Come March and we will see many students trying to figure out the answer to the most-asked question, “What’s Next?” More often than not, nobody seems to have the answer. Once out of college, even as they aim to test foreign soil, the hardship of how to go around doing it remains. And this is exactly where Collegify steps in. Specialising in guiding students aspiring to apply to top academic institutions, people at Collegify help those who wish to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies. They aim to provide quality personalised services that make a student college-ready.
A global venture that comprises a team of young, passionate mentors who have graduated from leading international universities, they mentor and motivate students to strive towards excellence and help them maximise their potential. Here the team talks to Education Plus about their programme.
What’s with the name?
We make you college-ready and hence Collegify. It’s not only about students at the undergraduate level, it’s also about the PG/MBA students who want to go back to college again. We are young and we are passionate. We know that the application process/admission process is a unique and interesting experience. Most of the students apply based on what a consultant would choose. They would not write their essays, thus facing huge challenges when they are doing everything alone abroad.
Most of the students apply to colleges just based upon [the colleges’] rankings. We consider various aspects such as ROI, jobs, diversity, most importantly, whether the student “fits” into that particular school.
Every case is different; every student has a different requirement. We work with each case and ensure that they make it to the right school.
We generally say, get Collegified, with Collegify – (Get College Ready)
You say you offer personalised services for students. What are they and how do you make them personalised?
Every student is unique. Most of the people don’t use logic when they think about applying abroad. We work closely with every client. We guide and mentor them too. From deciding majors, to helping them choose colleges according to their dream, and helping them with all the financial aid – we make everything personalised.
All their questions from “why this course, why this college to why an MBA or a undergraduate degree at this point… everything is answered.
There are many more agencies that seek to help students applying abroad. So why should students opt for your services?
We do not misguide anyone. A majority of the agencies are in the partner model business. For them the revenue model is sending students to universities which interest them wherein the commission structure is higher. A majority of their counsellors are not qualified or have not even travelled or studied abroad.
Collegify offers a team of qualified mentors who have a vast experience. The mentors themselves have lived/worked abroad and are aware of every scenario and local reality.
Even today, the total number of students going abroad to study is very high and according to what we have researched, a majority of them come back with huge debts and loans which they cannot repay.
Does being young help you connect with students better and how?
Definitely. What works is: been there, done that. We connect very well with every student. Most of us are together for the passion we have for mentoring UG/MBA student. Not everyone can have this kind of connect. We know what they are looking for. We understand their true potential and we guide them accordingly.
Since your inception you seem to have expanded to other cities and abroad? How has this helped in stringing together students? Does this mean more colleges also?
Our goal is to scale up and make our expertise reach out to more and more people. Expansion means more students obviously. Certain places have been very challenging for us because the market does not understand anything about top-end consulting. Students, just want to go anywhere, they think going abroad will change their lives.
They interact with us and understand that it’s not so easy and we help them make the right choices.
Do you function as a team and what areas do you help students with?
The team at Collegify is young and passionate. We have worked and studied abroad. We bring in immense experience to the table as well. We position ourselves as the company which is based completely on transparency and honesty. We are a team who help students with everything — deciding on colleges, courses, essays, recommendation letters and statement of purpose, financial aid and post-college assistance.
Expertspeak
At Collegify, we are committed to our job of fulfilling dreams. At Collegify, we don't look at the distance we cover, we look at the lives we've changed.- Adarsh Khandelwal , Co-founder.
The driving force of our business is passion. It’s a very young and dynamic thinking and we believe in consulting which will make a positive impact in the society.- Rohan Ganeriwala , Co-founder.
The desire to help each student get the education they deserve in today's highly competitive world gave birth to Collegify. Most students are not aware of how they need to present themselves to the admissions committee, and therefore they lose out despite getting high scores. With Collegify we were able to fill that gap. - Arjun Puri , Strategy head.
I strongly believe that the one quality required to succeed in any endeavour is conviction. I work at Collegify because of true passion and conviction which makes me work hard and help every individual. - Vidushi Agarwalla , Senior Editorial Mentor.
Testimonials
“With an above-average SAT score and an average resume, I needed some serious guidance and help with my applications. Collegify helped me with it. They were sometimes more keen on my application than I myself was. My essay transformed from average to awesome. It was indeed an amazing experience with Collegify.” - Shaswat Jhunjhunwala , Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech. Accepted to University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign; Georgia Tech
“It has really helped me improve my SAT scores. It also helped me a lot for my interview and made me more confident."- Radhika Agarwal , Economics, SMU. Accepted to universities of Warwick, Bath, Kings, Edinburgh, St Andrews
“Collegify made me aware of the best universities abroad so that I could make the most informed choice amongst all.”- Mayank Phumra , Economics, Warwick. Accepted to universities of Bath, Edinburgh, Durham
Collegify can be >contacted here .
