Elite College Admissions,
Leadership, and Well-Being
As an award-winning Chief Mentor of Next Gen Leaders, ThreeEQ CEO Jason Ma and Team ThreeEQ inspire and guide high school and college transfer students from select families to prepare well, earn admission to, and thrive at top-tier colleges and universities. We often hear privately from client families, “You’re our secret weapon.” This work is designed not only to achieve strong admissions outcomes, but also to build a foundation for lifelong leadership, well-being, and happiness, while strengthening family relationships and giving parents peace of mind.
Jason Ma at Worth’s inaugural Beyond Wealth Summit 2026 in Palm Beach, moderated by Dan Costa, Worth Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief: “Elite College Admissions in the Age of AI”
Organized and sponsored by Harvard Business School Association and co-sponsored by alumni clubs from Harvard, Wharton, Stanford GSB, and Berkeley Haas, Jason Ma inspired a packed audience of alumni parents and students as the sole speaker at a special event in Palo Alto: “Preparing Your Children for High School, College Admissions, University Life, Early Career, and Personal Success.”
Remarkable Student Outcomes
Through his prior education firm and ThreeEQ, Mr. Ma’s private mentees have achieved strong outcomes, including admission to all eight Ivy League universities—Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn/Wharton, Princeton, and Yale—as well as Stanford, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley (Engineering), and other leading U.S. institutions including Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Babson, Rice, NYU, UMichigan, UT Austin, etc. We have also helped students gain admission to top UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial.
Beyond admissions results, many mentees grew into resilient, adaptable, and compassionate young leaders prepared to thrive in college and beyond. Others who engaged more briefly still gained valuable clarity, direction, and strong admissions outcomes. Among families who are coachable, committed, and resourceful, our success rate has been near 100%. Outcomes vary by individual. See testimonials and success stories.
The Ma family (playfully, the “MAfia”) includes two happy, compassionate Gen Z young adults. Sabrina thrives as a top-performing senior software engineer and team leader at Google. Lydia, a summa cum laude graduate of Penn Wharton (Class of 2022), is a top-performing young leader and recently promoted senior software engineer at Stripe, after two years as a top performer at Salesforce Slack.
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Highly Personalized, Strategic
1-on-1 Mentorship
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Chief Mentor Jason Ma, supported by Team ThreeEQ, personally coaches and mentors private mentees/students 1:1 to help them prepare superbly well, achieve strong outcomes, and grow and lead with wisdom, well-being, and compassion. We guide students through each stage of their journey—from competitive college planning, applications, and admissions to meaningful personal growth, contribution, connection, and significance—so they are equipped not only for admission to elite schools, but also for lives of purpose, resilience, and impact.
For many families, the greatest cost is opportunity loss and/or long-term regret, not fees. It often comes from delayed trusted third-party guidance, misdirection, or lost momentum at critical moments—or a combination. We help prevent that.
ThreeEQ includes elite college admissions, early-career, life, and executive-function coaching and mentorship, and goes deeper. We integrate practical psychology, strategic positioning, and holistic development. Teen mentees build growth mindset, strategic thinking, high-impact activities and habits, soft skills, leadership and execution ability, and key relationships to perform and advance at their best across education, life, and early career.
Through the competitive college planning and application process, Mr. Ma’s well-established 4S and 3EQ framework helps students develop:
- Visionary Story: Empowering beliefs and clear, values-based direction—how you see the world, who you’re becoming (character = habits and choices), and the personal narrative you can prove through what you do.
. - Emotional & Mental States: Mindset, emotional fitness, and inner strength to perform under pressure—supported by high-quality sleep, nutrition, physical fitness, and disciplined routines.
. - Integrated Strategies and Execution: A practical, well-paced plan and effective execution across academics; school-year and summer activities; standardized test prep (e.g., SAT/ACT and AP/IB); leadership and initiative building; research and projects; college list strategy and positioning; college applications (essays, recommendations, interviews, forms, and portfolios if applicable); internships and early career exploration; and life design.
. - Soft and Hard Skills: Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, curiosity, resilience, and adaptability—paired with practical hard skills such as ethical, effective use of AI (as a learning and work tool), research methods, and basic quantitative and business fluency where relevant.
. - Practical Emotional, Social, & Leadership Intelligence (3EQ): Real-world effectiveness—strong relationships, sound judgment, young executive presence, and leadership maturity needed to thrive in family dynamics, college, and early careers.
At Stanford University, Mr. Ma inspired Stanford undergraduate and graduate students by guest-lecturing on “Honing the ‘OS and Apps’ of Your Entrepreneurial Mind and Soul.”
Three Stages of College Planning,
Applications, and Admissions
Our private 1:1 mentoring is deeply personalized, strategic, and pragmatic, structured around three key phases from each student’s standpoint:
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1. Preparation
(Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Years)
- Create a comprehensive college strategic plan
- Excel in academics (term-by-term courses and rigor), and strengthen the transcript
- Strategize and plan standardized test prep (SAT, ACT, etc.), and coordinate best-fit prep providers/tutors as needed
- Enrich and optimize school-year and summer activities
- Develop and strengthen relationships with teachers, counselors, mentors, and peers
- Create a compelling, clear résumé (CV)
- Research and visit colleges strategically
- Build a strong 4S and 3EQ foundation
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2. College Applications
(Summer before and during Senior Year)
- Determine a strategic list of 10+ reach, probable, and likely schools
- Decide whether to apply Early Decision or (Restricted) Early Action
- Craft authentic, standout essays and personal statements (often dozens of long and short ones)
- Secure strong letters of recommendation from target teachers, the school counselor, and others
- Complete detailed application forms and supplements (plus portfolios, if applicable)
- Prepare for interviews (in-person or virtual)
- Apply for merit-based scholarships, if applicable
- Continue refining 4S and 3EQ qualities
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3. Post-Application
(Senior Year and Transition into College)
- Provide timely, compelling updates
- Plan a purposeful post-graduation summer
- Respond to and manage select waitlists
- Select and enroll in the best-fit college/university
- Keep strengthening a 4S and 3EQ foundation to ensure success in college and beyond
Mr. Ma and his younger daughter Lydia, who was co-president of the Wharton Undergraduate Finance and Technology Group at the time, enjoying time with Penn students from Wharton, Engineering, and the College visiting San Francisco.
Next Step
For families who see strong alignment, the next step is a confidential 30–45 minute conversation with Chief Mentor Jason Ma via Zoom or phone. The purpose is to understand aspirations, explore potential pathways, and assess mutual fit. Many families find this initial conversation clarifying and valuable.
To make the best use of time:
1. All key decision-makers should attend, including the student and parents.
2. Review select writings and talks by Mr. Ma before the conversation to understand his ethos and allow more time to go deeper on your context.
3. Schedule at ThreeEQ.com/apply and complete the brief application beforehand, so we have a basic understanding of your background and goals.