What Happy Students, Parents & Teachers Say

• Thinking about where I should pursue my college education was one of the first major decisions I made as a teenager. There was a mind-numbing plethora of options out there, and each had its own pros and cons. To top it all, the application process itself seemed like such an ordeal. I had a few major questions and a million little ones to answer. You walked me through every step of the process with phenomenal patience. You helped me understand what kind of an environment I would flourish in, or in other words, what would be the right match college for me. You guided me meticulously through the applications itself, and helped me introspect and come up with great ideas for my essays even when I thought I had reached dead ends. Thank you for being extremely approachable, even when I was frantically trying to meet deadlines after midnight. Most importantly, you worked together with me to find what would be best for me instead of enforcing a formulaic general opinion. After two years at UC Berkeley, I could not be happier, and I owe this to you!

  - Vedika Agarwal , UC Berkeley Student

• As Rhea’s parents, we never considered American universities for her undergraduate degree. It wasn’t a calculated decision, just one made within the scope of our understanding of what was best for our daughter at the time. This was until we met Mr. Nirmal Agarwal at a talk he gave at Rhea’s school in 2016. I distinctly remember recognizing Mr. Agarwal’s expertise in the international education system, which was reinforced by his own educational background (he is an alumnus of Stanford University and La Martiniere, Calcutta). His perspectives on selecting the right university and his deep knowledge of the international education system, especially of the U.S., encouraged us to broaden our understanding of what constitutes a holistic, fulfilling education. At this time, we ventured to consider universities in the U.S. for our daughter’s undergraduate degree. As we began engaging with Nirmal, we realized that what could have been an extremely stressful process of preparing college applications, tracking deadlines, and producing essays had been made simple, navigable, and most importantly, educational. Every step of the two-year long process had been meticulously planned – from preparing for and taking the required standardized tests to writing focused, effective essays, from our weekly calls with Nirmal to track progress to preparing college lists and setting deadlines, Nirmal and his team worked like clockwork to guide us through one of the most challenging and trying times of our lives. We knew we were in good hands when we realized how incredibly detail oriented Nirmal is. He provided critical feedback on every essay that Rhea wrote and made sure that even minor errors or inadequacies were corrected and improved upon. Nothing was missed – not even a misplaced comma in an essay. This gave us immense confidence and clarity on the way forward. He never left anything unsaid, lest we set unrealistic expectations. Ultimately, he made sure that Rhea presented her case to the admission committees to the best of her capability. One of our most crucial learnings from this journey was, as Nirmal explained to us, that your child maybe right for some of the best colleges in the U.S., but those colleges might not be the best fit for your child. On his advice, we applied to Cornell University for Early Decision, as he believed that Cornell would be the right fit for our daughter. As of May 2018, she has completed her first year at the College of Engineering at Cornell and is on the Dean’s List there. Thanks to Nirmal’s theory of finding the best fit college, and not just the best college, Rhea couldn’t be happier! Thank you so very much to Nirmal and his team! We shall always be grateful to you.

  - Anupam and Sharmita Dutta , Parents of Rhea, Cornell University

• As we reach the business end of the application process, I am fully convinced that we have made the right decision in not trying to do it ourselves but to take your help in navigating the complicated process of US admissions. During the last 10 months, you have been a mentor and guide to Nikhil, and an advisor and a friend to us. We have used your services in several ways, as a sounding board, as an extension of our own capabilities and resources and as a team member. We have taken your help in all possible areas – exams to take and preparations for the exams, short listing of universities, writing of essays, application for financial assistance, etc. Our experience has been great and I have nothing but the best words for what you and you team have been able to do to aid and assist us in this arduous process.

  - Mr Rangarajan , Father of Nikhil, Carnegie Mellon University