• ABOUT US

     

    Capstone prepares students to excel in class, earn admission to top schools, and achieve long-term success by developing their academic and leadership skills.

     

     

    OUR BACKGROUND

    Capstone was founded in 2003 in Hong Kong with the mission of offering top-quality supplementary education for strong students seeking admission to elite boarding schools and universities. Our priorities put students above profit - Capstone's team, from instructors to CEO, works closely and tirelessly to meet students' individual academic needs on the path to a top world school.

    OUR APPROACH

    Capstone believes in long-term education. We focus on building students' life skills, and we value deep understanding over rushed learning. Our students succeed because they learn to think critically - to solve complex problems independently and make connections to the real world. Capstone students are often admitted to top boarding schools and universities because the skills we build are exactly what these top schools look for.

     

    Specifically, our classes develop key skills in critical thinking, writing, speaking and reading. These broad skills prepare students to overcome any academic challenge they may encounter. By learning how to think and communicate well, our students succeed everywhere: from difficult Honors, IB, or AP level classes, to standardized tests, to competitive activities such as debate or Model United Nations.

    OUR RECENT SUCCESSES

    Capstone has recently placed students in the following top schools:

     

    Universities:

    Harvard University | Princeton University | Stanford University | University of Cambridge | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Oxford | Columbia University | University of Chicago | Cornell University | Brown University | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University | UC Berkeley | Johns Hopkins University | Imperial College of London | King's College of London | London School of Economics | New York University | University College of London | Tufts University

     

    Boarding Schools:

    St. Andrew’s | Deerfield Academy | Eton | Westminster School | Milton Academy | Phillips Academy Andover | Phillips Exeter Academy | Chetenham | Choate Rosemary Hall | Groton | Hotchkiss | The Lawrenceville School | St. Paul's | St. Swithun's | Winchester College | Wycombe Abbey School

  • CLASSES

    Capstone's academic enrichment courses prepare students in grades 3+ with writing, reading, speaking and critical thinking and analysis skills essential for long-term academic success.

     

    Our test preparation classes teach students the core concepts tested on the SSAT, SAT, ACT, and other boarding school exams to maximize students' scores and improve their weakest areas.

    Scholars

    Teaches students critical thinking and argumentation skills through debate and discussion of current issues

    Best for students interested in developing reasoning skills who enjoy passionate debate with their peers

     

    Immediate Benefits:

    • Improve performance in classroom discussions
    • Ace difficult assignments with stronger critical thinking
    • Understand difficult classroom readings

    • Create realistic solutions to complex issues in and out of class

     

    Long-term Benefits:

    • Succeed in competitive debate and Model United Nations to stand out in university admissions
    • Begin preparing for SAT / ACT tests with early logic practice
    • Excel in AP / IB tests with stronger argumentation and critical thinking
    • Develop interview skills for university admissions, internships, and jobs

    Academic Writing

    Teaches students strategies and techniques to effectively outline, draft, and revise interesting and compelling written work

    Best for students seeking to perform better on written assignments, and to develop style that stands out when writing application essays

     

    Immediate Benefits:

    • Improve performance on written assignments
    • Write with personal voice and style
    • Develop and use a larger vocabulary of engaging words
    • Comprehend the techniques used in multiple genres of writing

     

    Long-term Benefits:

    • Write stand-out boarding school and university admissions essays
    • Begin preparation for SAT / ACT tests with grammar and essay writing
    • Excel in AP / IB tests with organized and convincing written responses
    • Improve clarity and depth of writing in all classwork

    International English Skills

    Teaches essential grammar and communications skills necessary to succeed in an English language classroom

    Best for students in bilingual schools, local school English programs, and recent transfers to international schools looking to quickly improve English abilities

     

    Immediate Benefits:

    • Identify and fix grammar mistakes most common among advanced ESL learners

    • Improve vocabulary to boost reading ability and communication

    • Learn strategies to read more complex English texts on a deeper level

    • Study English in an engaging environment that emphasizes critical thinking

     

    Long-term Benefits:

    • Boost grades in school with improved English communication

    • Show strong English on boarding school and university applications

    • Progress to native-equivalent English level
    • Develop deeper thinking and analysis abilities prized in western education

    Test Preparation

    Teaches all core concepts that appear on each exam, in addition to test taking strategies

    Best for students seeking to maximize their scores on the SAT / ACT, or on SSAT / ISEE / boarding school entry exams

     

    • Learn all content students must know for each standardized test
    • Focus on personal weak areas to gain the most individual improvement

    • Learn time management and test taking strategies

    • Practice until perfect with unlimited mock exams
    • Identify specific patterns in wrong answers to maximize scores

  • OUR INSTRUCTORS

    Ronald Po

    MIT / University of Chicago

    Founder of Capstone

     

    Ronald is the founder of Capstone. He received his MBA from University of Chicago and M.Eng from MIT after completing his BBA (Hons) in Canada. Ronald is an expert in elite US & UK admissions and is one of the only admissions experts in Asia to be interviewed by prominent media such as CNN, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal.

     

    He is frequently invited to speak at top schools on a variety of admissions and critical thinking related subjects and has also received numerous requests to advise and work with various schools’ admissions counseling programs. Ronald continues to work with a handful of Capstone students each year to supervise their strategy and progress through boarding school and university applications. Over the years, his students have gained acceptances to nearly every top 10 US boarding school and university. Many of his UK-bound university students gained acceptances to Oxford and Cambridge (most often in Law and Economics).
     

    David

    University of Chicago

    Head of Capstone Beijing

     

    David has loved teaching since the age of 13, when first asked to instruct younger students in a martial arts class. From then onward, he has been consistently active in education, teaching integrated mathematics, geography, and philosophy classes to Chicago public school students in UChicago’s Splash and BrightSpark programs, and chairing several Model United Nations committees for middle and high schoolers in MUNUC and UNA-USA Global Classrooms conferences.

     

    Before coming to Capstone, David served as a Senior Analyst at Springhill Consulting Group, a boutique firm advising Fortune 100 clients in Healthcare, Tele-communications, and Aerospace sectors. However, in pursuit of more personally fulfilling work in education, David left to join Capstone in 2014. Since then, David has been highly involved in Capstone, teaching every class offered and actively seeking new ways to help Capstone families succeed.
     

    Megan

    Georgetown / Columbia University

    Curriculum Lead for International English Skills

     

    Megan’s community service activities as a college student centered around education. She served as a high school debate tournament judge and a campus admissions ambassador. During her semester abroad in Egypt, she had the opportunity to volunteer as an English teacher for Sudanese refugee students. These experiences inspired her to share her passion for language with others by pursuing a career in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

     

    Before coming to Capstone, Megan worked as a teacher and tutor in Washington, DC; Phoenix, Arizona; New York, New York; and Shenzhen, China. While she was a master’s student at Columbia University, Megan taught Chinese high school students in a program designed to prepare them to attend US universities. This eventually led her to teach in China. At Capstone, she looks forward to helping students perfect and polish the language skills they need to succeed in the English-speaking classroom.
     

    Gabrielle

    Mount Holyoke College / Johns Hopkins University

    Instructor

     

    Gabrielle is highly interested in using innovative teaching approaches highlighting the role and importance of culture in the classroom. She often takes a hands-on approach, through which she encourages her students to see the relationships between topics learned in the classroom and applications to daily life and the real world.

     

    Prior to joining Capstone, Gabrielle taught English in Spain and worked with an educational non-profit in Liberia, guiding students through the university application process for American and European Universities. Under her guidance, students became more competitive and better informed applicants. She also worked at the college’s career development center, advising her peers on the best strategies for their job and internship searches such as interview preparation, cover letter and resume writing. At Capstone, she looks forward to helping her students improve their critical reading and writing abilities so they can become more creative and independent thinkers.
     

    Simon

    Yale / Harvard

    Instructor

     

    Simon enjoys learning and teaching the art of language. Beyond an interest in English, Simon developed a scholarly focus in East and South Asian cultures and history in college and graduate school. Throughout his time at Yale and Harvard, he developed a wide array of language skills in many languages including Japanese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan. This experience led Simon to explore the connections across different cultures. He has especially enjoyed discovering how people who speak different languages can best connect.

     

    Simon taught in a variety of settings before coming to Capstone. In college, for instance, Simon taught digital mapping workshops to students looking to learn how to use satellite imaging in map making. He has also worked in education and research institutions in India and Nepal, where he developed materials for students to develop better cross-cultural understanding. Here, he applied his training in cross-cultural connection to help students learn valuable new skills

    Imick

    Georgia State / University of West Florida

    English Skills Instructor

     

    Imick enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures. In university, she first developed a passion for community based organizations and international affairs. There, she founded a campus organization celebrating multiculturalism; inspired by this diverse peer group, her dream has since been to live and work abroad. At Capstone, she enjoys helping her students not only learn, but become model citizens of the world.

     

    Prior to joining Capstone, Imick enjoyed a successful career in Primary Learning. After working in a K-12 environment, she pursued advanced training in teaching in a graduate level teaching certification program. This experience concluded with an apprenticeship in the ESOL department of an IB school. In addition to teaching Primary Education and ESOL courses, Imick has pursued other academic interests in Special Education and Library Services. Her curiosity continues to lead her to the frontier of education, as she constantly seeks ways to innovate in the classroom.
     

  • CONTACT

    Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or to schedule a free assessment of your child's academic strengths and weaknesses.

     

    Unit 108-111

    1/Fl Yosemite Club Building, Area C

    No. 4 Yuyang Road, Houshayu Town

    Shunyi District, Beijing 101302

    Phone

     

    +86 10 8046 2188​

     

    WeChat

     

    Follow us at: capstonebeijing