Latest news with #Beaton
CNBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Harvard, Trump battle over international student enrollment may give some applicants a leg up, college expert says
Jamie Beaton has built a career helping students from around the world gain admission to Harvard University and other top-tier institutions. Now, days after the Trump administration banned Harvard from enrolling international students and stopped scheduling appointments for student visas, Beaton, co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education, a college consulting firm, is advising his clients to "ignore the chaos." Getting into an Ivy League school like Harvard is a years-long process, Beaton said. For recently admitted applicants, current students and this year's graduating class, he says, "remain steadfast in that goal." And for Harvard hopefuls, particularly from abroad, there could even be a benefit to applying in the upcoming cycle even amid the ongoing political strife. "You may have an advantage in the eye of the storm," Beaton said, as some applicants turn their attention to other schools. More from Personal Finance:Harvard students are 'frantic,' college consultant saysWage garnishment for defaulted student loans to beginIs college still worth it? It is for most, but not all Over time, Harvard has become the gold standard of the Ivy League. As of last year, Harvard's acceptance rate was just under 4%, down from more than 10% two decades ago. Roughly 18% of the Class of 2028 came from abroad. "I think Harvard's brand on the world stage is so strong and so viral, it would take a long time to lose some of that trust and excitement," Beaton said. "The brand can take a lot of big hits." Of course, students are justifiably nervous as the federal government continues to fire blows at one of the nation's oldest and most venerable institutions of higher education. "It's been a rollercoaster ride since last Thursday," said Fangzhou Jiang, a student at Harvard's Kennedy School and co-founder of Crimson Education. On Tuesday, the Trump administration moved to stop scheduling new interviews for international students seeking visas to come to the U.S. and said it plans to expand social media vetting of foreign students, effectively disrupting international enrollment. Politico first reported the stop to new student visa interviews. In the escalating standoff between the federal government and Harvard, the White House also attempted to terminate Harvard's student and exchange visitor program certification and cancel all remaining federal government contracts with Harvard, which are worth a reported $100 million. This latest moves come after Harvard refused to meet a set of demands issued by the Trump administration's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism "The whole instability or uncertainty is quite damaging," said Jiang, who has a student visa and would consider transferring across the country to Stanford University, where he is pursuing a dual degree. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Thursday. A federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration's ban on international students, following a petition from Harvard. A hearing is set for Thursday, May 29, to determine whether the temporary order should be extended. "This is a critical step to protect the rights and opportunities of our international students and scholars, who are vital to the University's mission and community," Harvard's president Alan Garber said in a statement. On its website, the Harvard International Office says "Harvard is committed to maintaining our ability to host our international students and scholars." Beaton predicts that by the time college applications are due this fall, the university and the federal government "will come to a compromise." "International students make up such a vital part of the undergraduate student population," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's editor-in-chief. Further, foreign students typically pay full tuition, which makes international enrollment an important source of revenue for Harvard and many colleges and universities in the U.S., according to Franek. Altogether, international student enrollment contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023-24, according to a report by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. During that academic year, the U.S. hosted a record number of students from abroad, marking a 7% increase from 2022-23, according to the latest Open Doors data, released by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education.
West Australian
6 days ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
Kyle Webster and Jed Beaton set to resume rivalry at Manjimup 15000
A generational battle reshaping Australian motocross is set to headline this year's Manjimup 15000 weekend. The two title challengers in Australia's Pro MX1 Series, Honda Racing Australia's Kyle Webster and Monster Energy CDR Yamaha rider Jed Beaton, have both announced they will be heading back west to tackle Australia's fastest track, the Cosy Creek MX Circuit. Webster, a WA local, will be looking for redemption this year, after he had what was set to be his inaugural Manjimup 15000 victory stolen away from him at the last grasp after crashing in the final race, having led the All-Star's class all weekend in 2024. Beaton snatched victory on that consequential first corner to claim his first Manjimup 15000 title, and the first for Yamaha since 2021. 'It's racing, it's a tough track, and it's a hard first turn,' a deflated Webster said after watching Beaton take victory last year. 'Third place seems to haunt me here. I've been third too many times.' The two took this momentum from last year's Manjimup 15000 weekend into the remainder of the 2024 Pro MX1 series, with the two trading wins across the remaining rounds in what was described as the tightest fight in Australian motocross history. The two finished the 2024 Pro MX1 season equal on 382 points, with Webster taking the crown by means of a countback, having claimed a higher number of wins across the year. Now, after four rounds in the 2025 Pro MX1 series, the close battle continues, with Beaton leading Webster 160 points to 147, with the pair again sitting first and second in the title race respectively. Beaton said he and Webster are rivals on track but have developed a good friendship off track. 'For the fan side of things, our rivalry is probably the best thing for Australian motocross at the moment,' he said. 'We're rivals on the track, but off track, we train together every day with my brother on his program. 'So yeah, we kind of know where each other's at and I think, in one way, we help each other raise the bar a little bit.' The 2025 Manjimup 15000 is set to take place this weekend.
Boston Globe
25-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Harvard is the most celebrated university in the world. Will Trump's international student ban derail that standing?
Advertisement Belgium's Royal Palace said that 'If it came to pass, it would transform Harvard,' said Fernando Reimers, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 'The Harvard that we recognize as Harvard today cannot be Harvard if it is not able to attract the most talented students, regardless of what passport they carry.' Advertisement Early Sunday morning, Trump continued his attacks on Harvard The revocation of Harvard's ability to enroll student visa holders is but the latest salvo in the pressure campaign by the Trump administration, which has accused Harvard of failing to combat campus antisemitism and engaging in illegal discrimination through its diversity efforts. The administration has also cut But more than anything else, the ban on international students would severely undermine 'what a modern research university is about,' Reimers said. International students make up approximately one-quarter of Harvard's nearly 6,800 students during the most recent academic year. The revocation would affect F-visas, typically used by students, and J-visas, which can be used by professors, researchers, or students, among others. The sanctions could be a significant financial blow to the university if not reversed. Foreign students tend to pay a higher proportion of full tuition as they are generally not eligible for federal financial aid. Many notable alumni have enrolled as foreign students, including Mark Carney, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, and former Mongolian president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. Advertisement Many foreign students see Harvard as a launching pad for their own success, with its unbridled access to coveted opportunities, connections to a network of powerful alumni, and a cultural melting pot of a campus, said Jamie Beaton, a Harvard alumnus from New Zealand who founded Crimson Education, a college admissions counseling company. This past year, 36 students who worked with the company got into Harvard for undergrad. 'These are people that are often bringing financial resources, they're bringing ambition, they're bringing talent,' said Beaton, noting that the typical prospective student probably spends about five years preparing with Crimson Education, named after the official color of Harvard. 'In my first week at Harvard, I met more kids that told me they wanted to become the US president than people that I'd met in my whole life in New Zealand who said they wanted to do politics. It represents liberated ambition,' said Beaton. 'It represents a lot both for kids around the world, and for how we perceive America.' Beaton said students he knows who were admitted to Harvard, and those currently attending, are nervous about the future but remain mostly optimistic that they will be able to find workarounds in the short-term. Two universities in Hong Kong have already extended invites to affected students, noted Reimers. If the ban goes through, 'we lose our edge as a hub for talent in the state, we will lose our economy,' he said. 'Obviously the administration is shooting the country in the foot and in the mouth,' he added. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Shannon Larson can be reached at
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Crimson Education co-founder Jamie Beaton to teach lessons in founding a billion-dollar business at University of Auckland
Crimson Education co-founder Jamie Beaton, who has been appointed Honorary Associate Professor to the university, said he wants to catch young, talented students right at the start of their degree. 'I stumbled onto Crimson when I was about 18. I interned at Icehouse, I saw my mum building her own company growing up, and the experience of building Crimson has been this incredibly rewarding, super fun, amazing journey for the last 12 years. 'Reflecting back on the journey, there are many lessons from the early build-out years, how we went from New Zealand to the global market, how we scaled the company, many lessons that can be directly applied to Kiwis.' He said some of his inspiration for the course comes from his time at Harvard Business School, particularly a transformative course titled US World 36 Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Beaton said the lessons he took from the course were extremely impactful when it came to building his business, so the opportunity to inspire Kiwi students with a similar set of tools was too good to pass up. He also hopes to draw inspiration from what he learned at the Stanford Business School, Princeton's finance programme and what he has learned from other like-minded companies around the world. Alongside the teaching opportunity, Beaton has also joined the advisory board of the university's business school. University of Auckland Professor Susan Watson, dean of the business school, said she hopes the course can attract top-quality students away from studying overseas. Watson revealed she had discussed the idea of the course with Beaton, and his enthusiasm was certainly an encouragement. 'He was wildly keen on that and keen to be involved by offering a course like this, and it just seemed if he's going to offer a course like this, this was the right place to have it,' Watson said. 'What an amazing opportunity for a student in their first year of university to come across all of that and to see what's possible.' Watson said the course would help give students a reason to stay in the country, noting the advantage of New Zealand's closer population and the sense of one-degree-of-separation. Part of that connection is the ability for other Kiwi founders to take part in the course, with Beaton sharing that key executives from all of the case study companies are likely to be guest lecturers as well. 'The ones we've spoken to so far are extremely excited. In general, I think in the world of entrepreneurship, it's very fast-paced and hectic, and there's always a desire to go back to the community and help build the next wave of founders,' Beaton added. Beaton's already had the chance to meet some of the students and, said he was excited by the range of ambitions they share. 'The academic foundations of these students is sky high and they're coming in with some great foundations, but they are very green when it comes to entrepreneurship. 'But they're very talented, they're very ambitious, and it's a great cohort we have.' Beaton and Crimson Education cofounder Fangzhou (FZ) Jiang will be teaching the bespoke project in BUSINESS 113 from next semester.
Perth Now
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Aussie cosplay champion suits up with global crown
Becoming the global champion of cosplay is still sinking in for Clare Beaton, otherwise known as Henchwench. The self-described nerd took out the title at one of the biggest pop culture conventions in the US, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, in April, dressed as hunky 300-year-old elf Halsin from the video game Baldur's Gate 3. "It's kind of the world's best cosplay crafters all in one space," explained Beaton, from the costume and prop-making studio Hench & Scrap. "Then we won ... I think I was just honestly stunned." Cosplay involves dressing up as characters from films, books and video games - often in costumes that feature obsessive levels of detail. It's a relatively small movement in Australia when compared to the US and Japan, but local cosplayers have been making an impact internationally. Beaton's winning Halsin outfit included silicon prosthetic elf ears and facial scars, a glowing lantern with flexible resin spikes and shoulder pieces constructed from more than 100 individually embossed leather leaves. She said she felt a connection to the seven-foot tall polyamorous game character, who has the power to transform into a bear, due to Halsin's kindness and affinity with nature. She completed the project in her spare time over about two years, using skills that ranged from metalwork to resin moulding, 3D printing, leatherwork and sewing. In October, the Halsin costume helped her to take out the Australian Cosplay Central Crown Championships title for a second time at the nation's biggest gaming convention, PAX Aus. That win came with a ticket to represent the nation at the US event. Beaton is well aware that from the outside, cosplayers can seem obsessive and eccentric. But for her, it's the antidote to a more widespread pop-culture fandom that is based in consumerism. "You can be creative and contribute back to fandom, and express something you love through doing something constructive," she said. Her cosplay artistry has taken years to develop after getting her start at 14 working alongside her father at renowned special effects and animation studio Weta FX. Her first job was working on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, but she soon found the film industry too specialised for her unique combination of skills. In 2016, she met her business and life partner Oarin Tremont - otherwise known as Scrap - at a gaming convention, where they bonded over their cosplay outfits from the same video game, Overwatch. Having realised they could make a living creating costumes and props, the couple moved from Sydney to Adelaide so they could afford a large fabrication workshop with space for their equipment. Most of the clients at Hench & Scrap are video game companies. "It's an unusual niche but it's definitely a growing industry," Beaton said. "We'll build a project and show off on social media how we make things, as part of the marketing." Beaton will join the cosplay judging panel at the upcoming PAX Aus convention, to be held in Melbourne in October.
