Dear Covid-19, thank you for providing us the groundwork and push to be better for our clients
No, this is not an attention-grabbing post! It’s a reflective one – a look back on how the last 5 months have tested the strength of companies, AddedSport included, in the higher education and sports industry. While there is no denying that we have hit some setbacks, there have also been huge positives that have come out of these tough times.
1. Dedication of Quality Time to Clients
Going by the saying that “adversity brings out the best in all of us”, Covid-19 and its bag of uncertainties has not only put us through a test of time but also gave us a chance to reflect on adapting to change and challenging ourselves to do better.
This uncomfortable phase has helped us develop our core competencies which are:-
- Strong anticipatory client delivery, and Professionalism
Our counseling / advisory team, consisting of counselor managers, lead counselors, and support counselors met regularly during the week to brainstorm and strategize how to plan for various scenarios to stay ahead of the events that unfolded in the world of higher education. As the world of tertiary education descended into chaos and confusion; college campuses starting to close standardized tests being cancelled, tournaments postponed, travel and visa restrictions being imposed – it was bad news compounded by bad news. This was and is the most challenging phase for us and we all got down to work harder. To calm the rising panic among the parents of our clients, we spent more time addressing our client’s worries and concerns, conducting scenario analyses, which included forward planning, and providing alternative options and strategies to help our clients mitigate the negative impacts of Covid-19 on their application and athletic recruitment process.
2. Advising Parents of aspiring athletes to start early
Pre-covid mindset of parents: there is still plenty of time for my child to develop academically and athletically, they should only compete and sit for the standardized tests when they are mentally ready for the challenge, we don’t need to start exploring the landscape of college admissions till my child enters Grade 11 / turns 16 or 17 years old. Unfortunately, in the presence of Covid-19, ill prepared families have had to face the brunt of the pandemic and its after effects: many schools shut down, programs were disrupted, standardized tests cancelled, leaving aspiring students and athletes in the lurch. Parents of younger children in middle and high school however watched keenly as uncertainties unfolded, looking eagerly to start planning early. Consequently, more parents reached out to us during the height of the first wave of the pandemic – inundating our counselors with questions about the impact of Covid-19 on their admissions chances, their academic and athletic development – to seek advice on how they should adjust their strategy and plans in order to achieve their goals. Here’s what we have begun with all of our clients:
- Scenario analysis of athletic development and academic performance – plotting the trajectory – as early as Grade 7
- Commencing academic profile building and enhancement in Grade 9
- Initiating contact with college coaches for our clients as early as the summer before Grade 10
- Plan for 3 attempts at the standardized tests (SAT/ACT) to be completed between Grade 10 and the middle of Grade 11
- Plan for TOEFL to be taken before the middle of Grade 11
We’ve packaged all of these steps into our structured programs for Students and Athletes from the ages of 11 years old and up, to ensure that every family seeking to get admitted into their dream college, is better prepared for the future!
3. We are are still the largest coordinated U.S.
University Athletic Recruiting Company in Asia
In a game of survival of the fittest in this competitive industry, Covid-19 helped sort out the strongest and the weakest. As we approach the 6-month mark of business disruptions, several of our competitors have struggled – giving us the opportunity to establish our dominant position. With size comes the benefit of scale and service quality excellence. Our team of professional counselors undergo regular, ongoing service and technical training sessions to maintain the highest standard of service delivery in our industry, to support our clients realize their dreams.
What’s next?
Covid-19 has given us the figurative “fresh start”, re-aligning our priorities to our clients, reinforcing the solid foundations on which AddedSport has been built over the last 7 years – a launchpad for our future growth once the pandemic subsides. With our newly launched and revamped programs,
- Just-in-time 2021 Admissions Package
- Pre-High School Series (Starter & College-Prep Programs)
we hope to bring structured guidance to families who need it immediately, and families who want an early plan to set them up for success, respectively
We didn’t get to where we are, by hard work alone. It is the trust and faith of our clients and community in our mission of “Changing Lives” that is helping us to go beyond the boundaries and #DreamBig for each one of our clients.
So here we are, well poised for the next 7 years, and beyond.
