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blog Higher Education | 3min Read

How The Pandemic Can Boost Your College Applications!

Published on January 4, 2021

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How The Pandemic Can Boost Your College Applications!

It is safe to mention that the pandemic has undoubtedly reshaped the manner in which colleges look at the application process. However, in instances like this, it is natural to overlook the benefits this situation has brought to us. Having to juggle Senior school classes alongside a very vigorous college application process places an inconceivable weight on young shoulders.

Furthermore, this could naturally be demotivating for a lot of graduating students who had been preparing for university in advance and are now having to face unprecedented challenges.

The good news: “Faculties are going to be far more flexible this year,” says Todd Rinehart, president of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.

Here are a few pointers that will help you use this last-minute ‘extrade of rules’ to your advantage.

1. Most Indian Universities Have A Merit-Based Admissions Criteria

In the race of bagging accolades to their name so as to qualify for certain colleges that require a high standing in these non-academic features along with high grades on a student’s application, a primary factor that numerous college students lose track of is if you’re aiming to get into an Indian University, you aren’t required to provide your extracurricular activities (ECA) certificates at the time of your admission. This fact should be taken into account, provided that a big number of students who had initially been intending to study overseas are opting to stay in India for their undergraduate studies.

2. Most Universities Have Become SAT-Optional Or SAT-Blind

Not too long ago, the College Board, conductor of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, announced that keeping the pandemic in mind, the universities would most likely not give the same weight it did to the aptitude tests, earlier. They have asked colleges to extend score deadlines for early action and early decision to take some pressure off students and give them more time to test and send their scores. Additionally, they’ve requested colleges to recognize that students who do submit scores might not have been able to test more than once. (e.g., taking into account that students who tested as high school juniors but who could not as seniors would have likely achieved score gains). Additionally, The University of California and several other universities formally declared their admission process to be SAT blind, i.e. applications containing SAT scores would no longer be favored.

3. More Number Of Opportunities Online

When seeking to boost our university applications, we generally tend to search for any and every volunteering, internship, and/or conference opportunity to participate in. Luckily, this pandemic has taken all of these activities and much more online! Reputed organizations are starting to arrange and conduct their conferences, seminars, and debates virtually, thereby giving us the upper hand through having the ability to participate in more activities than we might otherwise have in an offline environment. The price and inconvenience of moving to another city or country has been absolutely wiped out and you can still get a legitimate certificate sent to your doorstep.

4. There Is No Better Time To Explain A Gap Year!

Earlier, Gap years used to be a hush-hush topic, almost a taboo, amongst graduating students. However, this year has seen more students deciding to take a gap year than any other before. Be it your mental health, indecision regarding your field of higher studies, financial difficulties, or just an urge to take a break — this year has got your back! Your reasons for taking a gap year, the projects you undertook and how you learnt through the process is not only going to be easier to work out but also more legitimate and generally accepted on your college application now than it used to be.

Several important factors like colleges’ refusal to reduce tuition fees even though education has transitioned onto the online platform, constant and spontaneous travel bans, and the uncertainty of health at this time have put parents under pressure as well. Sending off their loved ones in these distressing times can be extremely difficult. Taking a step back to reflect on some of these points could help ease that stress! Remember, no application is more important than you are.

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Are You Spending Too Much Time On Social Media?

Published on December 18, 2020

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Are You Spending Too Much Time On Social Media?

Yes. You are. 

You could be anyone, anywhere around the world, and we can be sure that you’re spending too much time on social media. A high school student who doesn’t spend time on social media doesn’t exist. And if you’re on social media, you’re definitely spending too much time on it.

And the reason is that social media companies created social media to be addictive. They learnt from gamblers in Las Vegas casinos, and applied it to you. The only difference between social media and any other addictive substance, is that social media doesn’t come with warning labels.

Now this topic is generally considered preachy. ‘Beta, don’t spend too much time on the social media’ is something everyone has heard before. So we’ve kind of learned to tune it out. The ironic thing is that those people who tell us to spend less time on social media are the ones spending more time on it. Facebook is more for uncles and aunties than teenagers.

But it is something to think about. Humans are social animals who want social approval. We are built to compare. Social media just pumps steroids into that comparison. We see pictures of our friends on exotic vacations, in ‘colourful’ parties, and in amazing relationships (definitely not ‘king-queen’ posts). We see all these images and wonder why our lives aren’t as exciting as theirs.

And this actually leads to a drop in self-esteem and self-confidence. We get so used to just comparing and finding faults in our own lives, that we start developing anxiety and even depression. This sometimes can lead to a fall in grades and even disturbed sleep. In general, we become unsure of ourselves and are always in a bad mood. The problem is that nothing we see on our feed is actually real.

Social media is all about showing people how amazing your life is. You could be really struggling with life, but we feel the need to show that everything is alright. We reward each other for this fairy tale with likes and comments. When was the last time you saw somebody being honest on social media about their issues in life? It just doesn’t allow us to admit that something is wrong, and to simply ask for some help. ‘Cause how can something be wrong, when you’re showing everyone how perfect your life is.

A bigger issue you’ll face is once you start working. We’re already the ‘too long, didn’t read’ generation. Our attention span is getting shorter and shorter. We see these influencers with a 100k followers and we try to model ourselves after them. So you begin to believe that the way to be successful is instant fame or nothing. It’s viral or nothing. That makes us weaker. When we start working, our boss isn’t going to care how many followers we have, or how one post went viral some months back. Just remember that Salt Bae is still dropping salt on his arm.

Now the problem isn’t social media completely. It has connected the world like never before. But it’s the infinite scroll, where there is no end. It’s that sense of FOMO, which makes you feel that even a day without an app will remove you from every social circle in your life.

So what can you do to ease up?

  • Unfriend the noise. Reduce the number of people who are popping up on your feed.

  • Stop watching random youtube videos, which suck up time.

  • When you’re sitting with a person, forget your phone. Just talk.

  • Develop offline hobbies, which don’t include a screen.

  • Don’t go to bed with a screen and don’t wake up with a screen. This is going to be the toughest.

  • Read normal books, not on your iPad or Kindle.

  • Follow artists, motivational people, poets. Use social media for more than thirst traps.

  • Time your activity on each platform. You’ll be shocked.

Social media is always going to be there. At one point Facebook was king, now Tik-Tok is, tomorrow something else will be. The point is to give yourself a regular break from all your devices. Let your mind wander and fill with ideas, which won’t happen if you’re staring at a screen. You’ll learn new things and will stop comparing yourself with others. You’ll slowly realise that your life is more than just posting, liking and commenting.

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blog Entrepreneurship | 4min Read

Planting the seeds of Entrepreneurship

Published on December 2, 2020

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Planting the seeds of Entrepreneurship

‘I want to grow up and be an entrepreneur.’

At some point in your life, you might have had a brush with this thought. Maybe ever since you found out what that word means, the thought might have floated in to your head. Making big decisions, taking chances, getting rewarded in big cheques, being the boss, working out of beaches in Bali, and just having control over every aspect of life.

But it could remain as a fuzzy dream at the back of your mind. You go to college, experience more of life. Suddenly that entrepreneur dream gets pushed back a bit. Maybe you’ll do a job first, get some experience. Then you start making good money and start buying fancy stuff. Then you start travelling more and your expenses go up. You want a bigger house, a nicer car. Maybe you get married, so now you need to plan expenses with your spouse. Maybe you want to have kids. Before you know it, you’re in your 40’s wondering what happened to that entrepreneurial dream.

Now don’t worry, this scenario is a bit extreme to think about when you’re still in school. And it also doesn’t mean that you need to start a business as soon as you turn 18. The point is to start understanding what entrepreneurship actually means. Maybe you’ll realise that you don’t want to ever start a business. Maybe what you really want to do is have a great job and give your all to the company. But how will you know unless you test the waters.

So what does it mean to be an entrepreneur? Does it mean someone who has their own business? But if you’re running your own business, doesn’t that make you a manager. Is it about making money? But what if you dreamed of making ten crores and you make it. Would you stop working and just enjoy that money?

A true entrepreneur is someone who takes on the risk of a business, and doesn’t stop there. They dream of doing things that others would be too scared of trying. Elon Musk runs Tesla and also wants to create a colony on Mars. What do you think the risk with something like that is?

An entrepreneur doesn’t need to be that crazy, but they need to be that hungry. They can’t be greedy, because you could be in major debt and still start a new business. They don’t need to have fancy degrees, because many of the successful ones are college dropouts. Entrepreneurs risk speaking their ideas, to live their own dream. Age isn’t a factor because Richard Branson was 16 when he started his first company, and Colonel Sanders was 65 when he started KFC. They saw an opportunity for their dreams and took it. And the main thing they had in common, was failure.

Our school systems teach us how to pass, not how to fail. Which is a disservice to you. The mantra of any entrepreneur is to ‘Fail Fast’. You fail constantly, so that you can learn from your mistakes. You fail, and learn to pick yourself up. Twelve publishers told JK Rowling that her manuscript for Harry Potter was rubbish. She failed again and again, to finally make it.

And that’s the beauty of not knowing everything. You can’t know everything, and you will make mistakes. But if you create that mindset from a young age, you’ll be like ‘Ok I don’t know this, but I’ll figure it out’. You learn to be flexible and creative. Steve Jobs wasn’t an engineer, he was a marketing guy. But people still call him a genius, because he took the time to understand what an engineer did. You’re probably reading this on a device his company created.

So if you want to learn entrepreneurship, what will it teach you?

  • To ask questions and lead others.

  • To be creative and solve problems.

  • To make money and to save money.

  • To be a public speaker because you learn to sell.

  • To ask for help when you need it.

  • To learn from your mistakes and never give up.

People might tell you that you’re too young to think about starting your own business. Then when you get older, the same people will be after you to start it ASAP. People will tell you that Instagram influencers are entrepreneurs because they promote products. People say a lot of things. But being an entrepreneur means doing what you think works. Entrepreneurs see a problem and search for a solution. Maybe you want to solve the water crisis. Maybe you want to connect people across borders. Maybe you want solve global warming. Nothing is too big for an entrepreneur. If you have a dream, you work towards making it a reality.

And if you feel like dipping your toes in, join us for a week and challenge your assumptions about Entrepreneurship. Join our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program.

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blog Leadership | 3min Read

Leadership and You

Published on November 21, 2020

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Leadership and You

‘Be the leaders of tomorrow.’

‘Young leaders building a better tomorrow.’

‘Become a leader of the future.’

These kind of lines are thrown around a lot. Everyone has seen them pasted in different places, catering to some insecurity within us. Because who wouldn’t want to be a leader, right? But how do you define a leader?

Most think of a General standing on a battlefield, leading his men out to battle. Or a CEO leading her team of professionals to close a major deal and get featured in the news. Or a sportsman giving an electrifying speech to his demoralised team and leading them to an eventual victory. We all have our own version of what a leader is.

But who leads them? Does anybody lead a leader? Or is it just a single person doing everything on their own?

Well, a true leader leads himself. If leaders want something that they can’t have, they have to lead themselves to that goal. They understand the problem, they realise that the road is tough, they overcome their self-doubt, and they find a way to achieve what they want.

Everyone talks about Malala Yousafzai, as the ideal example of a leader for high school students. They talk about her Nobel prize, how she faced off against the Taliban, how she survived a bullet to the face, and how she gives speeches around the world. Wow, what an amazing life. But let’s go back to the root of her story and understand what made her a ‘leader’. She was simply a girl who wanted to attend school. Her dream was to learn, and there were some who wanted to stop that dream. So she lead herself, to keep doing what she wanted. Irrespective of the consequences. And that is considered true leadership.

People think about leaders only as those people who have followers. Now did that ‘leader’ go and actively find followers? Did he pay them to follow him? No. A true leader lives a life by different ideals and has the courage to do what others don’t. People see this genuineness and also want to learn those same principles.

It’s easy to think of being a famous leader someday, but that someday might be a long way off. What about right now? Do you feel you have the courage to be a leader for yourself right now? If somebody tells you to be a Lawyer but you want to be a Photographer, what would you do?Would you be able to understand their point and explain yours? Would you just give up? ‘Cause that’s not what a leader would do.

Nobody should be telling you to be a Malala or a Greta Thunberg. They didn’t start off wanting to change the world; they just wanted to change small things for themselves. As should you. Be the person you aspire to be, and others will eventually want to learn how you did it. A true leader creates more leaders, not more followers.

But what does it mean to be a leader?

  • Courage – Have the courage to go against the crowd.

  • Self-reflection – Reflect on what you have done and what you are about to do.

  • Self-belief – Believe you can make it to your goal or your dream.

  • Empathy – The best leader is the one who is most human and approachable.

  • Be genuine – In this social media world, it’s getting harder to be yourself. Find that self.

Don’t try to be a leader for glory or for fame. We mistake leadership with authority. We are so used to people in places of authority shouting at us, that we secretly want it. We see it in our teachers, our seniors, our sporting captains, sometimes our parents. But while authority can always be taken away, leadership comes from within. It is a choice, not a rank. Realise that you’re doing this for yourself. You’re setting the right example for yourself, one step at a time.

So, where should you begin? A Student Leadership development program like Harvard YLC (Youth Lead The Change) is the conference for high schoolers to explore leadership traits. Learn from the experts from Harvard and find your true potential.

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Studying for the Big Exam

Published on November 17, 2020

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Studying for the Big Exam

Knowing what kind of learner you are will help you study for tests and exams.  It would be best if you found a way to study that suits your learning style to understand the information and relay it back on a test.

Each style of learner will have a way of studying that helps him to understand and remember the required information.

Find A Place To Study

Location, location, location.  While some people can sit in a crowded cafeteria and not be distracted by what is going on around them, others need quiet and solitude to process information.

Find a place to study that works for you and your learning style.  Not everyone would choose the same type of environment for studying.

Create a routine for yourself where you go to the same place to study if you can.  By establishing a routine, it makes studying a habit, and it will not be hard to motivate yourself to do it.

Make sure you choose a comfortable place to study and that there is adequate lighting.

Decide How To Study

Different courses may require different ways of studying.  Look at the material you are learning and decide how you want to tackle it.

Some people like to read through the notes they made during class.  Some like to make themselves a list of possible questions and find the answers.  You need to evaluate the material you have and decide how to study it so that it is committed to memory.

Depending on the type of learner you are, you may want to make some notes and reorganize information, or you may want to read things out loud.

Be Prepared

Make sure you have everything you need on hand before you start a study session.  It is important to sit down and get to it without having to get up for materials you have forgotten.

Take good notes in class so that you are not missing information.  If you missed a day of school, make sure you get the material from a classmate or your teacher as soon as you return to class.

Set up your study area with anything you need to study for the subject you are working on – notes from class, extra paper, colored pens and pencils, a computer, a glass of water, a small snack – anything that you will want to have on hand when you get to work.

If you struggle to know what you may need, you can create a checklist for each subject of what you should have available for your study session and then go over it before you begin.

Make A Schedule

Find a block of time during the day that you can use to study.  Choose a time when you feel most productive.  If you are tired by 10:00 pm, then 9:00 pm may not be the best time of day to start studying.

Decide when you should study and stick to the same time each day when possible.  Just like finding a place to study and going there all the time helps to make it a habit, so does studying at the same time every day.

Schedule in some small breaks as well.  It can be hard to sit for long periods doing the same thing.  Schedule in short blocks of time when you can have a snack, rehydrate, and maybe even take a short walk.  This will help to keep your body and mind fueled.

Reward Yourself

Study skills have to be learned.  It is not something that necessarily comes naturally to all learners, and it takes some time to figure out what will work best for you.

Rewarding yourself may help to keep you motivated to complete the tasks you need to do.  You can work rewards into your plan.  For instance, maybe after you review one chapter, you can reward yourself by playing the game on the phone you love or checking in with a friend with a few text messages.

Choose a reward that will keep you motivated to get the work done.

Study Until You Are Done

Many people do not know how long to study and often worry and overdo it.  Once you feel you understand the material and you can explain it without having to look at your notes and study sheet, you are done.  There is no need to keep reviewing material you already know.

There is no timeline for how long it will take you to know the material.  Studying a little bit each day will make studying for a final exam much easier. You will already know some of the material, and a quick review of it may be enough.  Spend time on newer material that will need to be committed to memory.

Taking The Test

You have studied, and you are ready for the test or exam!  Go in with confidence, and do your best!

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