University Tour - East Coast of the United States 2024
INTRODUCTION BY MR CHRIS SEAL, HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL
There is no substitute for being there. A phrase heard often about the myriad opportunities that the United States offers with regards to higher or tertiary education. The sheer variety and mind-boggling quality of the institutions takes some believing and although many international schools have theoretical knowledge of this domain, there really is no substitute for visiting on a regular basis.
My first visit to the US to visit colleges was in 2018 and it changed my perspective on higher education and many other things besides and so, on arrival at Tanglin in 2022, I was keen to share this knowledge and experience with our counselling team and the senior leadership team. Mr Goodliffe (Head of Sixth Form) and Mrs Williams (Head of Careers and University Counselling) joined me in travelling to California in late April 2023 and almost straightaway were given permission to plan another trip up the East Coast. This booklet tells the story of that second trip. In the US, the words college, school and university interchangeable and so for the purposes of this booklet, we are using ‘college’.
The key focal points of the trip were:
1. Information gathering at each college. At each college, we asked questions on:
• The induction/transition programmes and student support services available for international students.
• Admissions implications at large and small institutions, especially unique/diverse course offerings or over-enrolled or impacted areas of study.
• Application advice. What are the colleges seeing within current international student pool, or within our Tanglin Trust applicants, that enhances or hinders their applications? Can Tanglin support our applicants, or their processes, in a way that will be mutually beneficial?
• What specialisms each college have and especially what their levels of sporting competitions they have and how to access those especially through scholarship routes.
2. Meeting as many alumni as we could at each destination to explore their experiences.
3. Developing thoughts on the wider context of education in the US and what we can learn from it.
4. This trip is also a return to the revered campuses of the Ivy League, a group of universities practically bound by an athletic conference but also bound by a sense of high standards and elite access. We sought to get under the skin of the Ivies – are they really that good, and crucially should you be thinking about making an assault on admission to one?
We hope that you enjoy the booklet as much as we did in writing it.
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
The fourth oldest higher education establishment in the US is a true blue blood school. An aristocratic, immaculate, and manicured feel to the campus supports the sense that privilege is never far away in this part of New Jersey.
The $38 billion endowment, the largest collegiate chapel in the world, and the exclusive dining clubs are just three examples of why this place has become so embedded in American culture. With only 8500 students, Princeton is not easy to get in to, but once in and settled, the name alone can open doors worldwide. Princeton will insist on high grades on entry and has strength in STEM subjects as well as Economics and the well-known School of Public and International Affairs. This was formerly known as the Woodrow Wilson School, named after one of three presidents who have attended (Madison and John F. Kennedy being the other). His name was removed from the school in 2020 due to Wilson’s rather obvious history of racism.
Activism was strong on campus through the Vietnam war, and on the day we visited, the evidence of recent protests about the war in Palestine was clear. Our visit came immediately after the longest flight in the world (over 18 hours!) and involved a swift
visit to the university shop to equip ourselves with Princeton branded umbrellas. The drizzle had clearly limited numbers at the protest, but did not limit our enthusiasm to enjoy the wonderful campus.
The surrounding areas of the campus are lovely. A wealthy and well-maintained neighborhood further reinforces the grandeur of this Ivy League destination. The Tigers compete in the Ivy League or course, and the NCAA Division I. This is a seriously athletic school with a large number of Olympians as alumni. Michelle Obama studied here, as did Jeff Bezos and astronaut Pete Conrad.
Just a few miles away and past the wonderful Princeton boathouse, is a series of new campus buildings inhabited by industry, mainly in the biotech domain. Novo Nordisk, the world’s leading supplier of insulin, Integra Life Sciences, Genmab, and MRM for Health are just a small cross-section of the companies based close to one of the world’s leading institutions. Though we didn’t address the direct impact of this on our visit, the location becomes obvious in that companies are keen to recruit from Princeton, and students and faculty will be keen to reach out to business for linkages and internships. ■
Nassau Hall, the oldest building at Princeton
WILLIAMS COLLEGE
With around 2000 students, Williams is the quintessential small liberal arts college. Located in an isolated part of Massachusetts, it can be seriously cold, but the welcome is always warm. Mr Seal last visited in 2018 and was struck by the small town feel contrasting with the big ambitions and high quality of the education delivered. Tanglin doesn’t have any alumni there but the admissions team ensured that students were available, even on a Saturday afternoon visit.
The key feature of the college is the tutorial system, an ‘opt in’ on some courses for some students, especially Economics. Indeed, Economics is a strong suit of the Williams offering, which also includes strong links to Oxford where students can reside at Exeter College for a year and Cambridge too.
Sport is strong, and there is an outdoorsy feel to the place. Orientation includes a three day and two night expedition for all willing students, which forges friendships that seem to last. These Wolf experiences are also open for sophomores to gain leadership experience and among the students we spoke to,
there was an acceptance and genuine reverence for the programme. Interestingly, of all the colleges visited this year and last, this is the least pressurised with regards to internships and pre-professional pathways, ensuring a feel that the students can stay younger for that bit longer.
There are no postgraduates at Williams. As such, all teaching is done by professors and there is also no Greek life, which is unsurprising given the inclusive and friendly feel of the campus. Exclusive clubs and societies would feel wrong here. The housing is known as ‘entries’ and have a small and intimate feel, and there is a small international feel to the student body – this year there are six students from Singapore on campus.
The first female President insists on being called by her first name, and she cancels classes for ‘claiming Williams Day’ where students can select from a range of talks on social justice to enjoy. This much-loved president also cancels classes for Mountain Day where students are invited to walk up a mountain and enjoy all that this offers.
The original college building at Williams
The below profiles are from four students we met over coffee at the bottom of Spring Street, the small but thoroughly enjoyable collection of shops, restaurants, and coffee shops servicing the town.
Name: Juno
Class of ‘22 from UWC Dover
Thoughts on Williams: Juno had considered Amherst, Swarthmore and Yale before settling on Williams. As a Japanese American, she had the chance to visit the campus and loved it straightaway. Juno is certain she will major in Economics and likes the fact that of 46 classes, she will only have to select eight to major in. This adds variety to her studies that she looked for from the outset. Juno works on the college newspaper.
Interestingly Juno almost dismissed a question about what schools can do to prepare students for college. She felt that Williams’ induction and orientation completely negated the need for it, and spoke with such confidence it was hard not to agree. Juno did think that the IB prepared students well for liberal arts in general and especially Williams.
What next?: Majoring in Economics.
Name: Leonard
Class of ’21 from Shanghai International School
Thoughts on Williams: Leonard is a laid-back yet confident student also majoring in Economics. Likeable and approachable, he exudes the calm authority of a young man selected by admissions to communicate in advance with us and meet us on the day.
He organised the other students without prompting and enjoyed others speaking on the day. When he did speak, he spoke positively of the ethos of the college and the intellectual curiosity that was common on campus. He was clear that it was cool to study there.
What next?: Majoring in Economics.
Name: Maya
Class of ’21 from UWC East
Thoughts on Williams: Maya is a very confident student and is clearly enjoying all that Williams offers. She will be studying at Oxford next year in the programme that has had a strong link with Exeter College for some time. Maya had considered Georgetown but prefers the remoteness of Wiliams and the smaller feel. Also, she wasn’t sure she liked the core curriculum at Georgetown and is keen to delay her pre-professional experience as long as she can. Maya co-edits the college newspaper.
What next?: A year at Exeter College, Oxford.
Name: Atlas
Class of ’22 from Shanghai International School
Thoughts on Williams: Atlas was our tour guide once coffee was over. He gave a comprehensive if slightly haphazard tour of the college which is spread out in the town. He has managed to get selected for an exchange with Pembroke College, Cambridge next year and you could see why –humble yet articulate, he was a joy to meet and listen to.
He is currently enjoying computer science with only 30 in his class, and Atlas spoke well about the superb support he gets from the faculty. He did concede that Williams doesn’t always find it easy to recruit the finest faculty and the size can also limit breadth. However, overall, he felt his academic experience was strong.
Atlas described the recent protests as well mannered, the administration issued guidance for overseas students on how to protest peacefully and the president met and agreed to listen to the leaders.
What next?: A year at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
A view of the mountains from Williams
The Sawyer Library framing the beauty of the surroundings with extraordinary architecture
BOSTON
With over 250,000 students in the city and surrounding areas, Boston is a mecca for any educator and for us, the investment of three nights in the city rewarded us with rich experiences of a wide range of institutions.
HARVARD
If you are going to start anywhere, you might as well start at the top. Harvard has long been associated with the very best of the elite universities not only in the US but worldwide. Situated in Cambridge across the river from downtown Boston, it has become an international brand and tourist destination in its own right.
Sadly, there have been recent matters that led to something of a ‘circling of the wagons’. Criticism from writing such as The Price of Admissions (Golden), the recent protests, congressional hearings, the US Supreme Court ending Affirmative Action, and the resignation of President Claudine Gay less than a year into her tenure has kept Harvard in the news over recent months. Throughout this time, we calmly but persistently tried to gain access to the admissions department for a conversation, but were politely and determinedly denied.
Back in 2018, Mr Seal was lucky enough to gain rare access into the admissions inner sanctum and learned what most of us might presume, that to gain access to Harvard students would need to offer a super curricular (not an extra or co-curricular) that is personal and meaningful rather than a shopping list of the usual ‘nice to haves’.
As you may have been aware, the recent protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza actually closed Harvard Yard and so we stood on Sunday afternoon with the tourists on the street outside after taking a long walk round the streets of Cambridge absorbing as much as we could about the institution and the extraordinary facilities it has.
There is no doubt Harvard will remain a desired destination for many, but we should be aware that this is a college, tourist attraction, cultural lightning rod, and many other things besides. ■
Harvard teaching
BENTLEY
The US is known for specialist schools and on this trip, we decided to indulge in some of these specialisms. Babson College has long been known for expertise in entrepreneurship and been recognised as the leader in that field. This year for the 27th consecutive year, Babson was ranked by the US News as the best college for entrepreneurship. Additionally, The Wall Street Journal recently named Babson the 10th Best College in the United States and number one in career preparation. Close to Bentley, it is a small campus of under 1,000 students resembling a large boarding school rather than a university. With Babson’s reputation and recently Bentley winning the US News Regional North #1 spot, these are both excellent institutions, well worth considering.
We were keen to understand the difference between the two and the admissions team at Bentley were very clear that Babson could be considered completely focused on entrepreneurship whereas Bentley offered a broader business-based education including arts and sciences. As with most colleges, students declare their majors at the end of the sophomore year (Year 2), and most are business-based majors. There are also business requirements that all students should take. There is a growing sense that Bentley delivers on its promises. The immaculate hillside campus was welcoming if slightly uniform in its architecture. Small enough (4000 undergraduates) for students to be known, but big enough to have serious resource, it hits that sweet spot that some US colleges can.
Classes are capped at 35, a very low number indeed and there is opportunity for all to experience service learning as part of a credited course. The Bentley team claim that they would be considered one of the best providers nationally for internships and this often starts in the freshman year. Over the course of study, 90% of students will do one internship and 70% will do two or more. As a result, the starting salary for graduates is a respectable $73k.
85% of the students live on campus, and the guaranteed housing for all four years looks modern and well-equipped. The local area is smart and safe too. The shuttle bus takes students to Harvard Square right through until 2am and from the top of the campus, you can clearly see the city in the middle distance. Bentley is a Division II sports college, has excellent facilities and accepts ‘walk ons’ (students who are accepted to the college and then wish to play varsity sport) as well as seeks out recruited athletes. Bentley now have a strong link with the Boston Celtics, an NBA basketball team.
Around 25% of each class is recruited from two rounds of early decision and there was a strong sense that siblings and family links help applications. About 60% of the class will come from North East US states and 20% from overseas. It was felt that the large number of overseas students negated the need for specific induction, but students can access the campus early. Interestingly but perhaps not surprisingly, there were no protests on campus recently.
Bentley is a college that can easily fly under the radar. It is not ranked overall nationally as it does not have enough doctorates, nor is it a full liberal arts college. However, this should not put any student clearly focused on business off – it is an excellent college. A recently introduced AI major seems ahead of competition and the college is clearly becoming more selective. On this point the admissions team was clear that prospective students must engage with the college through and well before the application process if interested. ■
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
BU as it is known has long been an excellent if rather traditional college. Overshadowed by more illustrious neighbours, it might be easy to dismiss the riverside campus when shaping a list of applications. This would be a mistake as not only is BU a quality institution, it is clearly moving forward at a good pace.
The extraordinary new building that houses computing and data science puts the college ahead of others in this field. The 19 stories feature “convention bending design including open, flexible interior spaces”. BU have been running data science classes since 2022 at post undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The standalone nature of this department is leading the way and underpinning other courses using this new discipline.
At BU, you apply to the various ‘schools of’ and you must declare a major on application, however it seems relatively easy and pain free to move once in the college.
The honours college is a prestigious and challenging
undertaking. Layered on top of the major, it requires extra research time to produce a keystone project. A multi-disciplinary and broad approach is encouraged in the true liberal arts tradition.
There are 3100 students in each class at BU, and applications have jumped enormously since tests became optional. From a pool of 42,000 applications in 2011, this has grown to 79,000 this year (with a 16,000 increase in the last four years). This has partly driven a sense that this no longer a ‘safety college’ and has given rise to 57% of the incoming class coming from early decisions (in 2011 this would have been a group of 100 students or so). If you want to go to BU, apply ED and take the offer!
There is a sense, as with other colleges, that this level of application is unsustainable and there is a feeling that BU will return to tests being part of the application soon. Capacity is not growing. For example, business classes are held in the largest lecture hall which seats 340 students, thus this is the cap on each class. For business at BU, maths must
be a strong subject and so the advice from here is not to do business and economics together, with economics being the preferred subject to the admissions team alongside maths.
BU always speaks openly about the student experience and this time it was felt that COVID was still having an impact through grade inflation and a lack of preparedness from students. The social impact will continue too, and BU have proactively increased the amount of mental health support on offer. They admit that “they are never going to be a Williams” but that they are doing their very best within their framework. BU described itself as an academic, urban, research college and it is attracting students from all over the world as it climbs the rankings once again. All the right metrics are rising – nearly 800 students transfer in from other places each year and retention is improving. Incredibly, 28 different Indian cities are represented in the student body.
In line with our theme of specialisms, we asked
about sport and were reassured that international students make up a large section of the athletes with recruitment happening from the coaches. The admissions team reminded us that the best way to start this process is for the athlete to reach out first.
BU knows the Singapore market well and happily allows two year deferrals for NS, having already given three of these this year alone. BU also understand A levels well, and as a pioneer in the Southeast Asia market, it is used to reviewing applications from the dual pathways offered at places like Tanglin and also the myriad British curriculum schools in the region. Put simply, the BU representative said “if you can get into LSE, you can get into BU”. This unintentional but useful benchmarking of quality and status is also helpful with regards to BU. Similarly useful was a strong steer towards 3 A Levels + EPQ as a good offer, and a very clear statement that students simply don’t need Further Maths!
All in all it was great to see this venerable institution in such fine form. ■
NORTHEASTERN
A meteoric rise up the rankings means that Northeastern (NU) needs considering, and the new buildings we saw on this visit have elevated an up and coming institution into what should be a very serious contender.
The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) is a wonderful piece of imaginative architecture with helix staircases, interesting sight lines and views accompanied by excellent functionality and high-level facilities. The second new building simply known as EXP promises a “rich environment to be creative, work together and produce solutions to societal challenges”. Innovation has been driven up a notch at NU and it was genuinely inspiring to see a college delivering on the promise suggested by the public attention it was already receiving on Mr Seal’s first visit in 2018.
The signature model of Northeastern is for students to take ‘coops’. Almost always once, and often twice, students will leave academic study behind and go to work
during their degree study. 80 hours of work over 2 coops allow a four-year degree, but 120 hours would prompt a fifth year. The academic advisor works with students to select and devise coops.
Applicants declare majors on application, but 50% of students change in their first year. There is also a flexible process for shifting schools except for engineering and computer science, which are much more difficult to move into. The core curriculum is fairly open, with a set of competencies providing the framework rather than a series of requirements.
It is felt that 90% of the students come for the coops and the experiential learning that this brings. The four pillars of experiential, research, service learning, and global mindset remain strong and have provided a useful point of difference for NU.
There are 26,000 students on campus. 19,000 of which are
undergraduates, and 2000 of which are overseas students. Since 2017, NU has seen seven straight years of record application numbers and part of this reason according to the confident admissions team is that NU knows what employers want through the huge coop programme. There are 98% employment rates after graduation, with 90% being fully employed and 56% of students getting offers from their coop. This year, applications reached 98,000 and as such the admit rate to the Boston campus has sunk from 20% to 6%. NU looks for IB scores of 38-42 and although it doesn’t necessarily feel like an A Level college, in actual fact they are well versed in reading applicants from A Levels and consider themselves as overlapping with BU and Tufts.
The admissions team understood the challenges of applications and suggested that tracked engagement was a very strong tool – to the point where students might be advised to have separate email addresses that they monitor for particular colleges so that they can respond to all the messages received. Interestingly a strong feeling was expressed that “top of the class students who don’t engage with the institution” can “forget it” when it comes to application. Finally, it is worth reflecting that at NU, 48% of the class of 2600 comes from early decision, of which 5,000 applied. As such, the other 93,000 students are fighting it out for 52% of the places, around 1250 seats! As per BU, decide if you want to come here and apply ED!
The main square at NE
Innovation on a grand scale at NE
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)
MIT is another world-renowned institution and brand. With four of the twelve astronauts ever to walk on the moon coming from MIT, including Buzz Aldrin, its place in US history is confirmed. Estimates suggest one quarter of the workforce of Silicon Valley come from this one institution and closer to Singapore, Qian Xuesen, the leader of the Chinese nuclear weapons programme is an alum.
Across the water from BU and butting up to Harvard, MIT is an impressive yet functional set of buildings. The grandeur of Harvard or Yale is missing, but the architecture is brutal and functional in a way that reflects the founding of MIT to serve the nation in delivering science and technology as well as other areas of scholarship. The exception to this is the Frank Gehry building housing computer science and AI departments – it is controversial on campus apparently as it has curves.
‘Other areas’ of study exist at MIT but the General Institute Requirements (GIR) offer clarity as to who should come to MIT, and the difficulty of it –physics, biology, chemistry, calculus and then eight other courses from humanities and social sciences. The polished presentation we enjoyed (no school is offered direct access to the admissions department) also offered clarity on the style of education –less independent and more collaborative. The $23 billion endowment enables a delivery of the mission above through the lens of mens et manus, or mind and hand, and also allows MIT to be “need-blind”. There are already 130,000sqft of makerspaces with more on the way. The university has collaborated with an alumnus to set up the Cambridge Innovation Hub across the road from campus where 600 start-up companies now reside. Students get housing all four years with 70% staying in all four and can enjoy Division I rowing and
The brutal architecture at MIT
Division III sports elsewhere. There is Greek life but there is also the option to choose your style of dorm and thus there is not a requirement to find a ‘tribe’. Instead, students enjoy settling into life at MIT with genuine choices on offer.
It is a research institution and so the 6900 postgraduate number is much larger than the 4600 undergraduate population. For the yearly class of 1300, there are 34,000 applications. On the day, the ‘sell’ to us and prospective students was curiously hard and offered the slick presentation and thorough student tour. This perhaps spoke of the confidence of an institution that didn’t need the applicants and rather enjoyed showing us why. MIT is clear about what it wants. There are five short answer essay questions on the application and the only four slots on the co-curricular page explained simply that MIT takes the view you can’t be serious about more than
four. Similarly, MIT is clear that if you are lulled into applying to more than one Ivy you haven’t done your research properly and they won’t want you. There are no merit scholarships based on the premise that “all those accepted would get it”.
As you would imagine, there are some interesting science-based alumni (including the designers of Scratch and Guitar Hero). But the collection is more eclectic than you might think, with UK politician David Milliband, UN leader Kofi Anan and Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among them. The extraordinary average starting salary of $115,461 completes the sense that this is life-changing experience in many ways.
To quote the admissions presentation it is “not the wind tunnel or our nuclear reactor that make MIT special, it is the people”. ■
The Gehry at MIT
TUFTS
A little like BU, it could be easy to overlook Tufts. Perched on a hill outside Boston, it doesn’t necessarily spring to mind as an obvious choice when looking to invest in an education overseas. But again, this would be a mistake, this is a high class college with much to commend it. There are 6800 undergraduates up that hill, with a further 6000 post graduate students on another campus. The Fletcher graduate school is a well-known establishment focusing on law and diplomacy. A traditional arts and science curriculum exists with some nice quirks. 50% of the students in engineering are women, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts offers a rare pathway. There is a small liberal arts college feel with the bonus of a strong research strand.
We met with an Associate Dean in the admissions department who thought the clearest overlap college was Brown due to cultural and ethos matches. Open curricula and a strong history of activism helped in this, as did Tufts being on the border of Medford and Somerville where a history of artistic cultures and immigration was obvious. Recent protests were tense and calm, and there was clearly some sympathy with the students reflected in our conversations. Tufts has traditionally had strong links with the UWCs.
Students select a pathway on application but stay undeclared until the end of the sophomore year.
Mentorship and access to the faculty is strong, and 70% of the classes have less than 30 students. Computer science, economics, international relations, and biology are particularly strong programmes, but there is not a business programme with Tufts choosing to elevate itself away from this part of a crowded market in Boston.
Housing is guaranteed in the first two years and there are excellent options right by the campus for the years to come. Travel to Boston takes 20 minutes by train and the campus had good views of the city in the middle distance. There is a strong history of service to the local community and in the wider context, 65% of students do two or more internships, often in the local area.
Our tour was pleasant as we weaved through the attractive campus which has clearly evolved over time, much like a large boarding school might. Some older more historic buildings are mixed in with the modern and impressive. Tufts is a Division III sporting school with some excellent and newly renewed facilities.
34,000 applicants came forward this year delivering a 10% admit rate. Tufts is looking for 39+ on the IB and 50% of recent admits came from ED. This was a theme throughout the trip and brilliantly summed up at Tufts as “we like you, if you like us”. ■
Buildings within buildings at Tufts
A relatively short drive south from Boston brings you into the smallest state in the US, and in Providence, Rhode Island, there is a collection of institutions that are all worth visiting and considering. Brown, perhaps the most liberal of Ivy League colleges is the place to start.
BROWN
We were offered extraordinary access at Brown. Two members of the admissions team met us for over an hour and then we were treated to a thorough if slightly damp tour. It is worth reflecting on the weather in this part of the US – it can be cold and damp, and certainly loses out to the relentless Californian sunshine witnessed in 2023.
The dampness did not stop us enjoying a great visit to Brown though, and it seemed that the college has something to say right now. Firstly, they have moved to “need-blind” for international students, making this a much more accessible choice than before. Secondly, they are one of the first to come out and commit to the return of testing being part of the application process (SAT or ACT). In the test optional period, Brown has seen applications rise from 35,000 per year to 55,000 per year. With 11,000 students on campus and 7000 of those as undergraduates, the competition for places remains strong.
Science and technology majors here are common as
are economics and computer science. However, Brown is also clear that it is determined to see humanities subjects remain and made it clear that candidates with a humanities leaning would be well thought of.
The point of difference at Brown is the open curriculum. More flexibility than almost any other college, let alone the other Ivies. Concentrations replace majors but can be built from almost any discipline with double concentrations common, effectively meaning double (or sometimes even triple) the work across a broad range of areas. As a result, the admissions team are clear that students need independence to thrive at Brown, and reliance on structure and institutional leadership might make a student struggle. In a meeting with the admission team in 2018, it was made clear that Brown “weeds out the facile learner” and this clearly remains the case.
Classes are shared with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), an institution long associated with outstanding levels of excellence in the fine arts and a superb route for potential architects. The courseload and time requirements on RISD courses are significant and often intense but this is an asset to Brown as the two institutions are geographically close together and in terms of programming. RISD needs the academic input from Brown, and Brown gains a specialism most would be envious of. There is a dual degree programme where students can apply to both Brown and RISD and if accepted at both, then apply for the elevated status of dual degree – only 15-20 students per year are accepted.
Brown expects students to stay in campus accommodation for all four years, and to cease this you must ‘apply out’. There is clearly an economic rationale for this to ensure the rooms are filled and paid for, but equally there is a huge benefit for the students to be on the extremely attractive ‘campus’ which takes up a large section of Providence itself. Brown has seen a rise
Alumni Experience
Name: Matt Wong
Class of ’22
Major: Economics
in mental health issues as with every other college and recently set up a health-based dorm to tackle some of this.
Despite a well-earned and very liberal reputation, Brown is taking a hard line with AI. AI is not being used at all in the institution on the premise that if the students are told not to use it, then this works for the staff too. Similarly, Brown does not track demonstrated interest through the application process, but rather suggests that students should read what they are sent from Brown as it has intrinsic value anyway – fair enough!
There was excellent advice too on applications, suggesting that rather than compile experience in things such as MUN or research papers (a recent trend on consultancybased applications) students should really focus on what is “engaging and meaningful” to them betraying a strong bias against the CV building often suggested by expensive consultancy companies. Brown also echoed the sentiment that if you are applying to a range of Ivies you’ve missed the point – they are so different that this will only show that students have failed to research and assess what is right for them.
Brown’s sport is good with Division I sport and new facilities being built. There seems to have been a focus on improving the outcomes at basketball, lacrosse and athletics and curiously, rugby union is as strong here as any college in the US. Brown is a liberal place occupied by liberal students. The protests in recent weeks were large but dissipated after the administration agreed to let student leaders speak at the next board meeting in the fall. Either a genuine move or a clever way of taking the sting out of a tricky situation, but either way the students will be heard.
Later in the day we met up for dinner with Matt Wong, Class of ’22 and former Head boy. ■
Thoughts on Brown: Matt is a confident and mature young man who has a balanced and positive view of Brown. He played rugby on arrival but sadly, has since become injured. Matt enjoyed a convivial evening talking with us on all sorts of topics, and seemed to genuinely enjoy a break from his American friends who can be extreme in their political correctness.
Matt is realistic about Brown’s reputation and is clear that the legalisation of cannabis has reinforced another angle to the liberal feel.
Matt shared a room with a young man who found life at Brown challenging but the university responded well and moved Matt swiftly into accommodation with another student whom he gets on brilliantly with.
Matt is enjoying Brown, but as ever with top class academics, can critically analyse its many benefits and the few faults that we discussed.
What next?: Internships in New York and then back for the third year of study
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE
Providence College in the rain
By way of serious contrast, we also visited a private catholic college in Providence. Providence College admits to having a very strong domestic brand but almost no international awareness or profile. This is in review, but the college has not sent representatives outside the US since the pandemic.
There are 4000 students on campus, which has a small liberal arts feel. They are accompanied by around 50 Dominican friars as the religious foundation of the college remains present. There are four masses held daily, but none are compulsory for the students of which 65% would identify as catholic. There are two theology requirements in the core curriculum for all. The friars effectively run the campus but also have a key pastoral role for all. Classes are limited to 20 students.
Sport is big here. 12,000 people regularly watch the basketball team, and the local community have adopted the students as their own sports team representing the city. Most of the international students here are athletes and this is the potential angle for Tanglin students. The facilities are excellent, and soccer is especially worth considering – merit-based scholarships do exist. Over 50% of the students play sport of some type and retention is very high.
One of the keystone classes at Providence is the Development of Western Civilization or CIV. This curiously outdated title masks what is a vehicle for the development of reading, writing, researching and presenting skills. Business is the most popular application route, and finance the most popular major. In 2025, they will be opening the Ben Mondor Centre for Nursing and Health Sciences which is a new state of the art sprawling, five-level building featuring high-tech teaching and learning environments for clinical nursing simulation, anatomy and physiology, and academic spaces to support engaged student learning.
There are 12,500 applicants for 1200 places. 6s and 7s on IB courses would be well thought of, and these would be recalculated into a minimum 3.5 GPA. Providence has been test optional for the last 15 years but would expect a score of 30+ on the ACT if this is presented on application. The vast majority of students coming to Providence come from Massachusetts prep schools.
All in all this visit was something of a surprise. The neat and tidy campus which we walked around on a seriously wet day (with accompanying flood warnings!) and thorough conversations suggest a professional, competent and businesslike organization that clearly has a well-deserved reputation in the US. ■
The new business school at Providence College
YALE
Not many people have heard of New Haven, Connecticut but pretty much everyone has heard of Yale. In the past, New Haven has been perceived with some justification as the reason not to go to Yale but with improvements in the local area around the college, there is a sense that this issue has dissipated to a certain degree.
Inside the hallowed walls, and around the famous streets, Yale is stunning. Immaculately presented and wonderfully ornate in architecture, it is a real treat to visit. We gained superb access through Mrs William’s links to the admissions department built up over time through conferences and conversations. A long and thoroughly enjoyable meal preceded an excellent yomp round the impressive buildings that this top-class college is proud to own.
Yale operates a college system and so we started there. 14 colleges break the institution down into manageable chunks of students - 100s rather than 1000s. These randomly assigned colleges therefore offer a more intimate feel that some other places can. There isn’t much Greek life as colleges replace it, but there are the secret societies that still exist for a tiny number (16 seniors in each group) of selected students.
All students are required to live in college for two years and are guaranteed all four should they prefer. Of the 6000 undergraduates at Yale, about 10-15 at any one time will be from Singapore. As such students should consider whether they are in the best three or four applicants from the island in that particular year – a tough question!
Yale is “need-blind”, with huge financial resources behind it. In 2022, over 50,000 applications were whittled down to just over 2200 students – an admit rate of 4.46%. It is hard to get in, as all Ivies are, but the pain might be worth it. Established in 1701 by Harvard alumni, it has produced five Presidents (Taft, Ford, Bush, Clinton, and Bush), 10 Founding Fathers, and 19 Supreme Court Justices. Recently attention has been drawn to donations made by Trump supporting alum and fund founder Stephen Schwarzman, whose name now adorns some of the Yale buildings.
A lot of Yale was built in collegiate gothic architecture between 1917 and 1931, and it really is a special place to visit, as indeed is the modernist Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library housing over 180,000 volumes inside screens of Vermont marble that allow just the right amount of sunlight into the building to preserve the books. ■
Rare books at Yale
COLUMBIA
Columbia is another Ivy League institution and was originally founded as King’s College in 1754 before changing names after the American Revolution. An early alum (Alexander Hamilton, yes that Hamilton) headed the board of trustees from 1787. Organised into 20 ‘schools’, Columbia is the home of the Pulitzer Prize—24 annual awards were presented by the Columbia School of Journalism. With seven founding fathers and three presidents (Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, and Obama), Columbia joins Harvard (with five including the aforementioned Roosevelts, a brace of Adams’ and the Kennedy) and Yale as one of the institutions that has steered US history strongly.
The college moved to the Morningside campus in the 19th century, and the buildings therefore reflect that, not far from Harlem, it is a surprisingly green oasis in the concrete jungle that is Manhattan. It has its own subway station and plenty of retail opportunities just a stone’s throw away.
Columbia has continued to be competitive as all Ivies are, over 60,000 applications in 2021 for just over 220 places, with 52% of students identifying themselves as persons of colour. 50% of all undergraduates at Columbia received grants, and recently the college received a $400m donation to be used exclusively on undergraduate financial aid – though it should be said there is no financial aid for overseas students.
One little-known option is for application to the women’s only college Barnard, a small liberal arts college just across the street. It is an academic affiliate meaning there are classes shared across the institutions and the bachelor's degree gained is from Columbia.
Warren Buffett, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Alan Greenspan, Isaac Asimov, the founder of IBM and the inventor of FM radio are other famous alumni – this list is long and varied!
Much has been written about the recent protests, and we shall avoid the temptation here. Suffice to say that the issues at Columbia were more acute than any other campus. Police action and a hard line taken by the administration will leave an interesting legacy for the students moving forward and it will be fascinating to see what happens when students return in the fall. ■
Student Experience
Name: Tim Lim
Tim is an impressive character, the brother of a current Tanglin student, he gave of his time generously, organised our alumni dinner, and spoke eloquently and articulately about Columbia. He is a an excellent representation of the college.
Class of ’21 at Harrow Hong Kong (SAS Singapore before that) A Levels in HK – Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry +EPQ (Home care for elderly). As stated many times before, A Levels are no barrier to an education in the US.
Tim is clear that he received something of a COVID dividend, meaning that he had more time at home to research and read around his subjects. He is sure that this made his application stronger.
Major: Double in Finance & Economics and Biology
Thoughts on Columbia: Tim fences for Canada and came to New York as Columbia is the most successful fencing college. He fences four or five times per week and although he had ‘assigned’ classes in Year 1, he has got to do “the same as everyone else” despite being a varsity athlete.
Classes are light at Columbia on Friday and he is given early access to the selection of classes. Tim described his life as fencing/work/sleep/eat – even with this, Tim is not guaranteed a start in the varsity team with US athletes competing against him in every slot. In wider matters, Tim thought access to the professors was good, with 150 in Econs being his biggest class, though CS (which he doesn’t take) is 400.
The Humanities base is strong at Columbia and will feature heavily in every student’s core.
Tim has been successful in securing internships, working on cancer therapy with medical companies through a contact at Columbia. Tim is now balancing his experience with medical internships having secured finance internships previously. He is intentionally “building both sides” of his future career now.
What next?: Tim’s dream job is in venture capital for medical technology, naming Boston the silicon valley of medicine. ■
A coffee with Tim Lim
Alumni Experience
Name: Luc Hillion
Major: Dual degree at Columbia
Thoughts on Columbia: Luc is a lively and impressive individual with an engaging personality that has clearly served him well up the East Coast. His place at Harvard for next year is understandably an immense source of pride.
Luc has had an excellent experience at Columbia due to the diverse offerings of the liberal arts framework, thus ensuring he could expose himself to a wide range of academic disciplines as well as find his niche.
He says the campus is beautiful, with a wide range of associations and societies making it very easy to meet other students. The dining halls are great and there have been ‘non-stop’ events with interesting guest speakers.
Luc has made the most of Columbia (as he probably would anywhere) and has used the ‘schools’ and institutes for more learning such as joining the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies to pursue an interest.
What next?: Intern at the UN on counter terrorism office. Masters in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School
Alumni Experience
Name: Jeroen Olieslagers
Major: Engineering undergraduate and Masters at Cambridge, followed by PhD at Columbia
Thoughts on NYU: Jeroen is now working on his PhD in neuroscience, the title being Cognitive Mechanisms of How People Solve Problems. He is at NYU and is happy with his choice for graduate school. He is less certain about NYU for an undergraduate as the lack of campus can make it hard to strike up connections with fellow students.
Interestingly he felt Cambridge was the opposite, easier for undergrads to mix, but harder for postgrads to break out of their ‘bubble’.
Jeroen loves living in NY and again his extra maturity is helping him get the most out of the city.
What next?: Looking to stay in academia and start his own lab
CONCLUSION AND THEMES
We are grateful for the support of Mr Considine (CEO) who agreed to our absence from school and the funding to visit these amazing places. Secondly, we are grateful to the alumni of Tanglin and other schools. They were excellent hosts and guides, and made our experience all the richer because of this.
Over the time away in the intervening period, I think we have agreed on three conclusions which we look forward to exploring in presentations.
OUR SMALL NUMBER OF ALUMNI ARE STILL THRIVING AND COULD THRIVE UP THE EAST COAST.
• The combination of students finding a good fit, and the outstanding nature of the universities are supporting these high quality young people. Equally, they have grabbed the opportunities often through pandemic and made the best of them. They made us very proud to be associated with them.
GETTING INTO THESE COLLEGES IS GETTING EVEN HARDER.
• Applications are up from everywhere, especially overseas. Tanglin as a community will need to meet this challenge together with a renewed sense of what our guidance is and how we optimise each placement for the each family.
• Students need to delve deep into a college’s essence and values - ‘less is more’ in terms of really getting to know your target.
• Demonstrated interest is alive and well, especially up this coast. Though not a conversation at all in the West (though we are sure it happens there too), the admissions departments commonly speak about it this year— signifying the struggles they are having with making the application process sustainable.
SPECIALISMS ARE POSSIBLE.
• Perhaps more than the West Coast, there is a place here for all types of specialism. Not only within the liberal arts framework but also given the range of smaller specialist colleges such as Bentley, Babson and Berklee. Sport provides an interesting option for some up this coast, lots of Division I schools and also lots of funding ought to suggest possibilities though it is worth referencing Tim Lim who, as an international fencer, doesn’t always get selected for Columbia. Swimming, football and in the long term, sports such as golf are worth Tanglin considering for these routes.
STYLES OF EDUCATION HUGELY VARIED, BUT CAN BE CATEGORISED INTO FOUR AREAS, WITH AN ADDITIONAL NOTE ON THE IVY LEAGUE.
• Traditional – liberal arts education in esteemed institutions of reasonable size with a high degree of independence needed from the students (such as Boston University).
• Specialist – the focus on a narrow area of study to make students more attractive in the labour market or to produce excellence (such as Berklee, Babson and Bentley).
• Holistic – the willful offering of a continuation of the all-encompassing high school experience with good support for students and the use of the outdoors to ensure the stresses and strains of life can be managed (Williams stands out in this category).
• Student led – progressive and modern thinking with an eye to aptitudes and skills rather an course content and knowledge rich education (Northeastern leading the way here).
• There is much to write about each Ivy League college (as above) but what stood out on this trip is the truism that the Ivies are different and that they themselves are articulating this more and more. For reference, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, UPENN, Princeton and Yale are only drawn together by a sporting league. They are fundamentally different places and so do your research, as it is clear those who apply for a range of Ivies will get into none, and even those that apply to more than one need to consider carefully why that is.
US UNIVERSITIES CONTINUE TO LEAD THE WAY.
• The quality of the institution and the research funding means that these places continue to be at the forefront of society and progressive thinking up the East Coast. We learned much about future thinking and look forward to feeding this into Tanglin’s attempts to make each student more future ready, especially given some extraordinary architecture seen that may be helpful in the Tanglin master planning process.
