Is Admission to an Ivy League School Worth $2 Million?

Two million dollars is extreme, but many parents hire consultants to give their kids an edge. The Independent Educational Consultants Association estimates there are 4,000 to 5,000 such consultants in the U.S., a majority of whom specialize in college-level admissions.

Average income for these experts ranges from $49,000 to $131,000, depending on experience.

The focus for many aspirational parents: the Ivy League. “It’s like going to Hollywood,” says Gerald Bradshaw, president of Bradshaw College Consulting. “Being in the movies, being with the stars.”

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Build learning skills at early age

Dear Mr. Bradshaw —

Our son just started seventh grade. He is an excellent student, and we want him to continue to do well so he can apply to a top college.

When should we start thinking about hiring a consultant or tutor to make sure he stays at the top of his class? — Parent

Dear Parent — The sooner you have an expert evaluate your son’s academic achievements, the better. Many companies provide tutoring services and suggest the best way to prepare for colleges.

There are well-known tutoring companies with offices in Northwest Indiana. Many parents have found their diagnostic evaluations helpful in spotting potential academic flaws. They also help students develop good study habits and testing skills.

Would you believe my youngest client is 3 years old? She is an American who lives in Moscow. Her parents hired me to find the best preschool in New York City or in the San Francisco Bay Area. They want their daughter prepared for a top college and will do whatever is needed to improve her chances for admittance.

We all know the value of preschool, where a child learns at an early age. Students learn how to adapt socially with other children and how to follow instructions from someone other than their parents. The transition from home to school is an important part of what children learn in preschool.

Another less talked-about benefit of preschool is, students learn how to compete with other children. There is a built-in advantage to vying for top scholastic honors.

The positive feedback teachers give preschoolers helps them as they move to grade and middle school. These children are less fearful of making mistakes and look forward to teachers helping them. The sooner they realize making mistakes is part of learning, the better.

You often have read in this column about the importance of earning top grades as a high school freshman. The transition from middle school to high school demands discipline and focus. This means earning a 4.0 grade-point average and not a 3.25.

You cannot average out a poor freshman year, even if you do well as a sophomore and junior.

I tutor seventh- and eighth-graders for the SAT. I also teach a writing program for younger students that focuses on expository writing and essays, including fiction and nonfiction. This training helps them to score well on the writing portion of the SAT.

By the time these young clients reach high school, they have increased their critical reading and writing skills, and are well ahead of their classmates.

In summary, it is never too early to hone a child’s learning skills. Admissions competition at top colleges is growing tougher each year, and anything you can do to increase the odds of academic success for your son is in his best interests.

I tutor a number of middle school students who plan to apply to top prep schools for high school. Prep schools have admissions requirements, including SAT-type tests and personal interviews.

The percentage of prep school graduates admitted to Ivy League schools is much higher than public schools. An interesting statistic is, on average, 60 percent of prep school students receive financial aid. This dispels the myth that only rich kids attend prep schools.

There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated. Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.

Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129

Start early on application process

Get some tips from a top college consultant on how to be ahead of the game in the college application process! Gerald Bradshaw works with hundreds of students a year helping them achieve their goal of getting into the college of their choice!

— Here are some tips that will give you a leg up on applications.

† Because the fall semester of your senior year is normally the busiest time in your high school career, the earlier you start the application process the easier it will be to meet deadlines. The worst thing you can do is get bored with the process, which happens more often than students realize. The best way to avoid this is to finish mundane things first.

Start early on application process

Start by filling out the basic information required in the Common Application, which allows you to complete the document online or in print.

The College Board started accepting applications Aug. 1, so you need to get started quickly. Explore the websites of the colleges and universities in which you are interested to get as much background information as possible about the school and the academic areas that interest you. You also need to look for the special essay questions required by the schools of your choice.

† Make a list of extracurricular and civic activities, because admissions offices look for more than top test scores and grades. There is intense competition for the few openings in top colleges, and they want well-rounded students who have a global perspective and interests beyond academics.

† If possible, visit the schools that interest you. If this isn’t possible, college admissions offices are more than happy to take email or phone inquiries. I frequently call Harvard’s admissions office, and someone always answers on the first ring.

† Two warnings — be aware of your posts and those of your friends on social networking sites.

College admissions officials understand the need for individual expression and might never look at them. But there is no rule that prohibits them from doing so. Be on the alert for anonymous comments placed by jealous classmates. The competition can be cutthroat when it comes to top colleges.

Clean up your email address. Names like “hotbabe” or “Ihatetests” will not impress admissions people.

Use your real name, or at least part of it, in your email address. This will make it easier for admissions committees to search for your correspondence.

If your name is taken, add a few numbers after it. Believe me, this will help when school officials sort through all the emails you send.

† Always be honest about your academic record. Letters of acceptance can be revoked. I know of one college that confirmed an anonymous tip that a teacher had caught a student plagiarizing an assignment in high school. This led to that student’s offer of admission being revoked.

I suspect if the applicant had disclosed the infraction, which occurred during his freshman year, and explained the circumstances and detailed what he learned from the experience, there may have been a different outcome.

† Essays are pivotal in the application process. Most top colleges require a personal essay, and some require as many as 10 or 15.

Essay answers give you a chance to tell the school something about you that is not reflected in other parts of the application. Never leave blank a request for an essay.

Many students do not know that each essay is given a numerical score and could be critical to your acceptance. I suggest writing about some interesting quirk that reveals a unique facet of your personality.

I had a client who wrote about her ability to identify a song after hearing just a few notes. The subject was trivial, but charming, and she was accepted at a top school.

Remember, you are responsible for marketing yourself, and no one can do it for you. Brush up on your writing skills and use the essays to your advantage. I promise you won’t be sorry you did.

There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated. Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.

Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129

Factor global economy into major

Friday, September 28, 2012

My role as a college admissions consultant has increasingly become that of a career adviser, as students have become aware it is not just where they study but what they study that prepares them for success.

The global economy and shifting of our manufacturing base overseas means being smart and ambitious is not enough anymore, especially if you grew up in one of the older industrial areas of the country, such as Northwest Indiana.

First-generation college students from blue-collar families are especially vulnerable because they have limited chances to learn about professional careers outside their communities. Often lacking is access to professional advice and information that can help them link their educations to careers.

If the global economy is affected it is similar to a domino effect. Budgets dry up and infrastructure crumbles, university enrollment rates double. The quality of education globally is damaged.

High school seniors are applying to colleges more than ever before. Top-tier colleges are also rejecting more applicants more than ever before, leaving disappointed students and parents questioning “why?" What could I have done differently?”, “Did I miss something?”

Before you get into that position contact a college consultant that know what colleges expect. Your chances are high with the right preparations when applying to the college of your choice.

College Consultant - Bradshaw College Consulting - Factor global economy into major

Leadership, service projects vital

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Dear Mr. Bradshaw —I still am mystified that my neighbor’s child was denied admission to all the top colleges he applied to last year. He is a brilliant student with an outstanding academic record.

My son is a sophomore, and I don’t want that fate for him. Tell me, what are colleges looking for in an applicant? Is it more than just good grades and test scores?

We have asked many people, and no one seems to have an answer that would account for an excellent student not getting in. I hope there is still time to adjust my son’s curriculum, if that is the issue. —Concerned Parent
Leadership, service projects vital.

Read Mr.Bradshaw's, America's Top College Consultant, Answer To This Concerned Parent!

College Consultant - Bradshaw College Consulting - Leadership, service projects vital

Confidence paves way to Harvard

Jennifer’s dad dropped her off at the downtown Chicago office building where she was scheduled to meet with her Harvard alumni interviewer.

Confidence paves way to Harvard

This could be the most important interview of her life and she was only 17 years old. A knot tightened in her stomach.

“This is it,” she said to herself. “I’m on my own.”

Objectively there was no reason for Jennifer to be nervous. She was number one in her high school class and had nearly perfect scores on her SATs. She was editor of the school newspaper, president of the regional French club, a Thespian honoree, a member of the math and science Olympiad and, most recently, had earned an “A” from Stanford University’s online introductory physics course, her intended major at Harvard.

Why then was she so worried about the alumni interview?

She knew that her interviewer was a senior partner in a major Chicago law firm.

Jennifer introduced herself to the receptionist and was invited to be seated on one of the soft leather couches. She had only spent a few minutes thumbing through The American Lawyer before a door opened and her interviewer greeted her.

The first thing she thought to herself was she had not met anybody like him. He projected real power. He reached out to shake her hand and introduced himself while guiding her to his office. The interview was about to begin.

“What makes you think you are good enough to get into Harvard?”

There was no preamble to his question. She had thought he might ask a few warm up questions — about her grades, test scores, intended college major, but not this. It never occurred to her that anyone would ask such a question.

One thought flashed through her mind, “If I blow this interview I’m a goner. Twelve years of preparation will have gone down the drain and I will have let down parents, friends, teachers who believe in me.”

She composed herself and said, “My grandfather asked me that same question when I was in the ninth grade.” For a split second Jennifer thought she had flubbed the interview, but she remembered her grandfather’s probing question and used it to her advantage.

The interview became conversational from that point on and Jennifer felt comfortable asking him questions about his experiences at Harvard.

In his alumni evaluation the interviewer said that if she had been a potential candidate for employment he would have hired her on the spot. He wrote that she had that rare quality that would make her a competitor, something that many applicants lack when they discover that they will have to compete against other students who are as gifted as they are academically.

During the first week in April she received her letter of admittance to Harvard. She showed it to her grandfather and told him that she could not have done it without him.

There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated. Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.


Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129

Personal essay should set you apart

Tuesday, August 7, 2012


Nearly every college applicant must write a personal essay as part of the admissions process. This is often a daunting task because students are uncomfortable responding to the statement, “Tell me about yourself.”

Personal essay should set you apart

Many students ask if anyone in college admissions reads the essays. My answer is an emphatic “Yes!”

It is an essential element of an application. The admissions committee reads your essay, and how well you express yourself can make the difference in whether or not you are accepted when competition is intense.

Picture yourself in the admissions office with thousands of applications stacked around you. Soda cans and coffee cups are piling up, and members of the committee have grown glassy-eyed from looking at hundreds of applications.

The applications start to look alike — same grades, test scores and extracurricular activities. Top-tier colleges have limited openings, and each applicant must somehow separate himself or herself from the pack to be admitted.

For example, Harvard accepts 1,650 students out of 35,000 applicants. What will set you apart from the others?

In my opinion, a well-written essay will get the most attention from the admissions committee. A 250- to 500-word essay becomes increasingly important as the competition gets tougher each year.

The essay is a chance to show the committee a part of you that isn’t reflected in the formal rankings. It is a chance to talk about yourself — your traits and values, the experiences that helped shape your life, and the experiences that inspire you for the future. The personal essay is a chance to tell them about the person behind the grades and test scores.

When I wrote my personal essay, I knew the competition would be tough, and I wanted to stand out. I spent hours thinking about it before I started writing.

With my initial draft finished, I gave it to some friends to read. Most of them were polite and said positive things: It was well-written, this is the real you, etc.

But my best friend threw it back at me and said he didn’t like it. It wasn’t me. He said I looked like everyone else applying. In short, he said it was boring.

He was right.

My initial personal essay made me look vanilla. In no way did it represent me as a person, nor did it bring out the personal accomplishments I valued most — my military service with the 101st Airborne, my time stationed at West Point, my maverick high school education or my upbringing in the South.

These were the things that made me interesting to my friends. I got the message.

I wrote and rewrote the essay at least a dozen times. It took me three weeks and a lot of introspection before I got it right. I knew when I finished my final draft that this was the one. I didn’t need anyone else read to it because I recognized the sound of my own voice.

Do not look at the preparation of your college essay as a waste of time. It is your opportunity to blow the competition out of the water.

There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated. Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.

Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129