Admissions Consulting

T.Y. came to ARCH expressing an aspiration to apply for the most competitive subject, Medicine, in the UK and Hong Kong; and to the Ivy League in the US. She was at a boarding school in the UK at the time and we first conducted a series of mocks to determine her academic standard for top universities, and to identify any gap that we needed to start bridging. Given she was aiming for all the top universities globally, managing the timeline was the key challenge – balancing the need to apply for medical schools (that require aptitude tests, academic enhancements, work placements, interview preparation, statements etc.), we also had to extend and build up her extracurricular profiles within the confines of UK boarding school logistical constraints. Planning ahead for holidays became a critical task. On top of all these, she wanted to apply for Oxford University with organ scholarship and pursue the IB curriculum (despite our suggestion of A-Levels). It was therefore an extremely busy and challenging 2+ years working with her. Under our guidance and many impromptu surprises that arisen throughout the process, She received an offer for organ scholarship, successfully achieved multiple medical school offers (including UCL, Manchester and HKU); as well as multiple top offers from the US including the Ivy League UPenn, where she ultimately chose to attend. We are proud of her perseverance throughout the entire process and we are happy that the UK-US-HK consultation teams pulled together to provide seamless guidance, mitigating unnecessary stress along the way, to achieving excellent results all around.

We have two types of students applying for dual region; and D.L. is the “Superman” type. She has been pursuing up to 30 extracurricular activities whilst balancing her academics at a local school. Whilst aspiring to apply for Oxbridge and Ivy League, the issue with her “seemingly strong” application is that she has no idea what subject to pursue in the UK and what’s her “story” for US. Quality over quantity; and the challenge here is to draw out her genuine passion and to ensure she can handle the timeline applying to top universities. We first helped her switch school and curriculum to better align to her academic strength and provide her with more school support. We then drew out her exam preparation timeline which she needed to stick to religiously in order to get top scores. On the UK side, our team of expert tutors guided her to explore HSPS, PPE and Law; whilst on the US side, our team of consultants helped tease out her innate interest in environmental and social sciences (contrary to her initial thought of sciences). Both teams helped her extensively with statement drafting, university list, course choice, extracurricular enhancement, strategic application decisions, exam and interview preparation etc. Another “superman” born this year – well done for Cambridge and Columbia offers!

I engaged ARCH for its US consulting services in Year 11 (Grade 10) for my daughter who is studying at a local international school. The global team with counselors based in the US gave insightful college-specific advice, always keeping an international perspective. There was ongoing consultation with the ARCH team throughout, including regular routine updates and ad hoc enquiries. Response time is fast and never beyond a day. At the end of Year 12 (Grade 11), I engaged ARCH to provide UK college consultancy. The holistic and interactive nature of ARCH’s cross-border advice ensured the best possible college outcome for my daughter; it also proved to be time and effort-efficient. My daughter received the highest quality advice from both consultants (US and UK) in their respective countries of specialisation. ARCH’s consulting advice was specially invaluable in Year 13 (Grade 12): choice of teachers for recommendation and the drafting of self-profile to supplement teachers’ understanding, discussions regarding the merits of having other recommendations. The important task of brainstorming and editing the numerous personal statements and supplements was conducted with skill and sensitivity, a timeline was set well in advance and deadlines were met with prompting and reminders. The college application process is grueling for the student and the parents. I have entrusted the advisory role to a team that is far more patient and knowledgeable than I can ever hope to be. My daughter got into her first choice program at her dream college and that is due, in large measure, to ARCH’s mentorship and skilful guidance. As a bonus, she has the opportunity of observing first-hand the culture of commitment and professionalism that the ARCH team has demonstrated throughout the 2.5 years. I am one grateful parent!

The excellent comments and thorough guidance I obtained made the application process much less daunting. I would definitely not have been able to obtain an offer from my dream college without ARCH's help!

It’s no exaggeration to say that I’m forever indebted to ARCH. They introduced me to the summer programme at Pembroke, Oxford, which led me to seriously consider courses in the Natural Sciences at an undergraduate level. Later on, their Oxbridge interview prep helped me develop critical and lateral thinking skills, while improving my subject knowledge. Their guidance to US schools was also top-notch; they provided fantastic insights into the “personalities” of different institutes, which allowed me to find the right tone for my essays. Thank you ARCH - it’s been an amazing two years with you guys!