College admission coach reveals the optional ‘tech’ application question secretly getting high schoolers in the door

A COLLEGE admission coach helping students get into some of America’s top schools has opened up about a crucial yet often-missed application question. Christopher Rim said teenagers can humanize their application and share their “authentic” voice by adding the extra material. Prospective college students have been urged to take advantage of an optional question Credit: Getty Christopher Rim, who founded Command Education, said it’s important to humanize applications Credit: Jeff Brown In recent years, top schools have started allowing students to include video introductions, Rim revealed. “These are optional, as a supplement to the personal statement or in lieu of in-person interviews with alumni,” Rim, the founder of Command Education, told The U.S. Sun. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! “Many students assume that these supplementary opportunities are unimportant or unnecessary… but I encourage students to take advantage of every opportunity to speak directly to admissions officers.” Rim said personal videos are even more important in a landscape where AI tools are being utilized to organize other parts of the application. read more lifestyle stories “The video introduction can be a compelling way for a student to showcase their authentic voice, share their personality and passions, and add dimension to their on-paper credentials,” he explained. Rim, who has gotten high schoolers into Ivy League schools since 2016, hopes applicants see the universities as more than just names. “So many students and families who are drawn in by the prestige of the ‘Ivy League’ tend to view top schools as a monolith,” he said. “They assume that all of these elite universities are looking for the same thing, but this simply isn’t true. Most read in Lifestyle “The more a student can show specific interest in, for instance, the programs, campus culture, and location of Columbia over Dartmouth, the better their odds of success in the admissions process.” Meanwhile, top finance guru Dave Ramsey has revealed the top money mistake new college graduates are making. Comment now