INDIAN ROOTS, IVY ADMITS 85 essays that got Indian students into the Ivy League and Stanford
by Viral Doshi and Mridula Maluste
WESTLAND
The Indian student diaspora numbers over 1.1 million, as per the ministry of external affairs. A majority are in North America, followed by West Asia, Trans-Tasman and the UK. The pandemic reduced the outflow to a quarter of a million students in 2020, but the top destinations are seeing an uptick in applications this year.
Imagine the readership of Indian Roots, Ivy Admits—every one of the 55,000 applicants who made it to universities in the US for the Fall 2021 semester, the 67,000 who went to Canada and the tens of thousands who applied to Europe and Australia.
As every applicant knows, grades and test scores matter, but ‘soft factors’ like extracurriculars and recommendations are equally, if not more, important. To truly stand out among the best and brightest, you need a cracking good college essay. It’s easily the most stressful part of the elaborate admissions process. Ivy League schools are highly selective and devote time and resources to the screening process. Here, the personal essay carries a great deal of weight.
This is where Viral Doshi and Mridula Maluste come in. Indian Roots, Ivy Admits is a purposive and lucid guide to a wellcrafted, arresting personal essay. Each example is followed by precise and erudite commentary explaining its appeal.
This story is from the December 06, 2021 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 06, 2021 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Mamata Pushback
The West Bengal Chief Minister Faces A BJP Onslaught On Issues Like Corruption And Women's Safety. Unwilling To Yield An Inch, The TMC Is Building A Narrative That The Saffron Party Is 'Anti-Bengali'
Who Will Win The Mahayuddh?
In Maharashtra's Most Complex Political War Ever, Shifting Alliances Fuel A Gripping Saga Of Power Struggles And Betrayals In The Pursuit Of Votes
Grand Young Master
Seventeen-yearold D. Gukesh has become the youngest player to win the Candidates chess tournament
SPORTING SPIRIT
BADMINTON PLAYER ASHWINI PONNAPPA, 34, IS OFF TO HER THIRD OLYMPICS, THIS TIME WITH A NEW PARTNER, TANISHA CRASTO
PORTRAITS OF A PEOPLE
Etchings by the colonial Flemish artist F. Baltazard Solvyns are getting a new lease of life in an exhibition at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai
Centennial Man
A seminal exhibition of K.G. Subramanyan's works in his birth centenary year at Emami Art, Kolkata takes an imaginative and immersive curatorial approach
Rhythms of Nature
ARTIST AND MUSIC COMPOSER GINGGER SHANKAR'S LATEST SINGLE COMBINES SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC WITH INUIT THROAT SINGING
SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND
Kashmiri musician Faheem Abdullah’s debut album Lost; Found is a collaborative effort
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
With its excellent translations, Songs of Tagore makes Rabindrasangit accessible to the non-Bengali reader
Of Freedom and Friendship
T.C.A. RAGHAVAN'S CIRCLES OF FREEDOM FOLLOWS THREE YOUNG MUSLIMS DRAWN INTO THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE
