In 1970, Bruce Breimer began a distinguished 37-year tenure as Director of College Guidance at his alma mater, Collegiate School in New York City, America's oldest secondary institution (founded in 1628). Bruce Breimer, Fisher Pei's exclusive counselor for admission to New York private schools, US boarding schools and colleges, has a stellar record of success over many years. An accomplished lifelong educator, Bruce Breimer has been actively involved in college counseling since he was 22 years of age. A 1967 graduate of Yale University, Mr. Breimer spent one year at New York University Law School before beginning his lengthy professional career at Collegiate School. During his years at Collegiate, Mr. Breimer earned a national reputation for excellence in the field of college placement, helping the majority of his students to achieve acceptance to America's most prestigious colleges and universities. From 2004 through 2007, Mr. Breimer culminated his honored stint at Collegiate by serving as School Principal. Since the Fall of 2007, Mr. Breimer has been an educational consultant to families from both the United States and abroad, specializing in both college and boarding school placement.
Bruce Breimer in the Press: A Few Examples
Forbes Magazine. “College Admissions Myths.” Sept, 14th, 2006:
Colleges are aware that many high schools enforce community service requirements, and they’re especially wary of students who volunteer their time for the sake of transcripts. Says Bruce J. Breimer, head of college guidance at the prestigious Collegiate School: “One admissions officer told me, ‘If I read another essay about kids building houses in Costa Rica, I’m going to scream.’”…Knowing the tricks can only get you so far. In the end, to be an ideal candidate for a college, a student must work hard, develop a sense of passion, yearn for intellectual and personal stimulation, pursue activities outside of the classrooms in a profound way–and remember to breathe in the process. Says the Collegiate School’s Breimer: “Be yourself. Don’t try to beat the system.”
Harvard Crimson. “The Back Door to the Yard: Z-List, a Legacy-Heavy Special Admissions Program.” June 6th, 2002:
It has become a matter of institutional dogma at Harvard that a year off before college is a Good Thing. In a letter to parents warning that ambitious students often “burn out” at or after Harvard, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions urges students to consider taking a year off before they matriculate—and over 50 did so this year. For about 20 of these students, though, deferring is not an option, but a requirement. And their mandatory year off is not aimed to prevent them from burning out, but to ensure that they get in.This group of students, known within Byerly Hall as the “Z-list,” are plucked off the waitlist any time from May to August—after they have accepted offers of admission at other universities—and informed that if they are willing to take a year off, they can enroll at Harvard the following September….According to Bruce Breimer, a college counselor at the Collegiate School in New York City, some Z-listers are chosen to take a year off because they “need a little seasoning.”
Time Magazine. “Ranking Your Alma Mater On How Much You Make”. August 17th, 2009:
Americans are suckers for a good ranking. Give people a copy of the annual U.S. News & World Report on the country’s best colleges and you’ll have them gloating, sulking and arguing over the results for hours. Ditto for the various lists put out by the Princeton Review. (Should Penn State really be this year’s top-ranked party school? What happened, University of Florida?) But for all the college rankings floating around, there’s still one area students and parents can’t find much concrete info about: how much an undergraduate degree will pay off. But what is this ranking really saying about higher education? That every student’s goal should be to make as much money as possible, betterment of the world be damned? As Bruce Breimer, former director of college guidance at New York City’s prestigious Collegiate School, says, “This is only one way to judge success.”
