Michael's Journey

Hello. I’m Michael Justin Lee. We all want the best possible education and for many of us, this includes gaining admission in one of the world's elite universities.

 

I can help you. I’m an experienced admissions consultant who has helped my clients obtain admission to, among other elite universities, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Duke.

 

Very importantly, I know American academia well because I’m a former professor. I graduated from Brown University, then received a scholarship for an MBA from New York University. Eventually, I taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels at among other universities, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. Most recently, I taught at the University of Maryland where I won the Distinguished Teaching Award three times. So I know how to bring out the best in young people.

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The Importance of Extra-Extra-Curricular Activities

It’s critical to know that acceptance to the elite universities has become much, much harder in recent years. In fact, I now apply the admissions counselling skills to undergraduate admissions clients that I previously only needed for MBA applicants because it’s become that competitive. No longer is having top grades and impressive SAT scores enough. I now help students craft powerful narratives demonstrating not only academic strength but also personal leadership and initiative. Therefore, I coach and guide students in the creation of what I call extra-extra-curricular activities, very specific to each student’s interests, because these days even being captain or president of school teams or clubs is not enough.

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The Importance of Storytelling

I developed my storyline methodology out of my professional work as a filmmaker. My cinematic work can easily be found on the major streaming sites. This is directly applicable because as a filmmaker I know how to present a consistent story without losing the audience’s interest in the main plot. Now, I work with clients to craft a storyline narrative that takes the admissions officers from the applicant’s past, into their present and then projects the applicant’s aspirations through the academics of their desired universities, into a societally impactful future.

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The Importance of Applying Positive Psychology

I want to emphasize that I do not employ any formulaic approach. To present the optimal applications to admissions committees, I delve deeply into each client’s life and interests to present their unique story. To do this, I employ skills from the field of Positive Psychology that I learned from the founder of this field, Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania. I’m a certified graduate of Dr. Seligman’s first class of Authentic Happiness coaching program and I apply his Signature Strengths methodology to determine each client’s true authenticity. In doing this, I design a genuinely unique storyline to distinguish our clients from the thousands of other applicants who also have wonderful academics. Very importantly, I also use my positive psychology coaching skills to relieve the intense stresses of the university admission process, and to keep my students motivated and optimistic. In essence, I protect my students’ mental health throughout the entire process.

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Do you want to study in the Ivy League or the other elite American universities?

If so, you’ll need a truly outstanding application package and with my background in academics, cinematic arts, and positive psychology, I can help you fulfil your dreams. I look forward to working with you!