Intelligent Education provides unparalleled mentorship and counselling for students aiming for overseas education Inputs by Shivangi Gupta, Founder, Intelligent Education

How did Intelligent Education started? Where did the idea come from?

I went abroad to pursue my degree in Wealth Management but soon after moving there, and I could spot a stark difference in the potentiality of students there and the ones back in India. It was then that it struck me that despite being home to immensely talented human resources, India is not able to channel its power well solely because of the gaps that exist between imparting education and improving employability. I was, therefore, able to interpret that upskilling student and helping them rise to their full potential counts as an area that I would want to contribute to. That is how Intelligent Education came into existence, to acquaint students with the right opportunities while making them capable enough to utilize them to the fullest, ultimately enabling them to turn into global citizens who are equipped with skills that are relevant to the times. Intelligent Education was essentially my attempt to support students sail through the process of gaining admission to reputed institutions across the globe. I stepped into the education industry as a first-generation entrepreneur, combining my core strengths of communication, sense of direction and the ability to carry out extensive research around universities and curriculums.

How do you help students in achieving them in top colleges abroad?

Indian students often step into the process of application with a mindset overshadowed by percentages and the number of marks that they need. However, they do not realize the essentiality of profile building and presentation, especially when they are applying to high-ranking institutions abroad. This is where we step into the picture and provide students with well-rounded help around their application essays, their letters of recommendation as well as the preparation that they might need to fare well during interviews that come later in the application stage. We stray away from just wording out a fictional story in their application and lay emphasis on really bringing out their personality through their application.

What is the way to attain scholarships in top colleges?

Scholarships can be classified into several categories. There are need-based scholarships, sports-based scholarships, merit-based scholarships and the Dean's recommendations. To begin with, you cannot just create a need for a scholarship; however, what you can do is enlist how you will be able to contribute to the institution and probably to the world as a global citizen. The institution would want a solid reason to comprehend why sponsoring your education would be a good idea of why you are worthy of being compensated for your presence in the university. A huge aspect of this process is the presentation of the idea, and it makes a whole lot of difference on how well articulated your answers are, something that we absolutely specialize in helping students out with. Another important thing to note is that scholarship applications begin almost a year early, and you really need to apply at the earliest to be considered for the scholarships most relevant to your application.

What is the total time required by students to apply and clear in top colleges?

Just like every student is different and comes with a distinct set of needs, the time taken in the process of their profile building and subsequent application comes out to be completely different from each other. The subjectivity of the matter lies in the aspect that each student stands at a different professional stage in their life. While it could take over a year's work in the profile building of a student, it could take only a couple of months to curate the application of another child who has probably already worked hard on themself and just needs a thoughtful presentation of their achievements. On our end, we take about two weeks time for the document preparation process, but for the entire process of developing a child's candidature and bringing it all together, the timeline could range from about six months to two years. It is always better to begin early because there are certain standardized tests that need to be undertaken, and the preparation for that takes time as well.

Any guidance for students who are in 10 - 11th Grade

While there is immense importance associated with attaining higher percentages in India, foreign universities often resort to looking at the personal progress of a student. So, as long as you are maintaining an upward graph in your academic standing, you are demonstrating progress. So, focus on improving yourself rather than being disheartened by indulging in negative competition.

Secondly, involve yourself in activities that improve your soft skills, including communication, organization abilities, problem-solving abilities, empathy, leadership, creativity, adaptability and time management. Involve yourself extensively in extracurricular activities, volunteer work, social work and the like because every bit counts when we are framing applications.

Lastly, I would suggest all students keep track of all activities that they are involved in. Oftentimes, we do so much, but we make little to no effort in documenting those activities or ascertaining what we learned from them. This way, it gets very hard for us to bring back memories and collect certificates during the time we need to present them for our applications. So, my advice to students would be to get into the habit of writing and documentation. Maintain a journal for your learnings and takeaways, and this will help you significantly when you are reflecting back on yourself in the process of framing your application.