A New Zealander, Profiled by The New York Times
Jamie Beaton grew up in Auckland and started Crimson Education at 17.
The New York Times has written a profile of Jamie Beaton, the Auckland-born founder of Crimson Education. It looks at how he built the company, and at the way families now approach applications to universities overseas. For New Zealand families the interesting part is not the company. It is the question underneath it: what actually helps a student from a New Zealand school win a place at a university on the other side of the world.
What an Admissions Adviser Actually Does
A good adviser is more than an essay editor. They are a strategist, a mentor and a project manager who keeps the whole process on track, from Year 11 through to the last application submitted.
Crimson helps:
- Map out NCEA, CIE or IB with purpose. Subject choices, extracurriculars, research projects and long-term goals, set early.
- Go beyond rankings. Identify universities that fit academically, socially and financially, across the US, the UK and beyond.
- Guide every piece of the application: essays, references, admissions testing and interviews, so each part tells one coherent story.
- Turn real interests into standout achievements, with activities that fit the student rather than a template.
- Find and apply for competitive overseas programmes, many with deadlines that fall in the middle of the New Zealand school year.
- Regular check-ins, clear timelines and a structured plan, across a timezone gap that makes everything else harder.
Thinking About Applying to University Overseas?
Fill in the form below and someone from our New Zealand team will be in touch to arrange a free meeting with one of our advisers.
Why More Kiwi Families Are Seeking Help
Applying from New Zealand to a university overseas is not what it was a decade ago. It is harder, and the stakes are higher.
From here the process is also unfamiliar. Parents are expected to help their children: • Choose NCEA, CIE or IB subjects that overseas universities will actually accept, from Year 11 • Build an extracurricular record that reads clearly to an admissions officer who has never heard of the school • Put together a balanced list across the US, the UK and Australia • Navigate early application rounds, essays, admissions testing, scholarships and interviews, mostly at night, from the wrong side of the world It is no surprise that more families here are asking for help.
“Everything revolved around education, and we didn’t see it as a sacrifice.” Paula Beaton, in The New York Times
– The New York Times
Why Crimson?
A Team of Specialists, Not One Counsellor
At Crimson you do not rely on one person for every part of an application. You get a team: essay mentors, extracurricular strategists, interview coaches, each a specialist, all working to the same plan. For a student in New Zealand it also means people awake in the timezones that matter.
160 Offers to
Yale
157 Offers to
Harvard
321 Offers to
Columbia
407 Offers to
UPenn
189 Offers to
Brown
93 Offers to
Dartmouth
317 Offers to
Cornell
126 Offers to
Princeton
217 Offers to
Stanford
68 Offers to
MIT
239 Offers to
Duke
191 Offers to
UChicago
187 Offers to
Johns Hopkins
35 Offers to
Caltech
616 Offers to
UC Berkeley
587 Offers to
UCLA
448 Offers to
USC
203 Offers to
Oxford
270 Offers to
Cambridge
326 Offers to
LSE
428 Offers to
Imperial
894 Offers to
UCL
1059 Offers to
KCL
473 Offers to
Oxbridge
216 Offers to
Northwestern
160 Offers to
Yale
157 Offers to
Harvard
321 Offers to
Columbia
407 Offers to
UPenn
189 Offers to
Brown
93 Offers to
Dartmouth
317 Offers to
Cornell
126 Offers to
Princeton
217 Offers to
Stanford
68 Offers to
MIT
239 Offers to
Duke
191 Offers to
UChicago
187 Offers to
Johns Hopkins
35 Offers to
Caltech
616 Offers to
UC Berkeley
587 Offers to
UCLA
448 Offers to
USC
203 Offers to
Oxford
270 Offers to
Cambridge
326 Offers to
LSE
428 Offers to
Imperial
894 Offers to
UCL
1059 Offers to
KCL
473 Offers to
Oxbridge
216 Offers to
Northwestern
160 Offers to
Yale
157 Offers to
Harvard
321 Offers to
Columbia
407 Offers to
UPenn
189 Offers to
Brown
93 Offers to
Dartmouth
317 Offers to
Cornell
126 Offers to
Princeton
217 Offers to
Stanford
68 Offers to
MIT
239 Offers to
Duke
191 Offers to
UChicago
187 Offers to
Johns Hopkins
35 Offers to
Caltech
616 Offers to
UC Berkeley
587 Offers to
UCLA
448 Offers to
USC
203 Offers to
Oxford
270 Offers to
Cambridge
326 Offers to
LSE
428 Offers to
Imperial
894 Offers to
UCL
1059 Offers to
KCL
473 Offers to
Oxbridge
216 Offers to
Northwestern
160 Offers to
Yale
157 Offers to
Harvard
321 Offers to
Columbia
407 Offers to
UPenn
189 Offers to
Brown
93 Offers to
Dartmouth
317 Offers to
Cornell
126 Offers to
Princeton
217 Offers to
Stanford
68 Offers to
MIT
239 Offers to
Duke
191 Offers to
UChicago
187 Offers to
Johns Hopkins
35 Offers to
Caltech
616 Offers to
UC Berkeley
587 Offers to
UCLA
448 Offers to
USC
203 Offers to
Oxford
270 Offers to
Cambridge
326 Offers to
LSE
428 Offers to
Imperial
894 Offers to
UCL
1059 Offers to
KCL
473 Offers to
Oxbridge
216 Offers to
Northwestern
The Record
Where Our Students End Up
7x
Crimson students are admitted to the Ivy League and other top-15 universities at over 7x the general applicant rate.
Total Offers to the Ivy League
University-Specific Acceptance Rates
| Top Universities | General Admit Rate | Crimson Admit Rate |
| Harvard | 3.7% | 32.3% |
| Stanford | 3.8% | 31.1% |
| Yale | 4.2% | 25.6% |
| Columbia | 4.2% | 31.5% |
| UPenn | 5.8% | 40.3% |
| Dartmouth | 5.8% | 34.3% |
| Princeton | 4% | 24.6% |
| Cornell | 9.2% | 54.1% |
| MIT | 4.6% | 27.6% |
98%
98% of our students are admitted to at least one of their top five university choices.
These Crimson Students Got In
Your child can, too.
Accepted to
Stanford
Holly C.
Medicine
“Aidan was my strategist and he helped me significantly by directing which activities I should be doing, how to frame them in my application and matching me with a great essay counselor.”
“Aidan was my strategist and he helped me significantly by directing which activities I should be doing, how to frame them in my application and matching me with a great essay counselor.”
Holly C.
Accepted to
UCLA
Jin T.
Engineering
“Jennifer was my essay mentor and she was just great. Whether sparking new ideas during the brainstorming process or looking over my finished draft for redundant words and ideas, she clarified the focus needed for specific essay prompts.”
“Jennifer was my essay mentor and she was just great. Whether sparking new ideas during the brainstorming process or looking over my finished draft for redundant words and ideas, she clarified the focus needed for specific essay prompts.”
Jin T.
Accepted to
Wharton (Upenn)
James N.
Undecided
“Jordan was my strategist and I know I could not have gotten into Wharton without his help. They helped me understand exactly what I needed to do.”
“Jordan was my strategist and I know I could not have gotten into Wharton without his help. They helped me understand exactly what I needed to do.”
James N.
Accepted to
Cornell
Alex R.
Undecided
“George was my Strategist. He helped curate a college list that would help with my ambitions as a scholar, athlete, and overall person. Above all, however, he wanted to make my dreams a reality and encouraged me. ”
“George was my Strategist. He helped curate a college list that would help with my ambitions as a scholar, athlete, and overall person. Above all, however, he wanted to make my dreams a reality and encouraged me. ”
Alex R.
Accepted to
John Hopkins
Ziyan L.
Medicine
“The best part about working with Crimson was how incredibly knowledgeable everyone on the team was. It gave me a lot of confidence during the application process.”
“The best part about working with Crimson was how incredibly knowledgeable everyone on the team was. It gave me a lot of confidence during the application process.”
Ziyan L.
Accepted to
Cornell
Jaelyn C.
Animal Science
“Crimson helped me strengthen my mindset and approach to the application process. Their guidance gave me the confidence and support I needed to stay focused on my goals.”
“Crimson helped me strengthen my mindset and approach to the application process. Their guidance gave me the confidence and support I needed to stay focused on my goals.”
Jaelyn C.
The Knowledge Network
Meet Our Experts
Crimson's admissions team includes former admissions officers from universities including Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins and Northwestern, alongside advisers here in New Zealand who know how NCEA, CIE and IB records are read overseas.
Devery D.
Former Harvard Admissions Officer
Devery studied higher education management at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and served as a Harvard admissions officer, UC Berkeley application reader, and an application reader for a top liberal arts college. Applying a strategic, data-driven approach, Devery helps students make informed choices as they tailor applications to Ivy League institutions.
Dana C.
Former Princeton Admissions Officer
Dana C. is a Princeton graduate, former application reader in Princeton University's Office of Undergraduate Admission, and a seasoned admissions consultant with a decade of success guiding domestic and international students into top US, UK, and Canadian universities. Dana's students have earned offers from Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech, the University of Chicago, Oxford, Imperial, UCL, and leading Canadian institutions.
Kimberley L.
Former Stanford Admissions Officer
Kimberley brings over a decade of expertise in undergraduate admissions from her roles at Stanford University and Northwestern University. At Northwestern, she spent seven years leading the evaluation of all undergraduate applications, crafting the reader handbook, training staff and application readers, and even managing the music admissions process!
Devery D.
Former Harvard Admissions Officer
Devery studied higher education management at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and served as a Harvard admissions officer, UC Berkeley application reader, and an application reader for a top liberal arts college. Applying a strategic, data-driven approach, Devery helps students make informed choices as they tailor applications to Ivy League institutions.
Dana C.
Former Princeton Admissions Officer
Dana C. is a Princeton graduate, former application reader in Princeton University's Office of Undergraduate Admission, and a seasoned admissions consultant with a decade of success guiding domestic and international students into top US, UK, and Canadian universities. Dana's students have earned offers from Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech, the University of Chicago, Oxford, Imperial, UCL, and leading Canadian institutions.
Kimberley L.
Former Stanford Admissions Officer
Kimberley brings over a decade of expertise in undergraduate admissions from her roles at Stanford University and Northwestern University. At Northwestern, she spent seven years leading the evaluation of all undergraduate applications, crafting the reader handbook, training staff and application readers, and even managing the music admissions process!
Crimson Alumni are now working at top global companies
