Kesavan, Stanford University

“My counselor was there to reason me into better decisions and to chase higher goals than I had set for myself.”

“In my 2+ years of being with Academia Nut, my college counselor has emerged as more of an overall mentor that has helped me navigate some of the most important years of my life and come out as a better and more successful person.

Before our first meeting, I had questioned how a college counselor could help me in my sophomore year of high school. After all, I didn’t have any college applications to work on and honestly didn’t have college all that much on my mind. But it turned out, I was completely wrong. After meeting with my counselor, I was struck by how unique of a counselor she was. Instead of the cookie-cutter approach where college is the first and only thought in every activity I did, she pushed me to look for opportunities and engage with communities that spoke to me. She focused on helping me find passion in what I did and introduced new activities to me in our regular meetings. Her attention to detail and constant updates and advice made it seem like I was her only student with 100% of her focus.

Understanding that she is in the position to mold her students during their critical years, my counselor has taken it upon herself to turn her students into future leaders and innovators. Having started my journey with her in 10th grade, I’ve seen how great of a counselor she is and how truly unique her style is. Her academic guidance is nothing short of excellent. My counselor taught me how to be successful in an academic environment, how to seek exciting opportunities, and more importantly, how to be persistent, accept failures, and develop a work ethic to persevere toward a long-term goal. Apart from fostering my love of STEM and innovation, she encouraged me to reach out and help the communities I identify with. My counselor has pushed me constantly to make an impact in my local community, turning me into a more empathetic person who genuinely cares to make an impact in the places I call home.

Coming into the college admission process, I felt surprisingly at ease. After the meticulous preparation and familiarity my counselor had established in me with the difficult process, I came into college admissions confident and knowledgeable. At times when I doubted myself, my counselor was there to reason me into better decisions and to chase higher goals than I had set for myself. Going in, I had a list of nearly 30 schools I was going to apply to, with my top choice being Stanford. She sat with me for multiple hours a week and was always supportive, even when I rewrote my personal statement every week from August to November (Sorry!). Looking back at my essays, I cherish how my counselor let my personality shine through my writing and gave me a creative mindset that extended past the college admission process.

I’m glad to say that after applying REA to Stanford, I was accepted to the university, and am thrilled to attend the school in the upcoming Fall. My Academia Nut counselor is truly amazing, and I can’t say enough about her to fully capture who she is as a person, college counselor, and now a friend. These next four years wouldn’t have been the same without her, so I can’t thank her enough! “