Riya Sharma, a high school student from Mumbai, dreamed of pursuing Computer Science at a top-tier U.S. university. Despite strong grades, she was worried about standing out among thousands of competitive applicants.

Challenge

• High competition in STEM admissions.

• Limited extracurriculars compared to peers.

• Confusion about application timeline and profile-building.

Strategy Implemented

1. Early Planning (Grade 10 onwards)

   • Identified top universities that aligned with her interest in AI and Data Science.

   • Started working on small research projects with a local professor.

2. Profile Building

   • Participated in coding hackathons and published a small article in a school tech journal.

   • Volunteered to teach underprivileged kids coding basics.

3. Application Support

   • Requested Letters of Recommendation from teachers who had direct experience with her projects.

   • Focused her essays on her journey with coding and her passion for problem-solving.

4. Early Decision Application

   • Applied through Early Decision (ED) round to her dream university, showing commitment.

Outcome

• Received admission offer from a top 20 U.S. university.

• Awarded a partial merit scholarship.

• Visa approval was smooth due to strong documentation and scholarship support.

Key Takeaways

• Early planning helps students build meaningful achievements.

• Research projects and real-world applications carry more weight than just grades.

• Strong recommendation letters and authentic essays can make applications memorable.

• Scholarships not only reduce financial burden but also strengthen visa approval chances.