His college consultant firm boasts a team of mentors available around the clock and provides guidance to students as young as 12, covering everything from exam prep to developing a unique narrative that catches the attention of university admissions staff, according to The Telegraph.
It boasts a 94% success rate over the past five years, though this figure excludes students who did not follow the advice they were given, Rim said.
Command Education’s high-profile clientele includes billionaires, one of Instagram’s top 10 influencers, the CEO of Europe’s largest bank, and even a president.
Though most of his students are based in New York, about one-third are international—many hailing from elite UK schools such as Harrow, Eton, and Radley. While the company has a track record of getting students into Oxford and Cambridge, most eventually choose top U.S. universities.
“All I can say is that we work with a lot of influential families in the UK,” Rim said.
Command Education turns over more than $20 million a year. Rim owns a $7.5 million Miami home and a $2.3 million Manhattan apartment and has become the go-to strategist for wealthy families seeking to get their children admitted into top universities.
Capitalizing on the race to get admitted to top universities
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Christopher Rim, CEO of Command Education. Photo courtesy of the company |
Rim’s success stems from his ability to capitalize on the growing market for independent education consultants, which has surged over the last decade and is now valued at $3 billion, according to marketing firm IBISWorld.
One of his British clients asked him to sign a 40-page NDA. The billionaire parents who turn to Command Education are deeply invested in their children’s academic futures and willing to make great efforts to improve their chances of success.
They might even cancel board meetings to join calls with the firm’s advisers, Rim said. “It’s really cool to see that. These are highly influential people across the globe.”
In one extreme case, a Manhattan father offered him $1.5 million to ensure no other student in his child’s class could use Rim’s services—a proposal he turned down.
Their passion may be justified, given how fierce competition for spots at top U.S. universities has become.
Over the past three decades, the number of applicants has grown by approximately five times, while Ivy League classes have only seen minimal increases in size, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Admission rates to institutions like Harvard and Yale have dropped below 5% from around 20% two generations ago.
This has made services like those provided by Rim and his firm all the more common.
According to an annual survey by Harvard’s student newspaper, 23% of freshmen starting in fall 2023 reported using a private admissions counselor, a rise from 13% in 2017. The figure increases to nearly 48% for freshmen from families earning over $500,000 annually.
Rim’s student count has increased from 40 seven years ago to 220 this year. “Demand is really growing, our business is operating incredibly well, so I’m very happy about that,” Rim said.
Journey with a rocky start
While he is now enjoying the fruits of success, Rim said he initially struggled to get his business taken seriously.
He recalled that when he founded a tutoring company at age 13, he called a local marketing firm to buy ad space, only to be dismissed by the company’s staff.
“As soon as they heard how young I sounded they told me not to make prank calls and hung up,” he told the South China Morning Post in 2018.
“Even now, I still have people who underestimate me because of my age, but I’ve never let it stand in my way.”
Rim was later admitted to Yale University, one of the eight Ivy League schools. After that, he offered essay writing assistance from his dorm room at $50 per hour and helped two younger students from his school gain entry to Stanford and MIT.
Following his graduation in 2017, he took his business full time.
Initially charging $75 per hour for consultancy, Rim hiked his rate to $1,500 after a billionaire client advised him that a higher fee was necessary for him to be taken seriously.
Today, parents pay Rim and his team a yearly fee of $120,000 for their services or $750,000 for a full package from seventh grade to university admission, which includes unlimited tutoring for SAT and ACT exams.
Sharing advice on succeeding in business, Rim said: “I think the most important qualities for a successful entrepreneur are persistence and never taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
