Sing your own song in your own true voice.
协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》 2
Patent pending 2011.

Ned Boudreau, founder & president,
Synergy Educational Services LLC, a college advisory firm in Shanghai.
协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》 2
 Go to www.synergyedu-usa.com
Patent pending 2011.

* Boston College: B.A. summa cum laude in
Philosophy
* Northeastern University: graphic arts
* Harvard University: marketing
* Southern New Hampshire University: M.Sc. in
Development Economics
• 20 years in U.S. corporate sector (marketing)
• 2+ years in Africa
* 8 years teaching in Shanghai
Patent pending 2011.

 Authored 100+ published works
 Award-winning creative director
 Languages: German, French
 Countries lived in:
 England, Sweden, Germany, Israel,
Ghana (West Africa), now China
Patent pending 2011.

Synergy Educational Services LLC
Synergy is a legal entity incorporated and registered in the state ofDelaware, USA.
(Delaware State File Number: 50117-41)
Mission: to provide informed, appropriate advice regarding colleges in the U.S. or U.K., as well as to provide native-level editorial services.
Synergy guides students through the entire college application process, and ensures that essays and personal statements are polished to a professional level.
Patent pending 2011.

 Harvard
 Stanford
 Columbia
 Cornell
 Duke
 PENN
 Northwestern
 U of Chicago
 + Rice, Vanderbilt and many other Top 100 universities and colleges
Patent pending 2011.

 Do not go over the maximum word count
 Not by a single word
 At the SH Educational Fair last year, I asked admissions officers this question:
“What about long statements of purpose and personal essays?”
Patent pending 2011.

 Anyone dumb enough to write beyond the word count is too dumb for our school.
 Students who cannot follow the most basic rules are not likely to obey other rules. Long essays go right into the
REJECT folder.
 Exceeding the word count is a type of cheating. If students cheat on word count, they’ll probably cheat on other essays or tests. I put long essays directly into the
REJECT pile.
 So! Rule #1 about PS or SP essays: Don’t ever go over the word count. Full stop.
Patent pending 2011.

 Use the word “you” in your essay
 Refer to specific Professors and their research
 Tell the Application Committee why you hope and intend to study with those professors
 Go to the school’s website and research
 We will come back to this when I show you a real SP
Patent pending 2011.

 Refer to the specific department and to the school
 This is true for letters of recommendation, too
 Will show you how when we look at a real essay
Patent pending 2011.

Tell how you will add value . . .
 . . . To your program, the department, and to campus
 Will show you how
Patent pending 2011.

 Do not imitate or model your SP or essays on someone else’s.
 Speak/write with your own voice in your own words; tell your own story.
Patent pending 2011.

Admissions reps will know the difference between your SP and a copied idea
 They’ve heard and seen all the major
“models” on the various websites and chat sites where Chinese students swap info and tips.
 And don’t let your teachers copy a standard or form letter of recommendation.
Patent pending 2011.

Special note re:
Letters of Recommendation
 In 2009, the school where I taught brought in an American consultant to speak about recommendation letters.
 She had been an Admissions Rep and
Director at top U.S. schools (UConn, Yale)
 She used my letters of recommendation as handouts.
 I write the best, most powerful rec letters in the known universe.
 Go to synergyedu-usa.com to read samples.
Patent pending 2011.

 Note:
 The client’s name has been changed because he does not want to lose
Face or be embarrassed.
Patent pending 2011.

Sing your own song in your own voice.
协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》 2
Patent pending 2011.

 I would like to say thank you to Gavin
Lee, our host and the Director of the
PR Club.
 And special thanks to Fred Li, who helped organize this presentation.
Patent pending 2011.

 Thank you
 Questions? (changing majors?)
 协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》 2
 Go to www.synergyedu-usa.com
Patent pending 2011.