At essai, we believe in counselling through careful multi-year mentorship that builds on demonstrated student interest through directed academic programming and extracurricular support.
We work with motivated high school students to craft profiles that demonstrate a coherent record of increasing engagement with a chosen academic field. Successful profiles frequently include internships, summer schools, research projects, and social projects — but, most importantly, they authentically and creatively reflect the efforts of pro-active and passionate students who are eager to learn more about their world.
Below are examples of how we have helped students demonstrate their specific academic interests through impactful and authentic social projects which reflects both a deep service-oriented compassion and an articulated curiosity about the issues that matter.
Hydr8
This student joined us in the 10th grade from a private school with established US outflow. When we met them, they were leaning toward pursuing the CBSE Science stream, and professed an interest in environmental engineering. We encouraged them to develop their understanding of what they were most passionate about and realigned their profile to reflect their evolved interest in economics.
First, we helped them conceptualize and create HYDR8, a social project that seeks to combat the problem of dehydration by tackling issues of water access in low-income communities by conducting awareness camps and distributing rehydrating fluids like electrolytes at construction sites and NGO schools in the Delhi NCR region. The candidate also developed HYDR8 Salt, an electrolyte solution, which we helped distribute free-of-cost in underserved communities across Delhi. As an extension of the project, we supported them in designing a presentation on the need for hydration, which was used to conduct sessions for upwards of 300 attendees at three partner NGOs, along with the creation of collaterals, such as flyers, pamphlets and a comic strip, that function as interactive and informational tools.
We assisted the candidate to strategically analyze discrepancies in health conditions in low income communities, solidifying their findings through a series of articles on water and water politics in India, including: “Water Politics”, “The Water Crisis: India” and “The Daughter of the Sun”. They also complemented the HYDR8 project with the development of an app, PIYO, to track and regulate individual water consumption for vulnerable populations such as workers and labourers — the world’s first Hindi-language water consumption tracking application.
This candidate ultimately demonstrated their academic potential through a competitive, credit-bearing online course, an intensive internship at an Indian policy think-tank, and active membership at their school’s Eco Society. This, in conjunction with their achievement in squash and social work, led them to receive an Early Decision offer from Cornell.
The Grassroot development forum
The candidate joined us in 11th Grade with a strong record of academics (top 5% of their class), consistent engagement with their school debate club, and an active interest in creative writing. They had been a member of their school’s debate club and had an inclination towards a combination of environmental science, economics, and business studies. We helped them streamline their approach to environmental science, with a focus on environmental policy.
To explore current environmental issues in the country through a sophisticated social lens, we helped the candidate develop The Grassroot Development Forum, a social initiative involving the creation of local forums on contemporary environmental and societal issues. Supporting them in securing a partnership with the Environment Society of India, Chandigarh, we assisted them in organizing discussions with local community members by conducting 2 town-hall meetings forums in Punjab. We also helped them to prepare resources to facilitate informed discussion, in the form of town-hall participation frameworks and fact-sheets on climate change.
In parallel, the candidate also worked as a research assistant under a postdoctoral fellow at a local university, undertook an environmental science-related research internship with Environment Society of India, and founded an online magazine publicise the efforts of grassroots NGOs working in the fields of environmental policy, advocacy and innovation. Their profile culminated in successfully connected with a research mentor, who supported them in developing an innovative environmental science project which reached the finalist round of the Institute for Research and Innovation in STEM (IRIS) Science Fair.
We helped the candidate reflect on their achievements and aspirations, and how to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the intersection between environmental science, environmental action, and community development. In sum, they presented a versatile yet unified profile, maintaining a balance between their academic, social, and personal development endeavors, which led them to be accepted via ED at Dartmouth with financial aid.
Pap-up
This student joined us in 11th Grade with an intended major in Public Health, a strong school record in the life sciences, and an active engagement in extracurricular activities. They aspired to become a doctor; with our help, they began to explore a specific focus within the life sciences, focusing on addressing women’s health in India by providing equitable access to medical services through inclusive and cost-effective models of public health.
Initially, we helped them identify and conceptualize a health-oriented social project: Pap-Up, a public-health campaign aimed to facilitate access to preventative healthcare for low-income women, focusing on cervical cancer checks and awareness. We connected them to collaborative partnerships with the Guild of Service India and The Cancer Awareness, Prevention and Early Detection (CAPED) India, the Global Health Club TBS, and the NGO Sampoorna. We also supported the development of targeted fundraising efforts in their school and online, raising more than 1 Lakh INR, of which all proceeds were directed towards conducting pap-smear camps for women from disadvantaged areas in New Delhi. Their efforts were recognized through being elected as the Youth Ambassador for CAPED, as well as being awarded the silver medal at the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards.
The candidate was also encouraged to start the Public Health Club at their school, pursue an internship at the Public Health Foundation of India, and undertake a research project exploring attitudes towards healthcare services in India, which consisted of primary research with healthcare providers at area hospitals -- all the while maintaining a steady commitment to their sports and leadership activities in school. Their profile was representative of their clear concentration on public health interventions, leading to receiving offers from top UK life science programs like UCL and Imperial.
h20me
This student joined us in the 10th Grade and is a strong candidate for top global Business and Economics universities. When they came, this student was certain they wanted to pursue Business -- with our help, over the next two years they compiled a strong action-oriented project that explored economics of water scarcity and access in connection with class mobility, working towards an environment of inclusive access to and distribution of a key world resource.
To highlight a consistent dedication towards their personal and professional goals, we helped them launch H2OME, a social initiative that involved designing an original simple low-cost water filter and disseminating it to underserved communities in India, as well as raising public awareness for the cause of water conservation. Through their engagement with several low-income communities, the candidate successfully reached out to over 500 individuals, donating a total of 450 water filters. We assisted them in organizing fundraising and advocacy events in collaboration with grassroots initiatives including Pravaah and Very Special Arts India, forming partnerships with private and government schools in order to reach out to teachers and children.
H2OME, as a project, combined the candidate’s interest in business with their passion for environmental conservation, all the while bringing direct contributions to support communities towards an improved quality of life. We also helped them inform the development of their project through a competitive credit-bearing social entrepreneurship program, focused engagement with their school service society, and an administrative internship at a multinational manufacturing company -- in addition to a research paper exploring water-policy, which was published in a peer-reviewed international journal.
These elements combined to clearly demonstrate a sincere and considered interest in the economics and ethics of water in the developing world. The candidate simultaneously maintained their training in dance, theatre, and music, and procured an academic school leadership post -- which reinforced their profile as a dynamic, dedicated, and skilled individual with an emphasis on their sustained contribution to society and commitment to personal growth.
Defend-her
This candidate came to us in 10th Grade with solid school grades and a national ranking as a golfer. This candidate wanted to study business -- so, over the next two years, we helped them outline their philosophies towards social entrepreneurship, connect with a social domain that was important to them, and initiate an action-oriented project that reflected a sincere and thoughtful understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the contemporary business environment.
First, we assisted them in creating and founding Defend-Her, a social initiative aimed at empowering low-income girls with self-defense training and techniques. In partnership with a youth empowerment foundation and a private security company, they facilitated classes and workshops, delivering original content with trained specialists. They also expanded the scope of the project by conducting research on topics of women’s safety, self-defense, and feminism, compiling the information in a series of articles including: “Angel Shot”, “Our Collective Shame”, “On Hostel Curfews: Curtailing Freedoms in the Cause of Safety”, and “With Self-Defence, I Can Defend-Her”. We supported them in further developing and initiating an original YouTube series of self-defense tips for women.
Defend-Her is a multi-function project: it serves all members of society through both direct intervention and positively influencing public understanding of gender roles and safety. To make the content even more accessible, we supported the candidate in publishing an e-zine, Safe Streets’, that explores different dimensions of women empowerment and features content targeted towards men to teach them ways to empower women’s safety-- and ultimately we helped the candidate design and co-develop a mobile application that provides a tool for concerned citizens to connect with authorities in case of emergencies.
This candidate ultimately demonstrated a cause-driven profile which reflected not only their sincerity, but their resourcefulness, perseverance, and academic curiosity. In parallel to their project, this candidate developed a published research paper and undertook a relevant security-related internship -- which, in combination, showed a sophisticated and structured level of socio-academic engagement which, in its specificity, amply demonstrated the operation of a curious and compassionate mind.
INCH INdia
This student joined us in the 11th grade at a private school with a strong US outflow. At the time, they possessed sustained engagement with the school sporting and academic societies; they had also supplemented their academic achievements with diverse social engagements as a teaching volunteer and a skills development intern, and had attended the Young Leaders Academy (GYLA), a business leadership program organized at the Wharton Business School.
Our first step was to support them in understanding how their interest in economics and social innovation could be unified for maximum impact. From here, we encouraged them to actively engage in building a strong theoretical foundation in economics in order to contribute impactfully to society. By taking online coursework, this candidate began understanding the different dimensions of academically-oriented social interventions -- also demonstrating the beginnings of an interest in grassroots social development and innovation.
We narrowed down their academic interest to Economics, with a focus on rural sanitation and development. First, we helped them secure and structure an internship at Havells Inc. as a part of the CSR Department, where they developed training material towards the establishment of toilets in 400 schools. This led to the establishment of their social project, the Innovation Challenge India (INCH India) in partnership with Havells Inc: an innovation challenge aimed at 50 rural schools to solicit development-related solutions to issues on sanitation. We supported them in developing the concept and forming the partnership with Havells, as well as developing criteria and guidelines, and presenting their idea to the target schools.
The project perfectly highlighted the intersection of their interest in impact interventions and economics. Through INCH, 50 schools were targeted, reaching more than 10,000 students. The candidate ended up engaging over 150 students and 50 teachers, who sent in designs, methods and proposals for technology that works towards affecting behavioral change by encouraging more individuals to move towards effective sanitation models, specifically in rural areas. The challenge provided an innovation grants prize of Rs. 1 lakh in total, and was endorsed by local and regional government authorities, who commended the project for its sensitivity and nuance.
This project, in conjunction with online credit-bearing coursework in statistics and ongoing sports leadership, depicts an all-rounder with clear leadership abilities and a deep devotion to Economics and sustainable development. This candidate has already received several top offers from the UK -- with more on the way.
Trans-action
The candidate joined us in the 12th Grade from a school with high US student outflow. They were a top IB student, and had a first-attempt ACT score of 34. They had also engaged in ongoing community outreach programs; undertaken a finance-related internship; trained as a ballet dancer, table tennis player and a theatre artist; and served successfully on their school’s MUN Society.
Our aim with this candidate was to develop a profile that accurately reflected their interests and helped them expand the horizon of their social and school engagement, while simultaneously focusing on their intended major of Gender Studies and Economics. To help them develop an understanding of how marginalised communities can be politically integrated and economically empowered, we helped them create Trans-Action, a direct action campaign to advocate for and secure fundamental rights for transgender individuals in India.
Securing partnerships with Samna NGO and Humsafar Trust, we supported them in developing a specialized curriculum and conducting ‘Awareness and Sensitization' workshops with 213 security officers in malls across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune. They also organized the performance of a play in conjunction with the Humsafar Trust, which also served as a fundraiser. Over the course of the year, they successfully had Trans-Action registered as a Trust and eventually held a voter-ID gender-change camp in association with officials from the Election Commission of India and 29 members of the hijra community.
The candidate’s interdisciplinary competence was emphasized through the project’s holistic approach towards creating awareness, establishing direct intervention, and establishing the foundation for further action-- all the while demonstrating their keen interest in advocating for gender equality, and understanding and impacting the lived experiences of the LGBT community in the country.
Along with their continued engagement through Trans-Action, we helped the candidate apply for and gain admission in the Young Yale Global Scholars Program (YYGS), where they studied “Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship”. They were also encouraged to start the first Business Club at their school and complete Trinity Grade 8 for Speech and Drama, which then served as the basis for their arts portfolio; these elements combined to showcase unusual sensitivity, skill, and social insight, and resulted in an acceptance at their first choice college at UPenn.
Journals and journeys
The student joined us in 11th Grade with strong grades, an early ACT score of 33, and an extensive art portfolio. They had completed a non-credit pre-college summer program in philosophy, displayed their commitment to their school community through prolonged leadership in the student council, and volunteered as an English and Drama teacher at a local non-profit.
Although their initial profile was well-rounded, we felt we could this student could better demonstrate their interest in Psychology through targeted social engagement. In 2018, we helped them develop Journals and Journeys, a social initiative that sought to promote art therapy for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Starting with a short-term volunteer engagement in partnership with Very Special Arts India, we worked with them to continue engaging in impact-focused interventions through a subsequent volunteership with Action for Autism -- using an original academically-relevant curriculum. They went on to organise and lead an autism awareness conference in partnership with Action for Autism at the India Habitat Center to educate the audience on autism spectrum disorders and the role of art education in holistic student wellness, thus continuing the socio-creative work they had begun with Journals and Journeys.
As a part of the project, we helped the candidate develop an e-book with 30 curated pieces with descriptions about the artists and artistic process, along with interviews of the adults who had participated. Not only did this allow the candidate to make a meaningful contribution to society, it enabled them to gain a closer perspective on how to merge their love for the arts with their interest in psychology.
In parallel, we connected this student with a credit-bearing summer course which exposed them to more sophisticated understandings of personality psychology, contemporary research, and key historical debates in the study of personality, using their theoretical knowledge to inform their practice as a psychology intern in following months. We also helped them procure an intensive editorial internship with the President of the Indian Association of Health Research and Welfare through which they performed broadscale outreach to academics and professors in top universities across the world.
Through our engagement, we made suggestions for the candidate to successfully streamline their activities in order to reflect a focused dedication and clarity in their aspirations. With a social project that amplified their academic interests, consistently strong grades, contribution to research in the field of psychology, and a strong visual arts portfolio, the candidate was accepted to their first-choice EA university (and received a merit scholarship).
too project
The student joined us in 10th Grade from a CBSE school with above-average US outflow. They had consistently good school grades, an ACT superscore of 32, and a deep passion for business -- particularly social entrepreneurship. Over the course of our time together, we helped this candidate diversify their profile to reflect an interest in intersectional activism along with business studies, with a focus on using business as a tool to promote equitable representation for marginalised groups.
Initially, we supported them in designing and establishing the Too Project, a social initiative aimed at raising awareness about the consequences of bullying through the creation and distribution of socially-themed streetwear. Under the project, the candidate worked with a local manufacturer to produce a limited-run inventory of merchandise including t-shirts and hoodies with 6 unique designs. They raised funds by selling 400 clothing articles and donated all proceeds to Ekatwam, a registered NGO for students suffering from epilepsy. At the same time, they also spearheaded a social media campaign and implemented a Youth Ambassadorship program, leading 4 student ambassadors to foster brand awareness.
In the second year of the project, we assisted the candidate in creating a sub-project, FashionAble, which attempted to confront the stigma of not conforming to conventional standards of representation and destabilise the notion of what is ‘fashionable’ in society: a celebration of the unique and individual modes of presentation that those who are described as differently-abled subscribe to. Establishing a partnership with Lodhi Hotel and Ekatwam, the candidate worked with local designers to plan a fashion show featuring differently-abled models in order to confront and defuse social stigma through equitable representation. They effectively raised INR 2,79,000 towards the cause.
We also encouraged them to apply for and attend the Columbia Summer Immersion program in Entrepreneurship, undertake a Sales and Marketing internship at the New Indian Express Group, and author a series of articles exploring sustainable and ethical fashionable trends in India. Finally, the candidate presented a profile that was comprehensive, focused, impact-oriented, and consistent-- this culminated in an EA acceptance at a top-10 ranked Business program, with more to come.
Ethical sandwich
The candidate began working with us in 10th Grade with good IGCSE scores and a keen interest in pursuing business studies. We helped them further refine their aspiration to focus on social entrepreneurship, particularly the study of how social enterprises can shape consumer rights narratives and empower marginalized communities in developing countries.
To explore their interest in business planning that incorporated social and philanthropic perspectives, we helped the candidate evision and launch The Ethical Sandwich, a nation-wide social project that involved creating ethical sandwiches which were sold at a popular bakery chain at food outlets across India. For this, the candidate secured partnerships with Lite Bite Foods and four national and international NGOs, all the while managing communications, developing cost-effective sandwich recipes, and contributing to the development of marketing material.
The ethical sandwiches include PETA Pita, a vegan-product featuring animal-friendly offerings in collaboration with PETA; Say Cheese, a cheese-based product offered in collaboration with World Vision; Carefree Bite, a vegetarian product offered in collaboration with Care; and Feel at Home, a poultry-based product reminiscent of home cooked food offered in collaboration with HelpAge India. Through their efforts, the candidate raised more than INR 100,000 in total proceeds being donated to partner NGOs.
Along with the project, the candidate also undertook a research internship and a supply chain management internship, attended a credit-bearing summer program, and founded a secondary consumer welfare project aimed at tackling issues like food adulteration, pilferage, and black marketeering. Additionally, we supported them in becoming a Founding Member of the Economics Society at their school in order to better display their commitment to community-inclusive business, and encouraged them to prepare a series of articles exploring the intersection of business, giving, social justice, and politics.