5 Questions for Justin Wang

Justin Wang is our latest addition to the ILUMIN team, bringing a wealth of various life, industry and educational experiences to our community. We asked Justin five questions to help you get to know him better.

What do you like about being a consultant?  

Young people are blessed with talent, personality, and energy, and I enjoy helping them “unlock” their natural potential in directions where they will enjoy personal fulfillment and success as they define it. It is incredibly gratifying to see a student grow and become more confident in their pursuit of their short and long term goals. 

I had the privilege to advise one such student through all his high school years; in the beginning he had difficulty managing his schoolwork with his sports involvement, to the point where he was struggling with a Spanish class.  I helped identify optimum times for studying and preparation in between his sports practice, and reminded him constantly to get help for his courses.  Later, he came up with the idea to apply for schools in the UK, which I was a bit sceptical, but to his credit, he was persistent - he had done his research and figured he had a good or better chance of admissions at their name universities compared with the UCs. So I helped him apply to UK universities, and he was accepted and enrolled at King’s College, London for economics - a great choice for entry into his dream of pursuing a finance career, and a remarkable transformation from a tentative young boy into a confident, goal-oriented young adult.  

What do you want parents to know?  

The best thing you can do for your child in this critical development stage is to encourage them to develop independent decision making skills, step away, and let them be accountable for their decisions.  It is tempting to intervene - and I feel this as a parent, too - but we want them to gain the self-confidence to make decisions for themselves.  

The college application process is a prime opportunity to empower your child to take ownership of the process for their future.  It’s acceptable to offer your recommendations and suggestions about which colleges or universities, fields of study, and future careers, but allow them to make the final decision, and have them create the content and meet the deadlines.  Of course, we are happy to help with the project management aspect for applications to help ensure their completion.  

What should students consider in developing their persona?

Have the confidence to be yourself. Authenticity is the most important aspect of how you want to present yourself on a college application; you don’t want to follow another person’s model or persona if it doesn’t fit you.  

One of my students, Jennifer, was distressed because she was “losing out” for the typical leadership roles in school organizations, to more aggressive, outgoing classmates at her school, because she was shy, quiet and afraid of public speaking.  In response, I said she too can be a leader, in her own way, and cited examples of leaders who were unassuming and soft-spoken, such as Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa. She came to understand that a leader doesn’t need a loud voice or boss others around, but can be one like her who looks out for others, lends a shoulder to cry on, and comes prepared with extra supplies in case someone forgets their pens, snacks or paper. This gave her the confidence and impetus to pursue leading roles in activities she valued, such as teaching art education for low income communities, and to successfully enroll in a selective research program, on the way to enrolling at the University of Chicago. 

What is one thing you want your students to know about choosing fields of study? 

Your major isn’t set in stone, and it doesn’t limit your future career. With few exceptions, just because you say you want to study physics doesn’t mean you’re limited to being a physicist; it’s actually quite normal for students to change their minds about majors while in college.  One of my past students, Jordan, went to the University of Colorado as a mechanical engineering major.  When I caught up with him a couple of years later, he said he changed into neuroscience because he just found it more stimulating and engaging.

Also remember that it’s also normal for people to go into fields which may be different from their field of study, and even change careers more than a few times - I was a political science major in college but worked in the tech industry much of my career, later teaching in schools and then finally as an education consultant.  

Many if not most postgraduate programs, such as law, medicine, or education, don’t require you to major in a certain field!  You don’t have to major in life sciences if you’re thinking of going to med school;  in some ways, it can be advantageous to, say, be an English literature major applying to med school because you can stand out more.  Be honest with yourself and go for what you love to do. 

What should parents and families consider when selecting college lists?

Be honest with considering one’s actual and real needs in potential schools, where you can thrive and make the most of your opportunity to learn and grow.   Don’t be too focused on the perceived name brand of the school but instead evaluate the campus environment and culture for fit.   

One choice that students and families can consider more often are smaller, liberal arts colleges, which have the advantages of a focus on undergraduate teaching, smaller class sizes and easier accessibility to faculty, which can result in favorable admissions outcomes for graduate and professional schools.  I worked with a student who felt she would be lost in large research universities, and valued the support in a smaller institution. So I assisted her in applying to small liberal arts colleges across the country.  She was accepted to and enrolled at Haverford College, where she is thriving, and told me it was the best decision she ever made!