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Events Calendar

The College Admissions Seminars

in Washington, D.C.

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FREE ADMISSION

Sunday, July 13th, 2025

10:00a.m. - 7:00p.m.

The River Inn, Foggy Bottom

924 25th St NW, Washington, DC 20037

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10:00a.m.
“PREPARING (IN ADVANCE) TO APPLY TO THE TOP COLLEGES”–

The 9th, 10th, and 11th grade years are a critical time for preparing to apply to college. This presentation will explain what it takes to get into a top college—and what to do during the earlier high school years to guide your student to become a top applicant. We’ll explore how different colleges evaluate applicants and learn how you can maximize your students’ chances by helping them:​

  •  Acquire strong academic credentials

  • Demonstrate intellectual curiosity (potentially including interest in an uncommon subject valued by colleges)

  • Select and ace the right standardized exams

  • Shape their non-academic profile

  • Make the most of summers and vacations

  • Combat a privileged image

  • Distinguish themselves in a crowded applicant pool

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This presentation will focus on U.S. admissions and, to a lesser extent, admissions abroad. Although the focus of this presentation is strategic in nature, it will be filled with examples illustrating how to achieve each of the above efficiently and effectively. (Note: this sessions is not targeted to high school seniors.)

 

Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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11:30a.m.
“PRICELESS EDUCATION ON A TIGHT BUDGET: U.S.”–

Attending an “elite” university provides immense value: great in-class and out-of-class learning, a stellar network, interesting and challenging experiences, increased pride and confidence, and (of course) marvelous credentials. We’ll examine ways of gaining an elite—indeed world-class—education without breaking the bank. Of course, if you look forward to spending $400,000 on each child’s bachelor’s degree), then you should certainly skip this presentation.

 

This presentation will not cover the usual, generally insufficient solutions to the problem: getting need-based financial aid, merit aid, or third-party scholarships, or saving for college in a tax-efficient manner. Instead, we’ll point out elite schools that offer inexpensive options at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. 


Our focus will be on U.S. programs. Consider attending the following presentation, Should You Consider Doing a Bachelor’s Degree Abroad?, because foreign degrees are usually much less expensive than American equivalents. 

 

Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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12:30p.m.
“SHOULD YOU CONSIDER DOING A BACHELOR’S DEGREE ABROAD?”–

Many Americans could benefit from doing a bachelor’s degree abroad (i.e., outside the United States). There are great foreign schools and programs available, many with international reputations, including large and small universities, liberal arts colleges, and specialist arts, business, and tech schools. A substantial number of foreign schools offer elite credentials and an opportunity to develop language and cultural competence.

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Entrance into most of these programs is easier than gaining admission to comparable programs in the U.S. In addition, the application process is less complicated than in the U.S. Without exception, these programs are substantially less expensive than comparable programs in the U.S. Imagine getting a bachelor’s degree at a top 100-in-the-world university for a total—not annual—tuition of $30,000 to $60,000.

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This presentation examines some of the best programs taught in English outside of the U.S. and will cover:

  • The advantages and disadvantages of each country and program

  • Application criteria and process

  • Who should and should not consider these programs

  • How to prepare for the experience

  • How to capitalize on the experience in the job market

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Although Canada and the UK will receive due attention, we’ll also explore less obvious opportunities. 

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Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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2:00p.m.
“OPTIMIZE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION”–

Maximizing your (child’s) chances of admission to top colleges requires an understanding of multiple factors. This presentation, best for incoming 11th and 12th grade students, looks at:

  • The colleges’ evaluative criteria, including how they differ by school, type of applicant, and timing (early decision vs. early action vs. regular decision)

  • How the applicant pool varies by type and location of school, and how much this matters

  • The importance of fit, diversity, sociability, and likeability—for different types of applicants

  • The role of money in the process: whether you need money, want money, have enough money, or have money to spend on the process

  • The impact of different “hooks”—and positioning generally

  • How to estimate your chances of admission at different schools in different (timing) circumstances​

 

The next step is to understand how to maximize the value of what your student offers a school, which involves:

  • Positioning to get the fullest value out of who you are, what you’ve done, and where you’re headed, in light of what the top colleges want in a student

  • Writing the best essays, recommendations, and resume(s), as well as acing your interviews—and getting the most out of them singly and in combination

  • Tailoring your application to each school (including showing that it would be great for you and vice versa)

 

This presentation will primarily explore the admissions “game” for American colleges, but with a brief look at for key foreign programs. 

This presentation assumes your student is either currently applying or soon to do so. However, it may also be useful for those who wish to know what is in store for them in the future.  

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Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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3:30p.m.
“SIDE DOOR—BUT LEGAL—ROUTES INTO THE IVY LEAGUE”–

This presentation is primarily for parents who want their children to attend an Ivy League university or comparable school (MIT, Stanford, Duke, Chicago; Oxford, Cambridge, LSE; Sciences Po), but fear they will not be admitted. (Of course, students are certainly welcome, too.) Luckily, there are dozens of extraordinary opportunities to gain admission to various of the world’s leading universities without being a spectacularly qualified and interesting applicant, or from a wealthy and well-connected family.

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For example, we’ll examine relatively easy to enter business degree programs at Cambridge, London Business School, the LSE, and University College London in the UK; Chicago, Duke, Michigan, Northwestern, and Virginia in the U.S.; Insead and HEC in France; and comparably famous schools elsewhere.

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Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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5:00p.m.
“MAKE GREAT MONEY DURING COLLEGE”–

A majority of students work while attending college. Surprisingly, working up to about 20 hours per week in college is correlated with higher grades, higher graduation rates, and shorter time to degree. However, most students earn little more than minimum wage at dead-end jobs (including in “work-study” jobs).

 

This presentation, based on my forthcoming book, examines some of the most lucrative ways to work during college. We’ll look at a number of jobs that pay particularly well. For each, we’ll consider:

  • What the job pays

  • What it takes to perform

  • How to get started

  • How to find the work

  • How to balance work and school

  • How to get ahead

 

Along the way, we’ll discuss networking, applications, making oneself more employable, freelancing, and using one’s job(s) to further post-graduation careers.
 

Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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6:15p.m.

“GAINING EARLY CAREER TRACTION”–

Almost all students find it a challenge to land a desirable job upon graduation. This presentation examines how even a sociology or English literature student at a less-than-elite college can make college a springboard to excellent job opportunities.

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We’ll discuss a wide range of actions students can undertake during college, ranging from the ultra-obvious (pursuing a relevant major or minor) to the somewhat obvious (connecting with school alumni) to the less-than-obvious (exploiting untapped resources, such as industry and professional associations). We’ll look at how to explore the hidden job market, target and develop relevant skills and knowledge, tap both on and off-campus resources, and more. 

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Along the way, we’ll consider the role of internships, part-time and summer employment, and additional learning opportunities such as certificate programs and summer business institutes. We’ll also take a brief look at post-graduation options, including conversion programs such as master’s in management degrees.

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Substantial time will be available—during and at the end of the presentation—for questions.

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