is healthy, as some students’ interests will change as they’re exposed to more choices, peers, and instructors in college. However, students usually change majors because they find the coursework too difficult or uninteresting. This can be costly in time and money. The reality is, very few high schoolers know what they’re really signing up for when they initially choose a major or preference on their college applications. Freshman year in most STEM programs is mostly general coursework, leaving rising sophomores still unclear on what their major and associated careers will really be like. This is why I take the time to make sure my students gain the information and insight to select their major from a position of knowledge.

Admission is only a milestone on the road to the real goal

Gaining admission to college is a milestone within a lifelong learning process. The college application process is a perfect opportunity for students to reflect and really learn about themselves. Self-reflection is one of the primary things colleges want to see in your student’s application essays and short prompt answers. What do you want from college? What do you value most? Why are you applying there? What have your experiences taught you?

Choosing a school because of a prestigious brand name or choosing a field of study because of a high starting salary are recipes for unhappiness. For some time now, research has shown that the college one attended matters little for career success or satisfaction. I’ve been in the STEM education system and workforce long enough to know that the real goal for prospective college applicants should not be getting in, but getting through, which to me means completing college with:

a valuable degree that opens doors
one’s mental and physical health intact
a manageable, non-crippling debt load

Getting through, not just getting in, is the end goal I keep in mind for my students as I advise them on selecting the best-fit STEM major and college list for their goals and constraints.

Building a distinguished application

The United States is blessed with hundreds of very fine colleges and universities with STEM programs to match any interest. MIT or Caltech are best-fit schools for only a select few students. There’s absolutely no shame in not being a great fit for the MIT or Caltech undergraduate experience. I was a graduate student at Caltech for 5 years. I taught and interacted with many undergraduates. A large fraction of them were, as it turns out, not very happy with their lives or choice of school. Basically, the academics were just too much for them. They could do well enough in their courses but didn’t have time for much else, including enough sleep. If your student has a shot at getting admitted to an Ivy League or other highly selective college and earnestly believes they will be happy there, I will help them build the most compelling case for admission they can. The earlier you start working with me, the more I can do to improve their chance of acceptance.

One of my specialties is mentoring High School students with their science fair or STEM competition projects or other independent research endeavors. These experiences can and should be included in their personal essays. This experience further distinguishes my research students among the applicant pool as among the most well-prepared and motivated STEM-major candidates.

My goal for every session

I strive to leave every client family and student better off than they were at the beginning of the session. The college application process can be stressful and relationship-damaging for families. By working with me, families not only ensure their student’s application strategy and materials will be top-notch, they also reduce their stress levels and preserve (or restore) peace in their households.

My role is that of advisor, teacher, mentor, and counselor. Advice is a recommendation of what course of action someone else could or should take. In the end, I can’t and won’t try to make you or your student do anything you don’t want to do, and all ultimate decisions are yours. And while I can’t guarantee that your student will be admitted to a particular school or program, I can promise that their applications will be stronger, my recommended set of target colleges will increase the likelihood of a successful outcome (as defined by you), their essays will be compelling and memorable to admissions personnel, and their time-management skills will be improved.

info@admissionalgorithm.com