Admission Science Review

Admission Science is a modern college admissions company known for its innovative self-study program. They’re the creators of the Hub & Spoke System, designed to meet the new holistic admissions criteria of top colleges. They offer unique services with direct access to their highly skilled founders at an affordable rate. In this comprehensive Admission Science review, we’ll score them along five key metrics so that you have a full picture of whether it’s a good fit for you.

Admission Science was founded by two Harvard graduates, Jordan Tung and David Ma. In addition to Harvard, they were both accepted into every Ivy League school, as well as Stanford.

Jordan holds a degree in Applied Mathematics and David holds a degree in Statistics & Computer Science. They worked in finance and tech, respectively, before starting Admission Science with the stated goal of leveling the playing field in college admissions and making top-tier guidance available to more families.

One thing we like about Admission Science is that the founders are personally involved in each service. They do not hire outside contractors for their products and services. Despite the low prices for their services, we actually found it easy to get in touch with the founders.

Admission Science designed their Hub & Spoke System to mirror the holistic admissions approach of top colleges. This system is about harmonizing various application elements to tell a student’s unique narrative. It emphasizes five traits reflecting the evaluation criteria of leading colleges:

• Academics: Evaluating the student’s ability to meet academic challenges.
• Intellectual Curiosity: Assessing the student’s passion for learning.
• Impact: Predicting the student’s positive influence on peers.
• Character: Determining the student’s resilience in facing challenges.
• Personal Skills: Gauging the student’s compatibility with the community.

Central to this approach is the student’s “Central Passion,” which unifies all aspects of their application to make it distinctive and memorable to admissions officers. The Hub & Spoke System encourages uniqueness over conformity.

Admissions Accelerator Pricing (For Non-Seniors)

Admission Science’s main product is the Admissions Accelerator program. This is a comprehensive self-study course developed by the founders. There is a cap of 50 students per enrollment cohort. The Admissions Accelerator is priced for a one-time payment of $997.

Modules include:

Students also receive:

• Direct email access to the founders for any additional personal admissions questions.
• Full access from signup time until graduation.
• Free access for siblings.
• Live and regular updates to the program.

Ivy Admissions Review Pricing (For Seniors)

For seniors, they offer an essay and application review service called the Ivy Admissions Review. The Ivy Admissions Review is priced at $3,997.

It includes:

• A personalized Hub & Spoke strategy.
• A 360 mock application review of the Common App.
• Reviews of the Common App essay and supplementals from 3 colleges.
• Unlimited revisions on the essays and application.
• A detailed report and strategy feedback.
• Direct email access to Jordan and David for any questions.

As a bonus, students also receive:

• Complimentary access to the Admissions Accelerator.
• Revisions for up to three summer essays.

One callout here is that Admission Science does not outsource their essay editing portion (which is a big problem in the industry, as we’ve discussed elsewhere). Instead, each essay is reviewed and revised by three different Ivy League admissions experts, including the two founders of Admission Science.

Showstopper Create Pricing (For Boosting Extracurriculars)

For students needing help to enhance their extracurriculars, Admission Science offers a service called Showstopper Create. The Showstopper Create service is priced at $2,997.

It includes:

• A professional proposal from Jordan & David after evaluating the student’s profile to determine the best type of activity to add.
• A team of developers and designers to build the website for the student’s project.
• Researchers to help prepare well-researched content outlines and ideas for the showstopper activity.
• A complete Showstopper Activity that aligns with the student’s profile.

According to their website, it seems that Admission Science has a cap on the number of students for each of these programs.

Finding a truly qualified consultant is half the battle. Some consultants have not gone to top-tier schools themselves, and repeat advice they hear from others. Also, some firms have a qualified “face” of the company, but then bait and switch you with a less experienced consultant after you’ve paid. That’s why we always start each review by doing full due diligence on the company’s consultants.

Admission Science distinguishes itself with a focused team of founders instead of a large roster of consultants. We like that both founders secured admissions not only to Harvard but also to all other Ivy League schools and Stanford. This demonstrates that their personal success was not just mere luck.

Their track record of helping over two thousand students navigate the college admissions process also gives us confidence. This indicates a well-honed process that is robust and effective.

Rather than conventional one-on-one consulting, they have put their expertise into a self-study course format. One-to-one consulting isn’t available, but they offer unlimited direct email access to the founders for personal questions.

Finally, their free webinar stood out to us for how much useful information they packed into it. Typically, any form of real guidance is held behind closed doors, but Admission Science’s founders have demonstrated confidence in their approach by putting their admissions framework out into the public.

The biggest risk when applying to college is following bad advice. You only have one shot, so you need to make it count, and choosing the right admissions service can make a big difference. We use a 50-point evaluation system to determine the likelihood a service will help a student get into their desired college.

Here are some factors that gives us confidence in the potential success of families working with Admission Science:

Quality of Advice: The consultants’ own successful admissions to Harvard, all other Ivy League schools, and Stanford is impressive. Their experience in guiding over 2,000 students through the admissions process gives us confidence in their approach.

Consistency of Support: David and Jordan are personally involved in assisting the students in their programs, without relying on external consultants. This direct support from the founders is a significant advantage, as it avoids the common scenario where firms attract clients with the founders’ credentials but then hand them over to less experienced consultants.

Thorough Review Process: For seniors, their Ivy Admissions Review service includes unlimited reviews of each essay and application, with input from three experts (including the two founders). This approach ensures meticulous attention to detail and a level of polish beyond what one editor can provide.

The one concern we have is the self-paced nature of their main program for non-seniors. It requires students to be proactive in following the strategies and advice provided. This format may offer less hands-on guidance compared to other personalized admissions programs, placing more responsibility on the students themselves to stay engaged and committed. This means the course won’t be a good fit for all students.

College is already expensive. College consultants shouldn’t be more expensive than they need to be. We want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, and that your investment is translating into real improvements in your outcomes.

College admissions consulting prices and offerings vary. For this Admission Science review we’ll consider their pricing for the most common needs:

• 12th graders who need help with essays for 3 schools: $3,997 
• Non-12 graders who want advice on the college admissions process: one time payment of $997 for their main program (unlimited email for guidance until senior year)

Admission Science offers competitively priced services for seniors needing essay and application assistance, positioned below the industry average. Although live consulting isn’t included, they provide unlimited revisions on essays and applications, with the founders directly involved, alongside guidance via email.

For non-seniors, their main program presents an excellent value. It offers a comprehensive guide to the college admissions process, coupled with unlimited email access to the founders for any questions that arise. Additionally, the 30-day refund policy for this program ensures that families can assess whether it’s a good fit without risk.

Their unique “Showstopper Create” service, which assists students in brainstorming ideas, creating a website, and developing content for a passion project also stands out as an exceptional value in comparison to similar services in the industry.

College applications are already stressful enough. So any admissions service should be thoughtfully designed and easy to use. We consider factors such as customer support responsiveness, accountability, time commitment, and scheduling constraints.

On their homepage, Admission Science offers a free workshop for college admissions. It was fully booked when we checked, but they suggest emailing support for the next session. After this minor snag, the support team was quick to respond with a sign-up link for the next workshop.

In terms of accountability: their main program is self-guided, requiring you to work through it independently and ask questions as needed. This could be a dealbreaker for some students who need the 1-to-1 accountability in a private coach.

On the flip side, this self-paced approach has plenty of benefits for students who are able to stay on track. For example, we like the flexibility of this approach, allowing you to manage your time during busier periods. We also like that you have access to entire reference library of guidance and resources from signup until graduation. The founders are also hands-on, providing detailed responses to specific admissions queries via email.

College admissions is a complex process, with many moving parts. And with the stakes so high, mediocre consultants simply won’t cut it. You really want to find the “best,” but it can be hard to differentiate one firm from another. In this section, we take a look at what makes this service stand out, for better or worse.

Admission Science stands out to us for a few reasons:

DIY Program for Non-Seniors: Their main program offers a non-traditional, self-guided format, which is distinct from the usual one-on-one consulting. While it may not suit students who need face-to-face guidance, it’s great for families who want to progress at their own pace. Additionally, the unlimited email access to the founders is a big plus. It’s a more cost-effective approach compared to per-meeting or per-hour charges. Their 30-day refund policy and free access for siblings adds even more value to this program.

Small, Focused Team: We appreciate that the support comes directly from the founders rather than from less experienced consultants. Given their impressive backgrounds, we believe getting your questions answered directly by them is a notable advantage.

Unlimited Revisions at a fair price: For seniors in their Ivy Admissions Review service, they offer unlimited revisions on essays and applications. This is a feature not commonly found in other services without opting for the most expensive packages. This is especially valuable as it ensures students don’t get left with unfinished essays.