Anonymous wrote:drink when he says non-trivial!

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Anonymous wrote:my kids are at a private school in nyc w no APs and it hurts kids 0%. we have unhooked kids who go to top 5 schools. we have dozens who go to T10 schools.

he belongs to this group of consultants who thinks everyone should apply early but not to a SCEA school (HYP) unless hooked. I know this type. they really push their clients to lock up a UChicago or Northwestern. It''s good advice - but in a "dont dream too big" way.

I agree with the advice to not apply early HYPS unless you are hooked. But that does not mean I would encourage a kid to ED somewhere. you’re right — a lot of consultants do that. We called Solomon etc for DD whose dream school was MIT. They said to aim lower. We lays thanks but no thanks — she was admitted to MIT. And FTR, she applied to Stanford REA unhooked and was rejected — so that’s why I agree with the advice to not REA/SCEA unless hooked.

This is really helpful, PP. wWould you name some other shops did you talk to besides Solomon? There’s so little transparency in this space, and it helps to know what to expect.

And congrats to your daughter!

Thanks! We spoke to Bright Horizons but weren’t too impressed by the person we spoke to. Also the NY Post guy — Command Education. He was the smartest of them all but the most expensive. We could not afford him. So we relied on the usual podcasts and a couple of books. I actually think Soundbite might have been good but we got sidetracked. Luckily it didn’t matter.

How much was command? Hearing a lot about them lately.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my kids are at a private school in nyc w no APs and it hurts kids 0%. we have unhooked kids who go to top 5 schools. we have dozens who go to T10 schools.

he belongs to this group of consultants who thinks everyone should apply early but not to a SCEA school (HYP) unless hooked. I know this type. they really push their clients to lock up a UChicago or Northwestern. It''s good advice - but in a "dont dream too big" way.

I agree with the advice to not apply early HYPS unless you are hooked. But that does not mean I would encourage a kid to ED somewhere. you’re right — a lot of consultants do that. We called Solomon etc for DD whose dream school was MIT. They said to aim lower. We lays thanks but no thanks — she was admitted to MIT. And FTR, she applied to Stanford REA unhooked and was rejected — so that’s why I agree with the advice to not REA/SCEA unless hooked.

This is really helpful, PP. wWould you name some other shops did you talk to besides Solomon? There’s so little transparency in this space, and it helps to know what to expect.

And congrats to your daughter!

Thanks! We spoke to Bright Horizons but weren’t too impressed by the person we spoke to. Also the NY Post guy — Command Education. He was the smartest of them all but the most expensive. We could not afford him. So we relied on the usual podcasts and a couple of books. I actually think Soundbite might have been good but we got sidetracked. Luckily it didn’t matter.

Anonymous wrote:You can really do this all yourself IF you have the time. But a consultant would let someone else handle the schedule, and preserve your relationship with your kid. My kid had too much going on, and we certainly had our moments.

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Anonymous wrote:I kinda adore YCBK. It comes out enough and is so bonkers long that I can skip a ton of it (I completely skip some cohosts) and still get a lot out of it.

He did an episode last year with Vince that was a post mortem on the admissions cycle that I enjoyed so much I had my kid listen to it. It really helped to show him that, beyond what he could do for his own application, there were forces outside his control. You gotta do your best and then, let the chips just fall. It's not personal. It's a complicate and evolving landscape. I think they're doing that again.

PS I worry Mark has given up on his weight loss, which is too bad. It was another thing I skipped over, but I like Mark and wish him well. Take the GLP1s, Mark!

I want Mark to take GLP1s as well. Dedicated listener that has a lot of affection for Mark.

I haven't been listening as regularly as I have in the past, but I was wondering how his weight loss was going, too. I hope he takes the GLP1s, too. He seems like such a good guy. I don't think the primary reason he does the podcast is to market his business. He spends an incredible amount of time on these podcasts. It's obvious that it is his passion, and he is happy to help people. I don't know how he hasn't burnt out.

Former client here and be aware he's a podcaster not an effective counselor. He was unprofessional, didn't remember what was covered in the last meeting, and my kid had to schedule meetings because Mark is too busy to keep up with clients. When he says he's not tech savvy on the podcast you should believe him. More than once someone else would show up in the Zoom because he doesn't know how to use a waiting room. It's not amusing when you pay for his time. Love the podcast but the man is a disappointment.

+1

I had similar experiences as a client. I would avoid.

Are you both referring to Mark from YCBK or the guy from The Game?

Omg - the dude from The Game with the vocal fry - dropped a new episode….its been 6 months.

Has anyone listened to it?

New episode tearing apart Yale and Stanford apps dropped.

I can’t find a transcript yet? Anyone have a link

Why? You don’t want to listen to the 4 hour and 15 minute episode? Lol!

I thought you were joking. What fresh hell is this?

If he wasn’t such a word salad, he could cut it to 1 hour.

He loves to hear himself talk. The arrogance is a little barfy. A shame because some of his advice is good. (Though some is just fear mongering to get people to sign up).

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Anonymous wrote:I kinda adore YCBK. It comes out enough and is so bonkers long that I can skip a ton of it (I completely skip some cohosts) and still get a lot out of it.

He did an episode last year with Vince that was a post mortem on the admissions cycle that I enjoyed so much I had my kid listen to it. It really helped to show him that, beyond what he could do for his own application, there were forces outside his control. You gotta do your best and then, let the chips just fall. It's not personal. It's a complicate and evolving landscape. I think they're doing that again.

PS I worry Mark has given up on his weight loss, which is too bad. It was another thing I skipped over, but I like Mark and wish him well. Take the GLP1s, Mark!

I want Mark to take GLP1s as well. Dedicated listener that has a lot of affection for Mark.

I haven't been listening as regularly as I have in the past, but I was wondering how his weight loss was going, too. I hope he takes the GLP1s, too. He seems like such a good guy. I don't think the primary reason he does the podcast is to market his business. He spends an incredible amount of time on these podcasts. It's obvious that it is his passion, and he is happy to help people. I don't know how he hasn't burnt out.

Former client here and be aware he's a podcaster not an effective counselor. He was unprofessional, didn't remember what was covered in the last meeting, and my kid had to schedule meetings because Mark is too busy to keep up with clients. When he says he's not tech savvy on the podcast you should believe him. More than once someone else would show up in the Zoom because he doesn't know how to use a waiting room. It's not amusing when you pay for his time. Love the podcast but the man is a disappointment.

+1

I had similar experiences as a client. I would avoid.

Are you both referring to Mark from YCBK or the guy from The Game?

Omg - the dude from The Game with the vocal fry - dropped a new episode….its been 6 months.

Has anyone listened to it?

New episode tearing apart Yale and Stanford apps dropped.

I can’t find a transcript yet? Anyone have a link

Why? You don’t want to listen to the 4 hour and 15 minute episode? Lol!

Omg listening to it.

Fascinating how his advice differs from others.

1. He says to report all 4s on all APs always.
2. He totally uses the additional information section to create organized, categorized list of extra awards or activities.
3. He hates emotional or personalized activities descriptions. He mocked the example application as being cheesy or trying too hard to be funny. He wants it to be factual, only driven only by impact. That seems to differ from a lot of people who seem to suggest you personalize it?

Overall, I thought he had great advice on how to tailor and change the candidate’s application narrative or admissions hook towards one around East Asian languages and cultures; music and East Asian studies. Makes a lot more sense and seems right for that kid in a better path for public school valedictorian, who is Asian.

He had some good analogies about how AOs are like coin collectors, or stamp collectors. They always want what they don’t have. The key is making your candidacy look unique, special or one-of-a-kind. Niche is always better.

He says report all 4s. Sara on AN says do NOT report 4s, unless the 4 is not related to your major and you are submitting a lot of 5s as well. Sara bases her approach on being on the admissions team at Penn and seeing people rejected for submitting 4s. Has this guy ever worked as an admissions officer? We have no idea what to submit since DC has all 4s and only one 5. Not applying to top 10s, but applying to schools like UVA, UCLA, USC, Michigan, etc.

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Anonymous wrote:I kinda adore YCBK. It comes out enough and is so bonkers long that I can skip a ton of it (I completely skip some cohosts) and still get a lot out of it.

He did an episode last year with Vince that was a post mortem on the admissions cycle that I enjoyed so much I had my kid listen to it. It really helped to show him that, beyond what he could do for his own application, there were forces outside his control. You gotta do your best and then, let the chips just fall. It's not personal. It's a complicate and evolving landscape. I think they're doing that again.

PS I worry Mark has given up on his weight loss, which is too bad. It was another thing I skipped over, but I like Mark and wish him well. Take the GLP1s, Mark!

I want Mark to take GLP1s as well. Dedicated listener that has a lot of affection for Mark.

I haven't been listening as regularly as I have in the past, but I was wondering how his weight loss was going, too. I hope he takes the GLP1s, too. He seems like such a good guy. I don't think the primary reason he does the podcast is to market his business. He spends an incredible amount of time on these podcasts. It's obvious that it is his passion, and he is happy to help people. I don't know how he hasn't burnt out.

Former client here and be aware he's a podcaster not an effective counselor. He was unprofessional, didn't remember what was covered in the last meeting, and my kid had to schedule meetings because Mark is too busy to keep up with clients. When he says he's not tech savvy on the podcast you should believe him. More than once someone else would show up in the Zoom because he doesn't know how to use a waiting room. It's not amusing when you pay for his time. Love the podcast but the man is a disappointment.

+1

I had similar experiences as a client. I would avoid.

Are you both referring to Mark from YCBK or the guy from The Game?

Omg - the dude from The Game with the vocal fry - dropped a new episode….its been 6 months.

Has anyone listened to it?

New episode tearing apart Yale and Stanford apps dropped.

I can’t find a transcript yet? Anyone have a link

Why? You don’t want to listen to the 4 hour and 15 minute episode? Lol!

I thought you were joking. What fresh hell is this?

If he wasn’t such a word salad, he could cut it to 1 hour.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my kids are at a private school in nyc w no APs and it hurts kids 0%. we have unhooked kids who go to top 5 schools. we have dozens who go to T10 schools.

he belongs to this group of consultants who thinks everyone should apply early but not to a SCEA school (HYP) unless hooked. I know this type. they really push their clients to lock up a UChicago or Northwestern. It''s good advice - but in a "dont dream too big" way.

I agree with the advice to not apply early HYPS unless you are hooked. But that does not mean I would encourage a kid to ED somewhere. you’re right — a lot of consultants do that. We called Solomon etc for DD whose dream school was MIT. They said to aim lower. We lays thanks but no thanks — she was admitted to MIT. And FTR, she applied to Stanford REA unhooked and was rejected — so that’s why I agree with the advice to not REA/SCEA unless hooked.

This is really helpful, PP. wWould you name some other shops did you talk to besides Solomon? There’s so little transparency in this space, and it helps to know what to expect.

And congrats to your daughter!

Anonymous wrote:to be fair, he said report all 4s in this case. and in the case, the kid had taken AP classes.

we've had a recent discussion here where the kid self studied so that was more complicated. no harm in not submitting. more a straight up question of is a 4 an impressive score to top schools or not

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Anonymous wrote:Even DCUM’s favorite podcast YCBK trashes independent counselors.

But but Susan Tree is a counselor. She works at CEG.

They don’t trash her, she is beloved, and excellent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even DCUM’s favorite podcast YCBK trashes independent counselors.

But but Susan Tree is a counselor. She works at CEG.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I kinda adore YCBK. It comes out enough and is so bonkers long that I can skip a ton of it (I completely skip some cohosts) and still get a lot out of it.

He did an episode last year with Vince that was a post mortem on the admissions cycle that I enjoyed so much I had my kid listen to it. It really helped to show him that, beyond what he could do for his own application, there were forces outside his control. You gotta do your best and then, let the chips just fall. It's not personal. It's a complicate and evolving landscape. I think they're doing that again.

PS I worry Mark has given up on his weight loss, which is too bad. It was another thing I skipped over, but I like Mark and wish him well. Take the GLP1s, Mark!

I want Mark to take GLP1s as well. Dedicated listener that has a lot of affection for Mark.

I haven't been listening as regularly as I have in the past, but I was wondering how his weight loss was going, too. I hope he takes the GLP1s, too. He seems like such a good guy. I don't think the primary reason he does the podcast is to market his business. He spends an incredible amount of time on these podcasts. It's obvious that it is his passion, and he is happy to help people. I don't know how he hasn't burnt out.

Former client here and be aware he's a podcaster not an effective counselor. He was unprofessional, didn't remember what was covered in the last meeting, and my kid had to schedule meetings because Mark is too busy to keep up with clients. When he says he's not tech savvy on the podcast you should believe him. More than once someone else would show up in the Zoom because he doesn't know how to use a waiting room. It's not amusing when you pay for his time. Love the podcast but the man is a disappointment.

+1

I had similar experiences as a client. I would avoid.

Are you both referring to Mark from YCBK or the guy from The Game?

Omg - the dude from The Game with the vocal fry - dropped a new episode….its been 6 months.

Has anyone listened to it?

New episode tearing apart Yale and Stanford apps dropped.

I can’t find a transcript yet? Anyone have a link

Why? You don’t want to listen to the 4 hour and 15 minute episode? Lol!

Omg listening to it.

Fascinating how his advice differs from others.

1. He says to report all 4s on all APs always.
2. He totally uses the additional information section to create organized, categorized list of extra awards or activities.
3. He hates emotional or personalized activities descriptions. He mocked the example application as being cheesy or trying too hard to be funny. He wants it to be factual, only driven only by impact. That seems to differ from a lot of people who seem to suggest you personalize it?

Overall, I thought he had great advice on how to tailor and change the candidate’s application narrative or admissions hook towards one around East Asian languages and cultures; music and East Asian studies. Makes a lot more sense and seems right for that kid in a better path for public school valedictorian, who is Asian.

He had some good analogies about how AOs are like coin collectors, or stamp collectors. They always want what they don’t have. The key is making your candidacy look unique, special or one-of-a-kind. Niche is always better.

He says report all 4s. Sara on AN says do NOT report 4s, unless the 4 is not related to your major and you are submitting a lot of 5s as well. Sara bases her approach on being on the admissions team at Penn and seeing people rejected for submitting 4s. Has this guy ever worked as an admissions officer? We have no idea what to submit since DC has all 4s and only one 5. Not applying to top 10s, but applying to schools like UVA, UCLA, USC, Michigan, etc.