Command Education in the Media

Debra Lynn Eden, whose daughter is a junior at Princeton, complained, “It’s all a giant distraction to the students who are trying to complete their studies in a high-stress environment.”

Christopher Rim, founder and CEO of Command Education, which helps students complete applications, said parents of Columbia and University of California – Los Angeles students are calling for refunds.

Gaza war protests on college campuses across the U.S. have led some soon-to-be freshmen at schools like Columbia and Yale to question their decision, according to the head of a college consulting firm. LiveNOW from FOX’s Josh Breslow spoke with Christopher Rim, the CEO of Command Education.

Christopher Rim, founder and CEO of Command Education, a company that helps students complete competitive-college applications, says that in the past week he has received calls from about 25 parents with students at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles—both sites of demonstrations in recent days— some wanting full or partial refunds from the colleges their kids attend.

On May 1st, known as decision day for college-bound students, protests at universities like Columbia have complicated the decision-making process for many. Christopher Rim, CEO of Command Education, notes that students are uncertain about attending universities due to ongoing protests and safety concerns. Some students who were accepted to Columbia have opted out, preferring a gap year instead. The protests have raised questions about the value of a degree from affected universities. Rim also mentions that some schools extended their decision deadlines due to delays in financial aid processing. The impact of these protests extends beyond individual decisions, potentially affecting the reputation and value of affected universities.

Christopher Rim, the CEO of college consulting firm Command Education, told The Free Press that some students are giving up on going to elite schools entirely and are even interested in transferring to other institutions.

“One student we work with recently abandoned her years long dream of attending Columbia” due to antisemitism, Rim said. “We’ve also seen a number of Jewish students who are interested in transferring, especially from Columbia, Cornell, and Penn.”