Getting into Top Universities Just Got Easier
So, you want to study at Harvard, MIT, or Stanford? What is your next step?
One option is to contact Marc Atiyeh, a young Lebanese man and fresh Harvard graduate. Atiyeh’s company, Help Me Get In, offers consulting services to students in developing countries aiming to study at internationally renowned universities.
Help Me Get In is an educational advisory start-up that provides in-depth coaching and counseling on the undergraduate application process. Atiyeh, Harvard Class of 2014, is just the man to do it.
He launched the company when he was just a sophomore. Now, three years later, Help Me Get In serves students in the Middle East and is branching into Latin America.
It also recently began offering coaching for people in developing countries seeking employment in the United States. It has helped clients gain entry in MIT, Columbia, University of California-Berkley, and John Hopkins, among others.
Helping Lebanese students reach elite universities.
Atiyeh’s Top Tips for Prospective College Students
1. Start your search and application preparations early, usually at the start of your junior year.
2. Work hard on each application; it is very important.
3. Essays are as important as your SATs and grades; spend time on them.
4. Sell yourself. You really have a lot to offer.
Harvard, MIT or Stanford?
When Atiyeh returned to Lebanon in the summer after his freshman year, he tutored Lebanese students preparing for the SATs. He discovered many were interested in studying abroad, but didn’t know how to pursue it.
When he had applied to Harvard, Atiyeh had help from a mentor his brother referred to him named Sylvester Lennon Burley. Two years later, Atiyeh and his mentor decided to team up to launch Help Me Get In to help other students with the process.
“We help students prepare, just like a coach,” said Atiyeh in a Skype interview from San Francisco. Help Me Get In serves about 20 students a year, said Atiyeh. “We can’t help hundreds; the quality wouldn’t be there.
We offer intensive one-to-one consulting.
It is a very a personalized experience.” They don’t use scripts with set answers, he said.
They consider the individual’s interests and potential, and provide realistic, fine advice.
“Kids in Lebanon have a lot to offer. Many are well-traveled, well rounded, have good grades and strong educational backgrounds, but they don’t know how to sell themselves,” he said. “We help them put together a competitive package.”
Atiyeh guides his clients on how to prepare the application, especially the essay, how to write a resume, a cover letter and how to prepare for an interview. They also discuss topics like how to select a major or choose the university that best fits their goals and potential.
“We’ve been beefing up our website,” he said. They’ve added a sign in area with personalized calendars with upcoming deadlines, information from about 300 universities, and more. “There are a lot of sites out there; we put the information together to make it easier.
“We are very passionate about helping these students,” said Atiyeh. “We realize that this is a life changing moment for them.”
