UK/Oxbridge

Admitted to UPenn, Early Decision

This candidate had strong writing skills and interests in English Literature and Economics. Identifying prestigious writing competitions, we also coached her to secure several wins. We identified journals she could publish her work in, brainstormed topics, and helped her to refine the submissions. To showcase her leadership abilities, we suggested she launch and lead a symposium. We also came up with interesting initiatives that she could lead in school, which would overcome the limitations created by the pandemic. In her essays, we highlighted how her small-town background had shaped her as a person.

Admitted to Oxford for Law

This candidate had applied the year before but had not been able to clear the interview. When we assessed his profile we found he had not done any mock interviews or critical thinking training. Since he was reapplying, we elevated his profile. We identified and helped him apply to a Socratic Colloquium, where he competed amongst industry practitioners, and a national essay contest. We also worked with him on a research paper, which he published in a US-based journal and on a chapter in a book. We repositioned his SOP to show very interesting insights and reflections on his experiences and conducted close to 20 mock interviews.

Admitted to: Wharton Business School, MBA & $60,000 in aid from Yale

This candidate had a solid profile, but had followed advice he found online about using a mix of experiences from college, ECAs and work. As a result, he hadn’t picked his strongest experiences and also hadn’t thought about how to position himself. We identified his most interesting experiences, which also demonstrated his tremendous interpersonal skills in very testing environments. This was important for Wharton, as it particularly values strong interpersonal skills.

Weaving together his experiences in different government projects, we differentiated him, showcased his strengths in all the different application criteria and developed a compelling career goal.

Admitted to Stanford, Early Action

This candidate was studying in the Commerce stream in CBSE, so we supplemented her credentials with 5 APs and also with a commendation she won in the RES competition. She wrote 8 research based articles which were published in a national daily, secured the mentorship of a Stanford professor for a research paper and a position as a translator on a project with a US university. She took on several leadership positions in school and at a regional level and was elected Head Girl. We carefully positioned her, through her essays, to showcase her unique background and interests.

Admitted to London Business School, Masters in Management

When this candidate came to us he was entering the second year of college. We strengthened his profile by suggesting a research paper, and brainstorming on topics and mentors. The paper stood out for its very unique analysis, and this work also strengthen his LORs. We also suggested how he could add internships and volunteerships, proposing projects he could do for each. He also founded a company, and we suggested ways he could make his proposition and testing stronger. For his essays, we highlighted his unique personal and family background and identified key themes in his college and work experiences that made him stand out – from how he learned to identify trust levers to handling nationalist rhetoric.

Admitted to: Harvard Business School, MBA

This candidate had a solid profile, but she had gaps in her leadership experience and her profile was not differentiated. We brainstormed on what she could do at work, and came up with three significant initiatives that formed part of her key narrative. These included two initiatives at the India office and 1 initiative that was global.

To create a unique and powerful narrative, we weaved together her insights from her personal experiences, her career in banking and consulting and her many different volunteer experiences in college and beyond.

Admitted as a Transfer Student to UC Berkeley

This candidate was in a US college but wanted to transfer to a highly competitive university and switch to a business major. Working with him nearly a year in advance, we came up with ideas for 2 research papers and a multitude of business and finance-related leadership projects on campus. We mentored him on one paper, which was published in a journal that normally accepts work from policymakers; the journal commended him for the uniqueness of his analysis. We studied what finance-related research professors at his university were conducting to come up with a compelling topic for a research paper, and identify a mentor. This work also strengthened his LORs. Enthusiastic and motivated, he did a fantastic job of strengthening his profile, giving us a lot to say in his essays!

Admitted to Master’s in Computer Science, Columbia University

Getting into a Master’s in Computer Science, without an undergraduate degree in CS is very difficult. What worked was carefully identifying programs that would consider his application, and then networking with the schools to start pitching himself early on and get feedback. He also gained a detailing understanding of their programs, which helped us tailor his essays.

Brainstorming extensively, we positioned his past work experience to craft a narrative that demonstrated that he had the skills, knowledge and passion to be successful.