Singapore-based Chinese-American actor and host, Allan Wu, recently enlisted the services of university admissions consultancy and mentoring company, Crimson Education, to pave the way for his daughter Sage Wu to gain admission at a top tier university.

“I am thrilled to have Crimson Education’s university admissions experts work with Sage to provide highly-individualised support in every aspect of her application — from university selection strategy, test prep, personal statement support, to extracurricular mentoring and interview practice. Crimson’s students have been known to be 4x more likely to gain acceptance to the Ivy League, Oxford, Cambridge and more, and I hope they can do the same for Sage,” says Allan Wu.

“Today we live in an increasingly globally competitive world, so Sage won’t just be competing with US students – but with students internationally – in her efforts to gain acceptance to the US university(ies) of her choice. Doing everything within my ability to give my children the best opportunities is the greatest gift I can ever give them,” Allan emphasises.

Sage Wu is just starting her first year of the International Baccalaureate program at her school.  She is interested in a wide array of subjects and has shown competency in areas such as Math, Computer Science, Biology, and Physics.  Aside from academics, she has demonstrated a talent and passion for graphic design in addition to being the captain of her basketball team.

“When we were first acquainted with Sage, it struck us that her good academic grades put her in good stead,” says General Manager of Crimson Education Singapore, Ms Quinn Koh. “It has to be said, though, that setting her apart from other academically-qualified applicants would require Sage to embark on a journey with our experts to navigate the application process. Her athletic aptitude and a strong interest in graphic design could prove to be helpful in building her all-rounded candidacy. In particular, Sage recently channelled her artistic talent towards creating a series of stickers to raise money to support victims of the Yemen Humanitarian Crisis. There is much potential for such an extra-curricular pursuit, with the right amplification and expression, to contribute to a university admissions application that demonstrates personality and character.”

Armed with an Integrative Biology degree from University of California, Berkeley, Allan Wu knows the true value of a good US university education. He recalls the liberal, socially and culturally diverse nature and the academically rigorous education that he was exposed to.

“UC Berkeley provided me with an environment that encouraged robust personal development,” says Allan. “I saw first hand how a university of the right fit can equip a young individual with the right tools and preparation to be successful in life.”

Despite the concerns around travel and COVID-19, students in Singapore and abroad continue to be drawn to the US as a higher education destination, especially so in the wake of an incoming Biden presidency.

The Biden Presidency makes the US a friendlier place for foreign students. President Elect Biden, who has run a ‘7 Point Plan to Beat COVID-19’ campaign based on social distancing,  wearing of masks, and vaccine development, has made it clear he will abide by the recommendations of scientists. For students, ideally this will mean the slowing of the pandemic, the re-opening of campuses and the reestablishment of science as the key driver of health and safety measures in the US as a whole.

The Biden administration will likely revoke the following moves by the Trump administration to narrow the following: new international student travel criteria, eligibility requirements for certain international visas relating to the recruitment of foreign employees, and the extension of international student visas beyond four years. 

In line with this change will come an invigoration of an environment of competitiveness of international students – both pre and post admission. International students will be able to compete on a global stage as applicants, undergraduate students, researchers, postgraduate contenders and future world leading company employees. These changes will be in line with a return to globalism over nationalism, and efforts to improve the US’s reputation as part of a global economic community.

When it is safe to travel again, Allan hopes to accompany Sage on campus tours so that Sage might get an inside look into life at different leading US universities, meet with current students and academic staff, and in turn, make an informed decision in which universities might be the best fit for her. There are also opportunities to meet with inspirational mentors and go behind the scenes at the world’s largest companies.

Crimson Education supported students to secure over 85 offers to Ivy League universities last year alone. This is through a purely online mentoring model, with tutors from around the world

connected to local students to help them develop individual strategies to stand out as top candidates for university with personal essay preparation, extracurricular activities and standardised test preparation along with tutoring to boost their academic performance.

Crimson students’ chances of admission to the Ivy League, Oxford, Cambridge and other leading universities such as Stanford and Duke are up to 4 times greater than the general population. With their Ivy League admissions tally already at 291, Crimson students are in line for another record admissions round in 2021.

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