Parents ask a version of the same question: if a child wants to reach a top university, where does the preparation actually start?
Drilling practice questions from primary school? Tutoring, the earlier the better? As many extracurriculars as possible? Private school, a well-regarded secondary, an admissions consultant — is that the entry ticket?
Underneath those questions sits a familiar anxiety. Every parent wants their child to have more options. But it’s worth asking whether the route to a top university is really an accumulation of grades, competitions and a résumé.
The speaker
Carol Wang — both of her children went from a public secondary school to Yale.
Her daughter completed a double degree in biology and public health with a certificate in French, and received the 2026 award for best thesis defence in ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale. Her son is in his third year at Yale, majoring in computer science and mathematics.
Carol was previously a news anchor and reporter for Vancouver’s CityTV, OMNI and Global, and an information and public affairs officer with the Government of British Columbia. She is a real estate agent in Vancouver and vice president of Canovo.
This isn’t a story about somebody else’s exceptional children. It’s what one mother distilled from years of accompanying, choosing, giving things up, and growing alongside them.
What she covers
- Building self-direction, focus, leadership and resilience in a child
- What’s worth developing at each stage from primary through secondary school
- How to choose extracurriculars that genuinely contribute to a child’s development
- How parents and children can grow through the process together
Less a set of admissions techniques than the observations of someone who has actually walked the route, shared with parents who are anxious, exploring, and working hard on their children’s behalf.
Not every child has to go to Yale. Every child deserves to be understood properly, and to have a path that genuinely suits them.
The family side of it
Carmen Ke also spoke, on planning from the family’s perspective. Preparing for a child’s future is also a decision about the family’s own.
A closing thought
Every parent wants a better future for their child. But good education isn’t pushing a child toward a standard answer — it’s helping them find their own capability, interests, sense of responsibility and direction.
An admission letter is a result. What matters more is whether, on the way there, the child became more self-disciplined, more focused, more resilient — and clearer about who they are, what they want to do, and what they can contribute.
This article summarises material presented at a Guaranti Wealth Club public session with Carol Wang and Carmen Ke. It is general information and does not constitute educational, admissions or financial advice.
First published on Guaranti’s WeChat account.