Henry attended the Hong Kong International School for secondary school and arrived in the US for his undergraduate studies at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. While Kenyon offered excellent academics, its rural location was exactly the opposite of what Henry wanted. Unfortunately, the counselor Henry worked with back in Hong Kong wasn’t very knowledgeable about the different US colleges and universities, and most of Henry’s schools on his list didn’t fit what he was looking for: a medium- to large-sized school in or near a city (but preferably in a city). Also, music was Henry’s main passion, and it was imperative that the city where he attended university had a vibrant music scene, both so he could listen to bands and build his career in the music industry.
When Henry contacted Expert Admissions, he had returned home to Hong Kong from Kenyon; he went home at Thanksgiving, and because it was such a mismatch, decided not to return to Kenyon. It was too late to officially withdraw from his classes, so his transcript was going to be filled with F’s. Henry didn’t seek academic counseling while at Kenyon regarding this choice, and did not realize that his transcript would be adversely impacted.
Dr. Norman was able to counsel Henry to petition for his F’s to change to W’s (for withdrawal) and she also advised him on an academic plan for the spring semester while he was back in Hong Kong; it would also be during this time that he would re-apply to US universities. After Dr. Norman was able to help Henry sort out his academic issues, they then turned their attention to building an appropriate list of universities and working on applications. Though they only had a little over two weeks (Henry wanted to apply for the fall, and deadlines were fast-approaching), Dr. Norman was sure they could get things done.
Dr. Norman spoke with Henry extensively about the different universities he was considering and shared her own impressions from her visits (as well as the photos she took while on campus). They developed and finalized Henry’s main essay and supplemental essays and also completed all his application in time for the January deadlines. Henry was admitted to Boston University, Fordham University, University of Washington, Seattle University, University of British Columbia, Miami University, and Colorado College. Though UW was his first choice going in, he decided instead on Seattle University, which he felt would offer the perfect-sized student body, excellent access to resources through its business school, and a rockin’ music scene.