Why recommendation letters are a vital link

Originally Published in The Hindustan Times Education Supplement

As application deadlines approach pressure is on not just the applicants but also

the recommenders. If you work in an educational institute or a large corporate

setting, there is a chance you may be asked to write a recommendation letter on

behalf of a student or employee.

'Set aside time to explore other pursuit'

Originally Published in The Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Applicants I worked with last year have completed their first semester of studies abroad. Most of them come back to talk about how eye-opening and enriching the experience has been. In a nutshell, the resources, exposure and peer interaction they have encountered over the past four to five months has far exceeded their expectations. What is even more wonderful is that this feedback comes from students at all caliber of institutions – from the Ivy league to the large pubic college to the ‘third tier’ private colleges. All of this happy news comes at a time when current applicants are agonizing over unexpected early admissions results, mid-term grades and SAT/ACT test results – will it all be good enough? Can I make it to my dream college? These are understandable worries for applicants and families, but it is also important to remember that aiming for the best college possible does not mean that something less is failure.

Indians studying in the US are a profitable investment in talent

Originally Published in The Hindustan Education Supplement

Recent Open Doors Report data from the Institute of International Education revealed that the number of Indian students enrolling in higher education in the US grew by 30% last year.

This data was all over the news. But what does it tell us about education in India? It reconfirms what we have known for a while: India is a difficult place to get a good education. This is not because its institutes for higher learning are low in quality, but it is because there are not enough of them.