Episode 47: The Family Edit: Unlocking Global Education Opportunities with Joanne Gao of Crimson Education

Paula: [00:00:00] Welcome to Truly Expat Podcast. My name's Paula and together with Rachel, we are here today to talk to , Joanne Gao, who is the country manager of Singapore and the Philippines for Crimson Education. Joanne has dedicated the bulk of her career in helping students in Singapore access the best educational and professional opportunities around the world.

Paula: As the country manager of Crimson Education Singapore, Joanne has been instrumental in securing admissions for 35 students in Oxford and Cambridge and 63 students in the Ivy League and top 10 U. S. universities over the past four years. She plays a pivotal role in creating a valuable free resources to address the questions of families in Singapore.

Paula: So welcome! 

Joanne: Thank you. Thank you Paula. Thank you Rachel. Very happy to be here.

Rachel: Lovely to have you here. It's really good. So, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in this?

Joanne: Yeah, sure, no problem. So, [00:01:00] um, I'm Joanne. I'm the country manager for Crimson Education Singapore office.

Joanne: So actually I have been in the education industry for coming to nine years. Yeah. So yeah, quite, quite a lot of years. Uh, and I've really enjoyed, you know, my incredible journey, um, with Crimson, but also in the education industry. So, um, essentially I've worked with more than 1000 families to help them to achieve their, uh, overseas education goals and also in Singapore, but also, um, as part of, um, the bigger Asia, uh, as well.

Joanne: And yeah, so I believe in helping students to achieve the best educational opportunities in the world.

Rachel: Oh yeah. That's lovely job.

Joanne: Yeah, it is.

Rachel: Must be very rewarding.

Joanne: It is rewarding. I think one thing that really draws me to the role that I'm in is because, um, it's something that I'm very passionate about because I think a lot of students, they don't know, relating to my own experiences as well, right?

Joanne: So when I was actually applying to [00:02:00] universities, I had no idea. What I really want to study, like what major, what course. And, um, even after I graduated, you know, I had no idea what I really wanted to study. And also, of course, in terms of like the destinations, the options that I have. So I just, you know, I just chose something that I thought it would be good, but actually I didn't really enjoy at all.

Joanne: Right. So that's the kind of experience that I had. And I wish I had a lot more guidance, uh, in this area. So, um, you know, now, relating my experiences to the families, to the students that I'm speaking with, right? You know, it's really, really important to get guidance and the support and they can make a lot of different decisions, a lot more informed decisions as well.

Joanne: Um, the other thing is also like, um, having, looking at these students, you know, when they finally achieve their goals, their dreams and getting into the university that they really want to get into, that is extremely meaningful for

Paula: How rewarding.

Joanne: It is so, it is so touching. Like recently, um, the pre the previous application cycle that was last year's application cycle, where we got the [00:03:00] results earlier this year.

Joanne: Um, so my student actually got into Stanford, um, throughout support. And I was like, I was literally. crying, you know, with joy. I was so happy about that. Yeah. Cause I think she, she also put in a lot of effort and of course, you know, she worked with us for about, I think coming to like two years plus. Right.

Joanne: So, um, it's been a pretty, you know, long journey as well. And then to see her eventually achieving, because Stanford was her, I mean, it's her dream school and you know, it's the one that she wants to get into. And I was like, so happy when she finally achieved her goals. And so

Rachel: can be incredibly hard to get into too, can't they?

Rachel: You Even like maybe American population as well. So well done. It's really,

Joanne: amazing. Exactly,

Rachel: big

Paula: there's a whole process, isn't there, involved?

Paula: So you said two and a half years. So go, explain to us, what does that mean? How does it start? What, I've got so many questions. So how does it all begin? I'm a student, a long, long time ago, but I'm a student, and I want to get into Stanford. [00:04:00] How do I go? When do I come to you? When, in what type of process? So.

Joanne: Yeah, so actually, uh, this is a very common question that we get as well. When do we, when should we actually get started in terms of this preparation? So, um, a lot of people think that, oh, you know, um, actually you just need to come to us in the final application year, right?

Joanne: Like, you know, um, a few months before the application deadline. That's actually, uh, really not the case. Like, um, The best time for students to actually get started in terms of their university preparation, especially for US and UK universities because they are a lot more demanding in terms of the admissions process, will be grade 9, which is a secondary

Paula: Wow.

Paula: Okay.

Joanne: exactly.

Joanne: So, um, everything that, Everything that they do from grade 9 onwards will be counted as part of their university application. So, grade 9, grade 10, grade 11, grade 12. So, all the things in the four years will be counted as part of the university application. And, of course, universities, they want to see consistency.

Joanne: Across the years. They also want to see [00:05:00] improvements as well along each year, right? So it's very important, you know, what kind of activities you do on a yearly basis how long you do them And obviously, you know great nine will be the perfect time actually even like uh, if you start even earlier, that's even better because Um, if you start earlier, you know We can start with building with planning and also building up on your different skills first and then you can start execution From grade nine so which is also the reason why we now We also have like programs for younger students and our youngest student is actually 11 years old, so grade 5

Paula: Wow.

Joanne: Yeah, so we do

Rachel: have a more

Joanne: more customized program for younger students. That's not so much focused on, you know, education. application process itself, but more of like building up the different soft skills, you know, starting their own project in independent initiative, you know, they can build a website, you know, they can, you know, yeah, they can build a workshop, you know, and things like that to build up various skills.

Joanne: At [00:06:00] the same time, they also become a lot, um, better as a student in terms of, like, the studying habits and things like that. And then from, of course, from grade nine onwards, we'll be very focused uh, preparing 

Paula: Is that just the U. S.? Is it the same process if I wanted to apply for Cambridge?

Joanne: Yeah, so, um, both U. S. and U. K. they will look at things that you have done from grade 9 onwards. Um, obviously for U. S. there's a lot more things that you need to do, so studying early is the, is the key. But for U. K., um, generally I think grade, grade 9 will be, will be a good starting 

Paula: to do, basically.

Paula: Is it like building a resume?

Joanne: Yes, it is. That's the correct way to put it. Um, yeah, so that's why I also tell my students, right, um, it's very, very important to start early because Um, the earlier you start with us, the better we can prepare you, uh, in terms of the, you know, um, uh, extracurriculars, profile, and also in terms of the academic profile, and of course, eventually, um, you'll also be able to put forward a strong [00:07:00] application.

Joanne: So a lot of students, they think that the application is the most important, but it's really not the

Paula: application that's the

Joanne: important, because, um, if you have a good profile, you can put forward a strong application. If you don't have a good profile, no matter how beautiful you write your, um,

Paula: essays in 

Joanne: you're not going to be able to get into the top U.

Joanne: S. or U. K. universities.

Rachel: Wow. That's quite, and you said, um, from the beginning, you didn't, you, you don't have to know what you want to study. So, from grade 9 or 11. You're still relatively young, you're still a child, still wanting to play. How do you prepare and know what you're going to do from that age?

Rachel: How do you help people choose?

Joanne: Yeah, that's a really good question, right? So, which is why I say, um, you know, this whole Crimson program has a lot of value, because the first thing that we'll do with students, um, when they join our program, regardless whether you're grade 9, grade 10, because we even have students, you know, almost graduating, or in grade 12, they had no, they have no idea, right, what they want to [00:08:00] study.

Joanne: So, whenever they're onboarded with us, the first First thing that we'll do with them is to do the discovery process. So this discovery process is to help them to go a lot deeper in terms of the different majors and help them to identify which is the most suitable major for them. So how we do this is that every single student, you have a strategy consultant.

Joanne: Who is the most important person for the student and the strategy consultant will be basically sharing with you. For example, you know, if you, let's say if you pursue business, right, what you'd be learning in a university, you know, what are the pros and cons if you pursue this path, right? What kind of career prospects you have in the future, you know, versus if you want to study something like, I don't know, engineering or law, you know, a lot of people also have this misconception that, oh, you know, um, I want to study medicine.

Joanne: I want to, study law because they are very just very glamorous

Rachel: occupations,

Joanne: but they fail to recognize that, you know, if you want to study law or medicine, for example, there's a lot of long hours involved, a lot of admin work involved that they may not understand, you know, when, um, until they start their career, right?

Joanne: [00:09:00] So a lot of this kind of misconception. So we can actually clear out all of this and they can have a lot more, a better understanding in terms of what's expected of them. So that's number one. Second thing is we'll also be giving a lot of resources to students. So we'll be giving them some things like, uh, reading lists, articles, podcasts, journals, online courses pertaining to different, you know, majors basically, right?

Joanne: Um, for a student who is. Very interesting. Engineering will give them a lot of, you know, reading materials in engineering, for example. Right, so once they see, once they go through all these materials, they will be able to identify, Oh, whether this is really something that I enjoy reading or not.

Rachel: because they will be

Joanne: a lot of such things, right, in the universities, uh, basically.

Joanne: So, yeah, so this really helps them to, you know, have a much better perspective. And then on top of that, we'll also make use of some career option tools, like Holland Test. or psychometric test. So we have our own personality test to identify, you know, the student's strength and weakness. Then we can also see, you know, which career or [00:10:00]which major is for them.

Joanne: So this gives them a lot more information and then they can make a more informed decision. 

Rachel: . It's so, it's so, it's so important to know that. I just remember going to a career counselor when I was a kid and I was just overwhelmed with the choices and they didn't really give me any opportunity to understand what these positions were and to know if I was a good fit for them.

Rachel: So that's really, yeah, that's quite intense, like what you go through, but it's important for sure. So, like It would have been so nice to know what I wanted to do way back then, you know? Yeah,

Joanne: Exactly. I think if I had this kind of guidance, I would be making very different decisions. You know, but I'm very glad that I'm in the education industry right now.

Joanne: Um, I can, you know, share all this, you know, um, expertise with my students right now. Um, especially for Singapore and also UK universities. Basically, there's no flexibility for you to change your course. Yeah, yeah, so once you have applied to the course, you [00:11:00] have basically, you know, you have to follow through with the course, and if you want to change the course, you've got to reapply.

Joanne: Yeah, you've got to go through the entire admissions process again, so that's why the discovery process is so important. For U. S. universities, there's still a bit of flexibility. Um, because you can still change your major in the first two years of university. But we'll still do the discovery process with students, because we don't want students to go in as a completely lost soul.

Joanne: Right, we still want them to know where their interests and

Joanne: their, their, um, goals are, 

Rachel: for sure.

Rachel: And as well, like if you change your major halfway through, some of those points don't go to the other course. And then it's, you know, you've lost a little bit of money as well. A little bit, or a lot.

Rachel: So,

Rachel: yeah, it's really important to know those things. And

Paula: making sure that you're, I used to in a previous life And so, I would see people come into the classroom who were extremely smart, [00:12:00] got good grades, but they weren't really suited for the course or the subjects that they were. And so, had they have had some sort of guidance, I'm a big believer that there's a transition between

Paula: school

Paula: and the classroom.

Paula: Secondary, okay, as in, and, university and we don't get them ready for

Paula: that. And so that some things that you do? So I mean,

Paula: you show them or explain to them or help them with the career choice. Is there other things that you help them with as well?

Joanne: Yeah, exactly, because, um, I

Joanne: mean, the discovery process, identifying the major, these are all part of strategy, in terms of working out the entire roadmap planning, you know, when to do what activities, um, that's one part. But the most important is also about your profile, right?

Joanne: So when we talk about profile, it means your, um, there are actually basically three

Rachel: pillars in terms 

Joanne: of

Joanne: what admissions officers will look at. Um, the first pillar being academics. So that's in terms of your grades, uh, in school, [00:13:00] right? And also, um, depending of course on what curriculum you're studying, whether it's AP, IB, or A level, um, results, and also admissions

Joanne: test. Right,

Joanne: So for US will be the SAT test. UK will usually be the, um, Oxford and Cambridge admissions basically. So, um, so those, that's for academics. There's also the extracurriculars. Profile, right? So they will, um, U. S. they do want to see, um, a more holistic kind of profile. Yeah, they look for more all rounder students.

Joanne: They want to see both the breadth as well as the depth in your profile, right? So you have to, um, be good in different types of activities. So anything that you do actually can help you for a U. S. application, whether it's, you know, volunteering, sports, music, drama, art, internships, anything, um, can help you.

Joanne: So that's the breadth of activities. But you still need to be good in at least one area. Which is the, uh, which builds up the depth, basically. So, um, that's the best kind of profile for data. U. S., U. K., they still look at extracurriculars. A lot of students think that, [00:14:00] uh, there is no need

Rachel: to do any extracurriculars

Joanne: for U.

Joanne: K., but that's actually not the case. Um, yes, U. K., of course, they do have the academic requirement, but you still need to do extracurriculars, but it's in a subject that you want to 

Rachel: Ah, 

Joanne: Yes, 

Rachel: okay,

Rachel: got you.

Joanne: if you want to study law, all the things you should be doing should be very related to law, right? Some things like law internships, things like, you know, law, uh, essay competition, like the John Law essay competition, things like that, right?

Joanne: If you do MUN, you do debating, right? These are all the things related to law. If you're going for engineering, all the things you So you still need to build up confidence. Um, that as well. Um, so that's in terms of extracurriculars. And of course, eventually we'll be helping So that's in terms the filling in the application form. Especially for the U. S., you have to list down all the activities that you have done from grade 9 to grade 12. And you have to describe every single So we will guide students in terms of how to write that, and of course, which as well.

Joanne: Um, and then also in terms [00:15:00] of the essays.

Paula: I was

Paula: going to say they have to write an

Paula: essay, 

Joanne: correct. Yeah, so essays, um, US, you have to write a common main essay that goes out to all the schools that you're applying for, and also supplementary for every single school that you're applying to. U. S. way of writing has to be very creative, very innovative.

Joanne: It's usually very different from what students do in school. Um, so, you know, we will guide them in terms of how to approach that and also, you know, brainstorming our ideas. Um, but students will still have to come out, um, the first draft by like we don't help students to write, okay, but then we'll help them with the, you know, um, editing so that's for essays.

Joanne: UK, similarly, will have to do a personal that they have to submit, but the personal statement is more focused, again, on the subject and what they have done in 

Paula: Does it help what type of education they have in secondary? Like, does it help that you have been doing the A levels O levels or whatever it is? [00:16:00] Or does it help that you're doing IB, for example? Does that help you get into universities or that doesn't matter. 

Joanne: Actually, not really. Because, um, when, yeah, so, so a lot of these essays, um, especially for UK, you have to write very course subjects. Yeah. Um, and for example, if you, um, What do you go for?

Joanne: Yeah, law, for example, you're usually not studying law as a subject in in the school, right? Um, I mean for our JC's and also, um, yeah for for our curriculum, IB curriculum generally will be the the core right, chemistry, physics, that kind of subjects. Um, so and of course even engineering or Even things like 

Rachel: psychology, 

Joanne: you know, you may not be in school.

Joanne: So this is definitely things that you have to go beyond your school curriculum, right, to actually beef yourself up. And that's why we, when we do as part of the discovery process, we give students all these additional resources, the reading lists, the articles, the podcasts and journals, in the subject that they are interested in, [00:17:00] and that will really supplement that particular

Joanne: course that they want 

Paula: Cause it also helps them. I guess when they actually get there, they've got to underline 

Joanne: Correct. Yes. of 

Paula: knowledge of what they do.

Joanne: right? Exactly.

Paula: Otherwise there it's, it's too hard to catch up if you're not 

Joanne: Exactly, exactly. And also, yeah, so definitely help you when you start your university later on.

Joanne: It makes it a lot easier. You have the foundational kind of skills. Yeah. And also, uh, the point of admissions or so, um, especially for UK universities, like the universities, they want to see that you are extremely passionate about the subject 

Joanne: that So, um, then doing things, you know, like, uh, related to the subject and then, you know, talking about it and reflecting

Joanne: Um, it's going to really help you, um, to get an edge, uh, over 

Paula: so it's also the Singapore, I heard you say, it's also Singapore universities that they're applying for? It's not just abroad? Or is it just abroad that [00:18:00]

Joanne: Um, for Crimson, we mostly focus on US and UK universities because that's where, um, all the top universities world are.

Joanne: So, um, that's also where the majority

Joanne: of

Joanne: our students are aiming for. Uh, for Singapore universities, uh, it's a lot more straightforward. So you, um, you don't have to do a lot of things, basically. It's mainly your academics, your grades. Um, yeah, and then, so, and then sometimes you have to write an essay, so it's a lot more straightforward and to apply. We do help, uh, with, uh, Singapore University application as well 

Joanne: it's usually as an additional add but

Joanne: otherwise,

Joanne: straightforward. Um, if students are confident, they can also apply themselves 

Joanne: And then in terms of application, it's also the teacher's

Joanne: reccomendation letter So we can also advise students, you know, which teachers But some schools, they do, um, you know, they encourage students to get the reccomendation letter And then the last stage will be an

Joanne: interview. So we also help students to prepare for the interview. Um, in [00:19:00] terms of like the base interview trainings and 

Joanne: strategies and techniques 

Joanne: for answering questions 

Joanne: and also the, uh, mock interviews so, um, students will also be, very well prepared So thatthe application Um, but

Joanne: that only comes in a lot later in the program. So, um, that's towards the last program. But what, um, if students start with us at, you know, grade eight, grade nine, grade 10, right. So we'll do the discovery process, but what is the, the main gist, uh, in between is the extracurricular profile building.

Joanne: So I mentioned, uh, just now a little bit in terms of like U. S. they look for breadth and UK the depth of the subject. So. How we really do the extracurricular mentoring is that, um, we will also look at, you know, um, what are the one of the activities Again, we'll identify the

Joanne: gaps they have interms of the profile 

Rachel: profile.

Joanne: And then we advise them in terms

Joanne: three

Joanne: different 

Rachel: So 

Rachel: first layer

Joanne: is, you know, what are the um, what [00:20:00] are the clubs that you can

Joanne: Right,

Joanne: So, what are the clubs that you can join if your school allows you to set up your club 

Joanne: Right, we'll guide 

Joanne: you founder uh, of a club. So, for

Joanne: example.

Joanne: So, if they are aiming, you know, to, um, study chemistry, for example, then they should 

Joanne: society, 

Joanne: you know, and things related, right? Yeah. So, so that's one. Um, second layer is in terms of the things that they, uh, they can do

Joanne: outside hmm. So, um,

Joanne: we

Joanne: also do have a list of 

Joanne: different events 

Joanne: and They are happening in So for example,

Joanne: want to go for volunteering, we can

Joanne: say you can go to this one by Youth right? This one

Joanne: by

Joanne: And this one 

Joanne: by Rectron 

Joanne: If you want to go

Joanne: for a competition, to join,

Joanne: right? So,

Joanne: um, depending, there's business, besides like medicine science competitions in school, which, you know, a lot of students think that those are the main competitions, there's actually a lot of other competitions outside of school, right, [00:21:00] there's business case competition like the business case

Joanne: competition, things like that. Um,

Joanne: there's also 

Joanne: essay I mentioned John Locke essay

Joanne: There's Yeah, so various 

Paula: popular. Good luck for everything.

Joanne: Yeah, Harvard Crimson essay competition and things like that. Um, you

Joanne: know, we've we can 

Joanne: also guide our students in terms of competition So all these kind of things and also we our research program

Joanne: Indigo research so students can work

Joanne: under

Rachel: the 

Joanne: guidance of a U. S. or UK professor and doing a research paper

Rachel: at high school is extremely impressive

Joanne: at the same time, it shows a lot of your

Joanne: passion in a particular subject And of course it also helps you to build up your foundations know, because you will be in the particular universities all 

Joanne: these, and then also in terms of internships as well, we some [00:22:00] partnershipswith So

Joanne: students also get some kind of work immersion kind of programs

Rachel: programs and 

Paula: through this.

Paula: In Singapore?

Joanne: Yes. Um, 

Joanne: it's actually, so our Crimson, uh, internship program is actually online Yeah, but 

Joanne: students will be

Joanne: coming up with 

Rachel: Ah, okay. And they have also mentors 

Joanne: to

Joanne: guide them, uh, uh, along and also eventually, you know, they will very,

Joanne: very,

Joanne: you know, comprehensive. Yeah. So then again, they can build up also up practical profile as well 

Rachel: are

Joanne: the things they can do outside of school. 

Joanne: And then the last layer is in terms of their, uh, independent project 

Joanne: the initiative

Joanne: because.

Joanne: Every single student can do things or

Joanne: Outside 

Joanne: of school, everyone can join the readily available ones 

Joanne: But if you start something on your own, then it's going to be something that is right? [00:23:00] That's going to show your passion in a particular area, going to show your leadership, your initiative, and at the same time, you're also contributing back to the community So students 

Joanne: can do anything. Um, it depends on, you 

Joanne: know, what 

Joanne: So, um,

Joanne: for

Joanne: example, we had a student who is very passionate about engineering, so we guided him start a robotics

Joanne: To teach 150 underprivileged kids

Joanne: on how to build robots from robotics Yeah, so we actually invited him to write to Lego, you know, the

Joanne: company Lego, right? To loan the 

Joanne: And it can, I mean, if you want to do a workshop like that, it can just

Joanne: right, half a day. But how are you gonna get people to join? What messaging are you gonna use, right? How are you gonna promote your event? And if you do a physical workshop, you have to find Right. You have to arrange

Joanne: your if you do an online its slightly easier. So students will also have a dedicated capstone advisor extracurricular mentor to guide them step by in terms of planning, execution, launching, [00:24:00] So all 

Joanne: these very 

Joanne: valuable project management skills, right, that they will also So yeah. So, so basically any kind of, um, you know, um, initiatives that they are interested in. We have students who start their own app, their own website, you know, start their own business. I have a student who started his own business. He actually, uh, buys limited edition, um, sport shoes, like sneaker shoes, and then he resells them out.

Joanne: Right, and then he earns the difference, things like that. Small business, right, but it's somewhat

Paula: It's a really great thing for them to get before they even get out into the workforce 

Joanne: Exactly, exactly.

Rachel: little of entrepreneurs. Exactly. Yeah.

Joanne: I have a 14 year old girl who started her own

Joanne: lip gloss really? Yeah, it's very 

Joanne: cool.

Joanne: And we're helping her know, expand those are all very, very valuable. Yes, project management,

Joanne: time 

Joanne: skills. 

Joanne: again, entrepreneurial,

Joanne: uh, premier

Joanne: kind 

Paula: of. That's very cool. Do you have, um, do you work with parents as [00:25:00] well or just the 

Joanne: Yeah, so we work with the students, but parents, um, um, we actually have a, um, value that Crimson, uh, that Crimson has, right? So parents are our team mates So we actually really involve 

Rachel: So of course, 

Joanne: um, the main engagements, you know, consulting, the sessions students. 

Rachel: Um, 

Joanne: but usually.

Joanne: Uh, we will always encourage our parents to actually join in the first one or two year, uh, sorry,

Rachel: one of,

Joanne: the first one or two sessions uh,

Rachel: right, the initial

Joanne: meetings to meet with the consultant 

Rachel: hear 

Joanne: from them and also, um, you know, reset expectations and then, uh, but throughout the program, we will be also keeping them, um, copied in terms of correspndences We'll be keeping them 

Rachel: So 

Joanne: each family also has a, their own account manager is called the

Joanne: student success manager 

Joanne: So

Joanne: the student success manager are there to actually, you know, work with parents in terms of any, [00:26:00] um, you know, concerns

Joanne: or feedback they may 

Joanne: have, 

Joanne: and keeping them updated in terms of the students. 

Joanne: Um, 

Joanne: of course when it comes to like big decisions like You know, choosing the universities uh, meetings, right, we will also be involved in the meetings. 

Rachel: usually for tthe key meetings we will have parents involved

Joanne: parents uodated.

Paula: And what are the obstacles that you, you come across? Do you find that there is any obstacles>? 

Joanne: Yeah. but 

Paula: do do you, do you have any main obstacles that you feel that?

Joanne: Yeah,

Joanne: I think, I

Joanne: like, um, generally I think it's very like important for students to start early. So, um, we have students coming to us very last minute, right?

Joanne: Maybe

Paula: they've got to write the essay.

Joanne: Yes, when they're 

Joanne: about to write the essays, they come to us last minute. Um, like maybe, yes, probably a few [00:27:00] months before the application deadlines. And then, you know, um, and then they want to, and they have very high ambitions or high goals, right? So majority of the students who come to us, they do want to get into, you know, um, The top one of the top schools for us and UK.

Joanne: So when, um, by that time, of course they don't, we don't have a lot of time to do any additional activities, right? There's really nothing much that we can do. So if their profile is like this level and then, you know, the expectations are a lot higher, right? The profile is not an Ivy league kind of level of profile, but the We are aiming for Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, right?

Joanne: There's just no way that we can get there. You know, we can't do miracles, right? Um, especially with limited time. There's no way that we can do too much to improve your profile. We can only help you with the application. But like I said, it's not the That's the most important. So in terms like that, I'll have to, you know, explain to them, uh, very clearly at the start of the consultation, like, you know, I need to manage

Rachel: their

Joanne: right?

Joanne: Because [00:28:00] otherwise there's really no point coming on board because eventually you will not be happy with your result and we are

Rachel: not going to be uh, 

Joanne: as well, right? And we don't want to both parties to be upset, right? So this is something that we need to communicate with them. But. Of course, if students, like I said, students who come to us at 10, you know, um, even if they're not doing exceptionally well at that point, that's okay.

Joanne: Because they do have time to improve. And improvements is also very important. I mean, universities, they also recognize, you know, improvements. And as long as, you know, by the time you apply, you build up a profile, right, you you know, a good chance school.

Joanne: So that's one hope there.

Paula: So the lesson

Rachel: kind of trends have you seen over the years?

Rachel: Like, you know, where do students tend to go? Is there some kind of thing like everyone wants to go to Stanford one year, everyone wants to go to Harvard another year, or is it just, it's just depending on their discipline? Yeah,

Joanne: um,

Rachel: so [00:29:00] we

Joanne: don't see a particular trend into like a certain university. Definitely, I think general trend is that more and more students are applying

Joanne: overseas. Every year, there has been an increase in terms of the number

Joanne: of applicants,

Joanne: and every year, there has been a decrease in terms of the It's getting increasingly competitive each year. Um, yeah, so, for example, like, just to give you some perspective, like, a couple of years ago, right, Harvard admissions rate, acceptance rate is generally around 5%. Now, it has dropped to about 5%. A percent. Wow.

Joanne: Yes. That is probably, you know, dropping also in the next couple of years.

Joanne: Right? Yeah. So that is how, uh, competitive it is. So, um, that's why we tell students, you, you have to, you know, differentiate more from the other applicants. So there's been an increase in terms of the, um, number of students applying overseas. Second thing is also, mm. I think it's, uh, I mean, obviously over these past few years, um, you know, with tech being in such a big space and, uh, um, all the, [00:30:00] you know, big, uh, giants, you know, coming up and things like that.

Joanne: So computer science is definitely the most competitive major, the most popular major, uh, in the US. Then followed by maybe, uh, engineering and business and social Yeah. So, um, and then also we are seeing that, um, People, some students will also apply to very niche

Joanne: majors in the U. S. Uh, combat like Singapore because for example, like, um, this like game design or, you know, um, ai, right?

Joanne: Or, you know, um, data science and also like film studies, right? So, um, these are also some of the trends that we see in, uh, for, for students applying to the us. Um, they want to also get into more niche and like, you know, uh, more niche majors in the US compared to, um, you know, what's, um, available in 

Paula: Imagine AI would be a Imagine

Joanne: Yeah, 

Paula: be a huge one at the moment.

Paula: Anyone in technology or potentially [00:31:00] technology space or digital space, I feel like

Paula: that's

Paula: where they're And especially the young ones, they know a lot more than what someone like me.

Joanne: Yeah, so more, more, more specializations of such majors are coming Right, so, um, so these

Joanne: are the,

Joanne: majors. Um, yeah, but in UK it's always very popular for majors like law and medicine.

Paula: Well, that was my next

Rachel: question,

Paula: was, um, is the traditional one still a big, big,

Paula: um,

Paula: it hard to get into a lot of intake, a lot of people wanting to get into them, I mean.

Joanne: Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, yes, medicine is still the most

Joanne: of all 

Rachel: Um, and also UK

Joanne: tend to be a better

Joanne: destination for,

Joanne: um, law and medicine because just because it's a direct

Joanne: or law

Joanne: schools compared to the 

Rachel: So, um, 

Joanne: it's a, it's a longer 

Rachel: process you know, more [00:32:00]

Joanne: um,

Joanne: Major. And also because, um, students, a lot of Singapore students will also apply because,

Joanne: you know, Singapore,

Joanne: um, local universities, uh, NTU, they have very uh, number 

Joanne: So, and again, it's very competitive. um, students are also applying to UK as a, you know, additional option. 

Rachel: You provide any free resources or e books or things for families? And how do these resources make an impact on the

Joanne: Yeah, we do have quite a number of free resources

Joanne: available for

Joanne: anyone actually. So we have, uh, yes, we have ebooks, uh, we have webinars. We do quite a number of events, so both webinars and also in person sessions.

Joanne: So feel free to join any of our, you know, uh, events, uh, upcoming. [00:33:00] So for eBooks, um, we have wide variety, uh, because we are really the expert in us and UK, uh, university admissions. Um, and it's not undergrad as well. Also post grad. Um, so I just want to emphasize. Uh, on that. So, uh, the more popular ones, uh, definitely because medicine is a very popular topic.

Joanne: So, um, popular majors. So, um, that's doing really well. A lot of, you know, and it's very demanding. So there's additional admissions tests that you need to take. There's also additional interview you have to do and things like that. So, um, yeah, so that's actually doing very well. If all the, you know, the, the insights and, and additional topics.

Joanne: Practical tips and things like that, right? So that's doing well. Um, the local ones especially for National service because this is only some this is something that only Singapore male students will have to do Right and then because of the national service requirement, they have to apply for deferment from the universities, um, before, right.

Joanne: So

Rachel: it deferment deferment?

Rachel: Oh, yes. Sorry. Yeah. Yeah,

Joanne: So they have to, [00:34:00] uh, they, they apply first, but they will need to ask for deferment from the university and they have to complete their national service um, before they can start their university Yeah. Yeah. So it's, um, so usually for NS guys or Singapore male students, you have, um, they will have a total of three application cycles uh, to apply.

Rachel: So Joanne, how do people find you, Crimson education?

Joanne: Yeah, um, and she does.

Joanne: Yeah, there's quite a number of different ways. So first thing we do quite a lot of events, um, every week and every month. So we have our webinars that usually happens, uh, at least once per week. And, uh, sometimes, and then we have, uh, in person sessions. So it can be once a month or sometimes like, you know, every two months once.

Joanne: Um, so that's a, a great way for you to, you know, find out, uh, More about the insights. Um, and also at the same time, you know, come and speak with us, right? So, and then, um, Very, very big news is that we are hosting [00:35:00]our biggest, uh, Crimson 10 year anniversary event, uh, expo, which is happening next Saturday on November 16th.

Joanne: Um, and it's at, um, this hotel called Novotel Hotel at Stephens Road. It's happening from 11am to 4pm. It's our biggest event in Singapore ever, and we are celebrating our 10th year anniversary. There's a lot of things going on.

Joanne: We have invited, um, a lot of guests of honor, um, which includes like, uh, member of parliament in Singapore, Jamie, uh, associate professor, Jamie Slim.

Joanne: Um, we've invited the U S embassy and also British council, you know, representative to speak at our event. And of course, our CEO and co founder Jamie Beaton will also be there as well. Um, we are doing. A big lucky draw. So, um, quite a number of prizes. The grand prize being, uh, a tour to visit the U. S. Ivy League universities.

Joanne: And it's everything included, um, [00:36:00] accommodation and flights, all included. Wow, what a

Paula: I should apply.

Joanne: No, 

Rachel: would be amazing. Because I've been to a few of them, just to, you know, have a look around, like Princeton and stuff like that.

Rachel: And they're beautiful. They're really, there's so much history there.

Joanne: Absolutely stunning. Yeah.

Joanne: I visited U. S. universities. I was like completely blown away. It's so beautiful.

Rachel: Yeah, I've also been to Stanford.

Joanne: It makes you very motivated, you know, to, to apply and to study in the university. Yeah. So that's a great opportunity, um, for students. Um, and then also we have a lot of teachers. So we have a lot of talks going on as well.

Joanne: Um, we also have a, uh, celebrity singer in, uh, intra. So she will also be there as well to also share her experiences of, um, you know, studying and working in the US.

Rachel: Oh

Joanne: so, and then also a lot of like profile reviews and things, a lot of things going on, right? So, uh, it's a free event. It's completely free. So, uh, people can just register.

Joanne: Uh, and yeah, we're very looking forward to

Rachel: I'll put that link in the show notes. Yeah, yeah,

Joanne: yeah. Thank you. [00:37:00] Um, so, yeah, so, so that's actually a big source of, you know, how families, to finance. The other one is also in terms of referrals. So we have quite a number. Of referrals from Crimson clients, but also, um, from, you know, um, word of right?

Joanne: So, um, Crimson started in 2013, so we are 10 years right now, um, but Singapore office has been here for also about 7 to uh, already, so we have quite a number of, you know, students who have already graduated and alumni and so on. All of that. So we also have very good, uh, reputation around. So, um, yeah, families also referring 

Rachel: to us. And tell us about your, um, your founder.

Joanne: Yeah, sure. Yeah. So our C-E-O-C-E-O and Co-founder Jamie Beaton. He's actually a New Zealander.

Rachel: wow.

Joanne: Rachel, 

Joanne: Rachel, you are too.

Rachel: Yeah. Yeah. I'm so excited.

Joanne: I'm sure Jimmy will be, you know, really wanting to speak with you. [00:38:00] Yeah, so, um, Jimmy himself is a New Zealander. Um, so he applied to all the top 25 universities in the world.

Joanne: He got into, um, Every single Yeah, it's very, very amazing. Uh, which includes like, you know, all the top U. S. schools. So Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, UPenn, Columbia. He got into Cambridge as well in the UK. Eventually he chose to go to Harvard. So he did his double degree in Harvard. Then he went on to Stanford to do his MBA.

Joanne: And then he did his PhD in Oxford. Wow,

Rachel: He likes a bit

Rachel: What did he, what

Paula: did he study?

Joanne: Yeah, so he, uh, he studied Uh, double degree in applied math and ecnomics 

Joanne: Yes,

Rachel: yes.

Joanne: yeah, so, 

Paula: smart

Paula: cookie. Yeah.

Joanne: But the, um, but the trick is that when he applied, because, Math, uh, Applied Math and Economics are very, very competitive majors right?

Joanne: Um, so, and U. S., they, they do allow, you know, um, [00:39:00] flexibility of changing majors in the first two years of university. So, the trick is that when he applied to these schools, he didn't apply directly to these competitive major 

Joanne: So, as a strategy, he applied through a different major.

Joanne: And then he got in, right?

Joanne: And then eventually, yeah, So,

Rachel: Oh,sneaky kiwi

Joanne: strategy, this is part of strategy, right? So sometimes as a strategy, we will also advise students, you know, to apply through a different major 

Paula: different pathways, 

Joanne: and then they can major, but obviously it still has to be a major that Right. So. Yeah, so, um, so that's for that. Um, Jamie did, uh, continue to, um, uh, pursue other majors and other universities as well beyond that. Uh, I think he did a Yale degree. He also U. Penn um, business degree as yeah, it's really amazing. Um, and of course he started a company, right, to guide our [00:40:00] in terms of the strategies and techniques of getting to the top universities. 

Rachel: Yeah, no, that's super interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well done. Yeah,

Rachel: actually 

Joanne: recently been featured in, um, Wall Street Journal, which is the biggest U. S. newspaper, uh, and media, yeah, huge, huge, you know, um, opportunity, was getting quite a bit of traction from there, you know, uh, very, very happy for, for him to be interviewed and featured by

Rachel: Yeah, wow. Where does he live 

Paula: In New Zealand? 

Joanne: No.

Joanne: he's, uh, he's normally based in the US. Yeah, but he's also coming in for, flying into Singapore for our Crimson Overseas

Rachel: education, so Wow.

Paula: Oh, wow. Yeah. Yeah.

Rachel: Yeah. Exciting. Oh yeah, that'd be good. Yeah.

Joanne: so, uh, come and join us. And then you can also have the opportunity to speak with a lot of experts. And also, of course, um, Jamie and myself, 

Rachel: Okay. Yeah. Excellent. Fantastic.

Paula: Thank you.

Rachel: was so interesting. Yeah. We loved that. Yeah, it was good. Good. Thank you. Thank you

Joanne: you for having me. I'm very excited to [00:41:00] be sharing all of this with you. And also, um, yeah, do join us at our expo and look forward seeing everyone. 

Rachel: Yeah. I wish I'd known about it when I was studying.

Rachel: Yeah.

Joanne: Me too.

Paula: too! I wish

Joanne: I wish I had this kind of guidance, you know, when, when I was applying to universities. Um, but I'm, I'm happy that my students nowadays will be able to have such opportunities 

Rachel: Yeah. Yeah. And you're giving it to them. So

Joanne: Yeah. And

Rachel: Lovely. Lovely decisions and great decisions. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's great.

Rachel: Thank you.

Joanne: you.

Rachel: So much knowledge.