Our Mission
Marlin’s mission is to facilitate admission to the most prestigious American undergraduate and graduate institutions through a highly individualized test preparation and admission plan based on each student’s aptitudes, interests, and goals.
Who We Are
Marlin’s founders, David Chao and Jake Lucchi, Ivy League graduates from Cornell University and Yale University, have had a passion for teaching since they began tutoring in high school. In successfully attaining admission to Ivy League programs for themselves, they mastered the SAT, LSAT, GMAT, and GRE. More importantly, they gained a sophisticated understanding of the subtle complexities of the admissions process. This expertise, combined with a passion for teaching, made careers as admissions consultants the obvious choice. Over the last ten years, they have helped numerous students gain admission to some of the most elite American universities. Living in Bangkok periodically over the last five years, David and Jake have been struck by the remarkable talent in Thailand. They feel that, with the aid of their proven methods, Thai students could enjoy the same extraordinary admissions success they have been providing American students for more than a decade.
Our Philosophy
At Marlin we believe that aptitude and technique are the key tools for success in nearly all domains. We know that Thai students have the aptitude; we provide the technique.
The increasingly competitive and complex admissions processes at elite American universities have created an understandable level of confusion and frustration among students and their parents. Without intimate knowledge of the subtleties of this process, even the most gifted student can struggle to succeed. At Marlin we have this knowledge and will take the abundant raw materials of each student and shape them through the intricacies of the admissions process.
Unlike many of the large American education companies operating abroad, we know that students for whom English is not a native language face unique challenges in test preparation and admissions. We have cultivated our distinctive “Marlin Method” through working with students from across Europe, Latin America, and Asia. These persistent refinements account for, yet ultimately transcend, cultural differences.