Latest news with #Rim
CNBC
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CNBC
Harvard students are 'frantic' after Trump administration blocks international enrollment, college consultant says
Immediately after the Trump administration blocked Harvard University on Thursday from enrolling future international students and retaining currently enrolled foreign students, some members of next year's freshman class started scrambling. "I was on the phone with a parent who was visibly shaken and completely frantic," said Christopher Rim, president and CEO of college consulting firm Command Education. Rim, who works with a large share of international students from abroad, said a few of his clients were accepted into the Class of 2029 and committed to Harvard on May 1, also known as National College Decision Day, which was just three weeks ago. Now, they don't know what to do. "This is a major moment in these students' lives," Rim said. "Given the circumstances and policies and laws that we have right now, we are advising these families to look into taking a gap year — hopefully by then, the Trump administration and Harvard can come to an agreement." On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security terminated Harvard's student and exchange visitor program certification, therefore blocking foreign students from enrolling and forcing existing foreign students to transfer or lose their legal status. Harvard sued the Trump administration on Friday, asking a federal judge to reverse the ban on international students. International students accounted for 27% of Harvard's total enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year. That's up from 20% during 2006-07. More from Personal Finance:Wage garnishment for defaulted student loans to beginWhat loan forgiveness opportunities remain under TrumpIs college still worth it? It is for most, but not all The latest move came amid an escalating standoff between the government and the Ivy League school after Harvard refused to meet a set of demands issued by the Trump administration's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism "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. In a statement on Friday, Harvard called Thursday's action "unlawful and unwarranted." "It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams," Harvard said. "It's a shock," said Hafeez Lakhani, founder and president of Lakhani Coaching in New York. "At a time when international applications — and international yield — are under pressure, this sends a signal to the rest of the world that not only is Harvard closed to the international best and brightest, but that the U.S. is not a welcome place for international students," Lakhani said. International enrollment is an important source of revenue for schools, which is why colleges tend to rely on a contingent of foreign students, who typically pay full tuition. 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, there were more than 1.1 million international undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S., mostly from India and China, making up slightly less than 6% of the total U.S. higher education population, according to the latest Open Doors data, released by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education. In the 2023-24 academic year, the U.S. hosted a record number of students from abroad, marking a 7% increase from the previous year. The Trump administration's move puts Harvard international students in a "limbo state," said Mark Kantrowitz, a higher education expert. His advice to admitted or enrolled international students: Start exploring your options but don't make any sudden moves until you hear from the university. "Harvard is going to be scrambling to deal with this, and they will issue guidance to admitted students and the enrolled students," Kantrowitz said. In its statement, Harvard called international students and scholars "vital members of our community." "We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world," it said. Kantrowitz doesn't expect the Trump administration to prevail in Harvard's lawsuit, though of course it's a possibility, he said. Transferring to another U.S. school may have its own risks. "I've heard from [Harvard] students who are seeking to transfer," Kantrowitz said. "But that might be jumping from the frying pan into fire. These other colleges could be targeted soon enough." It may also be difficult for Harvard's incoming freshman class to transfer to another university, Kantrowitz said. Many institutions may already be at full enrollment for the coming academic year, he said. There are currently more than 300 U.S. schools still accepting applications for prospective first-year and transfer students for the upcoming fall term, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Harvard students who require financial aid may have a tougher time transferring, depending on the university, compared to those who don't need assistance, Kantrowitz said. That's because many schools use "need sensitive" or "need aware" admissions for international students, Kantrowitz said. That means they consider the student's financial need when choosing whether to accept the student. Already, some of Lakhani's college-bound clients have started considering schools outside the U.S., fueled by fear about rapid policy changes, he said. Indeed, some schools overseas are trying to woo Harvard's international students in light of the Trump administration's recent maneuver. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, for example, issued an "open invitation" to Harvard students on Friday to continue their education there, to "pursue their educational goals without disruption." "This sends a clear signal for the best and brightest to look elsewhere — including other countries — to thrive intellectually," Lakhani said.
Korea Herald
28-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Samsung Biologics boosts contract wins with $513m US deal
Samsung Biologics, the biotech arm of Samsung Group, has secured its second contract manufacturing deal this year, signing a major agreement worth 737.3 billion won ($513 million) with a US-based pharmaceutical company. In a regulatory filing Monday, the company said the new contract with the undisclosed partner will run through the end of 2031. The deal is equivalent to 16.2 percent of Samsung Biologics' revenue in 2024. This latest win follows Samsung Biologics' largest-ever contract manufacturing agreement, a 2.07 trillion won deal signed in January with a European pharmaceutical firm. With the two deals combined, Samsung Biologics' total cumulative contracts for the year have reached 2.8 trillion won, accounting for more than 50 percent of last year's total deal value of 5.4 trillion won. The company's total annual contract volume last year was driven by three major deals, each valued at over 1 trillion won. Samsung Biologics now counts 17 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies as clients. Last year, on a consolidated basis, the company posted record sales of 4.54 trillion won, up 23 percent from the previous year, while operating profit rose 19 percent to 1.32 trillion won. For the first quarter of this year, Samsung Biologics' operating profit more than doubled to 486.7 billion won, compared to 221.3 billion won a year earlier, while sales rose 37.1 percent to 1.29 trillion won. 'We sustained solid momentum in the first quarter, supported by the efficient operations across all our plants and continued partnerships with our clients,' said CEO John Rim. To meet the growing demand for biologics, Samsung Biologics has been expanding its production capacity. The company currently operates five production plants in Songdo, Incheon, and plans to expand to eight by 2032, targeting a combined production capacity of around 1.32 million liters. Starting this month, it began operations at its fifth plant, bringing its total capacity to 784,000 liters — the largest biomanufacturing capacity in the world. 'The launch of the fifth plant and our dedicated antibody-drug conjugate facility marks another milestone in expanding our capacity to cater to diverse client demands,' Rim said, explaining the company's commitment to delivering long-term value for clients and shareholders through strategic investments in technology. Samsung Biologics plans to continue bolstering its contract pipeline throughout the year. While operating a dedicated facility for antibody-drug conjugates as part of its strategic move into the next-generation cancer therapeutics market, the company also recently opened a sales office in Japan, adding to its existing locations in New Jersey and Boston to strengthen relationships across key global markets.
Korea Herald
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
High schooler wins nat'l Olympic short track trials
A high school senior won the South Korean Olympic short track speed skating trials that wrapped up Sunday, earning a chance to represent the country at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. Rim Jong-un, 17, finished first overall among male skaters with 102 points after two rounds of the 2025-2026 season national team trials at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul. Rim shot to first place after the opening phase, thanks to his victory in the 1,500 meters, a runner-up finish in the 1,000m and a 17th-place showing in the 500m. Then, in the second stage, Rim once again captured the 1,500m title while finishing third in the 500m and 10th in the 1,000m. Rim won two gold medals at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Junior Short Track Championships in February, and he has made the senior national team for the first time. Hwang Dae-heon, the 2022 Olympic champion in the 1,500m, finished second overall to Rim with 89 points. Hwang, 25, had come up short in the national team trials for the 2024-2025 season while also causing controversy by committing a series of fouls on teammate Park Ji-won at ISU World Cup, world championships and national team trials. Shin Dong-min, a triple gold medalist at last year's world juniors, finished third in the trials with 55 points. The 20-year-old will also be making his senior international debut. The top three finishers for men will skate in individual events and relays at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The next two skaters in the trials, Lee Jeong-min and Lee June-seo, will only be eligible for the relays. Park Ji-won, a three-time world champion who has also won three overall World Cup titles, finished well out of contention at the trials. Despite his decorated international resume, Park has never skated at an Olympics. On the women's side, Kim Gil-li, the 2024 ISU World Cup overall champion, won the trials with 128 points, followed by Noh Do-hee with 69 points. Three-time Olympic champion Choi Min-jeong secured an automatic berth by winning an individual gold medal at the world championships last month, and only Kim and Noh earned the right to skate in individual events at the Olympics through the trials. Lee So-yeon and Shim Suk-hee, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, earned spots for the relays in Italy after finishing third and fourth in the trials. South Korea is the most successful short track country in Olympic history with 26 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze medals. (Yonhap)
Telegraph
30-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The admissions guru who gets the children of billionaires into college for $750,000
How do you get your child into a fiercely competitive, world-renowned Ivy League university? You pay admissions guru Christopher Rim $750,000. The 29-year-old chief executive of Command Education is the mastermind behind hundreds of teenagers from wealthy families winning coveted spots at the world's best institutions. With his team of mentors on call 24/7, Mr Rim offers students from as young as 12 unlimited help with everything from preparing for exams to cultivating a 'compelling hook' to draw in university admissions staff. 'Demand is really growing, our business is operating incredibly well, so I'm very happy about that,' Mr Rim tells The Telegraph. He's not wrong – the company turns over more than $20 million a year. Mr Rim owns a $7.5 million home in Miami and a $2.3 million apartment in Manhattan. He has tapped into the booming industry of independent education consultants which, according to marketing firm IBISWorld, has ballooned in value from $400 million to $3 billion in a decade. Command's current clients include one of the top 10 most followed influencers on Instagram, the chief executive of one of the largest banks in Europe and the president of a country. While the majority of his students are based in New York, a third are international and include British teenagers studying at Harrow, Eton and Radleigh. They get students Oxbridge places every year, although most end up choosing elite US schools. 'All I can say is that we work with a lot of influential families in the UK,' Mr Rim adds. One of his British clients asked him to sign a 40-page NDA. The billionaire parents who pay for Mr Rim's services are so passionate about their children's education they will cancel board meetings to join calls with Command Education advisers, the chief executive says. 'It's really cool to see that. These are highly influential people across the globe.' They are also willing to go to great lengths to boost the chances of their child's success. One father of a Trinity School, Manhattan student offered Mr Rim $1.5 million not to work with any other pupil in his child's class, an offer he declined. A survey of Harvard's class of 2027 found 23 per cent of respondents had used a private college counsellor to help with their applications. With an acceptance rate of less than four per cent, the Massachusetts-based university is often ranked among the hardest colleges to get into in the world. 'At this point, they're not looking for a well rounded student, these top schools are trying to put together well rounded classes made up of students who are experts in individual fields,' Gabe Cramer, the managing director of Command Education, says. 'You don't need someone who's an amazing orator and a computer science whiz, you need one of each, and those are made up by two different people,' he adds. 'The classic profile of being a boy scout, a three-sport athlete, playing the piano... at one time, being well rounded in that way was really great. In this day and age having that spike and that hook is the way to go.' Mr Rim, who went to a state school in New Jersey, was, by his own admission 'not the best student' – and was repeatedly told he would never get into a top university with a GPA of 3.7 (equivalent to an A-). 'So then once I got to college, everyone was like, 'Chris, what did you do? How did you get into Yale? You didn't have the best grades?' And I was like, 'well, I think it was my extracurriculars.'' Outside of the classroom Mr Rim had founded an anti-bullying non-profit organisation as well as earning a spot on the Youth Advisory Board for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. He wrote his personal essay about the pop queen herself. After his success, he helped two younger students from his school get into Stanford and MIT from his dorm room, and charged $50-an-hour for essay writing help. When he graduated in 2017, Mr Rim took the business full time. He initially charged $75-an-hour for consultancy, until one of his billionaire clients sat him down and insisted nobody would take him seriously unless he upped his hourly rate to $1,500. Now, parents pay him and his team of 42 $120,000-a-year for their help. The full package from seventh grade to university admission costs $750,000, which includes unlimited tutoring for SAT and ACT exams. Seven years ago, Mr Rim had around 40 students, this year he is helping 220. In 2024 one student got into seven of the eight Ivy League universities. The eighth, Cornell, was the only school they had not applied for. If parents come to Mr Rim after their children fail to get into their college when early decision acceptances come round in December, Command Education charges $250,000 for a two-week service to help them streamline their application for regular admissions. Command touts the statistic that over the past five years it has helped 94 per cent of its students get into one of their top three university choices, although it adds the caveat that this 'excludes students who did not follow our advice'. 'We're getting more and more younger students who are signing up for our services now only because of how competitive it is... grades and test scores are the foundation of a strong application but it's really the extracurriculars, it's really the impact you had in your community that's going to allow you to truly stand out and shine through the process,' Mr Rim says. It does not matter what the student chooses for their 'hook', but everything the student does should be carefully tailored to fit this narrative, even where they choose to volunteer. 'Going to the food pantry if you're going to be a computer science major is not necessarily the right place to be volunteering, it's better than no volunteering, but let's identify a place where, at a local library, you're going to be teaching basic foundational computing skills to potential students who don't have access to computers at home. 'Those are the types of volunteer opportunities that are now going to align with the things you're interested in,' Mr Cramer, a former professional baseball player, adds. They also help their students plan a 'passion project' which should be an 'intersection between the things that you are amazing at, the things that you are passionate about, and the areas in your community that require some assistance'. There is no ideal niche students should focus on. They told one pupil who was into beauty and makeup to create a TikTok and YouTube account to review skincare products. Her following swelled to more than 80,000 and she was able to show admissions officers she had made a difference to her community by donating the leftover samples to charity. She got into the University of Pennsylvania. 'What other college consultant will tell a student to do that?', Mr Rim says. Mentoring sessions cover everything from preparing the student for a Spanish test, to making sure the marketing assets and copywriting for their website are in good shape. Command's 23 mentors are made up of recent graduates, meaning the students they work with look up to them like 'an older brother, older sister type figure', which Mr Rim says sets them apart from their competitors. Along with this, he says, they help students develop life skills for after they graduate, such as public speaking and how to write cold emails. The lengths wealthy parents in the US were willing to go to get their children into college was exposed by the Operation Varsity Blue admissions scandal, which saw 57 people charged with crimes. Among those given prison sentences was actress Felicity Huffman, who spent 11 days in jail after paying to inflate her daughter's exam results to help her get into university. Admissions consultants, while completely legal, do raise some moral questions about how much help privileged students can tap into compared to their less fortunate peers. Mr Rim notes that as well as working with the top one per cent, around five per cent of Command's clients are taken on pro-bono. 'Our process does not change whether a student comes to us who is very privileged versus somebody who has free or reduced lunch at school throughout pro bono work,' he says.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘I charge billionaires $750,000 to get their children into Ivy League schools'
How do you get your child into a fiercely competitive, world-renowned Ivy League university? You pay admissions guru Christopher Rim $750, 29-year-old chief executive of Command Education is the mastermind behind hundreds of teenagers from wealthy families winning coveted spots at the world's best institutions. With his team of mentors on call 24/7, Mr Rim offers students from as young as 12 unlimited help with everything from preparing for exams to cultivating a 'compelling hook' to draw in university admissions staff. 'Demand is really growing, our business is operating incredibly well, so I'm very happy about that,' Mr Rim tells The Telegraph. He's not wrong – the company turns over more than $20 million a year. Mr Rim owns a $7.5 million home in Miami and a $2.3 million apartment in Manhattan. He has tapped into the booming industry of independent education consultants which, according to marketing firm IBISWorld, has ballooned in value from $400 million to $3 billion in a decade. Command's current clients include one of the top 10 most followed influencers on Instagram, the chief executive of one of the largest banks in Europe and the president of a country. While the majority of his students are based in New York, a third are international and include British teenagers studying at Harrow, Eton and Radleigh. They get students Oxbridge places every year, although most end up choosing elite US schools. 'All I can say is that we work with a lot of influential families in the UK,' Mr Rim adds. One of his British clients asked him to sign a 40-page NDA. The billionaire parents who pay for Mr Rim's services are so passionate about their children's education they will cancel board meetings to join calls with Command Education advisers, the chief executive says. 'It's really cool to see that. These are highly influential people across the globe.' They are also willing to go to great lengths to boost the chances of their child's success. One father of a Trinity School, Manhattan student offered Mr Rim $1.5 million not to work with any other pupil in his child's class, an offer he declined. A survey of Harvard's class of 2027 found 23 per cent of respondents had used a private college counsellor to help with their applications. With an acceptance rate of less than four per cent, the Massachusetts-based university is often ranked among the hardest colleges to get into in the world. 'At this point, they're not looking for a well rounded student, these top schools are trying to put together well rounded classes made up of students who are experts in individual fields,' Gabe Cramer, the managing director of Command Education, says. 'You don't need someone who's an amazing orator and a computer science whiz, you need one of each, and those are made up by two different people,' he adds. 'The classic profile of being a boy scout, a three-sport athlete, playing the piano... at one time, being well rounded in that way was really great. In this day and age having that spike and that hook is the way to go.' Mr Rim, who went to a state school in New Jersey, was, by his own admission 'not the best student' – and was repeatedly told he would never get into a top university with a GPA of 3.7 (equivalent to an A-). 'So then once I got to college, everyone was like, 'Chris, what did you do? How did you get into Yale? You didn't have the best grades?' And I was like, 'well, I think it was my extracurriculars.'' Outside of the classroom Mr Rim had founded an anti-bullying non-profit organisation as well as earning a spot on the Youth Advisory Board for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. He wrote his personal essay about the pop queen herself. After his success, he helped two younger students from his school get into Stanford and MIT from his dorm room, and charged $50-an-hour for essay writing help. When he graduated in 2017, Mr Rim took the business full time. He initially charged $75-an-hour for consultancy, until one of his billionaire clients sat him down and insisted nobody would take him seriously unless he upped his hourly rate to $1,500. Now, parents pay him and his team of 42 $120,000-a-year for their help. The full package from seventh grade to university admission costs $750,000, which includes unlimited tutoring for SAT and ACT exams. Seven years ago, Mr Rim had around 40 students, this year he is helping 220. In 2024 one student got into seven of the eight Ivy League universities. The eighth, Cornell, was the only school they had not applied for. If parents come to Mr Rim after their children fail to get into their college when early decision acceptances come round in December, Command Education charges $250,000 for a two-week service to help them streamline their application for regular admissions. Command touts the statistic that over the past five years it has helped 94 per cent of its students get into one of their top three university choices, although it adds the caveat that this 'excludes students who did not follow our advice'. 'We're getting more and more younger students who are signing up for our services now only because of how competitive it is... grades and test scores are the foundation of a strong application but it's really the extracurriculars, it's really the impact you had in your community that's going to allow you to truly stand out and shine through the process,' Mr Rim says. It does not matter what the student chooses for their 'hook', but everything the student does should be carefully tailored to fit this narrative, even where they choose to volunteer. 'Going to the food pantry if you're going to be a computer science major is not necessarily the right place to be volunteering, it's better than no volunteering, but let's identify a place where, at a local library, you're going to be teaching basic foundational computing skills to potential students who don't have access to computers at home. 'Those are the types of volunteer opportunities that are now going to align with the things you're interested in,' Mr Cramer, a former professional baseball player, adds. They also help their students plan a 'passion project' which should be an 'intersection between the things that you are amazing at, the things that you are passionate about, and the areas in your community that require some assistance'. There is no ideal niche students should focus on. They told one pupil who was into beauty and makeup to create a TikTok and YouTube account to review skincare products. Her following swelled to more than 80,000 and she was able to show admissions officers she had made a difference to her community by donating the leftover samples to charity. She got into the University of Pennsylvania. 'What other college consultant will tell a student to do that?', Mr Rim says. Mentoring sessions cover everything from preparing the student for a Spanish test, to making sure the marketing assets and copywriting for their website are in good shape. Command's 23 mentors are made up of recent graduates, meaning the students they work with look up to them like 'an older brother, older sister type figure', which Mr Rim says sets them apart from their competitors. Along with this, he says, they help students develop life skills for after they graduate, such as public speaking and how to write cold emails. The lengths wealthy parents in the US were willing to go to get their children into college was exposed by the Operation Varsity Blue admissions scandal, which saw 57 people charged with crimes. Among those given prison sentences was actress Felicity Huffman, who spent 11 days in jail after paying to inflate her daughter's exam results to help her get into university. Admissions consultants, while completely legal, do raise some moral questions about how much help privileged students can tap into compared to their less fortunate peers. Mr Rim notes that as well as working with the top one per cent, around five per cent of Command's clients are taken on pro-bono. 'Our process does not change whether a student comes to us who is very privileged versus somebody who has free or reduced lunch at school throughout pro bono work,' he says. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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