UChicago Admissions Counseling: Boost Your Chances Of Admissions Success

Allan graduated from Cornell University with Cum Laude honors in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a concentration in Energy and Economics. After completing his bachelor's degree, he received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Allan founded an admissions consulting program as the President of a national honor society at Cornell University. He also acted as an admissions mentor at a local high school. As an admissions ambassador, Allan provided feedback to the admissions board on the potential candidate's fit with the school. With over ten years of experience as an academic counselor, he has helped his students gain admission to Cornell University, the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Texas, among many others.

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As a first-generation college student, Allan has first-hand experience with how challenging and confusing the admission process can be. This fuels his passion for supporting and guiding his students through the application process. As a coach, he takes a personalized approach–highlighting each applicant's strengths and individuality. He is adaptable and flexible when it comes to what his students need, regardless of what stage in the application process they're in. Allan excels in helping his students develop a robust applicant profile that speaks to what admissions officers are looking for in an ideal candidate beyond test scores and grades. He helps his students turn their shortcomings into strengths, allowing them to shine through.

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With his Quad students, Allan breaks down the application process into more manageable steps. He helps his students understand the rationale behind each aspect of their application–specifically, why the colleges ask specific questions and what they want to learn about the students. This, in turn, gives his students the opportunity to build a more meaningful and intentional application. Through coaching prospective college students, Allan hopes to pass on his knowledge and experience to ensure that his students can more easily manage the college application process. He finds great joy in seeing his students' and their families' happy faces and tears when they receive acceptance letters from their dream school. Allan ensures that his students feel confident in their application and works hard to get each of his students to that state of mind and having fun along the way.

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When Allan isn't coaching, he mentors high school students and young professionals on career and professional development. He also enjoys playing competitive badminton–and winning!

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Allan's Pro Tip?

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Students often think they need the perfect resume and breadth of experience to be a competitive candidate. While having these experiences under your belt can be an asset, you can always find strength in your application through your weaknesses and shortcomings, making you much more resilient and competitive throughout the application process.

Chris is a graduate of the University of Chicago and served on the admissions committee, where he reviewed applications, assessed essays, and conducted interviews. Students he has recently coached have gained admission to top-tier schools, including Brown, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn, Cornell, and Dartmouth.

When it comes to coaching, Chris loves helping applicants craft a compelling story and reach their ultimate goals. He describes the college application process as exciting, nerve-wracking, laborious, and rewarding. Chris appreciates that this journey can be an emotional roller coaster but knows it’s always worth it!

Chris’ greatest strength as a coach is discovering unexplored balance. He excels at highlighting the uniqueness of the boy who feels ordinary, finding the right school for the quirky girl, accentuating the creative side of the math enthusiast, building confidence in the insecure, and exploring the vulnerability of the self-assured. Chris shines at painting a colorful and nuanced picture of each applicant.

When Chris isn’t coaching students, he enjoys “unplugging” in nature, taking improv classes with his wife, and riding roller coasters with his teenagers. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, teaches humanities, and enjoys a wide variety of topics such as philosophy, neuroscience, Shakespeare, world religions, large language models, and more.