From Children of Presidents to Influencers
The Ultra-High-End U.S. Consulting Market for the Privileged
Winning Ivy League Admission with Cosmetic Reviews
In the United States, an admissions consulting service that helps students gain admission to prestigious universities such as the Ivy League for costs in the hundreds of millions of won is becoming a hot topic.
On the 30th (local time), the British Telegraph detailed the state of admissions consulting through an interview with Christopher Lim, founder of 'Command Education' in the U.S., which assists with admission to elite universities.
Harvard Medical School building. Reference photo to aid understanding of the article, not directly related to the main text. Reuters=Yonhap News Agency
According to the Telegraph, Command Education provides consulting on everything related to admissions, from students' test preparation to volunteer activity planning. The cost reaches $120,000 per year (approximately 176 million won). A comprehensive package that oversees the entire process from 7th grade through college admission costs $750,000 (about 1.1 billion won) and includes unlimited tutoring for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams.
This year, a total of 220 students are receiving consulting, reportedly including many privileged individuals such as famous influencers, CEOs of one of Europe's largest banks, and children of a country's president. Command Education stated that over the past five years, 94% of students who received consulting were admitted to one of their top three target universities, and last year, one student was accepted to seven out of the eight Ivy League schools they applied to.
Command Education emphasized that not only grades but also community contribution activities have a significant impact on college admissions. This means that all activities a student engages in, including volunteering, must be carefully tailored for the target university. For example, if a student plans to major in computer engineering, volunteering related to food is less helpful than teaching basic computer skills to students without access to computers at a local library. One student who received consulting from Command Education reportedly gained admission to the University of Pennsylvania by highlighting their cosmetic review activities on TikTok and YouTube and donating leftover samples to charity.
Lim, known as a second-generation Korean immigrant, said he started this business based on his own college admissions experience. Lim, who attended school in New Jersey, recalled that he was not the top student himself. However, he founded a nonprofit organization to prevent school bullying and also served as an advisor for Lady Gaga’s 'Born This Way' foundation, which supports youth. Emphasizing these activities, he succeeded in gaining admission to Yale University, helped two juniors from the same school get admitted to Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and established his consulting company after graduating in 2017.
According to the media, Lim’s company generates annual revenue exceeding $20 million (approximately 29.4 billion won). Lim explained, "We provide free consulting to about 5% of our clients," adding, "Whether privileged students or those receiving free consulting, we offer the same process." However, the media noted that while admissions consulting is legal, there are ethical concerns since only privileged groups can enjoy these benefits.
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