<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jenny Woo is the founder of Mind Brain Emotion, which sells emotional-intelligence card games.</li><li>She started her company in 2018 after polling parents and school counselors for ideas.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jenny Woo, the 40-year-old founder of <a href="https://mindbrainemotion.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mind Brain Emotion</a>, from Irvine, California. Insider has verified her business' revenue with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I moved to the US from China when I was 10 and am the first one to earn multiple advanced degrees in my family. While in school, I learned to maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity, advocate for myself, and develop authentic relationships — the starting point for what would later become a brand for teaching emotional intelligence.I started working when I was 15 at dim-sum restaurants and Denny's, but I've always had various entrepreneurial projects on the side, like scalping concert tickets in high school and selling photo-booth props and custom event designs on Etsy. As someone passionate about human development, I later held jobs as a human-capital consultant at Deloitte, a manager of talent strategy at Cisco Systems, an MBA career coach at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-into-uc-berkeley-haas-school-of-business">UC Berkeley</a>, a director of a Montessori school network, and a fitness trainer.But in 2018, I quit my job at the Montessori school and founded my company, Mind Brain Emotion, where I sell practical card games on emotional intelligence. My company's revenue in 2022 was more than $877,000.This is how I did it.<h2>The idea came together for me when I had 3 kids under 3 who would endlessly send me on an emotional roller coaster</h2>My work in child development as a school director had highlighted to me the value of learning social and emotional skills early on in life. And as a student, I was in a class once where the instructor grouped students in pairs and had them draw poker cards with ice-breaker questions on them. I learned that a deck of cards was the perfect simple and tactical medium for my idea.Next came the conceptualization stage. I studied the kind of language my target audience was using in Facebook groups for parents, counselors, and educators, and I polled a couple of groups to see how my products resonated with them.Many moms in the groups said they struggled to connect with their kids because they didn't know what to ask and didn't have enough time in the day, so I highlighted a feature to respond to this pain point — "engaging prompts to connect with your kids on the go: in the car, while waiting in line, and at the dinner table" — in my product description.In the early stages, I was iterating my product design myself almost every other week. I picked the card-deck design because I thought repurposing card suits and numbers would help users understand which skills they were working on without having to read a manual — the suits categorized the skills into competencies, and the numbers sorted them by level of difficulty.I now hire a part-time copywriter and a seasonal designer when I'm working on a new product. My team is currently three people: a part-time content developer, a part-time salesperson, and me.<h2>I started with a campaign on Kickstarter</h2>In May 2018, I advertised 1,000 preorders on Kickstarter for my first product, a deck called 52 Essential Conversations. I told friends and family, emailed schools and parent organizations, posted in Facebook groups, ran Facebook ads, and made an Amazon storefront.More than a third of the decks were bought via that <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/900100964/52-essential-conversations-a-game-on-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kickstarter campaign</a>. I allocated the remaining decks to promote on Amazon and my website for the rest of the year, but everything sold out within the next two months after The Harvard Gazette <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/18/09/power-conversation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published an article</a> about my product. The publicity skyrocketed my sales on Amazon, and I plastered it all over my marketing copy and packaging.I also invited teachers, counselors, and college professors to record audio on the theme and content of a single card in the deck on my podcast, then integrated a "<a href="https://mindbrainparenting.org/parenting-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lessons by topic</a>" section into my website and promoted it as a virtual-card feature on Amazon. The expert guests and I then cross-promoted each other on social media.<h2>I used Amazon Ads to bid on keywords that consumers used to search for similar products</h2>A bid is the amount of money you're willing to spend toward a keyword or advertisement. <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?postID=63cee14038646745ea72be33&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fadvertising.amazon.com%2Flibrary%2Fwebinars%2Fgetting-started-with-budgets-bids%2F%3Fref_%3Da20m_us_search_title" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Amazon Ads</a> includes an algorithm that recommends keyword bid prices to you. I bid on keywords related to what someone on Amazon might type when they searched for products related to emotional intelligence, such as "EQ for kids."To get preliminary data on which keywords were the most effective for driving people to my product, I used an <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?postID=63cee14038646745ea72be33&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fadvertising.amazon.com%2Fsolutions%2Fproducts%2Fcustom-solutions%3Ftag%3Dgooghydr-20%26hvadid%3D448098134815%26hvpos%3D%26hvexid%3D%26hvnetw%3Dg%26hvrand%3D14027723695740280773%26hvpone%3D%26hvptwo%3D%26hvqmt%3Db%26hvdev%3Dc%26hvdvcmdl%3D%26hvlocint%3D%26hvlocphy%3D9067609%26hvtargid%3Dkwd-924350940226%26ref%3Dpd_sl_k83prr78e_b_sspa_ggl_d_us_ct_448098134815" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">Amazon tool</a> that chooses keywords for you to bid on based on your product listing and related customer searches.I learned that product-listing optimization was vital to my profitability and organic indexing, where you don't have to pay to get on top of the search-results page. You have limited time to catch a shopper's attention, so your product title, image, and description need to be as relevant as possible to what people are searching for and what you're providing. The more people who click to buy your product after a relevant search, the more likely Amazon will rank your product higher in the search results.I also talked to game-industry buyers at a conference in Chicago, and their feedback gave me the clarity I needed: I'd been marketing my cards as children's toys, which would mean I'd be competing in vain against fun games backed by giant game makers. I decided to switch my language from "card game" to "educational learning tool."<h2>Next, I conducted a satisfactory survey</h2>The survey consisted of 74 of my customers across dozens of schools in 11 countries. I used <a href="https://www.qualtrics.com/">Qualtrics</a>, an online-survey platform, and my email list to invite people to fill out the survey.My goal was to get an inside look at how, where, and why my customers were using my product. I came up with 20 questions — a mix of multiple choice, checking all boxes that apply, and open-ended inquiries — and was amazed to discover that educators and mental-health professionals were using this tool more than parents were, as I thought it'd surely be the opposite. Their reasons were that my cards complied with their educational standards and were easy to use and understand.The results helped me fine-tune my marketing copy on Amazon. I made it more educator-oriented by focusing on the learning and behavioral benefits in schools and after-school settings — speech and language support, class discussion, reflective writing prompts, and peer mentorship — and including photos from the educators' classrooms on my website.I did more market research in late 2018 and by the following March, another card deck was born: 52 Essential Relationships.I've since expanded, and I now sell seven different decks. I went backward to move forward in my business because I recognized that in order to have genuine conversations, trust and understanding are prerequisites.

I made more than $877,000 in revenue last year selling emotional-intelligence card games online. Here's how I built my business.

The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets will be formally inducted into the <keyword id="15141" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> on Thursday in Ambala air base, at a time India is engaged in an escalating border row with China in eastern Ladakh. A galaxy of dignitaries including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, his French counterpart Florence Parly, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar will attend the ceremony. "The program will include ceremonial unveiling of the <keyword id="939956" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rafale-aircraft">Rafale aircraft</keyword>, a traditional 'Sarva Dharma Puja', air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by 'Sarang aerobatic team'," an IAF spokesperson said, describing the ceremony as a "very important milestone" in the history of the force. The Rafale jets, produced by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air-superiority and precision strikes. IAF Spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi said a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale fleet before its ceremonial induction into the 17 squadron of the force. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The French delegation at the ceremony will include French envoy Emmanuel Lenain, Air Gen Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of <keyword id="162534" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="French-Air-Force">French Air Force</keyword>, Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier and CEO of missile maker MBDA Eric Beranger. After the ceremony, Parly and Singh will hold talks in Ambala on ways to further deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation after the ceremony, they said. Ten Rafale jets have been delivered to India so far and five of them stayed back in France for imparting training to IAF pilots. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021. A second batch of four to five Rafale jets are likely to arrive in India by November. Sources said a preliminary discussion on a possible procurement of another batch of 36 Rafale jets by India from France may figure in the talks between Singh and Parly. The Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is a next generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. While the first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala air base, the second one will be based at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The 17 Squadron of the IAF which was resurrected on September 10 last year. The squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on Oct 1 1951. The 17 Squadron has many firsts to its credit; in 1955 it was equipped with the first jet fighter, the legendary De Havilland Vampire. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/airline-ticket-refund-supreme-court-seeks-clarification-from-the-centre-and-grants-ten-days-to-airlines-to-submit-their-reply/articleshow/78014888.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Airline ticket refund: Supreme Court seeks clarification from the Centre and grants ten days to airlines to submit their reply</a>

India to formally induct Rafale aircraft in the 17 Squadron 'Golden Arrows' today

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c391d81bd773002fe2f298a-680/kyle samani.jpg" border="0" alt="Kyle Samani, cofounder and managing partner at Multicoin Capital" data-mce-source="Multicoin Capital" />Multicoin CapitalKyle Samani, cofounder of Multicoin Capital.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-and-other-cryptocurrencies-plunged-again-2018-12?r=UK&amp;IR=T">The crypto market was in tumult last year,</a> but that doesn't mean it's all doom and gloom.</li><li>Business Insider spoke with Kyle Samani,<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kyle-samani-gives-career-advice-2018-11"> the founder of $75 million crypto fund Multicoin Capital</a>, to get his take on the key themes he's following this year in the crypto space. </li></ul>Kyle Samani is cofounder and managing partner of Multicoin Capital, a $75 million fund based in Austin, Texas, that exclusively invests in the crypto space. It's<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/kyle-samani/?list=30under30-finance#6fd7cd077764"> backed by mainstream investors</a> like Marc Andreessen, the Andreessen Horowitz partner, and David Sacks, the former PayPal exec and Yammer CEO.Samani recently spoke to Business Insider about the biggest trends he's following in 2019 in the crypto space. The growth of decentralized exchanges Samani is closely watching Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by adjusted trade volume, <a href="https://medium.com/binanceexchange/watch-our-new-binance-dex-sneak-peek-8b942cc733d2https://medium.com/binanceexchange/watch-our-new-binance-dex-sneak-peek-8b942cc733d2">which is poised to </a>unveil its decentralized exchange early this year. It'll be a massive shift in the crypto space, Samani says.In contrast to centralized exchanges, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) allow investors to hold their own digital assets, instead of leaving them to middlemen to custody. In addition, DEXs are praised for generating lower, or even zero, trading fees, greater security and more private transactions. Although a growing number of decentralized exchanges have launched over the past couple of years, they haven't yet generated mass adoption. But that may change as Binance enters into the space, said Samani. Binance, which processes more daily trading volume than top US exchanges like Coinbase and Gemini, already has an established brand. So it may be able to lure customers to use its decentralized exchange, Samani said. "Binance realizes that the greatest disruptive threat to their business is decentralized exchanges," he said. "On a long enough time scale, they believe it is likely to become a dominant form of exchange. As such, they're aiming to disrupt themselves by pioneering here. I expect that they will create incentives to encourage customers to trade on the decentralized exchange instead of the centralized one, and will actively bridge liquidity pools."Once Binance unveils its decentralized exchange, others may follow, he said.Still, decentralized exchanges in the US must comply with existing securities laws. The SEC in November <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2018-258">brought an enforcement action</a> against EtherDelta, a decentralized crypto exchange, for operating as an unregistered national securities exchange. "Whether it's decentralized or not, whether it's on a smart contract or not, what matters is it's an exchange," Robert Cohen, SEC's Cyber Unit Chief, told <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2018/11/09/new-sec-cyber-chief-puts-cryptocurrency-exchanges-on-notice/#5c06eed82fb8">Forbes</a> in November. Adoption of blockchain products Samani also expects to see a number of high profile blockchain products launch this year and attract large group of customers. One such project is Tari, an open source project that aims to disrupt the ticketing industry. Built on top of the Monero network, the company will provide a platform to issue and manage non-fungible assets like tickets, loyalty points, and in-game items. A benefit of using this technology in ticketing is embedding transfer restrictions on concert tickets, which could eradicate the ticket scalping market.Challenges to Ethereum Samani believes that a group of well-funded projects, like Dfinity and Cosmos, could pose a threat to Ethereum's leadership as the largest smart contract platform. Ether, which is underpinned by the Ethereum network, is currently the third largest cryptocurrency by market cap. "All of the new blockchains are aiming to challenge Ethereum," Samani said. "I expect by the end of the year the percentage of total developers building on Ethereum will be lower than it's right now, simply because of the competition," he said. "At the end of 2019, I still expect Ethereum to be the market leader among smart contract platforms. But there is a real probability that by the end of 2020, this is no longer the case."<a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/wall-st-insider&amp;hash=f4e91136c13f3c40c496d77bc7347502">Sign up here</a> for our weekly newsletter Wall Street Insider, a behind-the-scenes look at the stories dominating banking, business, and big deals.Get the latest Bitcoin price <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/BTC-USD">here.&gt;&gt;</a>

The founder of a $75 million crypto fund shares the top trends he's watching in 2019

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c2e9780ad957139e03ab317-899/screen shot 2019-01-03 at 61004 pm.png" border="0" alt="Jim VandeHei" data-mce-source="YouTube" data-mce-caption="Jim VandeHei talks to Kara Swisher at a Recode event" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poqmQjbGS8I" /></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Buzzy news startup Axios just named Sara Kehaulani Goo as executive editor, a new position, to help it with audience and audio expansion.</li><li>Goo will also help oversee an expanding newsroom, which is hiring to grow its tech, business, and science coverage.</li><li>In addition to audio, Axios is in talks to make another news show in addition to its just-renewed HBO series, a knowledgeable source said.</li><li>Axios continues to prepare to launch a pricey paid subscription service aimed at big companies early next year.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul>Axios made a big hire on the news side, naming Sara Kehaulani Goo as executive editor, a new position, to help with audience and audio expansion. She was hired away from NPR, where she was managing editor, overseeing its social media and audience development strategy.Goo is set to start December 2 and report to Nicholas Johnston, Axios' editor in chief. In a memo, Johnston cited Goo's experience in audience and audio, two new focus areas. Axios has the Pro Rata podcast, covering the intersection of tech, business, and politics.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/axios-plans-to-target-big-companies-with-new-service-2019-9">High-profile news startup Axios is targeting giant companies with a new service that could put it in competition with Facebook and LinkedIn</a>Johnston said he and Goo knew each other from The Washington Post, where they both worked as reporters. Johnston said he did his final interview with Goo at the Washington Nationals stadium at the Budweiser Brew House because it was the only time they could meet before sending out a final offer to her.Goo will also help oversee Axios' expanding newsroom. It's hiring to expand its tech, business, and science coverage, and overall, the company is aiming to get to 200 people by the end of the year, up from 170 now. In addition to audio, Axios is in talks to make another news show in additon to its just-renewed HBO series, a knowledgable source said. The source didn't say who Axios was talking to, but Axios' investors include WndrCo, the investment firm of Jeffrey Katzenberg, who also is hunting for news shows for his forthcoming short-form video service Quibi.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/axios-plans-to-target-big-companies-with-new-service-2019-9">Axios also is preparing to launch a pricey paid subscription service</a> aimed at big companies early next year.Axios was launched in 2017 by Jim VandeHei, Roy Schwartz, and Mike Allen, who sought to take the rapid-fire reporting model they built at Politico for Beltway professionals and apply it to serve busy professionals with succinct newsletters, designed for mobile devices. They started it with $10 million in funding and have raised $30 million total from investors including Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Emerson Collective, Greycroft Partners, and WndrCo.Here's Johnston's memo on Goo's hire:<blockquote>To: Editorial We have hired an executive editor: Sara Kehaulani Goo, currently the managing editor of NPR. She'll start in December. (Keep this secret until later this afternoon!)Why it matters: Sara will be a transformative leader in helping meet the grand aspirations of the Axios newsroom. She also has a ton of experience in audience and audio, two new focuses of ours.· I first worked with Sara years and years ago when they were both starting out as Washington Post reporters. Since then Sara has been an editor and manager at the Post, and before joining NPR to oversee their digital strategy, she founded the data reporting group at Pew Research Center. Bonus moment! I bought a scalped ticket to last weekend's Nats game to do a final in-person interview with Sara at the stadium. It was the only time we could find to chat before the offer went out Monday morning. We met at the Budweiser Brew House in center field. (Double bonus! My last meeting with Margaret Talev before we hired her to be politics editor was at the Irish Times.... )HUMONGOUS THANKS to Brittney, Mallory and the talent team for managing this process and helping to land this incredible hire.</blockquote>

Internal memo: Buzzy startup Axios just made a big newsroom hire as it aims for 200 in headcount this year

China is about to see one of the largest human migrations, as people travel home for the Lunar Year holiday.
January 31st marks the beginning of Chinese New year. But some <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-map-of-chinas-impending-travel-hell-2014-1">3.62 billion people are expected to journey </a>home during the 40 day Spring Festival that began January 16.
Every year this places a huge burden on Chinese infrastructure. We rounded up some images that show just how busy it gets this time of the year in China.
Travelers wait for their train at a check point in Shanghai.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52e7c81aecad04a730356444-1200-800/rtx17g4m.jpg?maxX=1200&amp;maxY=800" border="0" alt="chinese new year commute" width="1200" height="800" />REUTERS/Aly Song</div></div>
Some of these train journeys can take upwards of 15 hours.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52e7c9ab6da811da1bdbc67b-1200-800/rtx17fzk.jpg" border="0" alt="chinese new year holiday " width="1200" height="787" />Reuters</div></div>
<a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-01/14/c_126004653.htm">Scalping makes</a> getting a train ticket harder and often people don't get tickets at all.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52e7c4f96da8114007dbc676-1200-800/rtx17xpp.jpg" border="0" alt="china travel new years" width="1200" height="784" />REUTERS/Carlos Barria </div></div>
If you think the trains are bad, there are expected to be about 80 million road trips a day.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52e7cace6bb3f75c76b4d610-1200-858/rtx17g0n.jpg" border="0" alt="chinese new year" width="1199" height="805" />REUTERS/China Daily</div></div>
Just because you have a ticket doesn't mean you're guaranteed a seat. Many travelers are seen crowding the train floor.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52e7ca776da811cb1ddbc67a-1200-800/rtx17jda.jpg" border="0" alt="chinese new year holiday" />Reuters</div></div></div>
And travelers use the floor of the train as a garbage receptacle. A passenger throws garbage on the floor of a train travel ling from Shenzhen to Zhengzhou.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52e7c60cecad048121356448-1200-800/rtx17s5e.jpg" border="0" alt="china train new year" width="1200" height="787" />Reuters</div></div>
 The online ticket booking website repeatedly crashed because of overwhelming demand.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52e7ca2b69bedd165eafa2c5-1200-800/rtx17fsm.jpg" border="0" alt="chinese new year holiday" />Reuters</div></div></div>

China's Travel Nightmare Begins

The definitive story of how a controversial Florida businessman blew up MoviePass and burned hundreds of millions

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e4d29beab8eaf91a119598-1200-924/chinese-students-hong-kong-sat-test.jpg" border="0" alt="Chinese Students Hong Kong SAT test">REUTERS/Tyrone SiuStudents leave after a Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) exam at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.</img></div></div></div>As the number of Chinese students in U.S. colleges outpaces that of any other country, the journey to get into an elite American university has only gotten more cutthroat and students are rising to the challenge in strange ways.Think: Scalping tickets for tests, making up exotic adventures, and getting tutored at 1:00 am. China is already known for one rigorous exam that students spend years preparing for - the gaokao. The determining factor in a high school student's college placement, the gaokao is the cause of pressure, stress, and occasionally cheating among test takers.But as graduates emerge from Chinese universities without jobs, more high school students are directing their efforts overseas. Chinese students now make up 31 percent of all <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> college students at U.S. universities, according to data from the Institute of International <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">Education</keyword>.In contrast, gaokao test takers reached a <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2013-05/07/c_124667008.htm">low in 2012</a> of about nine million since its peak of 10.5 million in 2008. <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2013-05/07/c_124667008.htm">The Financial Times</a> reported that an additional million students backed out of the test last minute in 2013.The pressure that once came with the gaokao now falls for some students to the SAT, ACT, and TOEFL.Scott Wang, a high school teacher who works with students applying to U.S. universities, said the amount of studying that goes into these efforts has intensified."Five years ago, I couldn't convince a single person to even consider taking the ACT," Wang said. "I begged, I was like 'I will even pay for your testing fee if you take the test and get a good score, because I know you can,' - nothing. This year, half the students are ACT takers."Wang said wealthy parents especially have become more zealous about getting their children admitted to U.S. universities.One family refused anything less than a one-on-one tutoring session, asking Wang to tutor from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. - the only free time the student had. Another family sent their child to an SAT boot camp under the guise that they were going on vacation to Korea, Wang said.Parents have also hired multiple college application specialists at once. Wang said one of his students from last year went to three different tutoring companies for SAT training alone."Why are you bothering?" Wang had asked him. "He said, 'Well, my parents just want to be thorough."<h3>Trying to stand out</h3>The intense measures Chinese students go to during college applications is only representative of a fraction of the population. However, stories traded around the education industry highlight the competition that comes with wanting an education abroad. Traditionally, Chinese students have always been rigorous when it comes to academics and test-taking. For those that are doing everything to get into a U.S. university, the sheer number of high test scores has made standing out even harder.Cheng Ho, a Harvard graduate who has interviewed Chinese prospective students in Beijing, said he talked to tons of students with similar qualifications. If one student said she went to Africa to volunteer, a thousand other students will soon have the exact same thing on their resumes as well, Ho said."Chinese students are no different, they all have great grades," he said. "All they were ever taught was, 'You gotta do this, you gotta be number one, you still have to be number one.'"Another challenge facing students and schools is the difficulty in accurately evaluating all applicants. A student's aptitude for test taking may mask deficiencies in actual English or other capabilities, Guy Sivan said. Sivan is the COO of Vericant, a company that offers video interviewing services and identification verification for U.S. college and boarding school applicants.In their time at Vericant, Sivan and China director Kelly Yang have heard many reasons why such a service is necessary. One admissions officer, while speaking with a Chinese student over Skype, thought it was strange that the student had a black cat in her lap during the interview. Several minutes into the interview, the admissions officer realized that it wasn't a cat, but the hair from her mother's head as she whispered answers to the applicant.Another admissions office received ten applications from students of the same school, all claiming to be the top student at the school. Sivan said this kind of occurrence is very common."It's very, very high stakes, it's basically your path of life," Sivan said. "And people have different senses of what's possible or not possible to do."Giving admissions officers personalized books cataloging students' achievements has also become a common practice. Sivan remembered seeing one hardcover book that charted a student's arctic expedition. Unfortunately, because these additional materials are hard to verify, they often only carry entertainment value, piled into a corner of the admissions office."From the student's point of view, this is a way to get the attention of the admissions officer, to show something very, very impressive," Sivan said. "It's sad, but I think in most cases it's not really honest, and that's why the admissions officers ... they already kind of figure out, 'We can't really take it seriously, we can't really consider it.'"<h3>Money for the middleman</h3>Wealthier families have an inherent advantage in the landscape, since they are able to afford the test fees and services that will make a student more competitive. Because of this, there's a lot of money to be made by those in the industry.In the frenzy to get the best scores, some students ends up taking tests like the TOEFL multiple times in a few months. This makes it very difficult to get a testing seat, so students have to travel to remote areas of the country in order to take the exam.Kelly Yang said the demand has turned into a market for scalping test seat tickets. Referred to as huangniu, literally translated to 'yellow cow,' ticket scalpers buy up seats for tests, then sell them at a higher price, Yang said. Although she said it was most common with sporting event tickets, the operations had recently moved over to student exams. Yang discovered the trend while helping someone look for a September TOEFL test seat, and couldn't find any earlier than December."We searched online and said, 'What if I can't get the test date I want?' she said. "It said 'Go to huangniu.'"While some parents and students have become very well-versed in U.S. college admissions, others are willing to pay high premiums for agents and consultants to do all the work. This has created an environment in which it is very easy to take advantage of hopeful students and parents.As a result, some companies may end up over-promising.With expectations rising, teacher Scott Wang said he's seen parents demand their child get into a top school with an average GPA and SAT score, even though the likelihood is very low. "The problem is that in this city there's always going to be somebody out there who's like, 'Yeah, we can make that happen,'" Wang said. "And they'll go there, hoping against hope that something's going to be possible when it's not."

The unbelievable things some Chinese students are doing to get into US colleges

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The novel coronavirus caused chaos to the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword>'s main event Saturday, as Gilbert Burns tested positive and had to withdraw from a welterweight championship match against <keyword id="8755261" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kamaru-Usman">Kamaru Usman</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="9540084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jorge-masvidal">Jorge Masvidal</keyword> stepped-in to replace Burns with one week's notice, which is a deserved reward for a man who has fighting in his blood, even going as far back as a pre-teen on the streets of West Miami.</li><li>From there, a teenage Masvidal had a phone call asking if he wanted to fight in Kimbo Slice's backyard. "Hell yeah," he said, accepting a fight for 7 days later.</li><li>Masvidal beat a Miami bouncer who was in his mid-20s in a bout which entertained Kimbo so much, he demanded to see a rematch, which Masvidal won again.</li><li>It begs the question of whether history can repeat itself going into UFC 251 on July 11, and Masvidal can triumph once again with only one week to prepare.</li></ul><keyword id="9060271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fight-island">FIGHT ISLAND</keyword> — It's 2003 and backyard fights are one of the most watchable things on the internet, providing you're into barbaric, skull-cracking violence, like me.A fresh-faced Jorge Masvidal had been training at the same Florida gym as the late Kimbo Slice, a barrel-chested brawler who was as bald as he was beardy, and who had been developing a cult hero status because of his knockout prowess in underground bouts.Masvidal, an unknown entity even at a local level, received a call to see if he was interested in competing bareknuckle. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTgO7Yr1dTw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remembers ordering a McDonald's</a> at the drive-thru when his phone rang at the time."Hell yeah," he said<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTgO7Yr1dTw" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>. "Damn right. Let's do it." Masvidal was always down to scrap.One week later the teenager was trading blows with a mid-20s Miami bouncer called Reynoldo Fuentes, who had already knocked one guy out cold in Kimbo's backyard earlier that day.Masvidal proved to be a far greater challenge, <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/story/_/id/27931280/from-miami-brawler-ufc-star-jorge-masvidal-always-bmf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported</a>, as Fuentes lost.Dressed in baggy jean shorts, Nike sneakers, and with long and thick hair tied behind his head in a ponytail, a shirtless Masvidal went to work on Fuentes.He left his exhausted opponent needing two men to help him walk after it was called off, before slumping to the floor, beaten, with a concerned Kimbo watching on.Kimbo, though, was so entertained he demanded to see a rematch a couple of months later.Fuentes, known as "Rey," received $500 for the do-over, one he wanted to win so bad he had a "structured" fight camp as if it were an organized, sanctioned event, <a href="https://www.ufc.com/news/rey-remembers-backyard-scrap-masvidal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the UFC</a>.Masvidal, in contrast, had no stable income. He lived on his own, and with ready-cash hard to come by, he was sometimes forced to sleep in his car which he parked in the lot of Kimbo's gym, ESPN said.<div type="image" title="Jorge Masvidal" height="750" width="1000" msid="76857334" hostid="261"></div>"It was a tough, soul-searching moment," Masvidal said <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92peBMdqEWI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on his YouTube channel</a>. "It wasn't easy. There were no time limits on that, so we were just going. His shots were a little heavier than mine, especially back then at that time."The structured camp Rey endured was obvious to Masvidal, who noticed he was tougher when taking shots to the body. Rey also floored Masvidal with a heavy straight right punch to the jaw. "Oh man, my head was spinning," Masvidal said. "And this f------ gorilla was still coming at me."Though Rey knocked Masvidal down in the rematch, he couldn't knock him out and failed to keep up with the pace set by Masvidal, who varied his punch selection throughout the bout. Rey lost once again, this time with his hands on his knees, unwilling — or just physically unable — to go on.Little did Rey know, but Kimbo had been interested in Masvidal for a while, identifying him from his gym as a potentially exceptional young striking talent.Almost two decades later, after far surpassing Kimbo's fame level, Masvidal has once again taken a fight on a week's notice.The stakes, this time, are much higher.If victorious, Masvidal will wrest the UFC welterweight championship belt away from current ruler Kamaru Usman's waist, adding it to the "Baddest Mother F-----" belt he won after beating Nate Diaz, last year.Masvidal enjoyed a breakout 2019 in which he was thrust from the consciousnesses of hardcore combat audiences and placed in front of the broader <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> fan.A title triumph at UFC 251 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi this weekend would amplify Masvidal's crossover appeal so much, he may coax Conor McGregor out of the Dubliner's abrupt retirement, <a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-joe-rogan-doesnt-believe-irishman-is-retiring-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a retirement few in the industry seem to believe anyway</a>.<h2>Coronavirus can lay waste to sports most ambitious plans</h2>Coronavirus-induced chaos has marooned multiple athletes from "Fight Island" this weekend, so it's a good job Masvidal, a man also known as "Street Jesus," washed ashore with much acclaim to save the show and, in <a href="https://twitter.com/gamebredfighter/status/1189307750116986881?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">words he would likely use</a>, "baptize a fool."<div type="image" title="UFC coronavirus" height="750" width="1000" msid="76857336" hostid="261"></div>COVID-19 threatened to dilute the quality of UFC's signature summer showcase to the world, a four-event residency in a 25 square kilometer region on Yas Island which is quarantined from the rest of Abu Dhabi.The greatest event is Saturday's pay-per-view, UFC 251, which features three championship fights and many other significant showdowns.Throughout the pandemic era in sports, one name — or, rather, one acronym — has stood above the rest in the wild west of combat sports landscapes.After a three-month hiatus, the UFC returned to operations mid-May in Jacksonville, Florida, a month before Top Rank boxing restarted its own gig in Las Vegas, with <a href="https://www.boxingscene.com/dana-white-slams-top-rank-ratings-good-job-arum-you-d-ckhead--149509" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around a third — and sometimes as low as a quarter — of the viewing figures</a> which MMA's market-leader has been enjoying.UFC continues to fine-tune how it navigates the prospect of live events behind-closed-doors, but no matter how much planning the company puts into health, safety, and card construction, nobody can predict who or how many athletes will test positive for the novel coronavirus.Just ask Gilbert Burns, a 33-year-old ground game expert from Brazil, who has already excelled in one pandemic show so far — one in which he tested negative for the coronavirus throughout. But he is now positive, and he is not alone.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1280602412848418817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2020</a></blockquote>Burns out-pointed the former welterweight champ, Tyron Woodley, on May 30 and was given the nod to take on Usman at "Fight Island."But on Saturday, July 4, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/7/4/21313109/gilbert-burns-tests-positive-for-covid-19-pulled-from-ufc-251-main-event-against-kamaru-usman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA Fighting reported</a> that Burns tested positive for the coronavirus. Burns would not fly to "Fight Island," and the UFC's main event was in jeopardy.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1279285260774064128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2020</a></blockquote>Within hours, though, the UFC entered negotiations with Masvidal as decision-makers sought to save the company's marquee month of the year.One day later, a deal was struck. Shortly after that, Masvidal tested negative for the coronavirus and so his representatives, First Round Management, could make plans to get their client from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi by private jet.Jorge Masvidal finally got a UFC title shot after 48 fights in MMA.Though it was not the UFC's first choice for a "Fight Island" main event, an Usman-Masvidal match is the most significant pairing of fighters since <a href="https://www.insider.com/justin-gaethje-tortured-tony-ferguson-5-rounds-at-ufc-249-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Gaethje upset Tony Ferguson in a dominant lightweight thriller</a>, May 9.UFC 249's main event two months ago showcased two of the very best athletes not only in the 155-pound weight class but in all MMA.UFC 251, like the 249 event, showcases two of the very best athletes in a division, this time at welterweight. And both feature prominently in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-are-the-best-fighters-in-ufc-mma-bellator-2020-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider's list of the 15 best MMA fighters today</a>.It rarely gets bigger, better, or badder — not when a "Bad Mother F-----" is involved.<h2>Bunny-hopping from Kimbo's backyard to Abu Dhabi</h2>Some athletes enter the UFC with collegiate-wrestling backgrounds in America, with great ground game foundations in Brazil, or with a striking pedigree from Europe.Being a bonafide badass may well be Masvidal's base style as street-fighting has been in his DNA since childhood when he roamed West Miami neighborhoods getting into rucks.<div type="image" title="Jorge Masvidal, UFC Fight Island" height="750" width="1000" msid="76857339" hostid="261"></div>"I don't know how many heads I cracked," <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/jorge-masvidals-miami" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said to Fightland</a> of his developmental years as a child from 7 to 14. Armed with a knife, one kid even tried to mug him, he said.But being known for cramming his knuckles into a random thug's mouth was not something he wanted as a reputation. He wanted to be a boxer, a wrestler. And when he found MMA, he realized he could be both.Masvidal earned an $18,000 check for knocking someone out in front of Hugh Hefner.It's 2007 and Masvidal finds himself in another man's backyard, punching another opponent in the face for the entertainment of an exclusive audience.But this fight wasn't organized by Kimbo, and this wasn't underground.This was a legitimate MMA operation called Strikeforce, promoted by eventual Bellator MMA boss Scott Coker, and this was the first cagefighting event held at the $200 million Playboy mansion in Beverly Hills.Strikeforce had only held seven events at that point, and Coker viewed the opportunity as a no-brainer as it would see his brand placed alongside Playboy's."Hugh Hefner represented pop culture in a way that no else could," <a href="https://uproxx.com/sports/hugh-hefner-playboy-mansion-hosted-mma-card-scott-coker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coker later told Uproxx</a>.Tickets sold for a thousand bucks a pop, and <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2007/09/29/strikeforce-at-the-playboy-mansion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one writer observed</a> plenty of scantily-clad Playboy bunnies at cageside.Masvidal walked into the cage at 10:11 p.m. armed with good-form having won five in a row.One minute and 33 seconds after the opening bell, he left that same cage with another win — this one was devastating.Matt Lee, a lightweight, barely knew what hit him as Masvidal attacked him with his knees and elbows. It was not long before Lee wilted, falling half-beaten on the canvas.Masvidal forced the referee to separate the pair after dispatching an avalanche of fists. Game over.<h2>Masvidal's 50th fight could come against Conor McGregor</h2>Who knows how inspiring it was for Masvidal to win, in style, at the Playboy mansion while Hefner sat a dozen feet away, wearing silk pajamas underneath a burgundy smoking jacket, clapping and smiling with his blonde girlfriends.<div type="image" title="Jorge Masvidal" height="1432" width="2000" msid="76857341" hostid="261"></div>But 13 years later, many months after he had knocked out Darren Till, scored a 5-second highlight-reel KO over Ben Askren, and made Nate Diaz bleed in the "BMF" bout, Masvidal, at the height of his popularity, watched Conor McGregor destroy Donald Cerrone in January sporting his own bedroom style — a black Versace robe.Earlier this week, he boarded a private jet wearing a bright, Miami pink Versace robe, and looked relaxed while heading for Abu Dhabi to take on Usman, his greatest challenge to date.While Masvidal may have been training for an opportunity like this, to step-in at late notice during a time in which the coronavirus can scupper a bout at any time, Usman will have been training only for Burns — a jiu-jitsu specialist.As Masvidal is a multi-dimensional striker with good wrestling, he is a significantly different style match-up for Usman than Burns was.Usman is unbeaten in a five-year stretch with the UFC, a time in which he has scalped some of the top names in the division including Leon Edwards, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, Tyron Woodley, and Colby Covington.Beating "The Nigerian Nightmare" would punctuate an unconventional career for Masvidal, and could well earn him a mega-money payday against Conor McGregor, should the Irishman return to the sport once again.That the welterweight title would be on the line, and McGregor would be gunning for a championship belt in a third weight class, could be enough to coax him into the cage — and it's something Masvidal told us he wants, too.Masvidal would relish defending a title against McGregor, and he even told us earlier in the year that he'd happily put his "Baddest Mother F----" belt on the line, providing McGregor put something in the pot, too — like a stake in Proper no. Twelve."If I put my [BMF] belt up, someone has to put something else up. Cash, money. Something that makes sense to me," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jorge-masvidal-considering-a-bmf-title-fight-with-conor-mcgregor-2020-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Masvidal told Insider</a>.We piqued Masvidal's interest when we mentioned McGregor could offer shares in one of his companies, like his whiskey brand."If the company is worth any money, we can do something," he said.McGregor may well be keen, telling the Las Vegas media ahead of his sole bout this year — a UFC 246 smash-and-grab win over Donald Cerrone in January — that he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jorge-masvidal-considering-a-bmf-title-fight-with-conor-mcgregor-2020-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"would like that BMF title."</a><h2>It would be a "red panty night" like no other</h2>McGregor coined the phrase "red panty night," which is something the Dubliner says each of his opponents enjoys when they learn they've hit the jackpot — a fight with him."You ring back home, you ring your wife, 'Baby, we've done it. We're rich, baby. Conor McGregor made us rich, break out the red panties'," McGregor said to Rafael dos Anjos <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/01/ufc-246-conor-mc-gregor-donald-cerrone-fighter-flashback-red-panty-night" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at the "Go Big" press conference in 2015</a>.If Masvidal defeats Usman, which no man has yet done in the UFC, and you add a legacy-defining victory to the Floridian's escalating fame, a McGregor match would be a red panty night.But it would likely be a Versace robe night, too.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/dustin-poiriers-epic-win-puts-him-in-conor-mcgregor-conversation-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dustin Poirier's blood and guts victory on Saturday puts him in the Conor McGregor conversation even though the Irishman is 'retired'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/photo-bruised-dan-hooker-offers-no-excuses-after-brutal-loss-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A bruised, bloodied and stitched-up Dan Hooker offered 'no excuses' after his loss to Dustin Poirier in an all-time UFC slobberknocker</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/dana-white-hasnt-spoken-to-conor-mcgregor-for-weeks-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC boss Dana White says he hasn't spoken to Conor McGregor for weeks, suggesting the Irishman's shock retirement is real</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-max-rohskopf-begged-his-coach-to-stop-a-fight-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An MMA coach is being rebuked for failing to withdraw his fighter from a bout when the fighter begged him 9 times to stop it</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-alex-perez-scores-rare-calf-kick-ko-at-ufc-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch an American UFC fighter kick his opponent so hard in the calf that he couldn't even stand, let alone walk, straight after</a>

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