Is Crimson Education Legit?

Crimson Education is legit. Crimson is successful in supporting students in gaining admission to the world’s best universities including the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Oxford, and Cambridge at up to four times the general applicant rate.

This high rate of success, recorded by Crimson students from all over the world, can largely be attributed to the two key support principles on which Crimson was founded. Firstly, that students are provided with the very best tutors and mentors the world has to offer with whom they work 1:1, and secondly that these experts  help their students perfect every single element of their complex US and UK applications.

That said, ‘Is Crimson Legit?’ is a fair question. In some countries, the university application support space can be a crowded one; and in some cases, consultancies may not follow through on what they promise. In other cases these companies may not adhere to the principles set by, or be members of, institutions such as the National Association for College Admission counseling (NACAC) or International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) — Crimson is a member of both — and therefore not held to their ethical standards. So there is no wonder families need reassurance before deciding who to trust when it comes to deciding how to negotiate this important part of their child’s education journey.

So, why Crimson? Let’s start by taking a look at the current ‘lay of the land’ in university admissions and why expert support can be the key to success.

The Competitiveness of Top University Admissions

It is well known that top schools like those in the Ivy League or the UK’s Oxford or Cambridge are highly sought after institutions that attract many more applications than available ‘spots’.  (Acceptance rates at top US schools like Harvard, Stanford and Princeton for example hover around the 4-5% mark.) A degree from any of these schools or others like the US’s MIT, Duke, Northwestern or Caltech, or the UK’s UCL, Imperial, LSE, King's College London or Edinburgh, can set a young person on the path for a lifetime of success. In the midst of a shifting COVID-19 landscape which saw many top universities going ‘test optional’ (eg: the Ivy League and most other top US schools did not require applicants to submit the SAT or ACT in 2021 and will continue this test optional policy into 2022), this competition has only increased, with Harvard and other top schools reporting application number increases of up to 47%.

These changes once again highlight the need for expert support in all areas of a student’s application - from maximising school grades through expert tutoring, building strong extracurriculars and leadership profiles, crafting resonating essays, guiding teachers on how to write stand-out recommendation letters and engaging in expert interview prep.

A huge factor in our relationship with Crimson was trust, as every person we dealt with at Crimson was top class and we completely trusted that we were in the hands of extraordinary guides. This was really important considering that we knew so little about where we were going and how to get there. Also because to an extent, the results will determine your child’s future, you need to have complete faith in the team who are guiding you. With Crimson, we felt the comforting presence of absolute excellence.

— Janine, mother of Chris, University of Pennsylvania / Wharton admit

The unfortunate truth is that many students lose out on the acceptance letter they strive for simply because they don’t have the support they deserve. They may have all the talent and motivation needed to gain admissions to a top school, but perhaps don’t fully understand what goes into admissions decisions and how to approach the multiple application elements.

That’s why Crimson was founded in the first place. Jamie Beaton, Crimson’s co-founder, CEO and Harvard, Stanford and Oxford graduate, admits he was flying blind when it came to negotiating his own US and UK applications 8 years ago. Jamie applied to the world’s Top 25 universities and was accepted into all of them, and in the process learned just how hard it was to get sound advice and encouragement from people who really understood the process.

If I had to use one adjective to describe our Crimson experience it would be ‘supportive’. As parents, we trusted that Crimson was supporting and guiding Oliver at every stage. Even though we did not feel the need to have continual direct contact with Crimson, Oliver’s strategist George would invite us to a zoom link up with him where we could ask any questions regarding the process. This was very reassuring for us.

— Julie, mother of Oliver, Rice University admit

In short, Crimson was founded on the premise that by demystifying the admissions process for our students, we can help democratize elite higher education for those who face obstacles that may otherwise seriously restrict their chances.

How do we accomplish this?

With high-level expert support from current students, graduates and/or former admissions officers at these top universities on a highly personalised level. At Crimson, every student is provided a support team with each team member helping them on one area of their application - being it their university selection, standardised test or local curriculum tutoring, extracurricular building, essay creating or interview prep. Our 3,000 mentors and tutors have ‘been there and done that’ successfully themselves — and they bring first-hand knowledge and experiences to the table.

My daughter was bright and motivated and aiming at the US but to be honest, at least at the beginning, we had no idea what we were doing! It’s hard to summarise how much Crimson helped because it wasn’t just about their first class expertise or inside knowledge, it was also about the moral support they provided, which I am sure made an impact on my daughter’s self belief and ultimate success.

— Katherine, mother of Alexandra, Stanford University admit

Of course, the one thing we do not do is sell our students short. They already possess the intelligence, ambition, and talent that makes a perfect college applicant. Our approach capitalizes on the amazing qualities our students already have, in combination with the expertise of our teams, to ensure that every qualified student has a fair chance at the education they deserve.

To learn more about what our students have to say about us, visit our reviews page here. To watch some great Crimson testimonial videos you can visit our YouTube Channel here.

Then if you are ready to learn more, feel free to click on the link below to organise a free one hour 1:1 consultation with one of our expert academic advisors who can explain how Crimson can help you/your child in reaching their ultimate world leading university goals.