Lumiere Education Review

Founded in 2020 by two Harvard grads, Dhruva Bhat and Stephen Turban, Lumiere Education helps high school students complete independent research projects and papers with the help of PhD student mentors. They do not do essays editing or college admissions consulting. In this comprehensive Lumiere Education review, we’ll score them along five key metrics so that you have a full picture of whether Lumiere Education is a good fit for you.

Lumiere Education does not provide detailed information regarding their mentors, only their administrative staff. They feature 30 administrative staff, many of whom work outside of the United States.

The exact number of mentors remains undisclosed, and little information is provided regarding mentors’ credentials, including their affiliated institutions, academic backgrounds, areas of specialization, or any pertinent information regarding mentor graduation status, academic accomplishments, and professional trajectories.

Lumiere Education’s approach pairs high school students with PhD candidates to complete independent research projects. This collaborative effort aims to cultivate research skills and interests in preparation for the college application process, with PhD mentors leading students through the entire trajectory – from ideation to publication.

What distinguishes Lumiere is its exclusive emphasis on independent research projects, particularly in STEM fields. This unique specialization sets Lumiere apart from conventional services, offering students a tailored and in-depth experience within their chosen academic domains.

To engage in their programs, students are required to undergo an application process. Lumiere Education organizes cohorts based on the time of year, although specific application deadlines for next cohorts are pending. Shortlisted candidates progress to an interview stage, and upon successful completion, families must submit a $200 deposit. This deposit is subsequently applied towards the overall tuition upon conditional acceptance.

Once accepted, Lumiere pairs students with an appropriate mentor. In the event that a suitable mentor is unavailable, the deposit is refunded.

Lumiere Education offers three programs:

Individual Research Program (12 weeks, $2,800):

• Concentrated on crafting a college-level academic paper.
• Includes 9 one-on-one sessions with a mentor.
• Provides 2 one-on-one sessions with a writing coach.
• Topics are selected from a predefined pool, offering structured academic exploration.

Premium Research & Publication Program (4 to 7 months, $5,400):

• 3 to 4 months of research + 1-4 months for publication.
• Tailored for the creation and publication of papers in high-school or college-level journals.
• Includes 15 one-on-one sessions with a mentor.
• Comprises 4 one-on-one sessions with a writing coach.
• Incorporates 4 individual sessions with a publication specialist.
• Designed for students seeking flexibility in determining their academic field and focus.

Lumiere Research Fellowship (6 to 12 months, $8,900):

• Geared towards producing a research paper for publication in highly selective research competitions or publications.
• Involves an extensive 30 one-on-one sessions with a mentor.
• Integrates 8 one-on-one sessions with a writing coach.
• Features 4 individual sessions with a publication specialist.

Lumiere Education’s team is diverse, yet certain aspects of their process raise concerns.

The Directors’ affiliation with Harvard University is prestigious. However, it is important to note that only one of the Directors completed their graduate studies. More importantly, students likely will not be working with the founders, but rather with other “mentors” instead, as the Directors do not appear as featured mentors.

The opacity surrounding Lumiere’s mentors is a notable concern. Limited information is provided about their qualifications or experiences beyond being identified as PhD candidates. This lack of transparency prompts questions about the depth and breadth of their expertise in guiding students, and likely implies high variability in student experiences and outcomes.

The hiring of independent contractors as mentors also introduces concerns about the uniformity and oversight of student experiences. The absence of a centralized approach raises questions about how cohesive and consistent the mentorship provided to students can be.

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.

Since Lumiere Education does not provide traditional college admissions consulting or essay reviews and rather focuses on research publication, we focused on the likelihood of success in the student’s research project.

As previously mentioned, Lumiere’s discretion regarding their experts introduces a potential for considerable variation in students’ experiences and outcomes. The lack of detailed information raises questions about the consistency and predictability of the mentorship journey.

While Lumiere Education is not a traditional admissions consulting company, we would like to see some experts with admissions experience involved in the process to ensure the research and projects completed by students will prove beneficial during the application process.

Lumiere Education does not offer guarantees during the publication submission process–which is understandable given the inherent uncertainties of the research cycle. However, the limitation on support for up to three attempts at publication could be restrictive for students seeking additional opportunities for refinement or support.

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.

The price of their programs comes down to about ~$240/hour to meet with the mentor and writing coach. This number is calculated by dividing the minimum financial commitment for a student by the expected number of hours of one-on-one meeting. While this service is on par with the cost of other similar services out there, the lack of transparency about the background of the mentors and writing coach give us pause.

That said, independent research services are not common, so if a student is seeking this experience, the price point could be justified.

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.

To contact Lumiere Education, you can fill out a contact form on their website. You can also join an information session that is hosted once every 2 weeks to learn more about the program.

After engaging with the company, the student will receive the resume of the mentor. If the student is unhappy with the match, they can request a rematch.

Students are also assigned a program manager who is responsible for making sure the program is running smoothly.

There is no refund policy in place.

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.

We appreciate Lumiere Education’s commitment to inclusivity through the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation. This initiative, offering free research and mentorship assistance to financially constrained students, could prove beneficial for those seeking research opportunities without significant familial support.

Pricing and value aside, we do like that Lumiere is attempting to address a different aspect of the college admissions market beyond the conventional admissions consulting services. If coupled with another admissions service, Lumiere’s research projects could help give a student’s application a needed academic edge.