College planning was a blessing in disguise for me. From researching about colleges to doing entrepreneurship programmes to writing a research paper, I was thankful for the kind of impact it had on me and the amazing people that I got the chance to communicate and work with.

A great deal of time and effort was put into deciding where I want to go, this was when I was applying for universities and also when I got offers from practically everywhere I applied.

Having a peer mentor also helped me a great deal, conversing with someone who's been through the same process as you and who knows exactly what you're feeling is very relieving.

I was not only prepared for college planning but also for what is to be expected after I get in. 

Amrita's Mother, Mrs. Chopra shares: 

"UC made the college journey very easy for us, the experience and guidance they provided helped Amrita make the correct decision, the amount of change that I have witnessed in her is huge and it was with their help that she's become this responsible individual."

I really appreciate...

I really appreciate that my counsellor was always honest with me. My most popular question was always "Do you think I'll get in?" and her reply used to be "Amrita, let's be hopeful." She never gave me false expectations, made sure I know exactly where I am standing, made me aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and encouraged me to do my best and keep my hopes up high. I have made relations that I will forever keep in my heart and I am deeply grateful for that. 

"A student-mentor relationship is like learning from a friend."

It is true that the student-mentor relationship is unique. It is not like a teacher teaching you, but rather like learning from a friend.

I still remember the day I met my mentor, Ragini Ma'am, I was a diffident child. She was standing beside Charu Ma'am, and I barely spoke to her that day. But as soon as we had other sessions, I gained a lot of confidence in myself and was speaking firmly with her. We developed a special bond with each other that is difficult to describe. That's when my journey began with my Mentor! We connected instantly and took baby steps. 

In this voyage, she has aided me in numerous ways, such as assisting me with my resume, assigning me tasks to improve my strengths, and helping me in my college research. However, the most important thing is that she has been with me throughout the years, never letting me feel alone on this journey, even when I was in boarding school. And because of her help, I have firm offers from prestigious London universities, which is the result of our hard work over the years. 

Thank you, Ma’am! 

I have learned...

I have learned many things from University Connection, but the most important thing that I learned or discovered is not a skill or a subject, but rather a life lesson, and that lesson is the value of hard work. I can't express how happy I was when I received my university acceptance letters. I felt like all the efforts had finally paid off. 

My parents were overjoyed with this journey because of their child's development; they liked seeing their child work hard for his universities. They had some concerns that Charu Ma'am addressed. They are very pleased with the results I have now. 

Studying at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (The School of International Relations and Peace Studies), Japan

Alex says "Konnichiwa" from Japan! ;)

"I'm having an awesome time here in Japan and made a lot of new friends. I now say hi to everyone, to the extent where I don't know who I'm saying hi to."

From the Orange Team: Thank you for believing and trusting the process, Alex. You have grabbed the spot for being UC's first student admitted to a university in amazing Japan. We are so excited to hear all about how your story unfolds!  

It was a hazy journey at the start but when everything was made clear to me, it became quite interesting and easy. A part of life that I’ll never forget and something which will always hype me up. 

My UC counsellor helped me with everything. My A to Z list and everything from the top to the bottom.

SELF-DISCOVERY

One thing I discovered is that you must never underestimate yourself. Keep your standards and confidence high. Believe in yourself.
People underestimated me and said I’d never make it to a good college but here I am!

In my opinion, college planning refers to the knowledge and implementation of certain required tasks for your application to be submitted on time. 

Getting to know about tasks required to be done, their importance, deadlines, etc. is key to a successful application. Determining the basis on which you need to work for the next few months is very crucial in taking the right steps towards your dream university choice. As for me, I started pretty late but the fact I knew what I'm supposed to focus on helped me get ahead of a lot of stuff. Thus having a clear state of mind (without getting worried and confused) played a crucial role in my journey along with, of course, the basic knowledge required for college planning. 

I had no idea about college applications whatsoever. My counsellor helped me with getting a basic idea of everything that has to be done which was a stress reliever for me. I did not have to check for follow-ups after every task, and she kept me updated with every important detail necessary. With the perfect guidance and my stress-free workflow rate, I was able to get into the top universities of my choice without a lot of hurdles in my way. 

I feel like starting early helps you get ahead of a lot of stuff.

I personally wasn't quite early and it did take me time to get the hang of it, but starting early is a lot more beneficial from my experience. 

The one issue I had was not being an all-rounder which is apparently a key aspect in university applications. Even though my grades were quite decent, I was nowhere near the person I am now. The exposure and confidence I gained throughout this journey was really important for me as well as my applications. If you'd asked me a year earlier, I never thought I'd be at this stage of my life, where I'm super confident and excited to achieve better results and experience the world. 

For the first time, writing lengthy essays not on particular academic topics but on aspects of myself and my life really put out a good mirror for me to self-inspect and to introspect. 

My counsellor has been far too patient and kind with me, all the while recommending great universities, one even being the final choice for my university. 

There have definitely been some moments of doubt with myself, definitely stemming from constant nagging and criticism from my parents. But learning to see how actually putting in the work and having patience can bring about great results was something that just had to be brought out of me, and I absolutely do credit UC in playing a part in that journey. 

I am more than just grateful for UC.

From being excessively patient with my bad habit of procrastination to guiding me to all the right doors in this process. There is so much more when it comes to college planning in this process than just eyeing a college you wish to go to and then hoping for the best. Every step of the way must be tailored in a way that only increases your chances of going to the college you wish to go to, and I can most definitely say UC not only guided me but held my hand every step of the way. 

My advice to younger students is to..

Simply trust the process and know what is best for you will happen.

Note from Sehej and Aikam's Mother, Mrs. Kiran Dassan:

"Dear Charu Ma’am, our connection started in 2016, after spending a good amount of time looking for a good career counsellor. I was so sure about you after my husband and I had a brief conversation with you. First, you and your team helped my daughter to enter In to her dream college. Then after five years when my son was ready, not even for a second we thought of anyone except UC.

It was your and especially Ragini Ma'am's guidance, encouragement and support that he got into his choice of university. We all are so grateful to have you as mentors , teachers and guides not only to my children but to us as well. Thanks a lot for inspiring, caring, listening and shaping our kids' future. Your positivity and encouragement push them to do better. We truly appreciate you and the time you spent helping us on many occasions. We would have not done without you.

Thank you for being awesome."

Got an offer from the Paris College of Art and more.

Going to the University of the Arts, London at Chelsea College of Arts (Graduate Diploma Interior Design), UK

Note from the Orange Team: Good to see you return from University of Toronto with a degree in Architecture, only to aim for higher and apply, this time to London! 

You are destined for greatness, Chaitali! All the best. 

Got offers from Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Trinity College Dublin, Ashoka University, OP Jindal University, Central European University

University Connection helped me seamlessly get through an extremely arduous process, with great efficiency. The approach to shortlisting niche and suitable colleges that were well suited to my profile was very helpful, and definitely added a lot of clarity in my mind.

Ultimately I am going to my dream college thanks in part to University Connection's extensive preparation which equipped me to nail the admission process.

Overall, I got accepted into every college that University Connection advised and aided me in applying to, so their success rate speaks for itself!

To me, college planning has been 80% of what was about to be rendered upon me in terms of education. To know what I really want and to prepare myself for the same, thereby finding reasonable and radical options to set forth a goal was a huge step in my college planning. 

My parents and family have been very grateful to the help that was offered to me by the Orange team at every level. This has been a difficult journey for them, given that parents are completely involved with their kids having a secure and successful educational future. However, the Orange Team has ensured in the best way possible, that their help combined with my goals could help me get into the best Universities for my course. 

Mr. Bonde, Dhanashree's father, wrote this message to UC when Dhanashree got her first offer letter: 

"Words fall short to express my gratitude. My daughter, Dhanashree,  got her first offer letter with your kind support. You shape the future. Dhanashree is making us all proud each day. Thank you very much UC team!" 

My Orange Counsellor, Ms. Ragini Dangwal, helped me with everything and anything that was required to step into a successful educational future, right from determining the accurate options that match my profile, shortlisting colleges, applying to every college and their respective scholarships, writing of the Statement of Purpose, which, to me, was the most important part of the applications, and thereby, being the best guide I could ask for to secure my place at Universities that find me capable. 

Waiting for the replies from colleges and their rejections in the initial times have been the most difficult to deal with of the entire process. But as time passed, I luckily got into a few of my dream colleges.

I would advise young aspirants to.. 

Trust the process and trust your capabilities is all that matters. Wishing luck to every student aiming for a better future through the Orange team. They got your back!

Got offers from University of California - Berkeley, Cornell University, New York University and GWU. 

I am grateful to Charushilla and her team at University Connection for helping me with my applications for the master’s programs at prestigious U.S. law schools. I was stuck with my applications and reached out to Charushilla for help. She was wonderful to work with. Her sessions are engaging and thought-provoking yet interactive and fun. She gave me the tools to have the best possible chance of succeeding with my applications. The tips she shared helped me identify my core strengths and leverage them into securing both admissions and scholarships. I got offers from Berkeley, Cornell, NYU, and GWU. I would definitely recommend Charushilla as a great career counselor.

College planning seems to be a straight line in the first look but it is actually a rollercoaster ride. It was the unbiased and experienced guidance from UC that I got selected into every university I applied to, namely, Trinity College Dublin, University of Washington, University of Alberta, and many more. 

Special Thanks to my personal mentor at UC, Ragini Ma'am, who was always super supportive.

In the end, if it was not the UC team my journey would have been a lot more troublesome.

"Believe in yourself and don't let that belief be given to some other people's hands (Even your parents)". One should never let this belief be sought from anyone else. 

Hard work has to pay off in one way or the other, no matter if it's not happening in 10 tries, just keep grinding.

Never settle for anything less than the best and once you keep that mentality within you, you have already uplifted yourself from the majority.

Try to keep/talk/vent out to people who really are happy of your success. Good friends are really hard to find. 

I got the reference of UC through my dearest friend Rohil, who my family has known since the 2nd standard. After hearing about his journey with Ma'am and the team, I was already on board (especially after my first counsellor session) and my parents felt at ease on the day when my father had a long chat with Charu ma'am.

Charu Ma'am has been a blessing in disguise for me. I still remember when I was frustrated with my job and couldn't decide what to do, Maam sent me this text which I won't forget for eternity which states, ''Some decisions don't need external validation, look inward''. This really changed my approach to decision-making from there and cleared my vision for those things which I really wanted to do irrespective of how unorthodox they may seem. Throughout this journey, my nerves and anxiety have been on the upper level but I don't know what it was about her that really calmed me up even if I talked with ma'am for a few minutes in some cases. All in all, Thank you Charu ma'am for believing in me. 

Going to University of Edinburgh (LLM IP Law), UK

Enrolled in her final UG year for a CAAS Journey at UC | Amity Law School, Delhi

Got offers from Marist College. Awaiting results from Indian universities

My journey with UC was quite insightful and it helped me a great deal when my time came to apply to all the colleges, chase deadlines and write essays. My counselors were always on track and ready to help me at any given moment, which helped make my journey a bit easier. I'm really grateful to have worked with UC and a huge thanks to them. 

During my college applications journey, I learned a lot about myself and my management of tasks. As a homeschooler, I realised that I may not be as disciplined as the other students with my deadlines. 

With the help of University Connection, I was able to really work on this, as well as my personal essays that made me learn a lot about myself. This changed my outlook on a lot of things in life, including the fact that the person in the essay is what I have been and not what I am. Thereafter, I focused on getting back to what made me, me.

Having the UC Team by my side made me realise how I often stray away from the help of others, but how, in life it is important. 

They will truly get you on track, but at the end of the day, you have to run the train yourself.

Working with University Connection was an extremely enriching experience where I was able to put forth my ideas and my mentors helped me turn that into a reality. I have learnt a lot about my field and the college application process also helped me work on my personality as a whole. All that I achieved would not have been possible without the help of Ma’am Ragini and Ma’am Charushilla who constantly guided me and fostered a safe space for me to share my thoughts and feelings. The entire process was very warm, welcoming, and invigorating. I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Enrolled in her Grade 11 and then once again in her final UG year for a CAAS Journey at UC| University of Warwick, UK & Welham Girls' School, Dehradun

"University Connection was a big part of my undergraduate journey and now under Charu Ma’am’s and Ragini Ma’am’s guidance, I have also secured a place at my desired Master’s program. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier! University Connection has always stood by me and supported me through it all…whether it was shortlisting colleges, motivating me to write my essays, or even making sure that I do not feel pressured because of the competition out there, I have much to be grateful for to UC."

My Orange Counsellor helped me with everything. 

Be it choosing my college list, strengthening my profile, choosing the right internship, learning about scholarships,  or helping me edit my essays, she was there for me throughout this journey. 

Siyaa's dream team!

My parents have also been an integral part of this journey. Constant interactions with the UC team further helped them with more clarity and as a team, the effort brought desired results.  I am lucky to have a very supportive family. They have always respected my choices and decisions and encouraged me to do better in life. My parents have always given me the right direction towards achieving my goals. 

Throughout my journey, I got to connect with many individuals through UC and gained a lot of clarity and exposure. I also became more expressive with my ideas and thoughts. 

We wish you all the luck, Zohaan! Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey.