Our Services
The Leading Consultancy for Ivy League & Top College Admissions
We support students applying to the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Duke, and other top US universities. With 1,340+ Ivy League offers and former admissions officers on our team, Crimson delivers proven, expert guidance for ambitious students.
- College Strategy
- Academics
- Essays
- Capstone Development
- Research Projects
- Honors & Awards
- Work Experience
Personalized Strategy. Proven Results.
The Leader in Ivy League & Top College Results
Crimson students see the strongest outcomes across the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT and other top universities. The Wall Street Journal reported that Crimson students accounted for 2% of Class of 2028 admits at Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and UPenn.
Meet Our Consultants
Our college counseling team includes former admissions officers and graduates of the Ivy League, Stanford and more. Each consultant brings first hand experience and proven strategies to guide your child toward their dream school. This is just a small sample of our world-class experts.
College Strategy
Many students aiming for the Ivy League, Stanford and other top colleges struggle to stand out, choose the right schools, or select extracurriculars. Without a clear strategy, even the best candidates can fall short. Our consultants create a personalized plan so every part of your child’s application tells a powerful story. As part of Crimson’s admissions counseling, they help with:
Building a unique and memorable application theme.
Developing a strategic and balanced university list.
Maximising leadership and extracurricular achievements.
Managing every part of the application timeline and process.
“ Aidan was my strategist, and he helped me significantly by guiding which activities I should focus on, how to frame them in my application, and matching me with a great essay counselor. ”
Holly C., Accepted to Stanford University, Class of 2029
Academic Acceleration
The Challenge
With Ivy League and other Ivy Plus universities receiving thousands of applications, grades and test scores are the first filter. While some schools remain test-optional, most Ivies and top schools like Stanford and MIT, now require strong standardized test scores.
“The average GPA for the Ivy League last year was 3.9. While students need a wide range of achievements, academics are a cornerstone of the application process. ”
Arkesh P., Harvard and Cambridge graduate, Crimson COO
How We Help
Crimson’s test prep program combines strategy, structure, and results to give your child an advantage in the high-stakes testing environment:
01
Proven Strategies
From 99th-percentile SAT and ACT tutors who uncover patterns most students miss.
02
Targeted Learning
Through bootcamps and 1:1 sessions that strengthen core skills and quickly close knowledge gaps.
03
Smarter Studying
With advanced analytics and adaptive testing tools that track progress across 1,000+ practice questions and real-time mock exams.
04
Guaranteed Results
Earn up to a 180+ point increase with our tiered score improvement system — or your money back.
Accepted to
Duke
Name
Allie B.
“ I used to get really frustrated doing SAT practice tests, especially with a full school workload. But after joining Crimson, my tutor helped me focus on the right techniques. I know I wouldn’t have done as well without her — she helped boost my score by 90 points, and I’m so grateful. ”
Aly B., Accepted early to Duke University
Essays
“When admissions officers at top US colleges debate over who gets in, it's often the essay that makes the difference.”
Kimberley L., Former Stanford Admissions Officer
The Challenge
Your child’s essays are their one chance to speak directly to admissions officers to showcase their personality, values, and perspective.
But many students struggle to choose the right topic, develop a strong narrative, and refine their writing to a level that makes an impact.
How We Help
Our team of essay mentors, including published authors and Emmy Award-winning journalists. We work one-on-one with your child to help them craft authentic, impactful essays that capture who they are.
We support your child with:
01
Brainstorming essay topics that reflect personality, values, and vision
02
Creating a cohesive narrative that aligns with their application theme
03
Polishing tone, structure, and clarity for maximum impact
04
Making sure each essay resonates with US admissions officers
“ Theo’s guidance was instrumental in my acceptance to Cornell. His comprehensive feedback and support, well beyond what was required—helped me organize my scattered essays and craft a compelling story for every application. I truly couldn’t have done it without him. ”
Neev T., Accepted to Cornell University
Capstone Development
The Challenge
Students who stand out don’t just tick boxes, they create real-world impact. But most students don’t know how to turn their passions into a project that truly impresses top US universities.
“There are 100,000 high schools worldwide. Imagine if every valedictorian applied to Ivy+ schools — there still wouldn’t be enough spots. To stand out for a Top 25 university, students need more. That’s where the capstone comes in. ”
Sonam A., Former Duke Admissions Officer
How We Help
Our Capstone Consultants help bring high-impact ideas to life and position them strategically in your child’s application. We help your child:
Define the Perfect Project
We help your child clarify their narrative, then brainstorm project ideas that align. Our experts guide them toward projects that are meaningful, achievable, and built to stand out in top university admissions.
Develop a Project Plan
We help your child build a step-by-step plan with clear milestones and goals. Each phase is actionable and strategically aligned with their university admissions timeline.
Scale Impact
We help your child expand their project’s reach from local initiatives to regional, national or international platforms. The result is real-world impact that highlights leadership and ambition.
Track Results
We help your child track project outcomes and distill them into a concise narrative within the application — showcasing growth, leadership, and real impact.
Successful Student Capstones
Crimson students have launched initiatives that earned them acceptances at Stanford, Princeton, Yale, and more. Beyond strengthening their application, a capstone builds skills like problem-solving and adaptability — qualities top universities want.
Capstone Success
Jonathan
New York
Contrail-Free Flight Routing
Stanford, Yale, Princeton & Duke
Jonathan developed a cutting-edge system to calculate contrail-free airplane routes, winning the U.S. Air Force Award for his innovative work in environmental science.
Capstone Success
Jonathan
New York
Contrail-Free Flight Routing
Stanford, Yale, Princeton & Duke
Jonathan developed a cutting-edge system to calculate contrail-free airplane routes, winning the U.S. Air Force Award for his innovative work in environmental science.
Capstone Success
Leyla
California
Romeyka Preservation Project
Stanford
Leyla founded a nonprofit to preserve an endangered language using computational linguistics. She produced a documentary, book, app, blog, podcast, and published research.
Capstone Success
Maggie
New Jersey
Academic Research Club
Princeton
Maggie founded a Music Technology Club, where she designed courses for digital composing. She also hosted monthly music production workshops for 15 K-8 students at libraries.
Jonathan
Jonathan developed a cutting-edge system to calculate contrail-free airplane routes, winning the U.S. Air Force Award for his innovative work in environmental science.
Leyla
Leyla founded a nonprofit to preserve an endangered language using computational linguistics. She produced a documentary, book, app, blog, podcast, and published research.
Maggie
Maggie founded a Music Technology Club, where she designed courses for digital composing. She also hosted monthly music production workshops for 15 K-8 students at libraries.
Capstone Success
Jonathan
New York
Contrail-Free Flight Routing
Stanford, Yale, Princeton & Duke
Jonathan developed a cutting-edge system to calculate contrail-free airplane routes, winning the U.S. Air Force Award for his innovative work in environmental science.
Capstone Success
Leyla
California
Romeyka Preservation Project
Stanford
Leyla founded a nonprofit to preserve an endangered language using computational linguistics. She produced a documentary, book, app, blog, podcast, and published research.
Capstone Success
Maggie
New Jersey
Academic Research Club
Princeton
Maggie founded a Music Technology Club, where she designed courses for digital composing. She also hosted monthly music production workshops for 15 K-8 students at libraries.
Research Projects
The Challenge
Ivy League schools like Columbia, Yale, and Princeton now allow students to submit independent research as part of their application, making high-quality research a key admissions factor. But for high schoolers, accessing top faculty, designing rigorous studies, and getting published is incredibly challenging.
“We’re seeing more and more top universities place real weight on students who have done meaningful research in high school. It’s one of the clearest ways a student can show they’re ready for the academic rigor of a top school. ”
Alex O., Platinum Strategy Consultant
How We Help
Crimson connects your child with world-class faculty and PhD mentors, from top universities like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, to guide them through the research process. Through structured mentorship, we help your child with:
01
Research Development
Develops an original, high-quality research paper in any field.
02
Mentorship
Get expert guidance on research methods and academic writing.
03
Publish & Present
Get your work in front of real audiences — through journals or conferences.
04
University Credit
Earn college credit through an accredited program recognized by UC Santa Barbara.
Successful Student Research Papers
Why People Obey the Law: A Critical Review of Existing Research
Published in Curieux Academic Journal Accepted to the University of Pennsylvania
Student
Makayla W.
Princeton Class of 2029
Mentor
Dr. Carlos X.
Researcher at Center for Constitutional Studies of the Mexican Supreme Court
Outcome
Makayla found that people often obey laws more due to internal factors like personal beliefs than external pressures.
A Stretchable and Tough Small-Scale Magnetic Actuator for Biomedical Applications
Published in the Journal of Student Research Accepted to Columbia
Student
Joseph B.
Accepted to Columbia
Mentor
Sammy H.
Harvard PhD
Outcome
Investigated the material properties necessary for a magnetic actuator used in drug delivery.
Distractor-Specific Single Neuron Activity Predicts Visual Working Memory Task Outcomes
Presented at Conference on Brain Informatics
Student
Jia L.
Accepted to Stanford
Mentor
Nora I.
Professor at Columbia
Outcome
Jia worked with her mentor, a professor of neuroscience and psychology, to prepare a conference paper and presentation.
Why People Obey the Law: A Critical Review of Existing Research
Published in Curieux Academic Journal Accepted to the University of Pennsylvania
Student
Makayla W.
Princeton Class of 2029
Mentor
Dr. Carlos X.
Researcher at Center for Constitutional Studies of the Mexican Supreme Court
Outcome
Makayla found that people often obey laws more due to internal factors like personal beliefs than external pressures.
A Stretchable and Tough Small-Scale Magnetic Actuator for Biomedical Applications
Published in the Journal of Student Research Accepted to Columbia
Student
Joseph B.
Accepted to Columbia
Mentor
Sammy H.
Harvard PhD
Outcome
Investigated the material properties necessary for a magnetic actuator used in drug delivery.
Distractor-Specific Single Neuron Activity Predicts Visual Working Memory Task Outcomes
Presented at Conference on Brain Informatics
Student
Jia L.
Accepted to Stanford
Mentor
Nora I.
Professor at Columbia
Outcome
Jia worked with her mentor, a professor of neuroscience and psychology, to prepare a conference paper and presentation.
Why People Obey the Law: A Critical Review of Existing Research
Published in Curieux Academic Journal Accepted to the University of Pennsylvania
Student
Makayla W.
Princeton Class of 2029
Mentor
Dr. Carlos X.
Researcher at Center for Constitutional Studies of the Mexican Supreme Court
Outcome
Makayla found that people often obey laws more due to internal factors like personal beliefs than external pressures.
A Stretchable and Tough Small-Scale Magnetic Actuator for Biomedical Applications
Published in the Journal of Student Research Accepted to Columbia
Student
Joseph B.
Accepted to Columbia
Mentor
Sammy H.
Harvard PhD
Outcome
Investigated the material properties necessary for a magnetic actuator used in drug delivery.
Distractor-Specific Single Neuron Activity Predicts Visual Working Memory Task Outcomes
Presented at Conference on Brain Informatics
Student
Jia L.
Accepted to Stanford
Mentor
Nora I.
Professor at Columbia
Outcome
Jia worked with her mentor, a professor of neuroscience and psychology, to prepare a conference paper and presentation.
Honors and Awards
The Challenge
Honors signal excellence to admissions officers and help your child stand out. In 2024, 90% of Crimson’s Ivy League admits had five or more top-tier awards, with 80% coming from the most prestigious competitions. But identifying the right competitions, and performing at a winning level, is overwhelming for most families.
How We Help
Crimson gives students access to the world’s only comprehensive awards-training program, helping them earn the elite honors top colleges expect. Your child gets:
01
Personalized competition strategy to go after the best awards for their profile.
02
1:1 mentorship from past winners and judges.
03
Expert coaching on skill-building and submission strategies.
04
Judges’ Panel Review for feedback before final submission.
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Over 100 Crimson students were shortlisted in 2024, including over 30 Distinctions and a student who placed in the global top 3, out of over 34,000 global participants.
The Earth Prize
Two from the global top 15 in the 2024 edition of this sustainability and innovation competition were Crimson students, out of over 6000 global participants.
Society for Science Regeneron ISEF
Three Crimson students were Finalists or Grand Awardess in Regeneron ISEF 2023, out of over 6+ million participants across all ISEF-affiliated science fairs.
Our Students' Success
Aditya
MIT, Stanford, Harvard
Turned his personal research project on cancer and oncology into a top-class submission for multiple science and engineering fairs, culminating in a global Grand Award at Regeneron ISEF. Pivoted ISEF win into prestigious summer school research acceptances.
Andrew
Stanford, Yale, Columbia
Received a Gold Key in Writing in the US National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with a repurposed finalist John Locke Essay Competition essay. Qualified 4x for American Invitational Math Examination (AIME) in 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.
Jackie
Yale EA
Bronze medal in the US Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. Three-time qualifier for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). USA Computing Olympiad Silver division. Second place at the State Science and Engineering Fair and qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). National Merit Scholar.
Samantha
UPenn, Dartmouth
Submitted their capstone project to the Diana Award, winning a global commendation for their efforts in promoting social impact and education. Received two distinctions as a finalist for the John Locke Essay Competition.
Matthew
Columbia
Created a pioneering AI-driven system to monitor endangered wildlife populations and provide real-time insights to farmers and ecologists. His invention was submitted to the Earth Prize with the guidance of our mentor, a sustainability consultant and lawyer, placing in the global top 15 students in this global sustainability competition of over 5000 participants.
Aditya
MIT, Stanford, Harvard
Turned his personal research project on cancer and oncology into a top-class submission for multiple science and engineering fairs, culminating in a global Grand Award at Regeneron ISEF. Pivoted ISEF win into prestigious summer school research acceptances.
Andrew
Stanford, Yale, Columbia
Received a Gold Key in Writing in the US National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with a repurposed finalist John Locke Essay Competition essay. Qualified 4x for American Invitational Math Examination (AIME) in 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.
Jackie
Yale EA
Bronze medal in the US Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. Three-time qualifier for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). USA Computing Olympiad Silver division. Second place at the State Science and Engineering Fair and qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). National Merit Scholar.
Samantha
UPenn, Dartmouth
Submitted their capstone project to the Diana Award, winning a global commendation for their efforts in promoting social impact and education. Received two distinctions as a finalist for the John Locke Essay Competition.
Matthew
Columbia
Created a pioneering AI-driven system to monitor endangered wildlife populations and provide real-time insights to farmers and ecologists. His invention was submitted to the Earth Prize with the guidance of our mentor, a sustainability consultant and lawyer, placing in the global top 15 students in this global sustainability competition of over 5000 participants.
Work Experience
The Challenge
Students often know what they’re good at, but not where it leads. Choosing a degree without understanding what it leads to leaves many students uncertain and unprepared. Universities now expect applicants to show career awareness — and future employers look for candidates who already understand how industries work.
“For admissions committees, work experience can signal resilience, initiative, and the ability to balance commitments, especially when academic excellence is maintained alongside those responsibilities.”
Benito N., Former Harvard Admissions Coordinator
How We Help
Crimson is the only admissions consultancy offering an integrated pathway that helps students explore careers, build leadership, and gain real-world experience through structured, mentor-led programs that strengthen applications and lead to global recommendation letters.
01
Discover Direction
Identify your strengths and explore career paths that align with your interests and goals
02
Experience the Industry
Work on real company challenges guided by professionals from diverse industries and emerging fields like AI and coding.
03
Build Future Skills
Develop essential professional and creative skills through hands-on learning.
04
Showcase Your Work
Present your final work to professionals, receive exclusive feedback, and earn recommendation letters as a top performer.
Our Testimonials
Hear firsthand from students about how our custom packages helped them gain clarity, build confidence, and achieve acceptance at their top-choice schools.
Sam W.
Student
“We called Crimson with less than 2 weeks left to submit the USA university application from Australia . They were incredibly quick to respond and worked late into the night, on Xmas eve and even NYE! Very dedicated consultants, especially Mai Dinh, she was so diligent, detailed and most amiable to work with.”
Harrison Z
Student
“With Crimson’s help, be it through their expert admissions officers or essay mentors, I was able to take the best parts of me and put them out there for colleges to see.”
Zach P.
Student
“Crimson’s process ensured that I was sending the best application I could possibly make to each school through the extracurricular, academic, and essay advice they provided.”
Jia C
Student
“Crimson gave me the structure and support I needed to navigate everything with confidence –essays, extracurriculars, standardized tests, and strategy– Crimson helped break everything down step by step, making it much more manageable.”
Keith M
Student
Crimson played a big role in my success. Between the essay support, SAT support, and the general counseling and school choice, they were helpful in every step of the process.”
Lily S
Student
“The Crimson team you work with has the application down to a science. They can help customize and maximize you on paper. It’s really amazing how they can edit and add to a profile to help it better capture you as a person.”
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