never felt myself rushing to finish an application to get it in on time, rather I would be done a few days, if not a week in advance! She truly cared about my application but also gave me the liberty to have a say in my future. I was able to make decisions about my essays, which made sure that they were all true to who I was, while still having her advice to help me polish them. The process felt so much easier and less stressful with all of Renuka aunty’s time and dedication. I wouldn’t have changed anything at all and I am so grateful to her!

Sanaya Varma
American Embassy School, New Delhi

helping me incorporate my own thoughts and voice while being diligent and kind regarding her advice through the content and diction of the essay. Furthermore, Renuka was just wonderful to talk to - she was happy to meet any time I had made some progress and each session calmed my nerves, leaving me feeling confident and competent throughout the stressful season.

SHIV KAPOOR
(Transfer Student)

I possibly could. But, after only a few calls with Renuka aunty, everything changed. She took my goals and ideas and visually laid out a plan of action. Her enthusiasm and encouragement led me to actually look forward to writing essays and researching universities. Despite our sessions finishing over a year ago, I am still in touch with her till this day. A typically strenuous process was made much easier because of Renuka aunty’s expertise. The impressive amount of knowledge she has about various universities and colleges in the USA struck our family. My personal essays flowed freely due to how comfortable I felt while chatting, leading to tremendous improvement in my writing skills. Even after my allotted class time with her finished, she would stay on our calls for longer because she genuinely cares for her students’ success. Her deep rooted value for her work is what sets her apart from any other college counselor. I am fortunate to have had such an organized, selfless, and conscientious teacher and lifelong friend. If you’ve read until this point, make sure to schedule a call with her!

DIYA CHADHA
(Forest Hills HS, Grand Rapids, MI, USA)

adapting in the best interest of your child. She builds an excellent rapport with the children she guides — perhaps due to her long association with supporting high school students in the American Embassy School. Her thorough understanding of the American education system and excellent knowledge of colleges globally makes her an ideal counsellor. She combines that with her detailed research around individual college programs to explore the best fit for your child. She understands the pressures of senior school, and her flexibility and personal attention to each child make it a very engaging experience. In our case she went from being a counsellor to becoming “Renuka aunty" who was more a friend and an extension of the family than a counsellor. If you want to see your child thrive, go with Renuka!

DEVNA KUMAR, Mother of Aarav Kumar
(American Embassy School, New Delhi, India)

she was able to give me sufficient time. Ultimately, our efforts paid off during the college decisions. And I must say it was an absolute success!!

MADDHAV SUNEJA
(K.R. Mangalam World School, New Delhi, India)

personalized college essays. I never felt any pressure or confusion during the journey, and she always motivated me and helped me meet my deadlines. I owe her a large part of my success in getting admission to my dream universities, and I am forever indebted to her.

TANISHA SOLANKI
(Lotus Valley School, New Delhi, India)

helped a lot. And guide me she did, From our starting sessions to help me confirm my major and make a college list to sending in the final applications, I could not think of a better way she could have guided me through it all, Even after my acceptance came from universities she helped me decide one and even after cleared all doubts I had. Truly without her, my dream to be able to study at one of the best unis in the USA would have been just a dream.

SATVIK GARG
(Kiddie Corner School, Gwalior, India)

writing, but in honing the personal aspects of my essays and helping me showcase the best parts of my portfolio to my colleges. Most importantly, the process was constantly collaborative - as much as Renuka aunty critiqued my work and responses, I was always allowed to share my ideas on how to answer prompts and explain my thinking before ideas were nixed. Instead of simply giving me a template for success, Renuka aunty took the time to understand what I was trying to convey and, instead of changing it for something more generic, helped me get my points across honestly. When we began our work together, Renuka aunty laid out a general timeline of deadlines (which I rarely met) and assignments (which I barely completed) for the following year and half. At the time, I couldn’t understand why we needed to begin the heavy lifting so early on in the process, but soon I found myself reeling at the amount of work that had to be done to get me where I needed to be. Her outline of the admissions process helped explain its complexities to my parents and kept me on track even as my academic requirements became more challenging. Throughout, Renuka aunty was flexible and understanding with her expectations. We worked around exam seasons and project submissions so as to balance college applications with on-going academic work and ensure that I was not crushed under an avalanche of deadlines and assignments. I doubt that any other college counsellor would be as adaptable and understanding of students’ workloads as Renuka aunty was - as few would go to lengths that she did to make her students feel at ease and build trust between herself and families. Whether it was asking my mother about her day at work or following up on my exploits in extracurriculars - or even supplying a constant stream of snacks and small talk during our sessions - Renuka aunty built not just a working relationship, but a partnership in which I felt comfortable being vulnerable and honest about my work. She was the perfect source of guidance in such a confusing and hectic time and I honestly feel I could not have asked for a better college counsellor.

ANANYA NADGAUDA
(American Embassy School, New Delhi, India)

disruptive (moved from Shanghai American School in Shanghai to Northville High School in Northville, Michigan). Renuka was able to keep her on track with her applications even through a tumultuous year of stress, strong emotions, and overwhelm. Her combination of patience and kindness mixed with organization and accountability were just what Abby needed. She navigated us through the ED, EA, and regular decision process and we avoided any last-minute crises of procrastination. Abby was deferred from a couple of her top choices and Renuka was able to advise us about following up with additional information and she was ultimately accepted into one of her top choices – Northeastern University in Boston – after being deferred for Early Action. Overall, Abby applied to around 10 schools and got accepted into all but two. Renuka helped craft a well-rounded list of schools and suggested ones we hadn’t considered before which was very helpful. When the time came to make the final decision, we all felt she had great options to choose from. I truly believe that Renuka saved my relationship with our daughter last year – to know that I could step back and let Renuka keep tabs on Abby’s progress and support her throughout, so I didn’t have to nag, and stress was worth every penny! Really so so happy we decided to hire Renuka to help navigate the whole stressful, overwhelming and difficult application process. She did it with grace, calm, compassion and with excellent results! Thank you Renuka!

ELLEN BIGGS Mother of Abby Biggs (Northville HS, MI, USA
(American Embassy School, New Delhi, India)

to be, what I wanted to study, and how I wanted to present myself. Through her careful coaching and genuine interest in my goals and values, I developed an application that I am proud of. Renuka took time to really get to know me, and has care for not just my application, but me as a student. Her guidance kept me motivated throughout the process, and made sure small details that make a big difference in an admissions office were cared to. She is extremely knowledgable in the process and was able to inform me on effective details I would have otherwise not known. The time she spent not only focusing on my application, but conversations with me on the type of school I am looking for is a main reason that I have such confidence in my choice to attend Northeastern in the fall. I am extremely grateful to have had her as a mentor and would highly recommend Renuka as a college admissions advisor.

ABBY BIGGS
(Shanghai American School, China & Northville HS, MI. USA)

essays, she was very open to our suggestions and reasoned with us to get the best ideas on the table for the student. It has been an incredible journey with her and we cannot thank her enough for her patience and professionalism throughout the process…..and yes we celebrated the result as a family too!

RAUNAK VARMA & VANITA VARMA Parents of Sanaya Varma American Embassy School, New Delhi, India)

guided, while also having the ability to make my own decisions about my college list and essays. She always made time for me and my questions, and made sure that I was representing myself well in my application. It was great having someone there to help me navigate throughout this complicated process and I am thankful for her mentoring.

TIA TEWARI
Plano West Senior High School, TX, USA