Gaining admission into a prestigious college or university is a very challenging journey. Every parent wants to see their children attend a top-ranked institution since securing a place in a chosen college can provide an extra edge in meeting career goals. It is thus natural that thousands of students apply yearly to matriculate at their dream schools.
As the Founder/CEO of Ma Academy and Founding Director of Shanghai Leighton School, Sean Ma brings over a decade of experience helping college hopefuls realize their ambitions and secure admission to the most prestigious universities. He is a graduate of Columbia University, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degree before going on to attain a second masters at Cambridge. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he is more than qualified to give every student valuable advice on college admissions.
“Ma Academy has helped thousands of students get into their dream schools. Our entrance preparation kit and tested methods have benefitted many international and regional students since 2008,” explains Sean. The highly successful “two chest muscles and six-pack abs” strategy maximizes a student’s potential. The first part alludes to (2) GPA and standardized tests like the ACT/SAT and the latter part (6) focuses on admission strategy, application theme, extracurricular activities, course selection, recommendation letters, and college essays. In addition to this, the GROW model focuses on the key essentials, helping students become goal-oriented, maximizing resources, practicing realistic self-evaluation and identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Usually, most students applying to top colleges focus on academics and have good grades. How then do college admission officers differentiate among so many strong candidates? Not by GPA or Standardized Test scores, but rather your six-pack abs demonstrating how you are a well-rounded person. Such questions become crucial as often parents will send their child to do whatever other classmates are doing, overlooking the passion of the child. The Academy-induced techniques bring great results because the team provides opportunities to children in the area where they have interest and passion. Ma explains, “Mentors at Ma Academy guide to calibrate what a student wants to do instead of just following what his peers are doing. When children’s personal preferences and interests are aligned with the goal, the result is always optimal.” Further, we help them pivot parental relationships and interactions with children centered upon a better understanding of the strengths and potential of their children. It helps align all stakeholders in the right direction to achieve the maximum result.
Moreover, many parents do not understand the US college system and are obsessed with college rankings. “We prepare a bespoke list of colleges based on variables like students’ potential, inclination, career path, and practicality. It helps push students in the right direction and get a sure shot admission to dream colleges,” maintains the team at Ma Academy.
It is evident that parents are often anxious, thinking that their child may not be on par with other children and thus fail to gain admission into a prestigious college, ultimately denying them a good job at a top company. Asian parents are no different. Moreover, college admission desks never disclose the intake ratio regarding foreign students. Many top colleges take fewer international students and choose only the best from around the world. There is always a vagueness as to what may work in favor of the child or go against a child in the admission process.
“The reality is admission decision processes are always intuitive and subjective. Most of the time, admission officers don’t tell why they raised hands or why they don’t – they just go by guts. They only spend a few minutes on each application before accepting or rejecting, while a child spends years preparing for this very moment; it’s ironic but true. In totality, the admission process is a treacherous ocean. We help parents/students navigate this complicated journey because we have experts who know all the crucial details of this business,” says Sean Ma. “We provide need-based customized guidance in all areas of the admission process to make it easy. If someone intends a major in social sciences, we specifically suggest a program where the child can enroll in a history or economics class during free periods. When the time comes to explain to colleges why a student is interested in one of their social science majors, they will have a rock-solid case to comment on what one has learned in the extra class and what was accomplished afterwards. The same strategy applies to co-curricular activities so that organic growth in a specific direction shows up. This is what the admission officer values most during the application review”.
In conjunction with the Shanghai Leighton School, students receive the right direction early in their academic careers with a wide range of college prep courses. While the consulting arm, Ma Academy, not only provides a smoother and rewarding experience, but also infuses awareness and confidence in students, positioning them to succeed in today’s highly competitive academic environment.
