Revolutionizing College Admissions

“I think Meto is a game changer for the future of admissions,” says Yein Oh, university counselor at Utahloy International School, an IB school in Guangzhou, China. "Admissions is such a difficult game for the students,” she continues. “We cannot consider all of the thousands of universities out there at once. Meto helps us bring more sanity to the application process.”

Meto ended up in Yein's office – and in counseling offices around the world – largely by accident. A US-based NGO, Meto was originally founded in 2018 to serve high-achieving, low-income African students. The problem was simple: this demographic of students did not know what higher-ed options were available to them. They wasted time applying to the wrong opportunities and failed to identify the right ones. Meto offered an innovative solution: what if universities reached out directly to good-fit students to let the students know they were competitive candidates for admission, rather than students having to find good-fit universities by themselves?

The idea caught on quickly with stakeholders on both sides of the table. Students and counselors enjoyed the opportunity to maximize admission success by only applying to good-fit opportunities, while universities benefited from directly connecting with the types of students they wanted to see in their application pools.

It soon became clear that low-income African students were not the only ones who could benefit from Meto's service. From talking to students, counselors, and universities around the world, Meto has realized that all students can benefit from hearing directly from interested universities. As a result, Meto officially opened its platform to students and counselors around the world in July 2023 at the IACAC conference in Miami, Florida.

Yein is among the dozens of global counselors who have piloted Meto this fall. She has appreciated the efficiency Meto has brought for her and her students. “Students and universities have finite resources and time," she says. "It helps me refine the list and make sure the time and resources of students are being invested into universities of the right fit."

Yein has been particularly pleased by the quality of universities on Meto's platform. “What I see Meto as doing well, even amongst other reverse admissions tools, is that many of the universities on Meto's platform are 'sexy' universities that students want to go to," she explains.

Yein's students joined Meto in early September. Since then, they have received expressions of interest and connections to admissions officers from University of Toronto, University of Alberta, Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University, Boston University, Washington University in St. Louis, Georgia Tech, and many, many more.

Having used Meto with her students for one semester, Yein is confident that Meto will expand quickly. “I'm sure Meto's database will grow exponentially, both the students and universities,” she says. "It's really that missing link between the two.”

That growth is in its early stages in India. A handful of Indian students have created Meto profiles this fall, which has been met with great enthusiasm by global universities. In the past few months alone, Indian students have received expressions of interest and connections to admissions officers from all of the universities previously listed as well as University of Notre Dame, University of Miami, Colgate University, Texas Christian University, Carleton University, University of St Andrews, University of York, University of Sydney, and dozens more.

As demand for Indian students remains high, universities will continue to use tools such as Meto to supplement their in-person travel to the region. The Meto team is confident this is only the beginning of the story for Meto in India.

Despite the rapid growth for the organization, Meto has not forgotten its roots supporting high-achieving, low-income students. Toward this end, Meto intentionally curates partnerships with universities who are able to support students via need-based or merit-based aid. As a result, high-achieving, low-income students around the world – including in India – have been connected this fall to Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Colgate, and many other universities who are able to provide lower fees for students.

Originally designed to provide good-fit university options to African students, Meto's dream has now shifted to include students to as many students as possible across the globe. Meto is well on its way.

Meto is completely free for students and high schools. If you are interested in learning more or piloting Meto with your students for the upcoming application cycle, please contact Blake Thomsen (bthomsen@meto-intl.org/+1 949 302 5745) and mention that you read Meto's story in Aiyyo.